Reptiles Database

Order Squamata
Infraorder Iguania

Family Agamidae (Agamas)


Photo: Flying Dragon, Draco taeniopterus;
© U. Manthey.

Appearance: A number of agamids developed highly specialized adaptions like the genus Draco which is the only lizard genus that has evolved a gliding flight made possible by elongate ribs which support a flight skin. Chlamydosaurus has large frills and several genera show enlarged scales all over the body (e.g. Moloch) or all over the tail (like Uromastyx). In contrast to most lacertids, many agamids don't autotomize their tails. However, members of the genera Agama, Physignathus, and Laudakia have evolved intervertebral autotomy ans opposed to the commonly found intravertrebral autotomy found in other lizard families.

Femoral pores have been lost in the amphibolurine (sensu Macey et al., 2000) genera Chelosania, Moloch, and Hypsilurus, and all draconines and agamines.

Distribution: Africa, Asia, Europe, Australia and several Indoaustralian islands.

Size: moderate-sized to large

Behavior: mostly diurnal and terrestrial.

Food: Insects and other small animals. Some species are partly herbivorous (plant-eating), e.g. Uromastyx. Moloch is also peculiar in that it feeds primarily on ants.

Reproduction: Most species are oviparous with the exception of Phrynocephalus which gives birth to living offspring.

Relationships: Agamas are related to iguanas and chameleons and these families have been included in the superfamily Iguania.

Updated list of species contributed by Mirko Barts (based on Barts & Wilms, 1997).

List of genera:

Subfamily Agaminae

Subfamily Leiolepinae or Leiolepidinae (sometimes treated as family, Leiolepididae)

* Manthey and Grossmann (1997) recently introduced two new genera: Complicitus (for Calotes nigrigularis) and Pseudocophotis (for Cophotis sumatrana). Moody (1980) divided Calotes in the genera Bronchocela (long tailed agamas), Calotes (Bloodsuckers), Dendragama (Tree Agamas), and Pseudocalotes (false Bloodsuckers). Recent phylogenetic analysis based on molecular data shows that the former genus Calotes is a polyphyletic assemblage (Macey et al., 2000).

Phylogeny of Agamidae (from Honda et al. 2000).

Maximum-likelihood (ML) dendrogram based on mitochondrial DNA sequences. Branches without BP values were not supported in ³50% of the replicates.

References:

ANANJEVA, N. B. & STUART. B.L. (2001)
The agamid lizard Ptyctolaemus phuwuanensis MANTHEY AND NABHITABHATA, 1991 from Thailand and Laos represents a new genus.
Russ. J. Herpetol., 8 (3): 165-170

Arnold,E.N. (1999)
Phylogenetic relationships of toad-headed lizards (Phrynocephalus, Agamidae) based on morphology.
Bull. Nat. Hist. Mus. London (Zool.) 65 (1): 1-13

Barts, M., Wilms, T., eds. (1997)
Catalogue of valid Species and Synonyms. Volume 4 (Agamidae) - A Bibliography.
Herprint Intern., i-xl, 1-418 - Bredell, 1997.

Honda et al. 1999
Phylogenetic relationships of the flying lizards, genus Draco (Reptilia: Agamidae).
Zoological Science 16: 535-549

Honda et al. 2000
Phylogenetic relationships of the family Agamidae (Reptilia: Iguania) inferred from mitochondrial DNA sequences.
Zoological Science 17: 527-537

Macey,J.R. et al. 2000
Evaluating trans-Tethys migration: an example using acrodont lizard phylogenetics.
Syst. Biol. 49 (2): 233-256

Macey,J.,R.; Schulte,J.A. & Larson,A. 2000
Evolution and phylogenetic information content of mitochondrial genomic structural features illustrated with acrodont lizards.
Syst. Biol. 49 (2): 257-277

Manthey, U. & Grossmann, W. (1997)
Amphibien & Reptilien Südostasiens
NTV Verlag, Münster, 512 pp.

MANTHEY & SCHUSTER (1999)
Agamen, 2. Aufl.
Münster: 120 pp.

Müller, Peter Maria (2002)
Die Bartagame [genus Pogona].
Kirschner und Seufer Verlag, Keltern-Weiler, 78 pp.

Pethiyagoda, R. & K. Manamendra-Arachchi (1998)
A revision of the endemic Sri Lankan agamid lizard genus Ceratophora Gray, 1835, with description of two new species.
Journal of South Asian natural History 3 (1): 1

Palika, Liz (2003)
Leben mit Bartagamen.
Natur und Tier Verlag (Münster), 206 S.

Smith-WJS, Osborne-WS, Donnellan-SC & Cooper-PD 1999
The systematic status of earless dragon lizards, Tympanocryptis (Reptilia: Agamidae), in south-eastern Australia.
Austr. J. Zoology 47: 551-564

Wermuth,H. (1967)
Liste der rezenten Amphibien und Reptilien: Agamidae
Das Tierreich Lieferung 86, XIV, 127 pp.
Walter de Gruyter, (Berlin)

Werning, H. (2002)
Wasseragamen und Segelechsen.
Natur und Tier Verlag (Münster), 127 pp.

Werning, H. (2004)
Bibliographie der Gattungen Physignathus, Lophognathus und Hydrosaurus.
Iguana Rundschreiben 17 (2): 18-31

Online Information: