Tropicagama, Melville & Ritchie & Chapple & Glor & Schulte, 2018

Melville, Jane, Ritchie, Euan G., Chapple, Stephanie N. J., Glor, Richard E. & Schulte, James A., 2018, Diversity in Australia’s tropical savannas: An integrative taxonomic revision of agamid lizards from the genera Amphibolurus and Lophognathus (Lacertilia: Agamidae), Memoirs of Museum Victoria (Mem. Mus. Vic.) 77, pp. 41-61 : 56-57

Genus Tropicagama gen. nov.

ZooBank LSID: urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act: F534B4D5-CBD7-

41E0-950A-B95B14F1D858.

Type-species. Grammatophora temporalis (part.) Günther, A., 1867. Additions to the knowledge of Australian reptiles and fishes. Annals and Magazine of Natural History 20(3): 45–68 [52] [one of the original syntype series, BMNH 1946.8 .12.73 (Nickol Bay), represents Lophognathus horneri sp. nov.] .

Diagnosis. A monotypic genus consisting of a large agamid lizard in the subfamily Amphibolurinae , with exposed tympanum, gular scales smooth to weakly keeled, ventral scales smooth to weakly keeled. Very long-limbed, prominent erectable nuchal crest. Long tail and head relatively narrow for length. Dorsal scales uniform, with keels converging posteriorly toward midline. Prominent pale dorsolateral stripes that are broadly continuous with wide pale stripe along upper and lower jaw. Lacks well-defined pale stripe between eye and ear. Upper portion of head usually dark grey or black and uniformly coloured. Under the head, on the chin, gular and neck areas, there is dark grey or black uniform pigmentation in adult males, with two narrow white stripes extending from the back of the jaw anteriorly under the chin, parallel to the jaw, ending approximately half way along the jaw. Femoral pores 1–6; preanal pores 2 (range 1–3).

Included species. Grammatophora temporalis (part.) Günther, A., 1867.

Distribution. Far northern Australian coastal regions in the Northern Territory and western Cape York. Also occurs on northern offshore islands, including Indonesian islands close to Australian waters and southern Papua New Guinea.

Tropicagama temporalis

( Figs. 5 & 8 )

Grammatophora temporalis (part.) Günther, A., 1867. Additions to the knowledge of Australian reptiles and fishes. Annals and Magazine of Natural History 20(3): 45–68 [52] [one of the original syntype series, BMNH 1946.8 .12.73 (Nickol Bay), represents Lophognathus horneri sp. nov.] .

Lophognathus lateralis Macleay, W., 1877 . The lizards of the Chevert Expedition. Second paper. Proceedings of the Linnean Society of New South Wales 2: 97–104 [1878 on title page] [103]. Type data. Holotype AM R31882 , Mawatta, Binaturi River (as Katow), Papua New Guinea.

Lophognathus labialis Boulenger, G. A., 1883 . Remarks on the lizards of the genus Lophognathus . Annals and Magazine of Natural History 5 12: 225-226 [225]. Type data. Syntype (s) BMNH 1946.8 . 12.72, Port Essington , NT; BMNH 1946.8 .12.63.

Lophognathus maculilabris Boulenger, G. A., 1883 . Remarks on the lizards of the genus Lophognathus . Annals and Magazine of Natural History 12(5): 225–226 [226]. Type data. Syntypes: BMNH 1946.8.28.70-71 (BMNH 1919.8.26.13-14), Timor Laut Islands, Indonesia.

Synonymy that of: Melville, J., this work; Cogger, H.G. 1983, in Cogger, H.G., Cameron, E.E., and Cogger, H.M. Amphibia and Reptiles . Pp. 121–122 in: Walton, D.W. (ed.) Zoological catalogue of Australia. Vol. 1. Netley, South Australia: Griffin Press Ltd. vi 313 pp. [122].

Lectotype. BMNH 1946.8.28.72, Port Essington, Northern Territory. Designation by Cogger, H.G., 1983, in Cogger, H.G., Cameron, E.E., and Cogger, H.M. Amphibia and Reptiles . Pp. 121– 122 in: Walton, D.W. (ed.) Zoological catalogue of Australia. Vol. 1. Netley, South Australia: Griffin Press Ltd. vi 313 pp. [122]. Paralectotype. BMNH 1946.8.12.63, Nickol Bay, WA.

Diagnosis. As for genus.

Description of Lectotype. Adult. Moderately sized slender agamid lizard with relatively short rounded snout; head narrow and moderately elongated. Prominent canthal ridge consisting of row of enlarged heavily keeled scales. Small nasal scale and nares below ridge. Visible tympanum. A distinct neck, long limbs, long and slender tail, which is damaged and missing its end. Infralabials 11; supralabials 12. Labials elongate unkeeled. Scales on dorsal surface of head moderately heterogeneous, strongly keeled. Prominent nuchal crest of 10 enlarged scales, from ear to shoulder and extending along the back as a row of enlarge scales to base of tail. Head scales heterogeneous and strongly keeled; 4–5 enlarged white spinose scales protruding from rear of head, posterior to the jaw. Dorsal scales on body and tail mostly homogeneous and weakly to moderately keeled. Scales on thighs homogeneous and strongly keeled. Scales on the ventral surface of head strongly keeled and are weakly keeled on the body. Upper portion of head dark grey-brown and uniformly coloured. Under the head, on the chin, gular and neck dark grey pigmentation, with two pale stripes extending from back of the jaw anteriorly under chin, parallel to jaw, ending approximately half way along jaw. Broad white lip stripe, equally wide on lower and narrow upper lip, extends below ear and continues as two broad white dorsoventral stripes, extending to shoulder. Broad dorsoventral stripes intersected by three dark bands at neck, shoulders and upper back.

Variation. Adult males have dark grey to black uniform colour on top of head and below chin, onto neck and ventral surface of shoulders. However, females and juveniles often lack this uniform colour and instead have brown and black patterning on top of the head and only have flecks of grey, brown or black on their ventral surface. However, they still have two continuous dorsolateral stripes from the jaw onto the back and lack a well-defined pale stripe between the eye and the ear. Also, it is common for Tropicagama temporalis to have one or more broad dark lateral bands across the back at the shoulders. Commonly, the white lower lip stripe does not extend the full length of the jaw; instead, it is only present on the posterior section of the lower jaw.

Distribution and ecology. Far northern Australian coastal regions in the Northern Territory and western Cape York. Also occurs on northern offshore islands, including Indonesian islands close to Australian waters and southern Papua New Guinea. Semi-arboreal, occurring in dry tropical woodland habitats, particularly associated with coastal pandanus and paperbark watercourses. Genetic data has not yet found evidence of this species occurring on the Western Australian mainland. However, future work may find this species occurring in coastal Kimberley regions.

Remarks. Tropicagama temporalis is superficially similar to, and has extensive distributional overlap with, Lophognathus gilbert (fig. 4). T. temporalis is readily separated from this species on body proportions (fig. 2) and by having two or fewer preanal pores, uniform dorsal scales with keels converging posteriorly toward midline, a prominent pale dorsolateral stripe that is broadly continuous with stripe along jaw, and lacking a well-defined pale stripe between the eye and the ear.

Figures

Figure 5. Primary type specimens:a,Amphibolurus centralis (MCZ 35207); b, Gowidon longirostris (BMNH 1946.8.28.73); c, Lophognathus gilbert (BMNH1946.8.28.69); d,Tropicagama temporalis (BMNH 1946.8.28.72).

Figure 8. Photos in life of species under revision: a, Lophognathus horneri sp. nov., adult male with breeding colouration, 80 mile beach, Western Australia (photo: R. Glor); b, Lophognathus gilberti, Katherine, Northern Territory (photo: R. Glor); c, Amphibolurus centralis, adult male with breeding colouration, West MacDonnell Ranges, Northern Territory (photo: J. Melville); d, Amphibolurus burnsi, adult male with breeding colouration, Westmar, Queensland (photo: S. Wilson); e, Tropicagama temporalis, Jabiru, Northern Territory (photo: S. Wilson); f, Gowidon longirostris, adult male with breeding colouration, Ormiston Gorge, Northern Territory (photo: R. Glor).