Lophognathus Gray, 1842

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 : 53

Genus Lophognathus Gray, 1842

Lophognathus Gray, J.E., 1842 . Description of some hitherto unrecorded species of Australian reptiles and batrachians. Pp. 51–57 in: Gray, J.E. (ed.). The zoological miscellany. London: Treuttel, Würz & Co. [53]. Type-species Lophognathus gilberti Gray, 1842 by monotypy.

Redtenbacheria Steindachner, F., 1867 . Redtenbacheria fasciata Steindachner, F., 1867 . Reptilien. Pp. 1–98 in: Reise der Österreichischen Fregatte Novara um die Erde in den Jahren 1857, 1858, 1859 unter den Befehlen des Commodore B. von Wüllerstorff-Urbair. Zoologie 1(3). Vienna: State Printer. [1869 on title page] [31]. [junior homonym of Redtenbacheria Schiner, 1861 ]. Type species. Redtenbacheria fasciata Steindachner, 1867 by monotypy.

Synonymy that of: 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. [121]

Diagnosis. A genus consisting of large agamid lizards in the subfamily Amphibolurinae , with exposed tympanum, gular scales smooth to weakly keeled, ventral scales weakly to strongly keeled. Stoutly built with moderately long legs and tail. Broad white stripe on the upper and lower lips, extending along the full extent of the jaw, pale stripe from behind the eye to the top of the ear, which is cream, white, grey or yellow in life. This pale stripe is well defined ventrally and dorsally by a row of darkly pigmented scales (fig. 6). Heterogenous scales on the back both at the midline and doroslaterally, associated with a weak to prominent row of enlarged, strongly keeled scales. Colour patterns of grey, brown, rust-brown and black. Well-developed nuchal crest continuous with the enlarged row of vertebral scales. Broad pale dorsolateral stripes, which may extend from top of ear or back of head to hips. Dorsolateral stripes are not continuous with the pale lip stripes. On the back, dorsolateral stripes may be intersected by wedges of brown or grey. Preanal pores 3–6; femoral pores 2–8.

Included species. Lophognathus gilberti Gray, J.E., 1842 ; Lophognathus horneri sp. nov.

Distribution. Northern Australia, extending from northern-central and western Queensland, through the northern regions of the Northern Territory and across northern Western Australia. Occurs in woodlands and river courses.