IUCN Red List Category: (Draft)
Taxonomy
| Animalia | Chordata | Vertebrata | Reptilia | Squamata | Sauria | Agamidae | Agama | Agama lionotus |
Taxonomic notes: This is a member of the former Agama agama species complex, and is still treated within accounts for A. agama in some recent field guides (Largen and Spawls 2010 - part). Böhme et al. (2005) distinguished the A. lionotus group, encompassing East African members of the former A. agama complex, from the A. agama group. The taxonomy of Agama lionotus thus defined is still not fully resolved. Recent work has determined that A. turuensis (a former synonym of A. l. elongis) is a valid species (Wagner et al. 2008) and that A. l. usambarae is a junior synonym of A. l. lionotus (Wagner 2007). A. l. dodomae has been elevated to full species status, including the subspecies A. d. ufipae (P. Wagner unpubl. thesis, Wagner et al. in prep.). As currently defined following this complex sequence of taxonomic changes, A. lionotus contains the two recognized subspecies A. l. lionotus and A. l. elongis, and the latter is likely to be elevated to specific status in the near future (P. Wagner, in prep.).
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