Taxonomic notes: This is the sole member of its genus.

This species has a wide distribution in Australia, the Torres Strait islands and southern New Guinea. In Australia it occurs from Kimberley district in Western Australia across the north of the Northern Territory to the Cape York Peninsula in northern Queensland, from there south to Brisbane and north to the Torres Strait islands of Muralug, Badu, and Mua. In southern New Guinea it occurs in the southern Trans-Fly region in Western Province (Papua New Guinea) and Papua Province (Indonesian New Guinea) (O’Shea 1991, Wilson and Swan 2003, Lavery et al. 2012). Most New Guinean records are from PNG (A. Allison unpubl. data). This savannah species will not penetrate into forested regions, and so is not expected to range further north in New Guinea than is presently known in the southern Trans-Fly (M. O'Shea and A. Allison pers. comm. 2014).

This species is well-represented in collections from southern New Guinea: in global collections, 93 records from 37 localities in the Trans-Fly and Papua are known (A. Allison unpubl. data). This species is probably reasonably common in suitable habitat in New Guinea, as is the case in northern Australia (A. Allison pers. comm. 2014), but this species may be underrecorded as this is a quick, wary species that is difficult to both collect and record. The species' population status is unknown, but localized declines due to the effects of introduced species and - in New Guinea - harvesting cannot be ruled out.

In Australia this species inhabits dry sclerophyll forests and open woodlands and disturbed urban areas. In New Guinea, it is associated with savannah woodland characterized by Melanoleuca and Eucalyptus, habitats which can be seasonally flooded. Lizards have been collected basking on termite mounds (M. O'Shea pers. comm. 2014). It is arboreal and rarely encountered during the dry season presumably remaining in the canopy. It is frequently seen in the rainy season perching 1-2 m from the ground on trunks of standing rough-barked trees, and often descends to the ground after rain. Studies on this species in Australia have revealed the size and/or location of the home range shows little variation between seasons (Brown et al. 2005). The mean home range of females was almost identical between seasons (dry = 0.63 ha, wet = 0.68 ha), and the mean male home range increased in the wet season (dry = 1.96 ha, wet = 2.53 ha) (Brown et al. 2005). This diurnal ‘sit and wait’ predator spends the majority of its time clinging to branches of trees but descends to the ground to forage, interact with other lizards and move to new trees. Diet consists of insects, primarily caterpillars, ants, termites, and beetles (Cameron and Cogger 1992, Cogger 2000, Wilson and Swan 2003).  

Allison (2006) noted that in the southern Trans-Fly region this was the only species of special concern, as it is highly sought after for the pet trade. Yuwono (1998) indicated that trade in this species was from Indonesian New Guinea (export being banned from both Papua New Guinea - M. O'Shea pers. comm. 2014 - and Australia) and that animals were was always available in adequate numbers. This does not however imply that export is sustainable, and this species is very common in trade. Many of the specimens exported from Indonesia are likely to come from PNG. 

Late dry season fires in the Northern Territory were responsible for an approximate 30% mortality rate in a small monitored population in Kakadu National Park, though no mortality was recorded in the early dry season fires (Griffiths 1994). While localized, short-term declines have been reported from fires, this species is associated with fire-adapted habitats and is probably not declining as a result of this pressure. Local population declines have also been reported after the arrival of the cane toad Rhinella marina (Breeden 1963). Predation by cats has also caused declines in this species (Brook et al. 2004). In the Trans-Fly region of New Guinea, this species is reported to be "sought after for the pet trade" (Allison 2006). There is insufficient information to determine whether trade represents a threat at present, but this species is very hard to breed in captivity and most specimens reported as captive-bred are believed to be wild-caught (M. O'Shea pers. comm. 2014), and trade might well occur at a level sufficient to cause declines in New Guinea.

• 7.1.3 Trend Unknown/Unrecorded
• 8.1.1 Unspecified species
• 5.1.1 Intentional use (species is the target)

There are no known species-specific conservation measures in place for this species. This species occurs in the Wasur National Park in Indonesian New Guinea and the Tonda Wildlife Management Area in Papua New Guinea. Localized populations of this species are monitored to study the impact that major threats such as fire are having on its abundance. This species is not listed under CITES and does not have protected status or an export quota in Indonesia. Research into its harvest levels in New Guinea should be carried out, as well as monitoring of numbers found in trade and also to confirm that animals found in trade are not sourced from Australia.

Chlamydosaurus kingii has been assessed as Least Concern owing to its large distribution in Australia and southern New Guinea. It is tolerant of somewhat modified habitats and present in protected areas. There are a number of localized threats, however these are not thought to impact large parts of this species' range. Monitoring this species population status and threats from trade in New Guinea should be undertaken, as the species may be at some risk in the Trans-Fly.

• Allison, A. 2006. Reptiles and Amphibians of the Trans-Fly Region of New Guinea. Pacific Biological Survey, Bishop Museum, WWF South Pacific Programme.
• Allison, A. 2007. pers. comm. Red List Assessment.
• Breeden, K. 1963. Cane Toad (Bufo marinus). Wildlife in Australia 1: 31.
• Brook, B.W., Whitehead, P.J. and Dingle, J.K. 2004. Potential cane toad short to medium term control techniques - the biological feasibility and cost of exclusion as a mitigating control strategy. Final report for the Australian government department of the environment and heritage. Key centre for tropical wildlife management, Charles Darwin University.
• Brown, G. P., R. Shine, T. Madsen. 2005. Spatial ecology of slatey-grey snakes (Stegonotus cucullatus, Colubridae) on a tropical Australian floodplain. Journal of Tropical Ecology 21: 605-612.
• Cameron, E. E. and H. G. Cogger. 1992. The herpetofauna of the Weipa Region, Cape York Peninsula. Technical Reports of the Australian Museum 7: 1-200.
• Cogger, H.G. 2000. Reptiles and Amphibians of Australia. New Holland Publishers, Sydney.
• Doughty, P. 2007. pers. comm. Red List Assessment.
• Griffiths, T. 1994. The short-term effects of fire on frillneck lizards in the Top End. In: D.B. Rose (ed.) (ed.), Country in Flames: Biodiversity and Fire in North Australia. Darwin.
• Lavery, T. H., Watson, J. J., Leung, L. K.-P. 2012. Terrestrial vertebrate richness of the inhabited Torres Strait Islands, Australia. Australian Journal of Zoology 600(3): 180-191.
• Natusch, D. J. D. and Lyons, J. A. 2012. Exploited for pets. The harvest and trade of amphibians and reptiles from Indonesia New Guinea. Biodiversity Conservation 21: 2899-2911.
• O'Shea, M. 1991. The reptiles of Papua New Guinea. Brit. Herpetol. Soc. Bull.
• Wilson, S. and Swan, G. 2003. Reptiles of Australia. Princetown University Press, Princeton and Oxford.
• Yuwono, F.B. 1998. The trade of live reptiles & amphibians in Indonesia. In W. Erdelen (ed.) Conservation, Trade & Sustainable Use of Lizards & Snakes in Indonesia. Mertensiella 9: 9-16.