Acanthocercus ugandaensis ( Klausewitz, 1957: 169 )

Wagner, Philipp, Greenbaum, Eli, Bauer, Aaron M., Kusamba, Chifundera & Leaché, Adam D., 2018, Lifting the blue-headed veil - integrative taxonomy of the Acanthocercus atricollis species complex (Squamata: Agamidae), Journal of Natural History 52 (13 - 16), pp. 771-817 : 810-812

Acanthocercus ugandaensis ( Klausewitz, 1957: 169)

( Figure 18 )

1957 Agama atricollis ugandaensis Klausewitz, Eidonomische Untersuchungen über die Rassenkreise Agama cyanogaster und Agama atricollis . 2. Die Unterarten von Agama atricollis . Senckenbergiana biologica 38: 157–174.

Holotype

ZMB 11904, from ‘ Uganda’ , East Africa.

Description

A medium sized species with a total length up to 350 mm in adult males (SVL: 90–124, x = 106 mm, n = 16), tail long, about 1.6 times longer than the SVL (fide Klausewitz 1957), longer than in A. gregorii and A. kiwuensis . Head broad (particularly in males) lacking the occipital scale. Ear openings slightly larger than eyes, with the tympanum visible. Nostril slightly below the canthus rostralis. No or very weakly developed nuchal crest. Scales arranged in 75–110 (x = 88.4, n = 16) rows around midbody and 54–69 (x = 60.2, n = 16) longitudinal rows along the vertebrate. Dorsal body scalation consists of small, smooth to feebly keeled, rhomboidal matrix scales, scattered with enlarged keeled scales. Vertebral scales strongly keeled, enlarged, usually larger than other enlarged body scales, forming a distinct vertebral band framed by scales which are larger than the scales of the centre of the band. Ventral scales small and smooth (sometimes very feebly keeled on the margins of the belly), in 56–80 (x = 65.7, n = 16) longitudinal rows. Gular scales small and keeled. Males usually with two (sometimes three) continuous rows of 12–17 precloacal pores, which are poorly developed in females.

According to Klausewitz (1957) the coloration is brownish, without any pale or yellowish pattern, but this seems to be a description of preserved specimens. In nuptial males, the head, forelimbs and distal half of the tail are brilliant blue. Hind limbs and first half of the tail yellowish-greenish. On the upper surface of neck and body, the matrix scales are dark brown to black, with the enlarged scales yellow and blue on the flanks and blue along the vertebrate. Sometimes also some yellow spots on the head and the forelimbs. Females light brown, with a dark green to brown dorsolateral stripe on each side and a pale vertebral stripe.

Distribution

Acanthocercus ugandaensis was described from unspecified localities in Uganda, and since, the description has not been recorded elsewhere. Herein, we recognize it from Rwanda (Cyamudongo), Kenya (Kakamega, Nairobi) and Tanzania (Mount Meru) as well ( Figure 15 ).

Habitat and ecology

Acanthocercus ugandaensis is a tree dweller and occurs in secondary dry forest, but also in plantations, large hedges along streets and on solitary trees in gardens (pers. observ. E. Greenbaum). There is no information about the social structure of the species, but solitary specimens only were trapped by the senior author around Kakamega forest, Kenya.

Figures

Figure 15. Holotype (ZMB 23906) of Acanthocercus kiwuensis, from Kissenji, Rwanda.

Figure 18. Holotype (ZMB 11904) of Acanthocercus ugandaensis, from ‘Uganda’.