Acanthocercus kiwuensis ( Klausewitz, 1957: 167 )

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 : 805-807

Acanthocercus kiwuensis ( Klausewitz, 1957: 167)

( Figure 15 )

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

Holotype

ZMB 23906, from ‘ Kissenji [=Gisenyi] north-east shore of Lake Kivu’, Rwanda, East Africa.

Description

A small species of the genus (SVL 87.3–130.3, x = 116.1, n = 15) with a total length usually about 300 mm, tail more than half again longer than the SVL in adult males. Head narrow (particularly in males), occipital scale lacking. Nasal scale not convex, smooth, below the canthus rostralis, often not visible from above. Ear openings as large as eyes, with the tympanum conspicuous. No nuchal crest. Dorsal scalation heterogeneous, matrix scales keeled and mucronate, irregularly intermixed with enlarged keeled and mucronate scales of two sizes, but not as distinct as in A. gregorii . Vertebral scales enlarged, becoming continuously smaller to the flanks, not as distinct as

64 = northern slopes Ngorongoro; 65 = Olduvai Gorge, Arusha; 66 = Serengeti, Naabi Gate; 67 = Kakitumba; 68 = Ntaruka; 69 = Kibale; 70 = Mpanga; 71 = Ntaruka?; 72 = Lake Nasho; 73 = Mpanga?; 74 = Bujumbura; 75 = Digg ’ s Farm nr. Amoressa; 76 = Sanga; 77 = only coordinates; 78 = Tabora Udjidji; 79 = Kakoma; 80 = Ukimbu; 81 = Nguru Mountains; 82 = Bagamoyo; 83 = Kilosa; 84 = Karema; 85 = Kakokwe; 86 = Tukuyu; 87 = Rutenganio; 88 = Mwaya; 89 = Matema; 90 = Utengule; 91 = Ilolo; 92 = Uhehe; 93 = Liwale; 94 = Manengue; 95 = Kilwa; 96 = Arba Minch; 97 = Lake Shala; 98 = Mahal Uonz; 99 = Masai Mara NP; 100 = Lyanza; 101 = Kikambo; 102 = Sanga; 103 = Metemna; 104 = NE Songea District; 105 = Singida; 106 = Niassa Game Reserve.

in other species. Body scales in 73–96 rows [up to 116 mentioned by ( Sternfeld 1912) around midbody (x = 83.6, n = 29) and 55–77 (x = 62.7, n = 15) longitudinal rows along the vertebrae. Ventral scales smooth and small, as large as the medium-sized dorsal scales, in 57–74 (x = 63.9, n = 15) longitudinal rows. Gular scales small, keeled, and exposed, slightly smaller than the ventral scales. Males with two to three continuous rows (x = 2.2, n = 18) and a total number of 16–28 precloacal pores (x = 20.2, n = 18), absent in females. Dorsal scales of the tail base not as distinctly swollen as in e.g. A. gregorii or A. atricollis , but distinct from other scales of the tail.

According to Klausewitz (1957) this species has a very characteristic coloration: adult males with a yellowish green to greenish blue head, throat whitish to blue, body deep blue with some pale blue dots, base and first third of the tail yellow, followed by yellowish green second third and a brownish tip. Sternfeld (1912) mentioned male specimens from ‘Kissenje’ [=Gisenyi] having the entire body blue and the tail uniform olive-yellow. However, the non-nuptial coloration shows a pattern of yellow spots and stripes on the body as well.

Distribution

Since its description ( Klausewitz 1957), A. kiwuensis had been considered restricted to the mountainous areas around Lake Kivu ( Rwanda and DRC). Herein, it is recognized as a wide-ranging species from Lake Kivu in the south to central Uganda and north-eastern DRC in the north ( Figure 16 ).

Habitat and ecology

Acanthocercus kiwuensis has been found on trees in savannah woodland, but also on man-made structures (e.g. houses, old walls) near cities and towns (EG, pers. obs.).

Figures

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

Figure 16. Distribution of Acanthocercus kiwuensis and A. ugandaensis. The numbers refer to the specific localities.