Agama picticauda
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Reptilia
Order: Squamata
Suborder: Iguania
Family: Agamidae
Genus: Agama
Species:
A. picticauda
Binomial name
Agama picticauda
W. Peters, 1877

Agama picticauda, also known commonly as Peter's rock agama[1][2][3] and the African redhead agama,[3] is a species of lizard in the family Agamidae. The species is native to West Africa.[3][4]

Geographic range

A. picticauda occurs in West Africa, from Mauritania in the west to Nigeria in the east.[4]

Introduced range

A. picticauda was first introduced to Florida in 1976 through the pet trade.[5] First colonizing Homestead and other areas in Miami-Dade County.[5] Since then it has spread elsewhere in South Florida including the Keys.[5] Introduced populations also exist in La Réunion and the Comoros, with single specimen(s) reported from Cap Verde, Madeira, and Madagascar.[4]

Sightings in South Florida rapidly increased at the end of 2020, indicating that the population has recently also increased rapidly.[5]

An awareness letter, drafted by numerous Caribbean-based biologists and conservationists highlights the threat to reptiles across the Caribbean Lesser Antilles if A. picticauda becomes established there. In 2022 and 2023, several individual specimens have been sighted on the British Virgin Islands as well as The Bahamas.[6]

References

  1. ↑ "Peters's rock agama, Agama picticauda Squamata: Agamidae". Invasive.Org. Retrieved 2020-12-13.
  2. ↑ "Peters's Rock Agama (Agama picticauda)". iNaturalist. 2018-11-17. Retrieved 2020-12-13.
  3. 1 2 3 "Peters's rock agama, Agama picticauda Squamata: Agamidae". EDDMapS. Retrieved 2020-12-13.
  4. 1 2 3 Agama picticauda at the Reptarium.cz Reptile Database. Accessed 21 December 2020.
  5. 1 2 3 4 Brasileiro, Adriana (2020-12-11). "Red-headed invasive lizard with butterfly appetite spreads in Florida". Tampa Bay Times. Retrieved 2020-12-13.
  6. ↑ Burg, M. P. van den; Wasilewski, J. A.; Thorpe, R. S.; Debrot, A. O.; Daltry, J. C.; Angin, B.; Boman, E. M.; Brannon, L.; Corbett, E. A.; Horrocks, J. A.; Mukhida, F.; Paranthoë, N.; Pascoe, N. K.; Petrovic, C.; Verhoeven, A.; Yokoyama, M. (2023-06-12). "The threat of Peters's Rock Agama (Agama picticauda) to reptile diversity across the Lesser Antilles". Animal Conservation. John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. doi:10.1111/acv.12889. ISSN 1469-1795. Retrieved 2023-06-12.


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