Agama anchietae

{{speciesbox

| image = Lizard, Southern Namibia.jpg

| image_caption = A. anchietae in Namibia

| image2 = Agama anchietae 102604622.jpg

| image2_caption = In South Africa

| status = LC

| status_system = IUCN3.1

| status_ref = {{cite iucn |author=de Villiers, A. |author2=Bates, M.F. |author3=Conradie, W. |author4=Ceríaco, L.M.P. |author5=Tolley, K.A. |date=2020 |title=Agama anchietae |volume=2020 |page=e.T17450294A139699477 |doi=10.2305/IUCN.UK.2020-3.RLTS.T17450294A139699477.en |access-date=20 November 2021}}

| genus = Agama

| species = anchietae

| authority = Bocage, 1896

}}

Agama anchietae, also known commonly as Anchieta's agama and the western rock agama, is a species of lizard in the family Agamidae. The species is native to southern Africa.

Etymology

The specific name, anchietae, is in honor of Portuguese naturalist José Alberto de Oliveira Anchieta, who was an explorer of Africa.{{EMBL species|genus=Agama|species=anchietae}} www.reptile-database.org.Beolens B, Watkins M, Grayson M. (2011). The Eponym Dictionary of Reptiles. Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press. xiii + 296 pp. {{ISBN|978-1-4214-0135-5}}. (Agama anchietae, p. 8).

Geographic range

A. anchietae is found in Angola, Botswana, Congo, Namibia, and South Africa.

Habitat

A. anchietae is found in a variety of habitats including desert, shrubland, and grassland.{{Cite web|url=http://eol.org/pages/815909/overview|title=Anchieta's Agama - Agama anchietae - Overview - Encyclopedia of Life|website=Encyclopedia of Life|language=en|access-date=2018-10-30}}

Diet

The diet of A. anchietae consists of insects (primarily ants).{{Cite journal|url=https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1111/aje.12693|title=Reproduction, predation, sexual dimorphism and diet in Agama anchietae (Reptilia: Agamidae) from Namibia|first1=Bertha|last1=Buiswalelo|first2=Seth|last2=Eiseb|first3=Jacqueline|last3=Goedhals|first4=Joaquín|last4=Verdú‐Ricoy|first5=Neil|last5=Heideman|date=18 September 2019|journal=African Journal of Ecology|volume=58|issue=2 |pages=227–235|doi=10.1111/aje.12693|s2cid=203888021 |access-date=2020-03-05}}

Description

A. anchietae shows signs of sexual dimorphism. Males tend to have a wider head and a longer tail than females. This species is one of the more cryptically coloured members of the genus Agama, as opposed to the more colourful species such as Agama planiceps. This is associated with its relatively solitary lifestyle; colourful species such as A. planiceps are comparatively much more social.

{{Multiple image

| image1 = Agama anchietae 102598314.jpg

| total_width = 550

| caption1 = Dorsal side

| image2 = Agama anchietae 102745843.jpg

| caption2 = Ventral side

| align = center

}}

Reproduction

A. anchietae is oviparous.