Phrynocephalus arabicus
Species of lizard
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Arabian toad-headed agama (Phrynocephalus arabicus) is a species of agamid lizard found in Saudi Arabia, Qatar, United Arab Emirates, Oman, Iran, and Jordan.[2]
| Phrynocephalus arabicus | |
|---|---|
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Scientific classification  | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Reptilia |
| Order: | Squamata |
| Suborder: | Iguania |
| Family: | Agamidae |
| Genus: | Phrynocephalus |
| Species: | P. arabicus |
| Binomial name | |
| Phrynocephalus arabicus Anderson, 1894 | |
 | |
Description
It is one of 34 recognized species within the genus Phrynocephalus. In 2014, Melkinov split P. arabicus into 4 distinct species: arabicus sensu stricto, nejdensis, macropeltis, and ahvazicus. To date only P. ahvazicus has been formally recognized as a separate species.
P. arabicus sensu stricto is recognizable by its unique tail coloration. It has a white coloration on the underside of the tail with a black tip. When the animal is alerted the whole last quarter of the tail becomes black. P. arabicus also has a relatively long tail and a pointed snout. Adults may attain a snout-to-vent length (SVL) of 51 mm (2 in) and weigh 4.08g on average.[3]
Behavior
This species is diurnal. They are insectivores and females only lay 1–2 eggs per clutch.[2]
