Agama aculeata aculeata

Agama cf. aculeata aculeata Merrem, 1820

Specimens.

Angola: Caconda: BMNH 1893.12.27.5 –6 , “ Hauts-Plateaux ”: BMNH 1896.6.9.2 –3 .

Comments.

Populations of ground agamas from the Angolan highlands have historically been associated with either Agama aculeata or Agama armata (Marques et al. 2018) . Marques et al. (2018) referred Angolan populations to Agama aculeata, while Conradie et al. (2022) assigned new material to Agama armata based on a reticulated rather than striped gular pattern following Jacobsen (1992). Although the specimens sent by Bocage to the British Museum agree with this diagnosis, further research is needed to clarify taxonomic and geographic boundaries within the Agama aculeata complex (Leaché et al. 2014). Specimens BMNH 1893.12.27.5 –6 were identified by Bocage as Agama armata on the specimen labels, while BMNH 1896.6.9.2 –3 were referred to the same species in a letter dated 2 June 1896 (NHMA /DF/ZOO/235/1/1/1/76). Although Boulenger and Power (1921) cited a specimen from Caconda sent by Bocage (in error, see Agama anchietae account), the authors apparently did not cite any of the material presented by Bocage as belonging to the Angolan “ plateau ” species.