agama-girl's Identifications

NUMBER: 20230514
SPECIES: African Redheaded Agama (Lizard), Agama picticauda Peters, 1877
OTHER NAMES: Peter’s Rock Agama Lizard, Rainbow Lizard
DISTINGUISHING: White underside, brown back limbs and a tail with a light stripe down the middle. The stripe on the tail typically possesses about six to seven dark patches along its side.
DATE: 14 May 2023
LOCALITY: Lake Park, Naples, Florida 34102
LATITUDE, LONGITUDE: 26.161132, -81.793462
DISTRIBUTION: Native to West Africa, pet introductions elsewhere and established in south Florida. EDDMapS (2023) list records almost all over Florida, except most of the panhandle and the Keys. Also, lists the extreme SE corner of Georgia. With spot records in north central and most eastern part of Georgia, the southern tip of South Carolina, and the NE shore of Mobile Bay. The iNaturalist (2023) records suggest the Agama has spread throughout the Florida Keys and possibly to Texas and the Bahamas (Table 1). We have previously seen 2 other specimens in the Naples area but could not photograph them.
REPORTED TO: Report Invasive Animals and Plants in Florida, EDDMapS https://www.eddmaps.org/florida/report/
OBSERVERS: Dr. Ernest H. Williams, Jr.,[2,3,5,6] and Dr. Lucy Bunkley-Williams[2,4,5,7]
REFERENCES:
<>EDDMapS. 2023. Early Detection & Distribution Mapping System. The University of Georgia - Center for Invasive Species and Ecosystem Health. Available online at http://www.eddmaps.org/; last accessed 18 May 2023.
<>ENNDS. 2023. Africa Redheaded Agama. Ending Non-Native Destructive Species, https://ennds.org/african-redhead-agama/
<>Williams, E. H., Jr. and L. Bunkley-Williams. 2023. The invasive African Redheaded Agama, Agama picticauda Peters, has spread throughout the Florida Keys and possibly to Texas and the Bahamas. iNaturalist #???, 19 May 2023 (open access), ResearchGate [843].
FOOTNOTES:
[1]Identification was peer-reviewed, text edited and usually condensed. The original text is in our reprint #843 and ResearchGate. [2]Extraordinary Professors, Potchefstroom Campus, North-West University, South Africa; Adjunct Professors, Research Field Station, Florida Gulf Coast University, 5164 Bonita Beach Road, Bonita Springs, FL 34134; [3]Dept. Marine Sciences, University of Puerto Rico (retired); [4]Dept. Biology, UPR (retired); [5]920 St. Andrews Blvd, Naples, FL 34113-8943; [6]e-mail ermest.williams1@upr.edu; ORCID 0000-0003-0913-3013; [7]e-mail lucy.williams1@upr.edu, ORCID 0000-0003-1390-911x; [8]Records must be recorded because iNaturalist observations are unfortunately not permanently preserved. Only representative records were listed in Table 1 from Key Largo due to the abundance there.

Table 1. New geographic records of the African Redheaded Agama from iNaturalist[8]

Date Locality Country Latitude Longitude

23 Jan 2020 Islamorada, FL USA 24.89513 -80.66552
15 Jun 2020 Islamorada, FL USA 24.924294 -80.627836
21 Jun 2020 Barry Ave, Summerland Key, FL USA 24.668975 -81.387509
26 Jun 2020 Gulf of Mexico, FL USA 24.668158 -81.452822
18 Jul 2020 Vaca Key, Marathon, FL USA 24.714588 -81.085425
23 Aug 2020 Houston, Tex USA 29.780189 -95.609001
Jan 2021 Monroe County, FL USA 24.648827 -81.566582
04 Feb 2021 Monroe County, FL USA 24.648827 -81.566582
30 Mar 2021 Marathon, FL USA 24.709739 -81.101081
05 May 2021 Long Key, FL USA 24.804348 -80.847706
18 Jul 2021 Bahia Honda State Park, Big Pine Key, FL USA 24.657695 -81.276894
17 Sep 2021 Florida Bay, FL, USA 24.979937 -80.570038
17 Sep 2021 Plantation Key, Islamorada, FL USA 25.002264 -80.531417
21 Sep 2021 North Key Largo, Key Largo, FL USA 25.315145 -80.279817
20 Oct 2021 Ocean Bay Dr, Key Largo, FL USA 25.078766 -80.442566
25 Nov 2021 Lower Matecumbe Key, Islamorada, FL USA 24.85455 -80.730683
07 Dec 2021 Florida Bay, FL USA 24.979937 -80.570038
06 Mar 2020 Monroe County, FL USA 25.235356 -80.43291
16 Mar 2022 Monroe County, FL USA 24.817482 -80.82209
19 Mar 2022 Plantation Key, Islamorada, FL USA 24.980358 -80.549462
20 Apr 2022 Islamorada, FL USA 24.963495 -80.568409
21 Apr 2022 Key Largo, FL USA 25.041236 -80.497347
15 May 2022 Fat Deer Key, Marathon, FL USA 24.733316 -81.018636
18 May 2022 Key West, FL USA 24.59437 -81.677186
25 Jun 2022 Key Largo, Tavernier, FL USA 25.021751 -80.507284
25 Oct 2022 South Eleuthera Bahamas 24.638947 -76.176003
10 Dec 2022 Tavernier, FL USA 25.024043 -80.49463
23 Jan 2023 Marathon International Airport, FL USA 24.725329 -81.050889
12 Mar 2023 The Marker, Key West, FL USA 24.56097 -81.801925
13 Mar 2023 Duck Key, FL USA 24.76656 -80.946046
21 Mar 2023 Islamorada, FL USA 24.911878 -80.645486
29 Mar 2023 Monroe County, FL USA 25.008879 -80.515323
30 Apr 2023 North Key Largo, FL USA 25.189496 -80.353336