Scientists have discovered a cryptic species of lizards in Northern Kenya.
The species was not known to science until this year, when the species description paper was released in February, by a team of Herpetologists – zoologists who study reptiles and amphibians – Patrick Malonza, Stephen Spwal, Brian Finch, and Aaron Bauer.
The newly described Marsabit Rock Agama was named Agama Wachirai for Kenyan ornithologist Washington Wachira, who observed and photographed it at Bubisa, North of Marsabit.
It is a Kenyan endemic species – only found in Kenya – and lives in a few arid locations in Northern Kenya (Forolle, Bubisa, and North Horr)
The discovery of the rare lizard commenced in May 2019, when Wachira, in the company of Brian Finch in their birding mission in search of larks in a rocky desert area north of Marsabit Town in northern Kenya, observed the lizard with distinctive spots on the back.
The new species was found inhabiting dark desert lava rocks.
Wachira sent the photos to two of the authors (PKM and SS), who independently confirmed that the species was not referable to the already known Agama lionotus.
“An effort to obtain voucher specimens was subsequently organized and the new species was described,” the research paper titled A new species of the Agama lionotus Boulenger, 1896 complex (Squamata: Agamidae) from Northern Kenya disclosed.
The description of Agama Wachirai species brings the total number of species of Agama in Kenya to 10, and the number of species in the A. lionotus group to 11.
The scientists noted that the rare species should additionally be present in suitably similar sites in the northern frontier area.
“This is a diurnal (active chiefly in the daytime) species that occupy crevices and caves, if present, in rock outcrops. In Bubisa-Marsabit they may occur in small colonies. It is quite agile and when disturbed dashes swiftly into the rock crevices,” the paper noted.
The new species is distinguished from the other lizards by its much smaller adult size, a lower number of ventral scales, and fewer scale rows around the midbody.
Females are light to dark brown with slightly darker spots clearly visible and on close inspection, the crown of the head has bluish-green spots.
During the day nuptial coloration of the male head and neck is dull with only traces of orange and the body has only traces of purplish-blue on the shoulders, although some individuals may exhibit a much brighter diurnal patterning.
“At night the captive male paratypes kept in cloth bags changed to show distinct orange heads, a bluish body, and alternating blue and white annulated tails,” the report revealed.
from Forolle Conservancy.
The throat is reddish or orange-red like the top of the head, whereas the remainder of the ventral surfaces, including that of the limbs, is bluish and the tail venter is whitish.
The female during the day was brownish with dark regular markings but turned light brown at night, with the body dark spots more clearly visible
The females mostly have regular paired black marks along the vertebrae which are absent or irregular in Agama lionotus.
