1. Distribution, suitable areas and conservation status of the Boulenger’s agama (Agama boulengeri, Lataste 1886)
- Author
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João Carlos Campos, Pedro Tarroso, José Carlos Brito, Duarte V. Gonçalves, and Cândida Gomes Vale
- Subjects
Agama agama ,biology ,Lizard ,business.industry ,Ecology ,Niche ,Distribution (economics) ,biology.organism_classification ,Arid ,Habitat ,biology.animal ,Conservation status ,Animal Science and Zoology ,Agama boulengeri ,business ,Ecology, Evolution, Behavior and Systematics - Abstract
Agama boulengeri is a West African endemic lizard. It occurs in arid rocky areas in the Mauritanian mountains and Kayes region of Mali. Data on the distribution of Agama boulengeri is however very coarse, and the contribution of climatic and habitat factors for population isolation are unknown. Using Maxent, GLM, and high-resolution data, we generated environmental niche models, and quantified suitable areas for species occurrence. Field observations and predicted suitable areas were used to evaluate the conservation status of Agama boulengeri. Results revealed the species occurs preferentially close to gueltas, bare areas, and rocky deserts and in areas of increasing rainfall. Suitable cells were mostly located in Mauritania, and four potentially fragmented subpopulations were identified. The conservation status of Agama boulengeri was determined to be of Least Concern.
- Published
- 2012
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