Amphibolurus muricatus
Jacky Lizard at Tennent, ACT
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| Amphibolurus muricatus | WillO | 11 Feb 2023 | |
| Rankinia diemensis | CarbonAI | 10 Feb 2023 | |
| Unverified | CraigW | 10 Feb 2023 |
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6 comments
10 Feb 2023
Normally we would confirm that this is a Jacky Lizard (A. muricatus). However given the close proximity (about 4 km) of this site to other records of a very similar looking species the Nobbi Dragon (Diporiphora nobbi) we cannot rule this species out based on the photo. Females of the two species are very hard to tell apart without seeing the colour of the lining of the mouth, which is quite diagnostic - yellow in A. muricatus and pinkish in D. nobbi. With regard to the location, the site may be a little too cold for Nobbi Dragons which seem to be associated with the more northerly slopes of Mt Tennant. I will wait to see what John thinks, but this record might have to be accepted as a dragon lizard.
10 Feb 2023
I agree with Will, given the location, I would be hard pressed to tell muricatus from nobbi without a peak inside the mouth for this individual. I am happy to call it a dragon for the time being. We may be able to improve on that in the future.
10 Feb 2023
Thanks WillO and wombey. Great to narrow down to two spp. If I see one again I'll try to get it to open its mouth
11 Feb 2023
Hmm, while I agree, I also think the spinose scales on the back legs, as well as the slightly longer snout lends itself to more likely be a Jacky.
11 Feb 2023
I agree Brian, my first instinct was to call it muricatus but backed off based on the locality
11 Feb 2023
Good observation to add Brian and I will now accept this as A. muricatus. Nobbi can also sometimes have slightly enlarged spinous scales along the back side of the rear legs, but not as large as these larger irregular scales appear to be in this photograph.
Location information
- Coordinates 149.026063-35.571304
- Altitude 745.0m
- Maps Namadgi National Park
- Places Tennent, ACT
Sighting information
- 1 Abundance
- 10 Feb 2023 09:50 AM Recorded on
- CraigW Recorded by
Collections
- My flagged sightings CraigW Canberra & Southern Tablelands NatureMapr Amphibolurus muricatus Dragons Reptiles and Frogs
Species information
- Amphibolurus muricatus Scientific name
- Jacky Lizard Common name
- Not Sensitive
- Local native
- Non-invasive or negligible
- Up to 1264.8m Recorded at altitude
Record quality
Quality score
3 / 7
- Images or audio
- Verified by an expert moderator
- GPS evidence of location
- More than one media file
- Nearby sighting(s) of same species
- Description
- Additional attributes