''Lophognathus'' is a

genus Genus ( plural genera ) is a taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of living and fossil organisms as well as viruses. In the hierarchy of biological classification, genus comes above species and below family. In binomial nom ...

of large-bodied

agamid Agamidae is a family of over 300 species of iguanian lizards indigenous to Africa, Asia, Australia, and a few in Southern Europe. Many species are commonly called dragons or dragon lizards. Overview Phylogenetically, they may be sister to the ...

lizards, consisting of two species — ''L. gilberti'' and ''L. horneri'' — both of which are

endemic Endemism is the state of a species being found in a single defined geographic location, such as an island, state, nation, country or other defined zone; organisms that are indigenous to a place are not endemic to it if they are also found else ...

to northern Australia. Along with several other closely related genera (e.g., ''

Amphibolurus ''Amphibolurus'' is a genus of lizards in the family Agamidae. The genus is endemic to Australia. Description Characteristics of the genus ''Amphibolurus'' include: * Moderate size nout–vent length * Long limbs and long tail * One to five ...

'', ''

Gowidon ''Gowidon'' is a genus of arboreal lizards in the family Agamidae. It is monotypic with a single recognised species, ''Gowidon longirostris'', commonly known as the long-snouted lashtail or long-nosed water dragon. It is found in Northern Terri ...

'', and '' Tropicagama''), these lizards are commonly referred to as "dragons". In Australia, these lizards are also colloquially known as "Ta Ta" lizards, due to their habit of "waving" after running across hot surfaces. ''Lophognathus'' are slender, slightly compressed, semi-arboreal lizards. They occur in a variety of habitats, including sand dunes and arid regions, but frequently near watercourses. The first description of a species in the genus ''Lophognathus'' was by

John Edward Gray John Edward Gray, FRS (12 February 1800 – 7 March 1875) was a British zoologist. He was the elder brother of zoologist George Robert Gray and son of the pharmacologist and botanist Samuel Frederick Gray (1766–1828). The same is used for ...

in 1842. The species he described, ''Lophognathus gilberti'', was named after

English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England ** English national ide ...

naturalist John Gilbert, the collector of the

type specimen In biology, a type is a particular specimen (or in some cases a group of specimens) of an organism to which the scientific name of that organism is formally attached. In other words, a type is an example that serves to anchor or centralizes th ...

.Beolens, Bo; Watkins, Michael; Grayson, Michael (2011). ''The Eponym Dictionary of Reptiles''. Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press. xiii + 296 pp. . (''Lophognathus gilberti'', p. 101).

Species

Three species are currently recognized in this genus: *'' Lophognathus gilberti''

Gray Grey (more common in British English) or gray (more common in American English) is an intermediate color between black and white. It is a neutral or achromatic color, meaning literally that it is "without color", because it can be composed o ...

, 1842 – Gilbert's lashtail, Gilbert's dragon *'' Lophognathus horneri'' Melville, Ritchie, Chapple, Glor, & Schulte, 2018 *'' Lophognathus maculilabris'' Boulenger, 1883 Two species formerly included in genus ''Lophognathus'' have been reclassified, as follows: *''Lophognathus temporalis'' (also known as ''Amphibolurus temporalis'', ''Gemmatophora temporalis'', ''Gowidon temporalis'', ''Grammatophora temporalis'', ''Physignathus temporalis'', ''Lophognathus labialis'', ''Lophognathus lateralis'', and ''Lophognathus maculilabris'') has been reclassified as '' Tropicagama temporalis'' *''Lophognathus burnsi'' has been reclassified as '' Amphibolurus burnsi''

References

Lophognathus Lizard genera Taxa named by John Edward Gray {{agamidae-stub