Rankin's dragon (''Pogona henrylawsoni'') is a species of

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a Sovereign state, sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous List of islands of Australia, sma ...

n agamid

lizard Lizards are a widespread group of squamate reptiles, with over 7,000 species, ranging across all continents except Antarctica, as well as most oceanic island chains. The group is paraphyletic since it excludes the snakes and Amphisbaenia alt ...

. It may also be called the pygmy bearded dragon (though the name is shared with other small ''Pogona'' species) and the black-soiled bearded dragon. The

specific epithet In taxonomy, binomial nomenclature ("two-term naming system"), also called nomenclature ("two-name naming system") or binary nomenclature, is a formal system of naming species of living things by giving each a name composed of two parts, bot ...

, ''henrylawsoni'', is in honor of the Australian author, poet, and philosopher Henry Lawson.

Range

It is native to Queensland in

, but can be found in captivity across the world.

Description

''P. henrylawsoni'' is similar to the larger

central bearded dragon The central bearded dragon (''Pogona vitticeps''), also known as the inland bearded dragon, is a species of agamid lizard found in a wide range of arid to semiarid regions of eastern and central Australia. Taxonomy ''Pogona vitticeps'' was fi ...

(''P. vitticeps''), but is usually less than 30 cm (12 in) in total length (including tail), with a shorter and more blunt snout.

Common names

''P. henrylawsoni'' is also commonly called ''Lawson's dragon'', ''dumpy dragon'', ''pygmy dragon'', ''dwarf bearded dragon'', or ''black soil bearded dragon''.

Taxonomy

A formal description was not published for this lizard until 1985, despite being known to

herpetologists Herpetology (from Greek ἑρπετόν ''herpetón'', meaning "reptile" or "creeping animal") is the branch of zoology concerned with the study of amphibians (including frogs, toads, salamanders, newts, and caecilians (gymnophiona)) and rept ...

. The scientific name for this species was disputed, along with the other taxonomic treatments of

Wells Wells most commonly refers to: * Wells, Somerset, a cathedral city in Somerset, England * Well, an excavation or structure created in the ground * Wells (name) Wells may also refer to: Places Canada *Wells, British Columbia England * Wells ...

and Wellington, but was published again by Harold Cogger (2000) and others as a valid name. The name is noted as invalid in some sources, and given as a synonym for ''Pogona brevis''.Witten GJ. 1994. Taxonomy of ''Pogona'' (Reptilia: Lacertilia: Agamidae). ''Memoirs of the Queensland Museum'' 37 (1): 329-343.

In captivity

''P. henrylawsoni'' has a life span of six to eight years, and its natural environment is hot, dry, and rocky, which must be mimicked in captivity. The Rankins dragon requires a minimum of 40 gallons and a hide, as well as multiple places to climb. It is a social species, and (with supervision) can be handled by children, but it does not like to be turned upside down, and will struggle when it is. Most specimens outside of Australia in captivity are descendants of dragons illegally exported in the 1980s. It is generally used as a substitute for '' Pogona vitticeps'', the most common species of bearded dragon in captivity. The Rankin's dragon is similar in personality, yet smaller and more manageable, where there is a lack of space and resources. The only issue is the small gene pool within captive populations, being unable to be supplemented by wild individuals from Australia.

References

External links

''Pogona rankini/henrylawsoni'' Dragon keeper's guide

'' bearded dragon diet
Agamid lizards of Australia Reptiles described in 1985 Taxa named by Richard Walter Wells Taxa named by Cliff Ross Wellington Pogona Reptiles as pets {{agamidae-stub