Care Sheet - The Black Agama (Laudakia melanura)

Picture by Julie&James
Common Name
Black Rock Agama, Black Agama, Pakistan Black Agama
Size
Up to 40cm
Life Expectancy
10-15 years
Habitat
Rocky biotopes, diurnal
Distribution
Iran, Pakistan, India (NW Punjab)
nasiri: S Pakistan; Toba Kakar Range, Balochistan, Pakistan, elevation 23002400 m elevation.
lirata: Pakistan, Iran; Type locality: Gedrosia, Baluchistan (= Saman, Dasht
Province, Baluchistan, fide SMITH 1935).
Type locality: Kashmir (Salt Range, Punjab, fide SMITH 1935)
Sexual Dimorphism

Males have larger bodies and limbs and often more developed callous scales on
the midventral and preanal regions.
Head size dimorphism has not been observed among the examined specimens,
but distinct differences in the arrangement of the orbit, nostrils and ear opening
between the two sexes has been observed.
Subspecies
Laudakia melanura melanura BLYTH 1854

Laudakia melanura lirata (BLANFORD 1874)

Laudakia melanura nasiri BAIG 1999

Synonym
Laudakia (Placoderma) melanura BLYTH 1854: 738
Stellio liratus BLANDORD 1874 (fide SMITH 1935)
Agama melanura BOULENGER 1885: 363
Agama lirata BOULENGER 1885: 364
Stellio melanurus ANDERSON 1871
Agama melanura HAAS & WERNER 1969
Agama melanura SMITH 1935: 218
Agama melanura ANDERSON 1963: 475
Laudakia melanura DAS 1996: 44
Laudakia melanura BARTS & WILMS 2003
Laudakia melanura lirata (BLANFORD 1874)
Stellio liratus BLANFORD 1874
Laudakia lirata KHAN (pers. comm.)
Laudakia melanura lyrata SINDACO & JEREMCENKO 2008
Laudakia melanura lirata RAJABIZADEH & RASTEGAR-POUYANI
2009
Laudakia melanura nasiri BAIG 1999
Laudakia melanura nasiri SINDACO & JEREMCENKO 2008
Note
Laudakia melanura lirata (BLANFORD 1874) is considered as a full species by
KHAN (pers. comm.)
Care
Care is similar to Agama stellio but the more height the better and they love a
background that they can climb up like the Exo Terra Terrarium backgrounds or
the Lucky Reptile ones. These should be fixed onto the three sides of the
vivarium the back and sides.
These Agamas are very fast and agile rock climbers.
The substrate should be loamy soil, Eco earth or Coir with plenty of rocks, drift
wood along with plenty of hides.

Lighting
They require a full spectrum UV light I have found the Arcadia High output
mercury vapour bulbs are the best for both heating and UV.
Place a good sized basking rock directly under the bulb and adjust the height of
the bulb until you get the required basking temperature on the rock.

Temperature
Ambient Air temperature should be between 26 and 30C, Basking spot up to
45C. Night temperature should be turned down to 20-23C
Humidity
50 60%
Food
These Agamas are omnivorous and will eat vegetable matter and insects, insects
e.g. crickets, house crickets, grasshoppers, cockroaches, super mealworms, wax
moths, etc.
Greens Dandelion leaves and flowers, pea pods, edible flowers chopped carrot,
radicchio, sweet peppers, tomato, apple, pear, melon etc.
Dust the food with Calcium +D3 and vitamin powder
Breeding
They are being bred in Germany but I have no information at this time. They are
not seen very often in the trade and rarely offered for sale.
John Gamesby