Uromastyx dispar
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Classification
U. dispar is better known as Sudanese Uromastyx. There is some confusion on this issue, as several sources, including Deer Fern Farms, list Sudanese Uromastyx as U. ocellata.
Description
Adults reach an average length of 36 cm (Walls, 1996).
There are 3 subspecies for U.dispar. U.d.dispar, U.d.flavifasciata, U.d.maliensis. Each can only be told apart from one another by comparing colour traits of adult males. U. d. dispar males are different from U. d. flavifasciata males by lacking transversal stripes on the animals back and from U. d. maliensis males by the less pronounced black colouration of the body. U. d. flavifasciata males can be distinguished from U. d. dispar and U. d. maliensis males by their black body colouration with 5–7 wide, clearly-defined yellow, white or red dorsal crossbands. Occasionally these crossbands can be reduced or be even completely absent. U. d. maliensis males differ from dispar males by the more pronounced black colouration of the body and from flavifasciata males by lacking transversal crossbands on the dorsum.
Coloration
U. dispar have a brownish heads with light spots, the back pale brown with dark spots and legs dark brown.
Temperament
U. dispar appears to be entirely or very largely herbivorous as an adult; juveniles, in captivity at least, feed enthusiastically on insects and other invertebrates if these are offered (Gray, undated; Pough et al., 2001; Schleich et al., 1996).
Related species
Uromastyx dispar is recognised as a separate species from U. acanthinura, in the past considered a subspecies of the latter. It considers U. maliensis, described by Joger and Lambert (1996) and still treated by some as a separate species, as a synonym for U. dispar.
U. d. maliensis has been kept together with U. a. acanthinura and U. a. geyri for 8 years without interbreeding (Joger & Gray 1997). U. d. maliensis has been reported from Egypt although there is no locality record (however, it occurs near the Egyptian border in N Sudan).
U. dispar is different from U. thomasi and U. princeps by longer and narrower tail (43.83–70 % of SVLin U. dispar vs. 25.00–36.16 % in U. thomasi and 34.62–52.55 % in U. princeps)Pts distinguished from the U. ocellata group and U. macfadyeni by the arrangement of annuli of the tail: last 8–21 forming a continuous scale row each (U. ocellata group and U. macfadyeni) vs. 2–5 whorls forming a continuous scale row in U. dispar; from U. aegyptia and U. occidentalis by the lower scale counts around midbody (238–322 in U. aegyptia, 297–301 in U. occidentalis vs. 164–231 in U. dispar), from U. geyri and U. alfredschmidti by the shorter tail (43.83–70 % of SVLin U. dispar vs. 65.45–98.06 % in U. geyri and 79.31–87.26 % in U. al- fredschmidti). Diagnostic characters between U. acanthinura, U. nigriventris and the subspecies of U. dispar are: Lower number of scales around midbody [145–195 (mean. 165.6) in U. acanthinura, 139–208 (mean: 170.63) in U. nigriventris vs. 187–227 (mean: 205) in U. d. dispar]; lower number of ventrals [74–96 (mean. 83.1) in U. acanthinura, 66–99 (mean: 83.98) in U. nigriventris vs. 88–118 (mean: 104.5) in U. d. flavifasciata] and lower number of subdigital scales [9–15 (mean: 12.7) in U. acanthinura, 9–17 (mean: 13.15) in U. nigriventris vs. 15–18 (mean: 16.4) in U. d. maliensis]. For a detailed discussion of the differences between acanthinura, nigriventris, dispar, flavifasciata and maliensis see WILMS & BÖHME (2001).
Geographical disperion
U. dispar occurs in a broad band across northern Africa, from Mauritania and the southern part of Western Sahara east to northern Sudan and (probably) extreme southern Egypt. It is found in arid areas with rocky slopes in mountain valleys. It can also be found in palm oases and fields such as pastureland.
