NATURAL HISTORY · CATALOGUE RECORD
Western Heath Dragon
Ctenophorus adelaidensis (Gray, 1841)
Source-backed taxonomic record
Accepted species in Catalogue of Life’s 11 September 2026 base release. This preserves the source classification and available supporting data; it is not a completed species monograph.
Ctenophorus adelaidensis These little lizards were basking in the sun. This one had its head half under a stick which I was able to move out of the way. It was pretty hard to see. About 10 cm (4-5") long
Jean and Fred Hort · CC BY 2.0 · Image sourceProvider-generated thumbnail requested at 800 pixels; no local editing Local WebP display rendition; resized without cropping.
Open encyclopedia reference
Ctenophorus adelaidensis, commonly known as the western heath dragon is a species of agamid lizard occurring in sandplains with heath and banksia along the lower coast of Western Australia, between Kalbarri and Perth. Adults are grey in colour, with dark blotches. They are relatively slow compared to other Ctenophorus species, preferring to scuttle rather than sprint.
Wikipedia contributors, Ctenophorus adelaidensis; see linked history · CC BY-SA 4.0 . Plain-text lead excerpt, at most 180 words; no infobox or later sections Retrieved 2026-10-05T09:00:25.584147+00:00. This reference remains separate from the taxonomic record.
Identity & source status
- Scientific name
- Ctenophorus adelaidensis (Gray, 1841)
- Name authority
- (Gray, 1841)
- Common name
- Western Heath Dragon
- Rank
- species
- Accepted status
- accepted
- Kingdom
- Animalia
- Phylum
- Chordata
- Class
- Reptilia
- Order
- Squamata
- Family
- Agamidae
- Genus
- Ctenophorus
- Extinction status
- Not supplied by this source
Classification family tree
Nested taxonomic groups from the source. This is not a direct-ancestor chain, a dated evolutionary tree or a phylogenetic reconstruction.
- domainEukaryota (Chatton, 1925) Whittaker & Margulis, 1978
- kingdomAnimalia
- phylumChordata
- subphylumVertebrata
- infraphylumGnathostomata
- parvphylumOsteichthyes
- megaclassTetrapoda
- classReptilia Laurenti, 1768
- orderSquamata Oppel, 1811
- suborderIguania
- familyAgamidae
- subfamilyAmphibolurinae
- genusCtenophorus
- speciesCtenophorus adelaidensis (Gray, 1841)
Close classified relatives
These entries share the source’s genus, Ctenophorus. They are not necessarily the closest relatives established by molecular evidence.
| Species | Classification | Source status |
|---|---|---|
| Ring-tailed Bicycle-dragonCtenophorus caudicinctus (Günther, 1875) | AgamidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Black-shouldered Ground-dragonCtenophorus clayi (Storr, 1967) | AgamidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Crested Bicycle-dragonCtenophorus cristatus (Gray, 1841) | AgamidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Mallee DragonCtenophorus fordi (Storr, 1965) | AgamidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Military DragonCtenophorus isolepis (Fischer, 1881) | AgamidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Lozenge-Marked DragonCtenophorus scutulatus (Stirling & Zietz, 1893) | AgamidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Ctenophorus tjantjalka Johnston, 1992 | AgamidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Yinnietharra Crevice-dragonCtenophorus yinnietharra (Storr, 1981) | AgamidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Rusty Crevice-dragonCtenophorus rufescens (Stirling & Zietz, 1893) | AgamidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Saltpan Ground-dragonCtenophorus salinarum (Storr, 1966) | AgamidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Western Netted DragonCtenophorus reticulatus (Gray, 1845) | AgamidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Lake Eyre DragonCtenophorus maculosus (Mitchell, 1948) | AgamidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
Names & synonyms
Names explicitly linked to this accepted taxon in the source. Synonymy can change with revision.
| Recorded name | Source status |
|---|---|
| Grammatophora muricata adelaidensis Gray, 1841 Gray, 1841 | synonym |
| Amphibolurus pallidus Boulenger, 1885 Boulenger, 1885 | synonym |
| Amphibolurus adelaidensis tasmaniensis Boulenger, 1885 Boulenger, 1885 | synonym |
Documented distribution
Source distribution statements, not a complete range map. A listed locality is not necessarily a place of origin.
Source literature & publication evidence
References attached to this source record, including nomenclatural citations where supplied. This is a selected bibliography; abbreviated citations remain in the source’s form.
- https://reptile-database.reptarium.cz/species?genus=Ctenophorus&species=adelaidensis Source fields: Taxon.tsv dwc:namePublishedIn, Taxon.tsv dcterms:references
Origins, evidence & remaining research
Name authority and publication references document nomenclature where the source supplies it. They do not establish evolutionary origins or the earliest fossil occurrence.
Specimen-level evidence, morphology, ecological research, phylogenetic studies, a comprehensive bibliography and a located literary passage have not yet been compiled for this record.
Dataset citation & attribution
This exact taxon in ChecklistBank · Catalogue of Life 2026-09-11
Catalogue of Life 2026-09-11; dataset 316321; doi:10.48580/dgz5n. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ . Retrieved 5 October 2026.
Stable key: col:326DR. Classification follows source parent identifiers. English common names may vary by region.