NATURAL HISTORY · CATALOGUE RECORD
Negros Forest Dragon
Gonocephalus sophiae (Gray, 1845)
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.
Open encyclopedia reference
Gonocephalus sophiae, the Negros forest dragon is a species of lizards endemic to the Philippines. It is found between 0 and 1,200 m (0 and 3,940 ft) above sea level on the islands of Negros, Mindanao and Panay, and possibly on Siargao, Luzon, Samar, Palawan and the Calamian Islands. The species is oviparous, and lays eggs in small holes dug in the banks of forest rivers. It is often confused with G. interruptus and G. semperi and therefore remains poorly characterized. Adults reach a total length of ca. 30 cm (12 in) and feed mostly on insects.
Wikipedia contributors, Gonocephalus sophiae; see linked history · CC BY-SA 4.0 . Plain-text lead excerpt, at most 180 words; no infobox or later sections Retrieved 2026-10-05T08:57:11.042348+00:00. This reference remains separate from the taxonomic record.
Identity & source status
- Scientific name
- Gonocephalus sophiae (Gray, 1845)
- Name authority
- (Gray, 1845)
- Common name
- Negros Forest Dragon
- Rank
- species
- Accepted status
- accepted
- Kingdom
- Animalia
- Phylum
- Chordata
- Class
- Reptilia
- Order
- Squamata
- Family
- Agamidae
- Genus
- Gonocephalus
- 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
- subfamilyDraconinae
- genusGonocephalus
- speciesGonocephalus sophiae (Gray, 1845)
Close classified relatives
These entries share the source’s genus, Gonocephalus. They are not necessarily the closest relatives established by molecular evidence.
| Species | Classification | Source status |
|---|---|---|
| Sumatra Forest DragonGonocephalus beyschlagi Boettger, 1892 | AgamidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Borneo Forest DragonGonocephalus bornensis (Schlegel, 1851) | AgamidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Abbott’s Anglehead Lizard [abbotti]Gonocephalus doriae Peters, 1871 | AgamidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Kloss' Forest DragonGonocephalus klossi Boulenger, 1920 | AgamidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Blue-eyed Anglehead LizardGonocephalus liogaster (Günther, 1872) | AgamidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Gonocephalus mjobergi Smith, 1925 | AgamidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Mindoro Forest DragonGonocephalus semperi (Peters, 1867) | AgamidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Bell's Anglehead LizardGonocephalus bellii (Duméril & Bibron, 1837) | AgamidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Chameleon Anglehead LizardGonocephalus chamaeleontinus (Laurenti, 1768) | AgamidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Giant Forest DragonGonocephalus grandis (Gray, 1845) | AgamidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Boulenger's Forest DragonGonocephalus interruptus Boulenger, 1885 | AgamidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Gonocephalus kuhlii (Schlegel, 1851) | 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 |
|---|---|
| Tiaris petersii Günther, 1868 Günther, 1868 | synonym |
| Tiaris sophiae Gray, 1845 Gray, 1845 | 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=Gonocephalus&species=sophiae 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. A suitable sourced image remains to be added.
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:3GY79. Classification follows source parent identifiers. English common names may vary by region.