Phrynocephalus vlangalii Strauch, 1876

Open encyclopedia reference

Phrynocephalus vlangalii, also known as the Qinghai toad-headed agama, the Ching Hai toadhead agama, the Pylzow's toadhead agama, or gecko toadhead agama, is a species of viviparous agamid lizard endemic to the Tibetan Plateau in China. This lizard lives in burrows at high elevations of 2,000 to 4,600 meters. It is also known for its aggression, especially between females during mating season since females usually only have one mate. P. vlangalii curls its tail and shows a patch on its underbelly as defense displays against conspecifics. This lizard also has a variety of gut microbiota that help perform metabolic and biological functions depending on the altitude at which the lizard lives.

Wikipedia contributors, Phrynocephalus vlangalii; see linked history · CC BY-SA 4.0 . Plain-text lead excerpt, at most 180 words; no infobox or later sections Retrieved 2026-10-05T14:45:25.310599+00:00. This reference remains separate from the taxonomic record.

Identity & source status

Scientific name

Phrynocephalus vlangalii Strauch, 1876

Name authority

Strauch, 1876

Rank

species

Accepted status

accepted

Kingdom

Animalia

Phylum

Chordata

Class

Reptilia

Order

Squamata

Family

Agamidae

Genus

Phrynocephalus

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.

1. domainEukaryota (Chatton, 1925) Whittaker & Margulis, 1978
2. kingdomAnimalia
3. phylumChordata
4. subphylumVertebrata
5. infraphylumGnathostomata
6. parvphylumOsteichthyes
7. megaclassTetrapoda
8. classReptilia Laurenti, 1768
9. orderSquamata Oppel, 1811
10. suborderIguania
11. familyAgamidae
12. subfamilyAgaminae
13. genusPhrynocephalus
14. speciesPhrynocephalus vlangalii Strauch, 1876

Close classified relatives

These entries share the source’s genus, Phrynocephalus. They are not necessarily the closest relatives established by molecular evidence.

Browse 456 records assigned to Agamidae.

Names & synonyms

Names explicitly linked to this accepted taxon in the source. Synonymy can change with revision.

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.

1. https://reptile-database.reptarium.cz/species?genus=Phrynocephalus&species=vlangalii 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:4GWG4. Classification follows source parent identifiers. English common names may vary by region.