Taxonomic notes: Section empty

This species is currently known only from its type locality in Ethiopia, west of the Ethiopian Rift Valley (Wagner and Bauer 2011). Due to confusion over the province where the type series was collected, the exact type locality (described as "Wollega", a province) is uncertain (but may lie in the Omo Gorge), and the available coordinate data has an error of 29.205 km² (Wagner and Bauer 2011). As this species is presumed to favour rocky rather than sandy substrates, it is likely that its distribution is restricted to the Central Ethiopian highlands as the surrounding matrix of savannah and desert would represent a barrier to dispersal (Wagner and Bauer 2011). It is however possible that this species is a lowland form that only reaches the highlands through deep gorges; under this scenario, it is likely that the species' range would extend westward into Kenya and Sudan (Wagner and Bauer 2011).

The type locality lies along the middle stretches of the Omo River, which consists primarily of open, semi-arid bushland with rocky substrates and lacking dense vegetation (Wagner and Bauer 2011). While it is thought likely that the species is a terrestrial rock-dweller (Wagner and Bauer 2011), differences in topography, vegetation density and substrate (rocky or sandy) within this part of the Omo River system mean that it may have been collected in one of several habitat types (Wagner and Bauer 2011). The co-occurrence of a gravid female, subadults and juveniles in the type series suggests that this species exhibits year-round breeding activity, in contrast to other dwarf agamas which exhibit annual breeding cycles (Wagner and Bauer 2011).

The type series - consisting of two adults including a gravid female, two subadults and a juvenile - was collected on the same day (21 July 1964) at a single locality (Wagner and Bauer 2011). The species is not known to have been collected since.

Presumably none.

The threats to this species are not known. This is an area with fairly intensive agriculture and little natural habitat (Spawls); as nothing is known of the ecology of this species it is not known whether it is at risk from this activity.

There are no specific conservation actions and measures in place for this species. Research is needed to better determine its distribution and population size and trends.

Listed as Data Deficient as this species is known only from the type series collected in 1964 and the precise collecting locality and habitat where it was taken are unknown. Research is therefore needed to rediscover this species and clarify its distribution, population status, ecology and threats before a conservation assessment can be made.

• Wagner, P. and Bauer, A. 2011. A new dwarf Agama (Sauria: Agamidae) from Ethiopia. Breviora 527: 1-19.