The Southern Angle-headed Dragon (Lophosaurus spinipes): a systematic review of the literature

Bradley J. Traynor; Heike Schütze; Darryl L. Houston; Harold Heatwole; Eric J. Nordberg

doi:10.1071/ZO25024

RESEARCH ARTICLE (Open Access)

Previous Contents Vol 73(5)

The Southern Angle-headed Dragon (Lophosaurus spinipes): a systematic review of the literature

Bradley J. Traynor

^A ^* , Heike Schütze

^B , Darryl L. Houston

^C , Harold Heatwole ^C ^D and Eric J. Nordberg

^A

+ Author Affiliations

- Author Affiliations

^A Ecosystem Management, School of Environmental and Rural Science, University of New England, Armidale, NSW 2351, Australia.

^B Office of Medical Education, University of New South Wales, Sydney, NSW 2052, Australia.

^C Zoology, School of Environmental and Rural Science, University of New England, Armidale, NSW 2351, Australia.

^D Department of Biology, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC 27695-7617, USA.

^* Correspondence to: btrayno3@myune.edu.au

Handling Editor: Christofer Clemente

Australian Journal of Zoology 73, ZO25024 https://doi.org/10.1071/ZO25024

Submitted: 20 May 2025 Accepted: 25 August 2025 Published: 18 September 2025

© 2025 The Author(s) (or their employer(s)). Published by CSIRO Publishing. This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License (CC BY-NC-ND)

Abstract

The Southern Angle-headed Dragon (Lophosaurus spinipes) is a cryptic agamid endemic to the warm-temperate and subtropical rainforests of south-eastern Australia. The aim of this review was to synthesise available information on L. spinipes relevant to its potential conservation in the face of predicted climatic change. A systematic literature review was conducted following the PRISMA Guidelines. Five databases (UNE library ‘PRIMO’ search, Academic Search Complete, GreenFILE, Scopus, and Web of Science) and Google Scholar were searched for publications up to November 2023 and supplemented by handsearching. Results were synthesised narratively using thematic analysis. Eighteen publications were included in the final review and categorised into six themes: Biology; Reproduction; Phylogeny and Taxonomy; Morphology and Morphometry; Ecology; and Vulnerability. Most publications discussed general morphology, distribution, basic descriptions of reproduction, or generalised diet; eight outlined predation and nesting behaviours; and one detailed an investigation into the thermal behaviour of L. spinipes. There is limited empirical data on L. spinipes. More research, particularly on population sizes, trends over time, thermal properties of the microclimate, thermal limits and metabolism with a focus on rising environmental temperatures, is required to underpin decisions relative to the conservation of this species.

Keywords: agamid, Australia, climatic change, dragon, ecology, endemic, lizard, systematic review, temperate rainforest.

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