Article · Wikipedia archive · Last revised Jun 21, 2026

Harpesaurus

Harpesaurus is a genus of lizards in the family Agamidae. The genus is endemic to Indonesia.

Last revised
Jun 21, 2026
Read time
≈ 2 min
Length
454 w
Citations
8
Source
Harpesaurus
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Reptilia
Order: Squamata
Suborder: Iguania
Family: Agamidae
Subfamily: Draconinae
Genus: Harpesaurus
Boulenger, 18851

Harpesaurus is a genus of lizards in the family Agamidae. The genus is endemic to Indonesia.2

Each of the 6 species are known from at most only a few specimens.34

Geographic range

Species of the genus Harpesaurus are found on the Greater Sunda Islands.3

Habitat

The natural habitat of lizards of the genus Harpesaurus is forests.

Species

Six species are recognized as being valid.2

Species Common name Range
Harpesaurus beccarii

Doria, 1888

Sumatra nose-horned lizard Sumatra
Harpesaurus borneensis

(Mertens, 1924)

Borneo
Harpesaurus brooksi

(Parker, 1924)

Sumatra
Harpesaurus ensicauda

F. Werner, 1913

Nias nose-horned lizard Nias
Harpesaurus modiglianii

Vinciguerra, 19335

Modigliani's nose-horned lizard Sumatra
Harpesaurus tricinctus

(A.H.A. Duméril in A.M.C. Duméril & A.H.A. Duméril, 1851)

Java nose-horned lizard Likely Java

    The species formerly known as H. thescelorhinos King, 1978 is a synonym of H. borneensis.

    The Sumatran species H. modiglianii was previously known only from the type specimen, collected in 1891, but was found again in 2018.5

    Nota bene: A binomial authority in parentheses indicates that the species was originally described in a genus other than Harpesaurus.

    References

    References

    1. "Harpesaurus ". Dahms Tierleben. www.dahmstierleben.de/systematik/Reptilien/Squamata/Iguania/agamidae.
    2. Genus Harpesaurus at The Reptile Database. www.reptile-database.org.
    3. Ineich, Ivan; Kopetsch, Thore; Böhme, Wolfgang (May 2022). "Pinocchio lizards and other lizards bearing rostral appendages − the peculiar habitus of the draconine agamid Harpesaurus tricinctus with highlights on its ecological implications and convergence with its New World equivalent, the dactyloid Anolis proboscis". Salamandra. 58 (2): 123–136 – via ResearchGate.
    4. Putra, Chairunas A.; Amarasinghe, A.A. Thasun; Research Center for Climate Change, Multidisciplinary Lab, FMIPA Building, 7th Floor, Kampus UI, University of Indonesia, Depok 16424, Indonesia; Hikmatullah, Desy; Scali, Stefano; Brinkman, JanJaap; Manthey, Ulrich; Ineich, Ivan (2020-05-21). "REDISCOVERY OF MODIGLIANI'S NOSE-HORNED LIZARD, Harpesaurus modiglianii VINCIGUERRA, 1933 (REPTILIA : AGAMIDAE) AFTER 129 YEARS WITHOUT ANY OBSERVATION". Taprobanica. 9 (1): 3–11. doi:10.47605/tapro.v9i1.216.{{cite journal}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link) CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
    5. Putra, C.A.; Amarasinghe, A.A.T.; Hikmatullah, D.; Scali, S.; Brinkman, J.; Manthey, U.; Ineich, I. (May 2020). "Rediscovery of Modigliani's Nose-horned Lizard, Harpesaurus modiglianii Vinciguerra, 1933 (Reptilia: Agamidae) After 129 Years Without Any Observation" (PDF). Taprobanica. 9 (1): 3–11. doi:10.47605/tapro.v9i1.216. S2CID 229579341. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2020-06-11. Retrieved 2020-06-11.
    Further reading

    Further reading

    • Boulenger GA (1885). Catalogue of the Lizards in the British Museum (Natural History). Second Edition. Volume I. ... Agamidæ. London: Trustees of the British Museum (Natural History). (Taylor and Francis, printers). xii + 436 pp. + Plates I-XXXII. (Harpesaurus, new genus, p. 279).
    External links