Sexual dimorphism in the Caucasian Rock Agama,Laudakia caucasia(Sauria: Agamidae)

Fourteen morphometric and 10 meristic characters in 71 males and 38 females of the Caucasian Rock Agama, Laudakia caucasia, from 8 localities on the Iranian Plateau have been examined to quantify sexual dimorphism. Males have larger bodies and limbs, more pointed and more voluminous heads and often more developed callous scales on the midventral and preanal regions, but none of the meristic characters differs significantly between the two sexes. The sexual dimorphism of this species thus agrees with the sexual dimorphism pattern of the agamid and iguanid lizards. Nevertheless, multivariate methods (Multidimensional Scaling and Factor Analysis) cannot generate a fine discrimination between the two sexes, probably because of their slight morphological distance or the overlap of the measured characters in newly-matured individuals.