ECOLOGY OF AGAMA-YEMENENSIS KLAUSEWITZ (LACERTILIA, AGAMIDAE) IN SOUTH-WESTERN ARABIA

A field study of the ecology of Agama yemenensis was carried out in Da laghan National Park near Abha, Saudi Arabia. This lizard occurs in ro cky areas of the highland in the south-west of Arabia. Emergence time, basking, thermoregulation and activity period have been determined. T he body temperature of active lizards in the field is 29 degrees C, wh ile the selected temperatures in a thermal gradient during the day and night were 32.2 degrees C and 26.5 degrees C, respectively. Lizards d epend on a sit-and-wait strategy, and spend little time feeding on the ground. They feed mainly on ants which are very abundant in their hab itat. Seeds, leaflets, twigs and other plant materials are also an imp ortant part of their diet.