biology

Uromastyx aegyptia

Uromastyx aegyptia is a biology topic covered in the lgStudy science library. This page brings together a partial reference excerpt, illustrations, worked examples, real-world applications and a short study plan, so you can understand Uromastyx aegyptia rather than just read about it. In short: Uromastyx aegyptia is a species of lizard in the family Agamidae. The species is native to North Africa and the Middle East.

Key takeaways

Uromastyx aegyptia belongs to biology; place it in that map before memorising details.
Learn the definition first, then one example that makes the definition concrete.
Connect Uromastyx aegyptia to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
Reproduce the core statement of Uromastyx aegyptia from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

Uromastyx aegyptia is a species of lizard in the family Agamidae. The species is native to North Africa and the Middle East.

Common names Common names for U. aegyptia include Egyptian mastigure, Egyptian spiny-tailed lizard, and, when referring to the subspecies Uromastyx aegyptia leptieni (see below), Leptien's mastigure.

Description U. aegyptia is one of the largest members of its genus, with an average total length (including tail) of 76 cm (30 in) for males.

Geographic range and conservation status U. aegyptia can be found in Egypt east of the Nile, Israel, Syria, Jordan, the Arabian Peninsula, Iraq, and Iran. It has a patchy distribution and is rare in most parts of its range. It is believed to be in decline because of habitat loss and over-harvesting.

Subspecies Three subspecies are recognized as being valid, including the nominotypical subspecies.

Uromastyx aegyptia aegyptia (Forskål, 1775) Uromastyx aegyptia leptieni Wilms & Böhme, 2000 Uromastyx aegyptia microlepis Blanford, 1874

Etymology The subspecific name, leptieni, is in honor of German herpetologist Rolf Leptien.

Economic use U. aegyptia is locally known as dhab or ḍabb (Arabic: ضب). Its strong skin made good leather for the bedouins, while its meat was often considered as an alternative source of protein.

Habitat U. aegyptia lives in open, flat, gravelly, stony, and rocky areas at elevations up to 1,500 m (4,900 ft) above sea level.

References

Further reading Blanford WT (1874). "Descriptions of two Uromasticine Lizards from Mesopotamia and Southern Persia". Proceedings of the Zoological Society of London 1874: 656–661 + Plate LXXX. (Uromastix [sic] microlepis, new species, pp. 658–660 + Plate LXXX). Forskål P (1775). Descriptiones Animalium, Avium, Amphibiorum, Piscium, Insectorum, Vermium; quæ in Itinere Orientali Observit. Copenhagen: Möller. 164 pp. (Lacerta ægyptia, new species, p. 13). (in Latin). Sindaco R, Jeremčenko VK (2008). The Reptiles of the Western Palearctic. 1. Annotated Checklist and Distributional Atlas of the Turtles, Crocodiles, Amphisbaenians and Lizards of Europe, North Africa, Middle East and Central Asia. (Monographs of the Societas Herpetologica Italica). Latina, Italy: Edizioni Belvedere. 580 pp. ISBN 978-88-89504-14-7. Wilms T, Böhme W (2000). "A new Uromastyx species from south-eastern Arabia, with comments on the taxonomy of Uromastyx aegyptia (FORSKÅL, 1775) (Squamata: Sauria: Agamidae)". Herpetozoa 13 (3/4): 133–148. (Uromastyx leptieni, new species, pp. 142–146, Figures 3–9). (in English, with an abstract in German).

External links Egyptian Spiny-Tail Agama Archived 2012-03-01 at the Wayback Machine, Sea Dwellers & Friends.

Illustrations

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with Uromastyx aegyptia

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what Uromastyx aegyptia claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In biology, the smallest case is usually a single object, a single equation or a single measurement. Check that every symbol or term in your sentence has a meaning in that case.

Example 2 — changing one variable

Take the situation from Example 1 and change exactly one quantity: double it, halve it, or set it to zero. Predict what should happen to Uromastyx aegyptia before you calculate. Comparing your prediction with the result is the fastest way to find out whether you understand the idea or only the words.

Example 3 — an exam-style question

Typical questions about Uromastyx aegyptia ask you to (a) state it precisely, (b) apply it to given data, and (c) explain a limitation. Practise writing all three answers in under five minutes; the third part is what separates a full-mark answer from an average one.

Applications of Uromastyx aegyptia

In research: Uromastyx aegyptia appears in biology research whenever the underlying quantities have to be modelled precisely. Papers usually cite it as a starting assumption and then explore where it breaks down.
In technology and industry: Engineering practice reuses Uromastyx aegyptia in design rules, simulations and safety margins. Knowing the idea lets you read a specification sheet and understand why the numbers look the way they do.
In the classroom: Uromastyx aegyptia is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics Agamid lizards of Africa, Agamidae stubs, Fauna listed on CITES Appendix II, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for Uromastyx aegyptia outside the textbook — in sport, cooking, traffic, electronics or the sky above you. An example you found yourself is remembered far longer than one you were given.

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How to study Uromastyx aegyptia in 20 minutes

Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
Close the page and write down what Uromastyx aegyptia means in your own words.
Compare your version with the excerpt and mark what you missed.
Work through the three examples above with pen and paper.
Explain Uromastyx aegyptia out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is Uromastyx aegyptia in simple terms?

Uromastyx aegyptia is a species of lizard in the family Agamidae. The species is native to North Africa and the Middle East.

Why does Uromastyx aegyptia matter?

Because it connects several biology ideas at once: it gives you a definition you can apply, a quantity you can calculate, and a way to check whether a result is plausible.

How should I study Uromastyx aegyptia?

Read the excerpt, restate it from memory, then work through the examples and applications listed on this page. The five-step study plan above takes about twenty minutes.

What does this page cover?

It gives you a compact reference excerpt plus original lgStudy explanations, examples, applications and study material on Uromastyx aegyptia.