Citizen science records of Australian water dragons (Agamidae, Intellagama lesueurii ) in South Australia

We extracted citizen science records from iNaturalist and Atlas of Living Australia databases to examine the current extent of reported observations of the Australian water dragon (Agamidae, Intellagama lesueurii) in South Australia. This species is not native to South Australia, but there were 17 unique records spanning 1958–2025; though we are dubious about the 1958 record. All records with specific location information focus within a 50-km radius of Adelaide. Six local government areas were represented, with 56% of records pertaining to I. lesueurii reported in the Adelaide Hills local government area. Records from Marble Hill and Basket Range are indicative of a possible established population, especially with one record pertaining to multiple individuals. Available photographic evidence showed individuals of the subspecies, I. lesueurii howittii. Records from Millbook and Highbury are also suggestive of possible populations established at either of those locations, with available photographic evidence showing individuals of the subspecies, I. lesueurii lesueurii. A plausible explanation for these extralimital occurrences is that they result from escaped or abandoned pets. This would account for individuals of both subspecies being observed, especially with the natural distribution of the nominated subspecies being more than 1000 km away.