Taxonomic status of <i>Coryphophylax maximiliani</i> Fitzinger in: Steindachner, 1867 with notes on <i>Coryphophylax subcristatus</i> (Blyth, “1860” 1861)

The insular agamid genus <i>Coryphophylax</i> Fitzinger <i>in</i> Steindachner, 1867, is endemic to the Andaman and Nicobar Islands in the Bay of Bengal, India. These diurnal lizards are currently represented by two putative species, <i>Coryphophylax subcristatus</i> (Blyth, "1860" 1861) and <i>Coryphophylax brevicauda</i> Harikrishnan, Vasudevan, Chandramouli, Choudhury, Dutta & Das, 2012. The species <i>C. subcristatus</i> is said to be distributed through the Andaman and Nicobar Islands, even across the Ten Degree Channel, which is a recognised biogeographic barrier. A reassessment of the taxonomy of <i>C. subcristatus</i> shows the population south of the Ten Degree Channel, for which the nomen <i>Coryphophylax maximiliani</i> Fitzinger <i>in</i> Steindachner, 1867 is available, to be distinct. The results are based on morphological data from museum material, including type specimens and mitochondrial 16S rRNA sequences. The members of the genus <i>Coryphophylax</i> are abundant and widespread across the islands and may serve as an illuminating example for studying the patterns of colonization and diversification across the Andaman and Nicobar Islands.