Spiny lizard

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Spiny lizard
WesternFenceLizard.jpg
Western fence lizard,
Sceloporus occidentalis
Scientific classification OOjs UI icon edit-ltr.svg
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Reptilia
Order: Squamata
Suborder: Iguania
Family: Phrynosomatidae
Genus: Sceloporus
Wiegmann, 1828
Synonyms
A yellow-backed spiny lizard, Sceloporus uniformis Sceloporus uniformis (1 of 1).jpg
A yellow-backed spiny lizard,
Sceloporus uniformis

Spiny lizards is a common name for the genus Sceloporus in the family Phrynosomatidae. The genus is endemic to North America, with various species ranging from New York, to Washington, and one occurring as far south as northern Panama. [1] The greatest diversity is found in Mexico. This genus includes some of the most commonly seen lizards in the United States. Other common names for lizards in this genus include fence lizards, scaly lizards, bunchgrass lizards, and swifts. [2]

Contents

Taxonomy

The 114 species in the genus Sceloporus are organized into 21 species groups. However, their relationships to each other are currently under review.[ clarification needed ] Listed below are species of Sceloporus: [3] [4]

Species

Nota bene : A binomial authority in parentheses indicates that the species was originally described in a genus other than Sceloporus.

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Phrynosomatidae</span> Family of lizards

The Phrynosomatidae are a diverse family of lizards, sometimes classified as a subfamily (Phrynosomatinae), found from Panama to the extreme south of Canada. Many members of the group are adapted to life in hot, sandy deserts, although the spiny lizards prefer rocky deserts or even relatively moist forest edges, and the short-horned lizard lives in prairie or sagebrush environments. The group includes both egg-laying and viviparous species, with the latter being more common in species living at high elevations.

<i>Abronia</i> (lizard) Genus of lizards, family of Anguidae

Abronia is a genus of lizards in the family Anguidae that is native to Mexico and Central America. The majority of the species are restricted to southern Mexico and Guatemala, but members of the genus occur as far south as Panama. They inhabit forests and woodlands, mostly in highlands, and some species are often associated with bromeliads. They are typically arboreal, but there are also terrestrial Abronia species. Many species are considered threatened due to habitat loss, killing by locals who mistakenly believe they are venomous, or collection for the captive reptile trade. They feed on small animal prey, such as insects, and the females give birth to live young.

<i>Barisia</i> Genus of lizards

Barisia is a genus of lizards in the family Anguidae. The genus is endemic to Mexico.

<i>Aspidoscelis</i> Genus of lizards

Aspidoscelis is a genus of whiptail lizards in the family Teiidae.

<i>Sceloporus poinsettii</i> Species of lizard

Sceloporus poinsettii, the crevice spiny lizard, is a species of small, phrynosomatid lizard.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sagebrush lizard</span> Species of lizard

The sagebrush lizard or sagebrush swift is a common species of phrynosomatid lizard found at mid to high altitudes in the western United States. It belongs to the genus Sceloporus in the Phrynosomatidae family of reptiles. Named after the sagebrush plants near which it is commonly found, the sagebrush lizard has keeled and spiny scales running along its dorsal surface.

<i>Tantilla</i> Genus of snakes

Tantilla is a large genus of harmless New World snakes in the family Colubridae. The genus includes 66 species, which are commonly known as centipede snakes, black-headed snakes, and flathead snakes.

<i>Sceloporus malachiticus</i> Species of lizard

Sceloporus malachiticus, the emerald swift or green spiny lizard, is a species of small lizard in the Phrynosomatidae family, native to Central America.

<i>Sceloporus variabilis</i> Species of lizard

Sceloporus variabilis, commonly known as the rose-bellied lizard, is a species of lizard which is found from Central America to southern Texas

Sceloporus arenicolus, the dunes sagebrush lizard, formerly known as the sand dune lizard and the dunes-sagebrush lizard, Sceloporus graciosus arenicolus, a subspecies of sagebrush lizard), is an insectivorous spiny lizard species which only occurs in the shinnery oak sand dune systems of extreme southeast New Mexico and only four counties in adjacent Texas. Sceloporus arenicolus has the second-smallest range of all lizards in the United States.

<i>Rena</i> (snake) Genus of snakes

Rena is a genus of snakes in the family Leptotyphlopidae. The genus is endemic to the New World. All of the species were previously placed in the genus Leptotyphlops.

<i>Sceloporus occidentalis bocourtii</i> Subspecies of lizard

Sceloporus occidentalis bocourtii, commonly known as the Coast Range fence lizard, is a subspecies of Sceloporus occidentalis, the Western fence lizard.

<i>Sceloporus jarrovii</i> Species of lizard

Sceloporus jarrovii, also known commonly as Yarrow's spiny lizard, is a species of lizard in the family Phrynosomatidae. The species is native to the southwestern United States and northern Mexico. There are two recognized subspecies.

Sceloporus cupreus, also known commonly as the upland long-tailed spiny lizard, is a species of lizard in the family Phrynosomatidae. The species is endemic to Mexico.

Sceloporus dugesii, also known commonly as Dugès' spiny lizard and la lagartija espinosa de Dugès del este in Mexican Spanish, is a species of lizard in the family Phrynosomatidae. The species is endemic to Mexico.

Sceloporus gadoviae, also known commonly as Gadow's spiny lizard and la espinosa de Gadow in Mexican Spanish, is a species of lizard in the family Phrynosomatidae. The species is endemic to Mexico.

References

  1. ↑ Köhler G (2008). Reptiles of Central America, 2nd Edition. Offenbach, Germany: Herpeton, Verlag Elke Köhler. 400 pp. ISBN   3-936180-28-8.
  2. ↑ Zim HS, Smith HM (1956). Reptiles and Amphibians: A Guide to Familiar American Species: A Golden Nature Guide. Revised Edition. New York: Simon & Schuster. 160 pp. (Genus Sceloporus, pp. 56-57, 155).
  3. ↑ Genus Sceloporus at The Reptile Database. www.reptile-database.org.
  4. ↑ "Sceloporus ". ITIS. www.itis.gov.
  5. ↑ Grummer, Jared A.; Bryson, Robert W. Jr (2014). "A new species of bunchgrass lizard (Squamata: Phrynosomatidae) from the southern sky islands of the Sierra Madre Occidental, Mexico" (PDF). Zootaxa. 3790 (3): 439–450. doi:10.11646/zootaxa.3790.3.3. PMID   24869877.
  6. 1 2 3 4 Wiens, John J.; Penkrot, Tonya A. (2002). "Delimiting Species Using DNA and Morphological Variation and Discordant Species Limits in Spiny Lizards (Sceloporus)". Systematic Biology. 51 (1): 69–91. doi: 10.1080/106351502753475880 . PMID   11943093.
  7. 1 2 3 Beolens, Bo; Watkins, Michael; Grayson, Michael (2011). The Eponym Dictionary of Reptiles. Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press. xiii + 296 pp. ISBN   978-1-4214-0135-5. (Sceloporus jarrovii, p. 292; S. slevin, p. 245; S. tanneri, p. 260).

Further reading

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