''Crotaphytus'' is a

genus Genus ( plural genera ) is a taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of extant taxon, living and fossil organisms as well as Virus classification#ICTV classification, viruses. In the hierarchy of biological classification, genus com ...

lizards Lizards are a widespread group of squamate reptiles, with over 7,000 species, ranging across all continents except Antarctica, as well as most oceanic island chains. The group is paraphyletic since it excludes the snakes and Amphisbaenia althou ...

commonly known as collared lizards. They are a genus of small to medium-sized predators indigenous to the American southwest, Baja peninsula, and Mexico. They can be as small as 8" or as long as 14″ (20-36cm), and are characterized by distinct bands of black or brown around their neck, thus their common name.

Species and subspecies

The following

species In biology, a species is the basic unit of classification and a taxonomic rank of an organism, as well as a unit of biodiversity. A species is often defined as the largest group of organisms in which any two individuals of the appropriate s ...

and

subspecies In biological classification, subspecies is a rank below species, used for populations that live in different areas and vary in size, shape, or other physical characteristics (morphology), but that can successfully interbreed. Not all species ...

are recognized as being valid. www.reptile-database.org. *''

Crotaphytus antiquus The venerable collared lizard (''Crotaphytus antiquus'') is a species of lizard in the genus '' Crotaphytus'' in the family Crotaphytidae The Crotaphytidae, or collared lizards, are a family of desert-dwelling reptiles native to the Southweste ...

'' – venerable collared lizard *''

Crotaphytus bicinctores The Great Basin collared lizard (''Crotaphytus bicinctores''), also known commonly as the desert collared lizard or the Mojave black-collared lizard, is a species of lizard in the family Crotaphytidae. The species is endemic to the Western Unite ...

'' – Great Basin collared lizard or desert collared lizard *'' Crotaphytus collaris'' – common collared lizard **''Crotaphytus collaris auriceps'' – yellow-headed collared lizard **''Crotaphytus collaris baileyi'' – western collared lizard **''Crotaphytus collaris collaris'' – eastern collared lizard **''Crotaphytus collaris fuscus'' – Chihuahuan collared lizard **''Crotaphytus collaris melanomaculatus'' – black-spotted collared lizard *''

Crotaphytus dickersonae ''Crotaphytus dickersonae'', also known commonly as Dickerson's collared lizard, the Mexican collared lizard, the Sonoran collared lizard, and ''el cachurón de azul de collar'' in Spanish, is a species of lizard in the family Crotaphytidae. The ...

'' – Sonoran collared lizard *'' Crotaphytus grismeri'' – Grismer's collared lizard *'' Crotaphytus insularis'' – eastern collared lizard *''

Crotaphytus nebrius The Sonoran collared lizard (''Crotaphytus nebrius'') is a species of lizard in the family Crotaphytidae. The species is endemic to the U.S. state of Arizona and the Mexican state of Sonora. Description ''C. nebrius'' is a grayish-yellow with ...

'' – Sonoran collared lizard *''

Crotaphytus reticulatus ''Crotaphytus reticulatus'', commonly called the reticulate collared lizard, is a species of moderately sized lizard in the family Crotaphytidae. The species is native to semiarid, rocky regions of the Tamaulipan mezquital. Its range includes t ...

'' – reticulated collared lizard *'' Crotaphytus vestigium'' – Baja California collared lizard ''

Nota bene (, or ; plural form ) is a Latin phrase meaning "note well". It is often abbreviated as NB, n.b., or with the ligature and first appeared in English writing . In Modern English, it is used, particularly in legal papers, to draw the atten ...

'': A

binomial authority In taxonomy, binomial nomenclature ("two-term naming system"), also called nomenclature ("two-name naming system") or binary nomenclature, is a formal system of naming species of living things by giving each a name composed of two parts, bot ...

in parentheses or a trinomial authority in parentheses indicates that the species or subspecies was originally described in a genus other than ''Crotaphytus''.

Symbol

In 1969,

Oklahoma Oklahoma (; Choctaw language, Choctaw: ; chr, ᎣᎧᎳᎰᎹ, ''Okalahoma'' ) is a U.S. state, state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States, bordered by Texas on the south and west, Kansas on the nor ...

designated its first

state reptile Twenty-eight U.S. states have named an official state reptile. As with other state symbols, states compare admirable aspects of the reptile and of the state, within designating statutes. Schoolchildren often start campaigns promoting their favo ...

when it chose the collared lizard.

References

;Citations ;Bibliography * Holbrook JE (1842). ''North American Herpetology; or, A Description of the Reptiles Inhabiting the United States. Vol. II.'' (Second edition). Philadelphia: J. Dobson. 142 pp. (''Crotaphytus'', new genus, p. 79). *

External links

Photos of genus members
Crotaphytus Lizard genera Taxa named by John Edwards Holbrook {{lizard-stub