''Crotaphytus reticulatus'', commonly called the reticulate collared lizard, is a

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 ...

of moderately sized lizard in the

family Family (from la, familia) is a group of people related either by consanguinity (by recognized birth) or affinity (by marriage or other relationship). The purpose of the family is to maintain the well-being of its members and of society. Idea ...

Crotaphytidae The Crotaphytidae, or collared lizards, are a family of desert-dwelling reptiles native to the Southwestern United States and northern Mexico. Alternatively they are recognized as a subfamily, Crotaphytinae, within the clade Pleurodonta. They are ...

. The species is native to semiarid, rocky regions of the

Tamaulipan mezquital The Tamaulipan mezquital ( es, Mezquital Tamaulipeco) is a deserts and xeric shrublands ecoregion in the southern United States and northeastern Mexico. It covers an area of , encompassing a portion of the Gulf Coastal Plain in southern Texas ...

. Its range includes the US state of

Texas Texas (, ; Spanish: ''Texas'', ''Tejas'') is a state in the South Central region of the United States. At 268,596 square miles (695,662 km2), and with more than 29.1 million residents in 2020, it is the second-largest U.S. state by ...

and the Mexican states of Coahuila, Nuevo León, and

Tamaulipas Tamaulipas (), officially the Free and Sovereign State of Tamaulipas ( es, Estado Libre y Soberano de Tamaulipas), is a state in the northeast region of Mexico; one of the 31 states which, along with Mexico City, comprise the 32 Federal Entiti ...

. Of all the species in the family Crotaphytidae, ''C. reticulatus'' is the only species which is not restricted to rocky habitats.

Description

''Crotaphytus reticulatus'' is a tan to brown lizard with reticulations covering most of its dorsum, limbs, and tail. Some of these reticulations are filled with black pigmentation. Unlike the rest of the species in the

genus Genus ( plural genera ) is a taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of living and fossil organisms as well as viruses. In the hierarchy of biological classification, genus comes above species and below family. In binomial nom ...

''Crotaphytus'', there is no color difference between males and females of ''C. reticulatus'' except during the breeding season. During this time, males develop a bright yellow coloration on their chests. The collars on ''C. reticulatus'' are faint and the anterior collar is complete ventrally. The

dewlap A dewlap is a longitudinal flap of skin or similar flesh that hangs beneath the lower jaw or neck of many vertebrates. More loosely, it can be various similar structures in the neck area, such as those caused by a double chin or the submandibul ...

, or gular area, is a greenish-gray with black pigmentation in the center. During the breeding season, the gular area of the female is white to yellow, without the black pigmentation in the center. Symmetrical black spots fill in some of the pattern. The

ventral Standard anatomical terms of location are used to unambiguously describe the anatomy of animals, including humans. The terms, typically derived from Latin or Greek roots, describe something in its standard anatomical position. This position prov ...

surface is white or a cream color. ''C. reticulatus'' grows to a total length (including tail) of . Males have a black collar around the neck, and

yellow Yellow is the color between green and orange on the spectrum of light. It is evoked by light with a dominant wavelength of roughly 575585 nm. It is a primary color in subtractive color systems, used in painting or color printing. In the ...

chest The thorax or chest is a part of the anatomy of humans, mammals, and other tetrapod animals located between the neck and the abdomen. In insects, crustaceans, and the extinct trilobites, the thorax is one of the three main divisions of the crea ...

and

throat In vertebrate anatomy, the throat is the front part of the neck, internally positioned in front of the vertebrae. It contains the pharynx and larynx. An important section of it is the epiglottis, separating the esophagus from the trachea (windpip ...

markings. Females develop

orange Orange most often refers to: *Orange (fruit), the fruit of the tree species '' Citrus'' × ''sinensis'' ** Orange blossom, its fragrant flower *Orange (colour), from the color of an orange, occurs between red and yellow in the visible spectrum * ...

bars along the underside when about to lay eggs. Collared lizards have small pockets at the base of the tail and folds of skin above the front legs. Mites and

chiggers ''Trombicula'', known as chiggers, red bugs, scrub-itch mites, or berry bugs, are small arachnids (eight-legged arthropods) in the Trombiculidae family. In their larval stage, they attach to various animals, including humans, and feed on skin, ...

gather in these areas. ''C. reticulatus'' lacks the postfemoral mite pockets present in the rest of the genus. This suggests this genus broke away from the ancestral group first. ''C. reticulatus'' has black oral

melanin Melanin (; from el, μέλας, melas, black, dark) is a broad term for a group of natural pigments found in most organisms. Eumelanin is produced through a multistage chemical process known as melanogenesis, where the oxidation of the amino ...

and black femoral pore secretions. The rest of the genus, except '' C. antiquus'', has gray secretions.

Behavior

The reticulate collared lizard is diurnal and primarily carnivorous, feeding on

invertebrate Invertebrates are a paraphyletic group of animals that neither possess nor develop a vertebral column (commonly known as a ''backbone'' or ''spine''), derived from the notochord. This is a grouping including all animals apart from the chordate ...

s and other small prey, even other lizards. It spends most of its time perched on rocks, basking in the sun, but is generally quick to flee if approached. ''C. reticulatus'' spends its life on the ground much like the closely related leopard lizards. When threatened, it will take refuge in rodent burrows and under brush.

Conservation concerns

The geographic range of the species ''C. reticulatus'' is declining due to habitat destruction and possibly climate change. The reticulated collared lizard is the only crotaphytid species in the United States that is protected from collection.

References

External links

Herps of Texas: ''Crotaphytus reticulatus''
*

Description

Behavior

Conservation concerns

References

External links

Further reading