''Sceloporus dugesii'', also known
commonly as Dugès' spiny lizard and ''la lagartija espinosa de Dugès del este'' in Mexican Spanish, 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
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 ...
Phrynosomatidae
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 ...
.
The species is
endemic
Endemism is the state of a species being found in a single defined geographic location, such as an island, state, nation, country or other defined zone; organisms that are indigenous to a place are not endemic to it if they are also found else ...
to
Mexico
Mexico (Spanish: México), officially the United Mexican States, is a country in the southern portion of North America. It is bordered to the north by the United States; to the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; to the southeast by Guatema ...
.
[
]
Etymology
The specific name, ''dugesii'', is in honor of French-born Mexican naturalist Alfredo Dugès
Alfredo Dugès (birth name- Alfred Auguste Delsescautz Dugès); (16 April 1826 – 7 January 1910) was a French-born, Mexican physician and naturalist born in Montpellier. He was the son of zoologist Antoine Louis Dugès (1797-1838). Alfredo Dugè ...
, who is considered to be the "father" of Mexican herpetology.[ Beolens, Bo; Watkins, Michael; Grayson, Michael (2011). ''The Eponym Dictionary of Reptiles''. Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press. xiii + 296 pp. . (''Sceloporus dugesii'', p. 76).]
Geographic range
''S. dugesii'' is found in western Mexico, in the Mexican States of Colima
Colima (), officially the Free and Sovereign State of Colima ( es, Estado Libre y Soberano de Colima), is one of the 31 states that make up the 32 Federal Entities of Mexico. It shares its name with its capital and main city, Colima.
Colima i ...
, Guanajuato, Jalisco, Michoacán, and Nayarit
Nayarit (), officially the Free and Sovereign State of Nayarit ( es, Estado Libre y Soberano de Nayarit), is one of the 31 states that, along with Mexico City, comprise the Federal Entities of Mexico. It is divided in 20 municipalities and its ...
.[
]
Habitat
The preferred natural habitat
In ecology, the term habitat summarises the array of resources, physical and biotic factors that are present in an area, such as to support the survival and reproduction of a particular species. A species habitat can be seen as the physical ...
of ''S. dugesii'' is rocky areas in forest
A forest is an area of land dominated by trees. Hundreds of definitions of forest are used throughout the world, incorporating factors such as tree density, tree height, land use, legal standing, and ecological function. The United Nations' ...
and shrubland.[
]
Behavior
''S. dugesii'' is terrestrial
Terrestrial refers to things related to land or the planet Earth.
Terrestrial may also refer to:
* Terrestrial animal, an animal that lives on land opposed to living in water, or sometimes an animal that lives on or near the ground, as opposed to ...
and saxicolous (rock-dwelling).[
]
Reproduction
''S. dugesii'' is ovoviviparous
Ovoviviparity, ovovivipary, ovivipary, or aplacental viviparity is a term used as a "bridging" form of reproduction between egg-laying oviparous and live-bearing viviparous reproduction. Ovoviviparous animals possess embryos that develop insi ...
.[
]
References
Further reading
*Arenas-Monroy, José Carlos (2013). "Geographic Distribution: ''Sceloporus dugesii'' (Dugès' Spiny Lizard)". ''Herpetological Review'' 44 (3): 475.
* Bocourt MF (1874). "''Note sur quelques espèces nouvelles d'Iguaniens du genre'' Sceloporus". ''Annales des sciences naturelles, Zoologie et paléontologie, Cinquième série'' 17 (10): 1–2. (''Sceloporus dugesii'', new species, p. 2). (in French).
* Boulenger GA (1885). ''Catalogue of the Lizards in the British Museum (Natural History). Second Edition. Volume II. ... Iguanidæ'' .... London: Trustees of the British Museum (Natural History). (Taylor and Francis, printers). xiii + 497 pp. + Plates I–XXIV. (''Sceloporus dugesii'', pp. 224–225).
* Smith HM, Taylor EH (1950). "An Annotated Checklist and Key to the Reptiles of Mexico Exclusive of the Snakes". ''Bulletin of the United States National Museum'' (199): 1–253. (''Sceloporus dugesii'', p. 127).
Sceloporus
Endemic reptiles of Mexico
Reptiles described in 1874
Taxa named by Marie Firmin Bocourt
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