''Sceloporus merriami longipunctatus'', commonly known as the Presidio canyon lizard, is a

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 ...

of the canyon lizard, and 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 elsew ...

to southwestern

Texas Texas (, ; Spanish language, Spanish: ''Texas'', ''Tejas'') is a state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States. At 268,596 square miles (695,662 km2), and with more than 29.1 million residents in 2 ...

and northeastern

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 ...

. It is unknown if it interbreeds with the other subspecies of canyon lizard found in the same region, but it is likely.

Etymology

The subspecific name, ''longipunctatus'', is a combination of the

Latin Latin (, or , ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally a dialect spoken in the lower Tiber area (then known as Latium) around present-day Rome, but through the power of the ...

words ''longus'' meaning "long", ''punctum'' meaning "spot", and the suffix ''-atus'' meaning "pertaining to", which literally describes the laterally elongated paravertebral spots on the lizard's back which are a diagnostic of the subspecies.

Geographic range

''S. m. longipunctatus'' is native to a narrow range in the Big Bend region of the US state of Texas and into adjacent states in northern Mexico. The

holotype A holotype is a single physical example (or illustration) of an organism, known to have been used when the species (or lower-ranked taxon) was formally described. It is either the single such physical example (or illustration) or one of several ...

was collected on May 31, 1971 by

R. Earl Olson R. or r. may refer to: * ''Reign'', the period of time during which an Emperor, king, queen, etc., is ruler. * '' Rex'', abbreviated as R., the Latin word meaning King * ''Regina'', abbreviated as R., the Latin word meaning Queen * or , abbreviat ...

Presidio County, Texas Presidio County is a county located in the U.S. state of Texas. As of the 2020 census, its population was 6,131. Its county seat is Marfa. The county was created in 1850 and later organized in 1875. Presidio County (K-5 in Texas topological ind ...

Description

The Presidio canyon lizard is a medium-sized lizard, growing from 4.5 to 6.25 inches (11.5–16 cm) in total length. Its coloration varies with the soil color in its particular choice of habitat, varying from gray to brown, with two rows of dark,

comma The comma is a punctuation mark that appears in several variants in different languages. It has the same shape as an apostrophe or single closing quotation mark () in many typefaces, but it differs from them in being placed on the baseline ...

-shaped spots down each side of the back, and a dark line on the shoulder region. It has a fairly large head for its body size, and a dewlap which is larger in males than females. The underside has dark lines, especially under the neck and

tail The tail is the section at the rear end of certain kinds of animals’ bodies; in general, the term refers to a distinct, flexible appendage to the torso. It is the part of the body that corresponds roughly to the sacrum and coccyx in mammals, r ...

regions, and males have distinct blue patches on either side of the belly.

Behavior

All canyon lizards are diurnal and

insectivorous A robber fly eating a hoverfly An insectivore is a carnivorous animal or plant that eats insects. An alternative term is entomophage, which can also refer to the human practice of eating insects. The first vertebrate insectivores were ...

. Their primary choice of habitat is rocky, unvegetated canyon lands with numerous crevices to hide in, and ledges to bask on.

Reproduction

They are

oviparous Oviparous animals are animals that lay their eggs, with little or no other embryonic development within the mother. This is the reproductive method of most fish, amphibians, most reptiles, and all pterosaurs, dinosaurs (including birds), and ...

References

External links

*
Herps of Texas: ''Sceloporus merriami''
{{Taxonbar, from=Q7430709 Sceloporus Reptiles described in 1973 Reptiles of Mexico Reptiles of the United States Lizards of North America