Slevin's bunchgrass lizard (''Sceloporus slevini'') is a
species of
lizard
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 alt ...
in the
family Phrynosomatidae. The species is indigenous to the southwestern
United States and adjacent northern
Mexico.
Taxonomy and etymology
Described in 1937 by
Hobart M. Smith
Hobart Muir Smith, born Frederick William Stouffer (September 26, 1912 – March 4, 2013), was an American herpetologist. He is credited with describing more than 100 new species of American reptiles and amphibians. In addition, he has been ...
, the species was named after the collector of the
holotype specimen,
Joseph R. Slevin
Joseph Richard Slevin (September 13, 1881 – February 17, 1957) was an American herpetologist and the second curator of herpetology at the California Academy of Sciences, with which he was affiliated for over 50 years. He collected reptile and a ...
.
Geographic range
In the United States, ''S. slevini'' is found in southeastern
Arizona. In Mexico, it is found in
Chihuahua Chihuahua may refer to:
Places
*Chihuahua (state), a Mexican state
**Chihuahua (dog), a breed of dog named after the state
**Chihuahua cheese, a type of cheese originating in the state
**Chihuahua City, the capital city of the state
**Chihuahua Mun ...
, northern
Durango
Durango (), officially named Estado Libre y Soberano de Durango ( en, Free and Sovereign State of Durango; Tepehuán: ''Korian''; Nahuatl: ''Tepēhuahcān''), is one of the 31 states which make up the 32 Federal Entities of Mexico, situated in ...
, northeastern
Sinaloa
Sinaloa (), officially the Estado Libre y Soberano de Sinaloa ( en, Free and Sovereign State of Sinaloa), is one of the 31 states which, along with Mexico City, comprise the Administrative divisions of Mexico, Federal Entities of Mexico. It is d ...
, and eastern
Sonora
Sonora (), officially Estado Libre y Soberano de Sonora ( en, Free and Sovereign State of Sonora), is one of the 31 states which, along with Mexico City, comprise the Administrative divisions of Mexico, Federal Entities of Mexico. The state is d ...
.
[
]
Habitat
The preferred natural habitats of ''S. slevini'' are grassland and forest.
Description
Adults of ''S. slevinii'' have a snout-to-vent length (SVL) of . The rows of lateral scales on the sides of the body are parallel to the rows of dorsal scales. The rows of femoral pores are separated at the midline by not more than two scales.[ Stebbins RC (2003). ''A Field Guide to Western Reptiles and Amphibians, Third Edition''. The Peterson Field Guide Series ®. Boston and New York: Houghton Mifflin Company. xiii + 533 pp., 56 color plates. (''Sceloporus slevini'', pp. 283–284 + Plate 30 + Map 94).]
Reproduction
''S. slevini'' is 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
Further reading
* Jones LLC, Lovich RE (editors)(2009). ''Lizards of the American Southwest: A Photographic Field Guide''. Tucson, Arizona: Rio Nuevo Publishers. 568 pp. . (''Sceloporus slevini'', pp. 513–514).
* Tanner WW (1987). "Lizards and Turtles of Western Chihuahua". ''Great Basin Naturalist'' 47: 383–421. (''Sceloporus slevini'', new status, pp. 400–401).
Sceloporus
Reptiles described in 1937
Lizards of North America
Fauna of the Southwestern United States
Reptiles of the United States
Reptiles of Mexico
Taxa named by Hobart Muir Smith
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