The Baja California leopard lizard (''Gambelia copeii''), also known
commonly as Cope's leopard lizard, 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 Crotaphytidae. The species is
endemic to
Baja California and adjacent southern
California.
Etymology
The
specific name Specific name may refer to:
* in Database management systems, a system-assigned name that is unique within a particular database
In taxonomy, either of these two meanings, each with its own set of rules:
* Specific name (botany), the two-part (bino ...
, ''copeii'', is in honor of
American
American(s) may refer to:
* American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America"
** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America
** American ancestry, pe ...
herpetologist and
paleontologist Edward Drinker Cope
Edward Drinker Cope (July 28, 1840 – April 12, 1897) was an American zoologist, paleontologist, comparative anatomist, herpetologist, and ichthyologist. Born to a wealthy Quaker family, Cope distinguished himself as a child prodigy interested ...
.
[ Beolens, Bo; Watkins, Michael; Grayson, Michael (2011). ''The Eponym Dictionary of Reptiles''. Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press. xiii + 296 pp. . (''Gambelia copeii'', p. 59).]
Description
''Gambelia copeii'' is between in
snout-to-vent length (SVL), and has a smoky gray color and darker gray or black dorsal spots, edged in a lighter shade. The dorsal pattern appears mottled or
ocellated. There are light crossbars on the
dorsum, and light gray or white on the venter. It has small granular scales. The large head is distinct from the neck, and the lining of the mouth and throat is purplish-black. Juvenile lizards are similar to adults, but have more distinct banding across the dorsum. Females develop red-orange blotches on the ventral side during breeding season. Males have
femoral pores Femoral pores are a part of a holocrine secretory gland found on the inside of the thighs of certain lizards and amphisbaenians which releases pheromones to attract mates or mark territory. In certain species only the male has these pores and in ...
.
Biology
The Baja California leopard lizard is an uncommon species. It is a powerful
bipedal runner. An adult can inflict a painful bite. It prefers
chaparral
Chaparral ( ) is a shrubland plant community and geographical feature found primarily in the U.S. state of California, in southern Oregon, and in the northern portion of the Baja California Peninsula in Mexico. It is shaped by a Mediterranean c ...
habitats with an open understory.
Sources
* This article is based on a description from the website of
Robert N. Fisher
The name Robert is an ancient Germanic given name, from Proto-Germanic "fame" and "bright" (''Hrōþiberhtaz''). Compare Old Dutch ''Robrecht'' and Old High German ''Hrodebert'' (a compound of '' Hruod'' ( non, Hróðr) "fame, glory, honou ...
and
Ted J. Case, "A Field Guide to the Reptiles and Amphibians of Coastal Southern California", US Geological Survey. http://www.werc.usgs.gov/fieldguide/index.htm.
References
Further reading
*
McGuire, Jimmy A. (1996). "Phylogenetic Systematics of Crotaphytid Lizards (Reptilia: Iguania: Crotaphytidae)". ''Bulletin of the
Carnegie Museum of Natural History'' (32): 1-142. (''Gambelia copeii'', pp. 98–102).
*
Stebbins RC (2003). ''A Field Guide to Western Reptiles and Amphibians, Third Edition''. The Peterson Field Guide Series ®. Boston and New York: Houghton Mifflin. xiii + 533 pp., 56 plates, 204 maps. . (''Gambelia copeii'', pp. 276–277 + Plate 26 + Map 84).
*
Yarrow HC (1882). "Descriptions of New Species of Reptiles and Amphibians in the United States National Museum". ''Proceedings of the United States National Museum'' 5: 438-443). (''Crotaphytus copeii'', new species, p. 441).
{{Taxonbar, from=Q3018975
Gambelia
Reptiles of Mexico
Reptiles described in 1882
Taxa named by Henry Crécy Yarrow
