''Sceloporus mikeprestoni'', Preston's torquate lizard, is a species of lizard in the family

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 ...

. It is

endemic Endemism is the state of a species being found only 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 foun ...

Mexico Mexico, officially the United Mexican States, is a country in North America. It is the northernmost country in Latin America, and borders the United States to the north, and Guatemala and Belize to the southeast; while having maritime boundar ...

Taxonomy

Originally described as a subspecies, ''Sceloporus torquatus mikeprestoni'',Hobart M. Smith and Ticul Alvarez 1974. ''Possible Intraspecific Sympatry in the Lizard Species Sceloporus torquatus, and Its Relationship with S. cyanogenys.'' Transactions of the Kansas Academy of Science 77 (4): 219-224 it was recognized as a species in a study published in 2021 based on an integrative analysis of molecular data, environmental niche modeling, and morphological characters.Campillo-García G, Flores-Villela O, Butler BO, Velasco Vinasco JA, Ramírez Corona F 2021. ''Hidden diversity within a polytypic species: The enigmatic Sceloporus torquatus Wiegmann, 1828 (Reptilia, Squamata, Phrynosomatidae.'' Vertebrate Zoology 71: 781-798

Etymology

The trivial name, or specific epithet, ''mikeprestoni'' is a patronym honoring Dr. Michael J. Preston, Professor of English at the

University of Colorado The University of Colorado (CU) is a system of public universities in Colorado. It consists of four institutions: the University of Colorado Boulder, the University of Colorado Colorado Springs, the University of Colorado Denver, and the U ...

, in recognition of the invaluable support he provided Hobart M. Smith and Rozella B. Smith in preparation of their book series, ''Synopsis of the Herpetofauna of Mexico''. Dr. Preston was vital in the preparation, processing, and accessing of data on an early, 1970s computer.Beolens, Bo, Michael Watkins, and Michael Grayson. 2011. ''The Eponym Dictionary of Reptiles.'' The Johns Hopkins University Press. Baltimore, Maryland. xiii, 296 pp.

Distribution

''Sceloporus mikeprestoni'' is endemic to

where it has a highly restricted range in the

Sierra Madre Oriental The Sierra Madre Oriental () is a mountain range in northeastern Mexico. The Sierra Madre Oriental is part of the American Cordillera, a chain of mountain ranges (cordillera) that consists of an almost continuous sequence of mountain ranges that ...

in vicinity of Cerro Peña Nevada (referred to as Peña Blanca in the original description) at elevations of 2,400 m. and higher in a

sky island Sky islands are isolated mountains surrounded by radically different lowland environments. The term originally referred to those found on the Mexican Plateau and has extended to similarly isolated high-elevation forests. The isolation has s ...

ecosystem. Cerro Peña Nevada is situated on the border of

Nuevo León Nuevo León, officially the Free and Sovereign State of Nuevo León, is a Administrative divisions of Mexico, state in northeastern Mexico. The state borders the Mexican states of Tamaulipas, Coahuila, Zacatecas, and San Luis Potosí, San Luis ...

and

Tamaulipas Tamaulipas, officially the Free and Sovereign State of Tamaulipas, is a state in Mexico; one of the 31 states which, along with Mexico City, comprise the 32 federal entities of Mexico. It is divided into 43 municipalities. It is located in nor ...

.Köhler, Gunther and Peter Heimes. 2002. ''Stachelleguane: Lebensweise, Pflege, Zucht.'' Herpeton, Verlag Elke Köhler, Offenbach, Germany. 174 pp.

Ecology and natural history

Habitat

''Sceloporus mikeprestoni'' is most often associated with boulders and rock outcroppings, taking refuge in cracks and crevices among the rocks when threatened. It will occasionally roam on the ground and fallen logs as well. Temperate Madrean pine-oak woodlands characterize the higher elevations of Cerro Peña Nevada (>2200–3400 m), receiving more frequent rain and milder temperatures than the lower slopes which descend into arid Chihuahuan Desert valleys and scrublands (referred to as Meseta Central matorral by the

World Wide Fund for Nature The World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) is a Swiss-based international non-governmental organization founded in 1961 that works in the field of wilderness preservation and the reduction of human impact on the environment. It was formerly named th ...

). Surface water on Cerro Peña Nevada is minimal, but afternoon rains are common. Vegetation includes the century plant (''

Agave americana ''Agave americana'', commonly known as the century plant, maguey, or American aloe, is a flowering plant species belonging to the family Asparagaceae. It is native to Mexico and the United States, specifically Texas. This plant is widely cultiv ...

''), Texas madrone (''

Arbutus xalapensis ''Arbutus xalapensis'', commonly known as the Texas madrone, Amazaquitl, or Texas madroño, is a species of flowering plant in the heather family. It is native to Central America, the southwestern United States (western Texas and New Mexico), an ...

''), mountain juniper ('' Juniperus monticola''), various species of oak trees (''

Quercus An oak is a hardwood tree or shrub in the genus ''Quercus'' of the beech family. They have spirally arranged leaves, often with lobed edges, and a nut called an acorn, borne within a cup. The genus is widely distributed in the Northern Hemisp ...

''), Sotol (''

Dasylirion ''Dasylirion'' is a genus of succulent, rosette-forming plants in the Asparagaceae family (where it is included in the Nolinoideae subfamily). Most species are native to mountainous arid regions of Mexico, with some species also native to the Sou ...

'') and pine forest including pinyon pine (''

Pinus cembroides ''Pinus cembroides'', also known as pinyon pine, Mexican pinyon, Mexican nut pine, and Mexican stone pine, is a pine in the pinyon pine group. It is a small pine growing to about with a trunk diameter of up to . It is native to western North Am ...

''), Hartweg's pine (''

Pinus hartwegii ''Pinus hartwegii'' ( syn. ''P. rudis'', ''P. donnell-smithii''), Hartweg's pine, the Mexican mountain pine, or pino de las alturas, is a pine native to the mountains of Mexico and Central America east to Honduras. It is named after Karl Theodor ...

''), and Johann's pine (''

Pinus johannis ''Pinus johannis'', the Johann's pine, is a pine in the pinyon pine group, native to North America. The range extends from southeast Arizona and southwest New Mexico, United States, south in Mexico along the Sierra Madre Occidental and the Sie ...

'') among others.Farr, William L.. 2015. ''Herpetofauna of Tamaulipas'' 101-121 pp. in Lemos Espinal, J. A. (Editor). ''Amphibians and Reptiles of the US-Mexican Border States.'' Texas A&M University Press. College Station, Texas. x, 614 pp.

Reproduction

Few if any studies have been published on the reproduction of ''S. mikeprestoni''. However, it is closely related to, and previously considered a subspecies of ''

Sceloporus torquatus ''Sceloporus torquatus'', the crevice swift, is a species of lizard in the family Phrynosomatidae. Naming The subspecies ''Sceloporus torquatus mikeprestoni'' was named by Hobart Muir Smith and José Ticul Álvarez in honor of professor emeritus ...

'', and some information may be inferred from studies on reproduction of that species. ''Sceloporus torquatus'' is

viviparous In animals, viviparity is development of the embryo inside the body of the mother, with the maternal circulation providing for the metabolic needs of the embryo's development, until the mother gives birth to a fully or partially developed juve ...

, mating in the fall, with parturition taking place in rock crevices in late winter or spring. Litters of six to ten young have been reported for ''S. torquatus''.Lemos Espinal, Julio A., Geoffrey R. Smith, and Alexander Cruz. 2018. ''Amphibians and Reptiles of Nuevo León.'' Eco Herpetological Publishing and Distribution. Rodeo, New Mexico. x, 370 pp.

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q111745718 Sceloporus Fauna of the Sierra Madre Oriental Endemic reptiles of Mexico Reptiles described in 1974 Taxa named by Hobart Muir Smith