Spiny lizards is a
common name
In biology, a common name of a taxon or organism (also known as a vernacular name, English name, colloquial name, country name, popular name, or farmer's name) is a name that is based on the normal language of everyday life; and is often con ...
for the
genus
Genus (; : genera ) is a taxonomic rank above species and below family (taxonomy), family as used in the biological classification of extant taxon, living and fossil organisms as well as Virus classification#ICTV classification, viruses. In bino ...
''Sceloporus'' in the
family
Family (from ) is a Social group, group of people related either by consanguinity (by recognized birth) or Affinity (law), affinity (by marriage or other relationship). It forms the basis for social order. Ideally, families offer predictabili ...
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 genus 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 ...
to
North America
North America is a continent in the Northern Hemisphere, Northern and Western Hemisphere, Western hemispheres. North America is bordered to the north by the Arctic Ocean, to the east by the Atlantic Ocean, to the southeast by South Ameri ...
, with various species ranging from
New York
New York most commonly refers to:
* New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States
* New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York
New York may also refer to:
Places United Kingdom
* ...
, to
Washington, and one occurring as far south as northern
Panama
Panama, officially the Republic of Panama, is a country in Latin America at the southern end of Central America, bordering South America. It is bordered by Costa Rica to the west, Colombia to the southeast, the Caribbean Sea to the north, and ...
.
[ Köhler G (2008). ''Reptiles of Central America, 2nd Edition.'' Offenbach, Germany: Herpeton, Verlag Elke Köhler. 400 pp. .] The greatest diversity is found in
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 ...
. This genus includes some of the most commonly seen lizards in the
United States
The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...
. Other common names for lizards in this genus include fence lizards, scaly lizards, bunchgrass lizards, and swifts.
Taxonomy
The 114
species
A species () is often defined as the largest group of organisms in which any two individuals of the appropriate sexes or mating types can produce fertile offspring, typically by sexual reproduction. It is the basic unit of Taxonomy (biology), ...
in the genus ''Sceloporus'' are organized into 21 species groups. However, their relationships to each other are currently under review. Listed below are species of ''Sceloporus'':
["''Sceloporus'' ". ITIS. www.itis.gov.]
Species
''
Nota bene
( ; plural: ) is the Latin language, Latin phrase meaning ''note well''.
In manuscripts, ''nota bene'' is abbreviated in upper-case as NB and N.B., and in lower-case as n.b. and nb; the editorial usages of ''nota bene'' and ''notate bene'' fi ...
'': A
binomial authority in parentheses indicates that the species was originally described in a genus other than ''Sceloporus''.
''Sceloporus'' gallery
File:Prairie Lizard (Sceloporus consobrinus) Hardin Co. Texas. photo W. L. Farr.jpg, Prairie lizard ('' S. consobrinus'')
File:Cozumel Spiny Lizard - Flickr - treegrow (1).jpg, Cozumel spiny lizard ('' S. cozumelae'')
File:Sagebrush lizard (Sceloporus graciosus) Ferguzon Canyon, Utah (6288331524).jpg, Sagebrush spiny lizard ('' S. graciosus'')
File:Hare sagebrush-lizard.jpg, Sagebrush lizard ('' S. graciosus'')
File:Desert Spiny Lizard. Grand Canyon, Arizona (25778637054).jpg, Desert spiny lizard ('' S. magister'')
File:Grand Canyon Nat. Park Desert Spiny Lizard (Sceloporus magister) 3411.jpg, Desert spiny lizard ('' S. magister'')
File:Sceloporus variabilis marmoratus, Northern Rose-bellied Lizard, Texas.jpg, Northern rose-bellied Lizard ('' S. marmoratus'')
File:Big Bend Canyon Lizard - Flickr - GregTheBusker (3).jpg, Big Bend canyon lizard ('' S. merriami annulatus'')
File:Sceloporus minor, Minor Spiny Lizard, Tamaulipas.jpg, Minor spiny lizard ('' S. minor'') male
File:Lagarto (Sceloporus mucronatus), Zona arqueológica de Cantona, Puebla, México, 2013-10-11, DD 01.JPG, Cleft spiny lizard ('' S. mucronatus'')
File:Western Fence Lizard (9098617590).jpg, Western fence lizard ('' S. occidentalis'')
File:Texas spiny lizard (Sceloporus olivaceus) basking on a fencepost, Highway 102, Colorado County, Texas, USA (26 March 2017).jpg, Texas spiny lizard ('' S. olivaceus'')
File:Crevice spiny lizard (Sceloporus poinsettii), Mason County, Texas, USA (9 May 2014).jpg, Crevice spiny lizard ('' S. poinsettii)''
File:Sceloporus smithi.jpeg, Spiny lizard ('' S. smithi)''
File:Sceloporus torquatus mikeprestoni, Torquate Lizard, Tamaulipas.jpg, Torquate lizard ('' S. mikeprestoni)''
File:Sceloporus tristichus (29241274333).jpg, Plateau fence lizard ('' S. tristichus'')
File:Lizard on sandstone (Dinosaur National Monument, Utah, USA) 1 (48872735101).jpg, Plateau fence lizard ('' S. tristichus'')
File:Sceloporus variabilis variabilis, Rose-bellied Lizard, Tamaulipas.jpg, Rose-bellied Lizard ('' S. variabilis'')
File:Florida Scrub Lizard (Sceloporus woodi) (6558409167).jpg, Florida scrub lizard ('' S. woodi)''
File:Green Spiny Lizard (49703879952).jpg, Green spiny lizard ('' S. malachiticus'')
File:Green Spiny Lizard (49703563491).jpg, Green spiny lizard ('' S. malachiticus'')
File:Green Spiny Lizard (49703879612).jpg, Green spiny lizard ('' S. malachiticus'')
File:Sceloporus spinosus, Eastern spiny lizard, Tamaulipas.jpg, Eastern spiny lizard ('' S. spinosus'')
See also
*''
Moloch horridus'', an unrelated Australian lizard that is sometimes also referred to as "spiny lizard"
References
Further reading
*
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. (Genus ''Sceloporus'', p. 216).
*
Goin CJ,
Goin OB,
Zug GR (1978). ''Introduction to Herpetology, Third Edition''. San Francisco: W.H. Freeman. xi + 378 pp. . (Genus ''Sceloporus'', pp. 130, 291).
*
Köhler G,
Heimes P (2002). ''Stachelleguane: Lebensweise, Pflege, Zucht''
'Spiny Lizards: Way of Life, Care, Breeding'' Offenbach, Germany: Herpeton, Verlag Elke Köhler. 174 pp. . (in German).
*
Powell R,
Conant R,
Collins JT (2016). ''Peterson Field Guide to Reptiles and Amphibians of Eastern and Central North America, Fourth Edition''. Boston and New York: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. xiv + 494 pp., 47 Plates, 207 Figures. . (Genus ''Sceloporus'', p. 292).
*
Smith HM (1939). "The Mexican and Central American Lizards of the Genus ''Sceloporus'' ". ''Field Museum of Natural History, Zoological Series'' 26: 1–429.
*Smith HM,
Brodie ED Jr (1982). ''Reptiles of North America: A Guide to Field Identification''. New York: Golden Press. 240 pp. (paperback), (hardcover). (Genus ''Sceloporus'', p. 114-115).
*
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. xi + 533 pp. 56 plates, 39 figures. . (Genus ''Sceloporus'', p. 283; ''Sceloporus'' species accounts, pp. 283–294).
*
Wiegmann AF (1828). "''Beyträge zur Amphibienkunde'' ". ''Isis von Oken'' 21 (4): 364–383. (''Sceloporus'', new genus, p. 369). (in German and Latin).
External links
Video of ''Sceloporus jarrovii'' in Arizona*
*
{{Authority control
Sceloporus
Taxa named by Arend Friedrich August Wiegmann