| California legless lizard | |
|---|---|
 | |
Scientific classification  | |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Reptilia |
| Order: | Squamata |
| Family: | Anniellidae |
| Genus: | Anniella |
| Species: | A. pulchra |
| Binomial name | |
| Anniella pulchra (Gray, 1852) | |
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| Range of Anniella pulchra ( sensu lato ) in purple | |
Anniella pulchra, the California legless lizard, is a limbless, burrowing lizard often mistaken for a snake.
Anniella pulchra measures around 7 inches (18 cm) from snout to vent (excluding the tail). The slightly pointed head and eyes are both rather small—adaptations for a primarily fossorial (burrowing) lifestyle. Colors are usually a silver-bronze dorsal (back) side and a yellow underside, separated by black side-stripes or markings extending from the lizard’s head down the length of its body. Black (melanistic) and darker brown forms, which were thought to be a separate subspecies at one point, [2] have been observed in Monterey County, California. [3]
There were formerly two subspecies of California legless lizard recognized based on individual color morphs: the silvery legless lizard, A. p. pulchra, and the black legless lizard, A. p. nigra. However, contemporary taxonomy considers them simply a melanistic morph. [4] More recently (in 2013), A. pulchra has been split up into five different species: A. pulchra (with a narrower definition), A. alexanderae , A. campi , A. grinnelli , and A. stebbinsi . [5] [6]
A. pulchra live in loose, sandy soils or leaf litter, or among sand dunes along the Pacific coast. They are found from Contra Costa County in Northern California, south to Baja California, although its population distribution is often scattered. They require some source of moisture to aid in the regular shedding of their skin; without shedding properly, the lizard’s ability to eat and see can be affected, potentially starving the animal. [7]
These lizards can be found in diverse vegetation zones, ranging from seaside dunes to inland open pine woodlands. In the Sierra Nevada, the species been spotted at elevations of up to 2050 meters (6,725’), and 1360 meters (4,461’) in Sierra de Juárez and Sierra de San Pedro Márti. [8]
Their diet consists of mainly beetles, larval insects, termites, ants, and spiders. To obtain food, they camouflage themselves under leaves and ambush their prey. [2]
Males are slightly smaller than females[ citation needed ], otherwise there is no discernible difference between the two sexes. Females are ovoviviparous and probably breed between early spring and July, with 1 to 4 young born September–November. Young lizards resemble their parents except look like smaller versions of them. [2]
These lizards when provoked can use their tails as a dummy to distract a predator. When threatened, its tail detaches and acts like the lizard, giving it a chance to escape from its predator. [2]
A study conducted by R. Bruce Bury and Thomas G. Balgooyen in 1976 revealed the "temperature selectivity" of Anniella pulchra. Based on the results of this study, the mean temperature these lizards preferred was 24-25 C. This temperature depended on the level of moisture in the environment and is said to help them remain its increased activity in its environments where it is often cooler.
The researchers compare the temperature preference of these lizards to be similar to the alligator lizard, the Gerrhonotus multi-carinatus , as both lizards are noted to be active at lower temperatures more so than other diurnal species, while also avoiding temperatures over 30 C. [9]
A study by Parham and Papenfuss in 2008 revealed a higher level of genetic diversity than previously reported. Using mitochondrial and nuclear DNA sequences from museum-volunteered samples, their research identified five major genetic lineages of the Anniella pulchra. Two of these lineages align with a north-south split observed in other widespread Californian reptiles. Notably, unlike many other Californian reptiles, Anniella pulchra has genetic lineages endemic to Central California, with two being exclusive to the San Joaquin Valley and Carrizo Plain.
Their research has also revealed that due to urban development, only one of the three localities of the Anniella pulchra located in the Bakersfield region remains alive today. [10]
The Anniella pulchra exhibits a unique method of water intake. According to a paper from Margaret Fusari, these lizards can increase their mass by absorbing water, only when their mouth is in direct contact with moist sand. The efficiency of their water absorption is directly related to the moisture content of the sand, suggesting that there are natural limits to their hydration based on the sand's properties. This adaptation is why these lizards can thrive in environments where water is scarce and limited. [11]
The m. cervicomandibularis in Anniella is notably developed, and the depressor mandibulae has both a substantial extrinsic and a weaker intrinsic component. The structure of the m. pterygoideus in Anniella is typical of lizards, but with specific distinctions. The genioglossus muscle in Anniella consists of a prominent medialis portion and a smaller lateralis section. [12]
According to californiaherps.com, this lizard was previously split into two distinct species, the Anniella pulchra pulchra, the Silver Legless Lizard, and the Anniella pulchra nigra, the Black Legless Lizard. This distinction is no longer recognized due to a study that demonstrated that these populations have different ancestors, separating them into their own groups. [2]
Herpetology is a branch of zoology concerned with the study of amphibians and reptiles. Birds, which are cladistically included within Reptilia, are traditionally excluded here; the separate scientific study of birds is the subject of ornithology.
The family Anniellidae, known as American legless lizards, contains six species in a single genus Anniella: A. pulchra, the California legless lizard, the rare A. geronimensis, Baja California legless lizard, and four more discovered in 2013.
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The greater short-horned lizard, also commonly known as the mountain short-horned lizard, is a species of lizard in the family Phrynosomatidae. The species is endemic to western North America. Like other horned lizards, it is often called a "horned toad" or "horny toad", but it is not a toad at all. It is a reptile, not an amphibian. It is one of seven native species of lizards in Canada.
The Texas horned lizard is one of about 21 North American species of spikey-bodied reptiles called horned lizards, all belonging the genus Phrynosoma. It occurs in south-central regions of the US and northeastern Mexico, as well as several isolated introduced records and populations from Southern United States. Though some populations are stable, severe population declines have occurred in many areas of Texas and Oklahoma. The Texas spiny lizard may be confused for a Texas horned lizard due to its appearance and overlapping habitat.
The Coachella Valley fringe-toed lizard is a species of phrynosomatid lizard.
The coast horned lizard is a species of phrynosomatid lizard endemic to Baja California Sur in Mexico. As a defense the lizard can shoot high pressure streams of blood out of its eyes if threatened.
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Crotalus enyo, commonly known as the Baja California rattlesnake or Lower California rattlesnake, is a pit viper species native to the coast and islands of northwestern Mexico. Like all other pit vipers, it is venomous. Three subspecies are currently recognized, including the nominate subspecies described here.
Acontias percivali, also known commonly as Percival's lance skink, Percival's legless lizard, and the Tanzanian legless lizard, is a species of small, legless (snake-like) lizard in the family Scincidae. The species is endemic to Africa.
The southern water skink, cool-temperate water-skink, highland water skink, or Dreeite water skink is a medium-sized species of skink that is endemic to Australia. These skinks are found in New South Wales, South Australia, Victoria as well as on Tasmania's Rodondo Island in the Bass Strait. They are viviparous, mating in spring, and giving birth to live young in mid to late summer.
The Pacific gopher snake is a subspecies of large non-venomous colubrid snake native to the western coast of North America.
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Acontias gracilicauda, the slendertail lance skink or thin-tailed legless skink, is a species of skink. It is found in the Republic of South Africa and Lesotho. Acontias namaquensis was formerly included in this species as a subspecies, but is now recognized as a distinct species.
Robert Frederick Inger was an American herpetologist. During his lifetime, he wrote numerous books and publications about herpetology. He was also the curator for amphibians and reptiles at the Field Museum in Chicago, Illinois.
Robert Cyril Stebbins was an American herpetologist and illustrator known for his field guides and popular books as well as his studies of reptiles and amphibians. His Field Guide to Western Reptiles and Amphibians, first published in 1966, is still considered the definitive reference of its kind, owing to both the quality of the illustrations and the comprehensiveness of the text. A professor of zoology at the University of California, Berkeley, for over 30 years, he was the first curator of herpetology at the Museum of Vertebrate Zoology, a 1949 Guggenheim fellow, and author of over 70 scientific articles. His discovery of the ring species phenomenon in Ensatina salamanders is now a textbook example of speciation, and he performed extensive research on the parietal eye of reptiles. He produced nature films, supported science education in primary grades, and organized conservation efforts that aided in the passing of the 1994 California Desert Protection Act. After retirement he continued to paint, collect field notes, and write books. Stebbins is commemorated in the scientific names of three species: Batrachoseps stebbinsi, the Tehachapi slender salamander; Anniella stebbinsi, a legless lizard; and Ambystoma tigrinum stebbinsi, the endangered Sonora tiger salamander.
Anniella stebbinsi, the Southern California or San Diegan legless lizard, is a small, slender lizard, and, as the name suggests, is legless. Not much is known about the lizard as a unique species, with most observations conducted while it was not recognised as separate from Anniella pulchra, the Californian legless lizard.
Anniella campi, also known as the Southern Sierra legless lizard is a species of legless lizard found in California, specifically in the Sierra Nevada It was previously known as Anniella pulchra. It has double dark lateral stripes.
