| Dead side-blotched lizard | |
|---|---|
Scientific classification  | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Reptilia |
| Order: | Squamata |
| Suborder: | Iguania |
| Family: | Phrynosomatidae |
| Genus: | Uta |
| Species: | U. lowei |
| Binomial name | |
| Uta lowei Grismer, 1994 | |
The dead side-blotched lizard (Uta lowei) is a species of lizard. Its range is in Mexico. [1] [2] The specific name, lowei, is in honor of American herpetologist Charles Herbert Lowe. [3]
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 although some lizards are more closely related to these two excluded groups than they are to other lizards. Lizards range in size from chameleons and geckos a few centimeters long to the 3-meter-long Komodo dragon.
Squamata is the largest order of reptiles, comprising lizards, snakes, and amphisbaenians, which are collectively known as squamates or scaled reptiles. With over 10,900 species, it is also the second-largest order of extant (living) vertebrates, after the perciform fish. Members of the order are distinguished by their skins, which bear horny scales or shields, and must periodically engage in molting. They also possess movable quadrate bones, making possible movement of the upper jaw relative to the neurocranium. This is particularly visible in snakes, which are able to open their mouths very wide to accommodate comparatively large prey. Squamata is the most variably sized order of reptiles, ranging from the 16 mm (0.63 in) dwarf gecko to the 6.5 m (21 ft) Reticulated python and the now-extinct mosasaurs, which reached lengths over 14 m (46 ft).
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 lizards prefer rocky deserts or even relatively moist forest edges, and the short-horned lizard lives in prairie or sagebrush environments. The group includes both egg-laying and viviparous species, with the latter being more common in species living at high elevations.
Urosaurus is a genus of lizards, commonly known as tree lizards or brush lizards, belonging to the New World family Phrynosomatidae.
Side-blotched lizards are lizards of the genus Uta. They are some of the most abundant and commonly observed lizards in the deserts of western North America, known for cycling between three colorized breeding patterns and is best described in the common side-blotched lizard. They commonly grow to 6 inches including the tail, with the males normally being the larger sex. Males often have bright throat colors.
Lepidophyma is a genus of lizards, commonly called tropical night lizards. The genus Lepidophyma is one of three genera of night lizards, which are a group of viviparous (live-bearing) lizards. There are 20 species of tropical night lizards in the genus Lepidophyma, making it the most populous night lizard genus. Species of the genus Lepidophyma are distributed throughout Central America, found anywhere from central Mexico to Panama, depending on the particular species. Tropical night lizards, particularly the yellow-spotted species, are sometimes called Central American bark lizards by pet dealers and owners.
Edward Harrison Taylor was an American herpetologist from Missouri.
Charles Herbert Lowe, Jr. was an American biologist and herpetologist.
Leonhard Hess Stejneger was a Norwegian-born American ornithologist, herpetologist and zoologist. Stejneger specialized in vertebrate natural history studies. He gained his greatest reputation with reptiles and amphibians.
The common side-blotched lizard is a species of side-blotched lizard in the family Phrynosomatidae. The species is native to dry regions of the western United States and northern Mexico. It is notable for having a unique form of polymorphism wherein each of the three different male morphs utilizes a different strategy in acquiring mates. The three morphs compete against each other following a pattern of rock paper scissors, where one morph has advantages over another but is outcompeted by the third.
Petrosaurus mearnsi, also called the banded rock lizard, is a species of lizard in the family Phrynosomatidae. The species is native to western North America.
The western long-tailed brush lizard is a species of lizard in the family Phrynosomatidae. The species is native to the southwestern United States and adjacent northern Mexico.
Isla El Muerto is an island in the Gulf of California east of the Baja California Peninsula. The island is uninhabited and is part of San Felipe Municipality.
Lepidophyma lowei, Lowe's tropical night lizard, is a species of lizard in the family Xantusiidae. It is a small lizard found in Mexico. It is known only from San Bartolome Zoogocho, in Zoogocho Municipality, in the Sierra Madre de Oaxaca of Oaxaca state at 2,200 meters elevation.
The enchanted side-blotched lizard or San Lorenzo Island lizard is a species of lizard. Its range is in Mexico.
The Isla San Pedro Nolasco lizard is a species of lizard. Its range is in Mexico.
The San Pedro side-blotched lizard is a species of lizard. Its range is in Mexico.
The Isla Santa Catalina side-blotched lizard is a species of lizard. It is endemic to Isla Santa Catalina in the Gulf of California, Mexico. This species of lizard can be as long as 2.2 inches.
The swollen-nosed side-blotched lizard is a species of lizard. Its range is in Mexico.
