Mohawk Dunes fringe-toed lizard

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Mohawk Dunes fringe-toed lizard
Mohawk Dunes Fringe-toed Lizard imported from iNaturalist photo 15198038 on 2 January 2022.jpg
Status TNC G1.svg
Critically Imperiled  (NatureServe) [1]
Scientific classification OOjs UI icon edit-ltr.svg
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Reptilia
Order: Squamata
Suborder: Iguania
Family: Phrynosomatidae
Genus: Uma
Species:
U. thurmanae
Binomial name
Uma thurmanae
Derycke, Gottscho, Mulcahy & de Queiroz, 2020

The Mohawk Dunes fringe-toed lizard (Uma thurmanae) is a species of phrynosomatid lizard endemic to the U.S. state of Arizona. [1] [2] Its name is a reference to American actress Uma Thurman, as both a pun on the genus name Uma as well as a tribute to the actress for her conservation advocacy. [3]

Contents

Taxonomy

It is a cryptic species with few fixed morphological differences from other members of Uma , but has statistical morphological differences, and is also genetically distinct from the rest of the genus according to mtDNA. It was first identified as a potentially distinct species in 2001, which was further verified in a 2016 study, and was ultimately described as a distinct species, Uma thurmanae, in 2020. It is thought to be the most basal member of the Uma notata species complex. [4] [5] [3]

Distribution

It is restricted to the Mohawk Dunes, a dune system west of the Mohawk Mountains in southern Arizona.

Related Research Articles

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References

  1. 1 2 "NatureServe Explorer 2.0". explorer.natureserve.org. Retrieved 2022-01-03.
  2. "Uma thurmanae". The Reptile Database. Retrieved 2022-01-03.
  3. 1 2 DERYCKE, ELIZABETH G.; GOTTSCHO, ANDREW D.; GOTTSCHO, ANDREW D.; MULCAHY, DANIEL G.; DE QUEIROZ, KEVIN (2020-05-13). "

    A new cryptic species of fringe-toed lizards from southwestern Arizona with arevised taxonomy of the Umanotata species complex (Squamata: Phrynosomatidae)

    "
    . Zootaxa. 4778 (1): 67–100. doi:10.11646/zootaxa.4778.1.3. ISSN   1175-5334. PMID   33055832. S2CID   219434520.
  4. Trépanier, Tanya L.; Murphy, Robert W. (2001-03-01). "The Coachella Valley Fringe-Toed Lizard (Uma inornata): Genetic Diversity and Phylogenetic Relationships of an Endangered Species". Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution. 18 (3): 327–334. Bibcode:2001MolPE..18..327T. doi:10.1006/mpev.2000.0881. ISSN   1055-7903. PMID   11277627.
  5. Gottscho, Andrew D.; Wood, Dustin A.; Vandergast, Amy G.; Lemos-Espinal, Julio; Gatesy, John; Reeder, Tod W. (2017-01-01). "Lineage diversification of fringe-toed lizards (Phrynosomatidae: Uma notata complex) in the Colorado Desert: Delimiting species in the presence of gene flow". Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution. 106: 103–117. Bibcode:2017MolPE.106..103G. doi: 10.1016/j.ympev.2016.09.008 . ISSN   1055-7903. PMID   27640953.