Pygmy short-horned lizard

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Pygmy short-horned lizard
Phrynosoma douglasii 4179.JPG
Scientific classification Red Pencil Icon.png
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Reptilia
Order: Squamata
Suborder: Iguania
Family: Phrynosomatidae
Genus: Phrynosoma
Species:
P. douglasii
Binomial name
Phrynosoma douglasii
(Bell, 1828) [2]

The pygmy short-horned lizard (Phrynosoma douglasii) is a species of small horned lizard in the family Phrynosomatidae. The species is native to the northwestern United States and adjacent southwestern Canada. 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. [3]

Contents

Etymology

The specific name, douglasii, is in honor of Scottish botanist David Douglas. [4]

Identification

The pygmy short-horned lizard is often mistaken for its close relative the greater short-horned lizard (P. hernandesi) which has the same basic body type consisting of small pointed scales around the head and back. [3] Until recent mitochondrial DNA evidence, the greater short-horned lizard was considered to be the same species as the pygmy short-horned lizard. They are now considered distinct species with the pygmy short-horned lizard occupying the northwest portion of the United States and extreme southern British Columbia (now extirpated from Canada). [3] When placed together the two are easily distinguished at full size, the pygmy short-horned lizard being much smaller. The greater short-horned lizard is a highly variable species with different geographic populations exhibiting differences in colour, pattern, and size, with some authorities describing five subspecies. The pygmy short-horned lizard ranges in size from 1.25–2.5 in (3.2–6.4 cm) in snout-to-vent length (SVL) and is a flat-bodied, squat lizard with short spines crowning the head. [5] It has a snub-nosed profile and short legs. The trunk is fringed by one row of pointed scales, while the belly scales are smooth. The colour is gray, yellowish, or reddish-brown, and there are two rows of large dark spots on the back. When threatened or aggressive, its colours become more intense.[ citation needed ]The pygmy short-horned lizard is also a species at risk in Alberta according to the Committee on the Status of Endangered Wildlife in Canada (COSEWIC).

Behavior and ecology

The diet of P. douglasii varies from different habitats, but mostly among age and sex classes; neonates feed among almost exclusively on ants (89%) while adults consume fewer ants (72%) and yearlings consume the lowest proportion of ants (60%). [6] It is also considered a lizard that tolerates well low temperatures, so it can reach biomes that are not accessible for most other reptiles. [7]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lizard</span> Informal group of reptiles

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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Horned lizard</span> Genus of reptiles

Horned lizards (Phrynosoma), also known as horny toads or horntoads, are a genus of North American lizards and the type genus of the family Phrynosomatidae. The common names refer directly to their horns or to their flattened, rounded bodies, and blunt snouts.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Greater short-horned lizard</span> Species of reptile

The greater short-horned lizard, also commonly known as the mountain short-horned lizard, is a species of lizard 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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Texas horned lizard</span> Species of lizard

The Texas horned lizard is one of about 14 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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Desert horned lizard</span> Species of lizard

The desert horned lizard is a species of phrynosomatid lizard native to western North America. They are often referred to as "horny toads", although they are not toads, but lizards.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Coast horned lizard</span> Species of 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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Flat-tail horned lizard</span> Species of lizard

The flat-tail horned lizard is a species of lizard in the family Phrynosomatidae. A species of reptile, it is endemic to the Sonoran desert of the southwestern United States and northwestern Mexico. Its multiple adaptations for camouflage help to minimize its shadow. The species is threatened, with a restricted range under pressure from human activities such as agriculture and development, and is specially protected in the United States.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Roundtail horned lizard</span> Species of lizard

The roundtail horned lizard is one of the smaller species of horned lizard. Their specific epithet is from the Latin word modestum, meaning modest or calm. They are found in the United States, in western Texas, New Mexico eastern Arizona, southeastern Colorado and eight states in northcentral Mexico where they are referred to as "tapayaxtin".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mexican Plateau horned lizard</span> Species of lizard

The Mexican Plateau horned lizard is a species of horned lizard in the family Phrynosomatidae. The species, also known commonly as the Chihuahua Desert horned lizard, is endemic to Mexico. There are five recognized subspecies. The specific epithet, orbiculare, comes from the Latin adjective orbis, meaning "circular".

The northern desert horned lizard is a subspecies of the desert horned lizard, along with the southern desert horned lizard. It is often referred to as a "horny toad" due to its wide body and blunt snout, but it is not a toad.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mexican horned lizard</span> Species of lizard

The Mexican horned lizard is a horned lizard species native to Mexico. Horned lizards are sometimes referred to as "horned toads" or "horny toads", although they are not toads. Compared to other members of the horned lizards, little is known about this species.

Wyoming is home to 12 amphibian species and 22 species of reptiles.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">San Diego horned lizard</span> Species of phrynosomatid lizard

The San Diego horned lizard or Blainville's horned lizard is a species of phrynosomatid lizard native to southern and central California in the United States and northern Baja California in Mexico.

Baur's short-horned lizard is a species of small horned lizard that is endemic to the United States.

References

  1. Hammerson, G.A. (2007). "Phrynosoma douglasii ". The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2007.RLTS.T64075A12741891.en
  2. Species Phrynosoma douglasii at The Reptile Database www.reptile-database.org.
  3. 1 2 3 Sherbrooke, Wade C. (2003). Introduction to Horned Lizards of North America. California Natural History Guides. Oakland, California: University of California Press. 191 pp. ISBN   978-0520228276.
  4. Beolens, Bo; Watkins, Michael; Grayson, Michael. (2011). "Phrynosoma douglasi", p. 75 The Eponym Dictionary of Reptiles. Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press. ISBN   978-1-4214-0135-5.
  5. Stebbins, Robert C. (2003). "Phrynosoma douglasii ", pp. 303–304 + Plate 34 + Map 101. in A Field Guide to Western Reptiles and Amphibians: Third Edition. The Peterson Field Guide Series. Boston and New York: Houghton Mifflin Company. ISBN   978-0-395-98272-3.
  6. Lahti, Megan E.; Beck, Daniel D. (April 2008). "Ecology and ontogenetic variation of diet in the pigmy short-horned lizard (Phrynosoma douglasii)". American Midland Naturalist. 159 (2): 327–339. doi:10.1674/0003-0031(2008)159[327:EAOVOD]2.0.CO;2. S2CID   54206550.
  7. "Cold-Blooded and Cold-Tolerant: Finding Reptiles In the North Cascades Ecosystem". North Cascades Institute. 2019.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)

Further reading