Sceloporus aurantius | |
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Scientific classification ![]() | |
Kingdom: | Animalia |
Phylum: | Chordata |
Class: | Reptilia |
Order: | Squamata |
Suborder: | Iguania |
Family: | Phrynosomatidae |
Genus: | Sceloporus |
Species: | S. aurantius |
Binomial name | |
Sceloporus aurantius Grummer & Bryson, 2014 | |
Sceloporus aurantius, the southern occidental bunchgrass lizard, is a species of phrynosomatid lizard native to Mexico. It was discovered by University of Washington biologists in May 2014 upon isolating gene pools from those of Sceloporus brownorum . [1]
This bunchgrass lizard was mistakenly categorized as a subspecies of Sceloporus brownorum, but features different morphological characteristics, most notably, the lack of blue belly patches in males. The uniqueness of this species lies in its orange sides on their bellies, which plays a major role in selective reproduction. Sceloporus aurantius is similar to Sceloporus chaneyi which does not have these blue patches, but differs from this species in size, number of dorsal scales and number of scales around the midsection. [2]
It is most commonly found near isolated areas along the southern sky islands of the Sierra Madre Occidental in Mexico.
Spiny lizards is a common name for the genus Sceloporus in the family Phrynosomatidae. The genus is endemic to North America, with various species ranging from New York, to Washington, and one occurring as far south as northern Panama. The greatest diversity is found in Mexico. This genus includes some of the most commonly seen lizards in the United States. Other common names for lizards in this genus include fence lizards, scaly lizards, bunchgrass lizards, and swifts.
The Chihuahuan Desert is a desert and ecoregion designation covering parts of northern Mexico and the southwestern United States. It occupies much of West Texas, the middle and lower Rio Grande Valley, the lower Pecos Valley in New Mexico, and a portion of southeastern Arizona, as well as the central and northern portions of the Mexican Plateau. It is bordered on the west by the Sonoran Desert and the extensive Sierra Madre Occidental range, along with northwestern lowlands of the Sierra Madre Oriental range. On the Mexican side, it covers a large portion of the state of Chihuahua, along with portions of Coahuila, north-eastern Durango, the extreme northern part of Zacatecas, and small western portions of Nuevo León. With an area of about 501,896 km2 (193,783 sq mi), it is the largest desert in North America.
The western fence lizard is a common lizard of Arizona, New Mexico, California, Idaho, Nevada, Oregon, Utah, Washington, Northern Mexico, and the surrounding area. As the ventral abdomen of an adult is characteristically blue, it is also known as the blue-belly.
The Sierra Madre Occidental is a major mountain range system of the North American Cordillera, that runs northwest–southeast through northwestern and western Mexico, and along the Gulf of California. The Sierra Madre is part of the American Cordillera, a chain of mountain ranges (cordillera) that consists of an almost continuous sequence of mountain ranges that form the western 'sounds' of North America, Central America, South America and West Antarctica.
The Madrean pine–oak woodlands are subtropical woodlands found in the mountains of Mexico and the southwestern United States. They are a biogeographic region of the tropical and subtropical coniferous forests and temperate broadleaf and mixed forests biomes, located in North America.
Sceloporus poinsettii, the crevice spiny lizard, is a species of small, phrynosomatid lizard.
The eastern fence lizard is a medium-sized species of lizard in the family Phrynosomatidae. The species is found along forest edges, rock piles, and rotting logs or stumps in the eastern United States. It is sometimes referred to as the prairie lizard, fence swift, gray lizard, gravid lizard, northern fence lizard or pine lizard. It is also referred to colloquially as the horn-billed lizard. One of its most notable behaviors is that of its escape behavior when encountering fire ants.
The Sierra Madre Occidental pine–oak forests are a Temperate broadleaf and mixed forests ecoregion of the Sierra Madre Occidental range from the southwest USA region to the western part of Mexico. They are home to a large number of endemic plants and important habitat for wildlife.
Sceloporus malachiticus, the emerald swift or green spiny lizard, is a species of small lizard in the Phrynosomatidae family, native to Central America.
Sceloporus grammicus is a species of lizard from Mexico and the southern United States. It is sometimes referred to as the mesquite lizard or graphic spiny lizard.
Sceloporus merriami annulatus, commonly known as the Big Bend canyon lizard, is a subspecies of the canyon lizard, and is endemic to southwestern Texas and adjacent northeastern Mexico.
The Sierra Madre sparrow, also known as Bailey's sparrow, is an endangered, range-restricted, enigmatic American sparrow. It is endemic to Mexico and is threatened with extinction through habitat loss.
The Tamaulipan mezquital is a deserts and xeric shrublands ecoregion in the southern United States and northeastern Mexico. It covers an area of 141,500 km2 (54,600 sq mi), encompassing a portion of the Gulf Coastal Plain in southern Texas, northern Tamaulipas, northeastern Coahuila, and part of Nuevo León.
The Sierra San Antonio is a mountain range in southernmost Arizona state (U.S.) and northern Sonora state (México).
Sceloporus bicanthalis, the trans volcanic bunchgrass lizard, is a species of lizard in the family Phrynosomatidae, first described by Hobart Muir Smith as a subspecies of Sceloporus aeneus in 1937. It is endemic to Mexico. It was classified by the IUCN as a species with low risk. No subspecies are recognized.
This page contains lists of reptiles found in the Sierra de Manantlán Biosphere Reserve, which straddles the states of Colima and Jalisco in Mexico. The reserve is located in the transition of the Nearctic and Neotropical realms and encompasses parts of the Sierra Madre del Sur, with a wide range of altitudes, climates and soils. The effects of tectonic and volcanic activities and erosion are notable within the reserve.
Sceloporus virgatus, commonly known as the striped plateau lizard, is a species of lizard within the genus Sceloporus. This genus is known for the signaling modalities that it uses and exhibits, including visual motion and chemical signals that aid in identifying their territories as well as color that indicates aggression. The striped plateau lizard originates from the northern Sierra Madre Occidental and is relatively small in size, measuring less than 72 mm (2.8 in) in length.
Sceloporus aeneus, the southern bunchgrass lizard or black-bellied bunchgrass lizard, is a species of lizard in the family Phrynosomatidae. It is endemic to Mexico.
Sceloporus samcolemani, also known commonly as Coleman's bunchgrass lizard, Coleman's bunch grass lizard, and lagartija de Coleman in Spanish, is a species of lizard in the family Phrynosomatidae. The species is endemic to Mexico.