Sceloporus merriami

Canyon lizard
A male Big Bend canyon lizard ( Sceloporus merriami annulatus ) near Big Bend National Park, Texas
Conservation status
Least Concern  (IUCN 3.1) [1]
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Reptilia
Order:	Squamata
Suborder:	Iguania
Family:	Phrynosomatidae
Genus:	Sceloporus
Species:	S. merriami
Binomial name
Sceloporus merriami Stejneger, 1904

Sceloporus merriami, commonly known as the canyon lizard, is a species of lizard in the family Phrynosomatidae. The species is native to the southwestern United States and adjacent northern Mexico. ^{[1] [2]}

Etymology

The specific name, merriami, is in honor of American zoologist Clinton Hart Merriam. ^{[2] [3] [4]}

Geographic range

Sceloporus merriami is found in the United States in the state of Texas, and it is found in Mexico in the states of Chihuahua, Coahuila, Durango, ^[1] and Nuevo León. ^[2]

Habitat

The preferred natural habitat of Sceloporus merriami is steep rocky areas of desert. ^[1]

Behavior

Sceloporus merriami lives on rock faces of canyon walls, and shelters in crevices. ^[1]

Description

Adults of Sceloporus merriami may reach 58 mm (2.2 in) snout-to-vent length (SVL). Including the tail, they may reach 162 mm (6.4 in) in total length. The dorsal scales are small, and the lateral scales are granular. ^[5]

Dorsally, the canyon lizard is gray, tan, or reddish-brown, matching the rocks on which it lives. There are four rows of dark spots on the back, and a vertical black line in front of the front leg. Males have blue and black lines on the throat. ^[6]

Reproduction

Sceloporus merriami is oviparous. ^[2] The eggs are buried in soil. ^[1]

Subspecies

Seven subspecies of Sceloporus merriami are recognized as being valid, including the nominotypical subspecies. ^[2]

• Sceloporus merriami annulatus H.M. Smith, 1937 – Big Bend canyon lizard
• Sceloporus merriami australis K.L. Williams, H.M. Smith & Chrapliwy, 1960 – southeastern canyon lizard
• Sceloporus merriami ballingeri Lemos-Espinal, H.M. Smith, Auth & Chiszar, 2001 – Ballinger's canyon lizard ^[4]
• Sceloporus merriami longipunctatus Olson, 1973 – Presidio canyon lizard
• Sceloporus merriami merriami Stejneger, 1904 – Merriam's canyon lizard ^{[4] [7]}
• Sceloporus merriami sanojae Lemos-Espinal & Chiszar, 2003 – Sanoja's canyon lizard ^[4]
• Sceloporus merriami williamsi Lemos-Espinal, Chiszar & H.M. Smith, 2000 – Williams' canyon lizard ^{[4] [7]}

References

1. Hammerson, G.A.; Vazquez Díaz, J.; Gadsden, H.; Quintero Díaz, G.E.; Ponce-Campos, P.; Lavin, P. (2007). "Sceloporus merriami ". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species . 2007: e.T64126A12747298. doi: 10.2305/IUCN.UK.2007.RLTS.T64126A12747298.en . Retrieved 4 September 2021.
2. Sceloporus merriami at the Reptarium.cz Reptile Database. Accessed 4 September 2021.
3. Beltz, Ellin (2006). Scientific and Common Names of the Reptiles and Amphibians of North America – Explained.
4. 1 2 3 4 5 Beolens B, Watkins M, Grayson M (2011). The Eponym Dictionary of Reptiles. Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press. xiii + 296 pp. ISBN   978-1-4214-0135-5. (Sceloporus merriami, p. 176; S. m. ballingeri, p. 15; S. m. sanojae, p. 232; S. m. williamsi, p. 286).
5. Smith HM, Brodie ED Jr (1982). Reptiles of North America, A Guide to Field Identification. New York: Golden Press. 240 pp. ISBN   0-307-13666-3. (Sceloporus merriami, pp. 116–117).
6. Conant R (1975). A Field Guide to Reptiles and Amphibians of Eastern and Central North America, Second Edition. Boston: Houghton Mifflin. xviii + 429 pp. + Plates 1–48. ISBN   0-395-19977-8 (paperback). (Sceloporus merriami, pp. 106–107 + Plate 16 + Map 62).
7. Bell, Edwin L.; Smith, Hobart M.; Chiszar, David (2003), "An Annotated List of the Species-Group Names Applied to the Lizard Genus Sceloporus." (PDF), Acta Zoológica Mexicana , [new series], 90: 103–174

Further reading

• Behler JL, King FW (1979). The Audubon Society Field Guide to North American Reptiles and Amphibians. New York: Alfred A. Knopf. 743 pp. ISBN   0-394-50824-6. (Sceloporus merriami, pp. 524–525 + Plate 368).
• Powell R, Conant R, Collins JT (2016). Peterson Field Guide to Reptiles and Amphibians of Eastern and Central North America, Fourth Edition. Boston and New York: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. xiv + 494 pp., 47 plates, 207 figures. ISBN   978-0-544-12997-9. (Sceloporus merriami, pp. 296–297, Figure 141 + Plate 27).
• Stejneger L (1904). "A New Lizard from the Rio Grande Valley, Texas". Proceedings of the Biological Society of Washington17: 17–20. (Sceloporus merriami, new species).
• Stejneger L, Barbour T (1917). A Check List of North American Amphibians and Reptiles. Cambridge, Massachusetts: Harvard University Press. 125 pp. (Sceloporus merriami, p. 55).