Texas spotted whiptail

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Texas spotted whiptail
Common spotted whitetail (cropped).jpg
Texas spotted whiptail (Aspidoscelis gularis), male, Hidalgo County, Texas
Scientific classification OOjs UI icon edit-ltr.svg
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Reptilia
Order: Squamata
Family: Teiidae
Genus: Aspidoscelis
Species:
A. gularis
Binomial name
Aspidoscelis gularis
(Baird & Girard, 1852)
Synonyms [2]
  • Cnemidophorus gularis
    Baird & Girard, 1852
  • Cnemidophorus sackii gularis
    H.M. Smith & Taylor, 1950
  • Aspidoscelis gularis
    Reeder et al., 2002

The Texas spotted whiptail (Aspidoscelis gularis) is a species of long-tailed lizard, in the family Teiidae. The species is endemic to the south central and southwestern United States and northern Mexico. Six subspecies are recognized as being valid.

Contents

Geographic range

A. gularis is found in New Mexico, Oklahoma, and Texas, and in the Mexican states of Aguascalientes, Campeche, Coahuila, Guanajuato, Hidalgo, Jalisco, Michoacán, Nuevo León, Querétaro, San Luis Potosí, Tamaulipas, and Veracruz. [2]

Description

A. gularis in Bandera County, Texas Aspidoscelis gularis, Bandera Co. TX; 14 Apr 2012.jpg
A.gularis in Bandera County, Texas

The Texas spotted whiptail grows to 6.5 to 11 inches (17 to 28 cm) in total length (including tail). It is typically a tan brown or green-brown in color, with a pattern of seven distinct grey or white stripes that run the length of the body, and stop at the tail, with light colored spots along the sides. The underside is uniformly white in color. Males often have a red-colored throat, blue belly, and black or blue patches on the chest, while females have only a pink-colored throat. The tail is long compared to the body, usually close to three times the body length. The tail is usually a uniform peach or tan color.[ citation needed ]

Behavior and habitat

Mating Common Spotted Whiptail, Estero Llano Grande State Park, Weslaco, TX, United States imported from iNaturalist photo 4631444.jpg
Mating

A. gularis is diurnal and insectivorous. It is highly active and found in a wide variety of habitats, from grassland and semi-arid regions, to canyons and rocky terrain, typically not far from a permanent water source.[ citation needed ]

Reproduction

Breeding of sexually mature A. gularis occurs in the spring, and a clutch of 1-5 eggs is laid in the early summer.[ citation needed ]

Subspecies

A. gularis near Enchanted Rock State Natural Area Cnemidophorus gularis ps DSCI1352.jpg
A. gularis near Enchanted Rock State Natural Area

Six subspecies of the Texas spotted whiptail, including the nominotypical subspecies, are recognized as being valid. [2]

Nota bene : A trinomial authority in parentheses indicates that the subspecies was originally described in a genus other than Aspidoscelis.

Etymology

The subspecific name, rauni, is in honor of American zoologist Gerald George Raun (born 1932). [3]

Related Research Articles

<i>Cnemidophorus</i> Genus of lizards

Cnemidophorus is a genus of lizards in the family Teiidae. Species in the genus Cnemidophorus are commonly referred to as whiptail lizards or racerunners. The genus is native to South America, Central America, and the West Indies.

<i>Aspidoscelis</i> Genus of lizards

Aspidoscelis is a genus of whiptail lizards in the family Teiidae.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Western whiptail</span> Species of lizard

The western whiptail is a species of lizard in the family Teiidae. The species is found throughout most of the southwestern United States and northern Mexico. Most of its populations appear stable, and it is not listed as endangered in any of the states comprising its range. It lives in a wide variety of habitats, including deserts and semiarid shrubland, usually in areas with sparse vegetation; it also may be found in woodland, open dry forest, and riparian growth. It lives in burrows. Major differences between this species and the checkered whiptail include the lack of enlarged scales anterior to the gular fold and the presence of enlarged postantebrachial scales. It was previously known as Cnemidophorus tigris, until phylogenetic analyses concluded that the genus Cnemidophorus was polyphyletic. Since it does not migrate, a number of forms have developed in different regions, several of which have been given subspecific names – for example the California whiptail, Aspidoscelis tigris munda.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Orange-throated whiptail</span> Species of lizard

The orange-throated whiptail is a species of lizard in the family Teiidae. The species was previously placed in the genus Cnemidophorus. Three subspecies are recognized as being valid, including the nominotypical subspecies.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gray checkered whiptail</span> Species of lizard

The gray checkered whiptail, also known commonly as Dixon's whiptail and the gray-checkered whiptail, is a species of lizard in the family Teiidae. The species is native to northern Mexico, and to the United States in southern New Mexico and western Texas.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Chihuahuan spotted whiptail</span> Species of lizard

The Chihuahuan spotted whiptail is a species of lizard native to the United States in southern Arizona, southern New Mexico and southwestern Texas, and northern Mexico in northern Chihuahua and northern Sonora.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Laredo striped whiptail</span> Species of lizard

The Laredo striped whiptail is a species of lizard found in the southern United States, in Texas, and northern Mexico in Coahuila, Nuevo Leon, and Tamaulipas. Some sources believe it to be the result of extensive hybridization between the Texas spotted whiptail, Aspidoscelis gularis and the six-lined racerunner, Aspidoscelis sexlineatus. It is one of many lizard species known to be parthenogenic.

The marbled whiptail is a species of lizard found in the United States, in southern New Mexico and Texas, and in northern Mexico, in Coahuila, Chihuahua and Durango.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">New Mexico whiptail</span> Species of reptile

The New Mexico whiptail is a female-only species of lizard found in New Mexico and Arizona in the southwestern United States, and in Chihuahua in northern Mexico. It is the official state reptile of New Mexico. It is one of many lizard species known to be parthenogenetic. Individuals of the species can be created either through the hybridization of the little striped whiptail and the western whiptail, or through the parthenogenetic reproduction of an adult New Mexico whiptail.

The plateau spotted whiptail is a species of lizard found in the southern United States in Texas, and in northern Mexico in Chihuahua and Coahuila. It is known to hybridize with the Eastern Spotted Whiptail, Cnemidophorus gularis, but is considered to be a distinct species due to phenotypic characteristics.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Common checkered whiptail</span> Species of lizard

The checkered whiptail is a species of lizard found in the southwestern United States in Colorado, Texas and New Mexico, and in northern Mexico in Chihuahua and Coahuila. Many sources believe that the species originated from the hybridization of the marbled whiptail, Aspidoscelis marmorata, the plateau spotted whiptail, Aspidoscelis septemvittata, and possibly the six-lined racerunner, Aspidoscelis sexlineata. It is one of many lizard species known to be parthenogenic. It is sometimes referred to as the common checkered whiptail to differentiate it from several other species known as checkered whiptails.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Six-lined racerunner</span> Species of lizard

The six-lined racerunner is a species of lizard native to the United States and Mexico.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Little striped whiptail</span> Species of lizard

The little striped whiptail is a species of lizard found in the southwestern United States and in northern Mexico. A significant amount of research was done on the species during the mid-1990s, with several new subspecies being added, many of which some sources consider to be distinct enough to warrant full species status, and the research is ongoing. It is called little to distinguish it from many other species known as striped whiptails and to indicate that it is the smallest of those species.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Trans-Pecos striped whiptail</span> Subspecies of lizard

The Trans-Pecos striped whiptail is a subspecies of the little striped whiptail lizard. It is found in the semiarid, sandy habitats of the Chihuahuan Desert, in the United States from West Texas across southern New Mexico to Arizona, as well as northern Mexico. It is sometimes referred to as the Arizona striped whiptail or seven-striped whiptail.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Canyon spotted whiptail</span> Species of lizard

The canyon spotted whiptail is a species of lizard in the family Teiidae. The species is native to northwestern Mexico and the adjacent southwestern United States.

<i>Aspidoscelis costatus</i> Species of lizard

Aspidoscelis costatus, also known as the western Mexico whiptail, is a species of whiptail lizard endemic to Mexico, including Guerrero, Morelos, and Puebla in southern Mexico, as well as other Mexican states. Its range spans both temperate and tropical habitats, and even densely populated urban areas. Its common name, the Western Mexico Whiptail, can easily be confused with the Western Whiptail, which refers to a different lizard, Aspidoscelis tigris.

Aspidoscelis danheimae, also known commonly as the Isla San José whiptail, the San Jose Island blue-throated whiptail, and el huico de la Isla San José in Spanish, is a species of lizard in the family Teiidae. The species is endemic to Isla San José in Baja California Sur, Mexico.

Aspidoscelis rodecki, also known commonly as Rodeck's whiptail, is a species of lizard in the family Teiidae. The species is endemic to Mexico.

<i>Aspidoscelis sackii</i> Species of lizard

Aspidoscelis sackii, known commonly as Sack's spotted whiptail, is a species of lizard in the family Teiidae. The species is endemic to Mexico. There are three recognized subspecies.

References

  1. Hammerson, G.A.; Lavin, P.; Mendoza Quijano, F. (2007). "Aspidoscelis gularis". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species . 2007: e.T64267A12759565. doi: 10.2305/IUCN.UK.2007.RLTS.T64267A12759565.en . Retrieved 12 November 2021.
  2. 1 2 3 Species Aspidoscelis gularis at The Reptile Database www.reptile-database.org.
  3. Beolens, Bo; Watkins, Michael; Grayson, Michael (2011). The Eponym Dictionary of Reptiles. Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press. xiii + 296 pp. ISBN   978-1-4214-0135-5. (Aspidocelis gularis rauni, p. 217).

Further reading