turtles lizards snakes
frogs
Reptiles of the United States  
  Home Email Site map
A Guide to the Reptiles &
Amphibians of the United States
Home snakes lizards Turtles turtles salamanders
Snakes of the U.S.
UDG-Banner (55K)
 



Northern Mesquite Lizard Range Map






Graphic Spiny Lizard Video




Northern Mesquite Lizard Juvenile

Home »» Lizards »» Phrynosomatidae (North American Spiny Lizards) »» Graphic Spiny Lizards »» Northern Mesquite Lizard (Sceloporus grammicus microlepidotus)


Northern Mesquite Lizard (Sceloporus grammicus microlepidotus)Species of Least Concern





Description: Sceloporus grammicus is a flat-bodied lizard with a tail that is slightly longer than head-body length. Adult total body length varies between 3.9 and 6.9 inches. The dorsum is mottled olive or gray and has a pattern consisting of 3 to 6 dark crossbars. The forelegs and tail have narrow crossbars. Males differ from females by having blue patches and black mottling on throat, a dark line on each shoulder, and blue patches on sides of belly, sometimes bordered in black.


Habitat: This is an arboreal lizard that occupies large mesquite trees and oaks as well as other trees including nopaleras in arid and semi-arid terrain .


Range: Sceloporus grammicus is native to the southern United States in the state of Texas, and to Mexico in the states of Chihuahua, Durango, Zacatecas, Coahuila, San Luis Potosí, Nuevo León, Tamaulipas, Oaxaca, Guerrero, Querétaro, and Aguascalientes.


Found in these States: TX


Diet: Eats insects and other invertebrates.


Reproduction: Viviparous. Litter size varies between 2 and 12. Females become sexually mature between 1.3 and 2.9 inches in snout to vent length.


Status: Listed as Least Concern in view of the relatively large and probably relatively stable extent of occurrence, area of occupancy, number of subpopulations, and population size. No major threats have been identified. Further taxonomic research is needed to clarify the status of various populations of the S. grammicus complex.


Taxonomy:

»» Kingdom: Animalia - Animals
   »» Phylum: Chordata - Chordates
     »» Subphylum: Vertebrata - Vertebrates
       »» Class: Reptilia - Reptiles
         »» Order: Squamata - Lizards
           »» Family: Phrynosomatidae - North American Spiny Lizards
             »» Genus: Sceloporus
               »» Species: Sceloporus grammicus - Graphic Spiny Lizard
                 »» Subspecies: Sceloporus grammicus microlepidotus - Northern Mesquite Lizard

This article uses material from the Wikipedia article "Sceloporus grammicus", which is released under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share-Alike License 3.0. Content may have been omitted from the original, but no content has been changed or extended.

 

 

 

 


Recommended Books at Amazon.com


Handbook of Lizards: Lizards of the United States and of Canada     Lizards of the World: A Guide to Every Family     Texas Lizards: A Field Guide     National Geographic Readers: Lizards



DISCLAIMER: We are a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn advertising fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated websites.

 

 
 

Disclaimer: ITIS taxonomy is based on the latest scientific consensus available, and is provided as a general reference source for interested parties. However, it is not a legal authority for statutory or regulatory purposes. While every effort has been made to provide the most reliable and up-to-date information available, ultimate legal requirements with respect to species are contained in provisions of treaties to which the United States is a party, wildlife statutes, regulations, and any applicable notices that have been published in the Federal Register. For further information on U.S. legal requirements with respect to protected taxa, please contact the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.

 
Copyright © 2008 - Herpedia™.com