Texas spotted whiptail

Texas spotted whiptail
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Subphylum: Vertebrata
Class: Reptilia
Order: Squamata
Suborder: Sauria
Infraorder: Scincomorpha
Family: Teiidae
Genus: Cnemidophorus
Species: C. gularis
Binomial name
Cnemidophorus gularis
Baird & Girard, 1852
Synonyms
  • Cnemidophorus sackii gularis
  • Aspidoscelis gularis

The Texas spotted whiptail (Cnemidophorus gularis or Aspidocelis gularis) is a species of long-tailed lizard native to the southern United States, in Texas, New Mexico, and Oklahoma, and northern Mexico in Coahuila, Nuevo León, Tamaulipas, San Luis Potosí, Querétaro, and Veracruz.

Description

C. gularis near Enchanted Rock State Natural Area

Texas spotted whiptails grow 6.5 to 11 inches (17 to 28 cm) in total length (including tail). They are 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.

Behavior & habitat

C. gularis are diurnal and insectivorous. They are 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.

Reproduction

Breeding of sexually mature C. gularis occurs in the spring, and a clutch of 1-5 eggs is laid in the early summer.

Subspecies

Some sources list six subspecies of the Texas spotted whiptail:

Etymology

The subspecific name, rauni, is in honor of American zoologist Gerald George Raun (born 1932).[1]

References

  1. ↑ 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. (Aspidocelis gularis rauni, p. 217).

Further reading

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