Holbrookia maculata
Lesser earless lizard | |
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Scientific classification | |
Domain: | Eukaryota |
Kingdom: | Animalia |
Phylum: | Chordata |
Class: | Reptilia |
Order: | Squamata |
Suborder: | Iguania |
Family: | Phrynosomatidae |
Genus: | Holbrookia |
Species: | H. maculata
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Binomial name | |
Holbrookia maculata Girard, 1851
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Holbrookia maculata, commonly known as the lesser earless lizard, is a species of lizard in the family Phrynosomatidae. The species is native to the southwestern and central United States and northern Mexico. There are eight recognized subspecies.
Taxonomy
Subspecies
The following eight
- H. m. bunkeri H.M. Smith, 1935 – Bunker's earless lizard
- H. m. campi Schmidt, 1921
- H. m. dickersonae Schmidt, 1921 – Dickerson's earless lizard
- H. m. flavilenta Cope, 1883
- H. m. maculata Girard, 1851 – northern earless lizard
- H. m. perspicua Axtell, 1956 – eastern earless lizard, prairie eastern lizard
- H. m. pulchra K.P. Schmidt, 1921 – Huachuca earless lizard
- H. m. ruthveni H.M. Smith, 1943 – bleached earless lizard (an ecotonal subspecies from New Mexico's White Sands)
Subspecies etymology
The subspecific name, bunkeri, is in honor of American zoologist Charles Dean Bunker (1870–1948).[3]
The subspecific name, campi, is in honor of American paleontologist Charles Lewis Camp.[2]
The subspecific name, dickersonae, is in honor of American herpetologist Mary Cynthia Dickerson.[3]
The subspecific name, ruthveni, is in honor of American herpetologist Alexander Grant Ruthven.[3]
Description
H. maculata is a small species of lizard. Adults have a total length (including tail) of 4–5 in (10–13 cm). The dorsal scales are granular and smooth. There are no external ear openings. There are two folds across the throat. The throat of the female is orange during the breeding season. The underside of the tail has no dark spots.[4]
Distribution and habitat
H. maculata is found in the U.S. states of Arizona, Colorado, Kansas, Oklahoma, Nebraska, New Mexico, South Dakota, Texas, Utah, and Wyoming, as well as in the Mexican states of Chihuahua, Coahuila, Durango, Guanajuato, Jalisco, Nuevo León, San Luis Potosí, Sinaloa, Sonora, and Zacatecas.[1][2]
The preferred natural habitats of H. maculata are shrubland, grassland, and desert.[1]
Behaviour and ecology
H. maculata is oviparous.[1][2] It preys upon insects and spiders.[4]
References
- ^ IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2007: https://dx.doi.org/10.2305/IUCN.UK.2007.RLTS.T64065A12733624.en. Accessed on 16 August 2022.
- ^ a b c d Species Holbrookia maculata at The Reptile Database www.reptile-database.org.
- ^ ISBN 978-1-4214-0135-5. (Holbrookia maculata bunkeri, p. 42; H. m. dickersonae, p. 72; H. m. ruthveni, p. 230).
- ^ ISBN 0-394-50824-6. (Holbrookia maculata, pp. 510–511 + Plates 346, 366, 370).
External links
Further reading
- Boulenger GA (1885). Catalogue of the Lizards in the British Museum (Natural History). Second Edition. Volume II. Iguanidæ ... London: Trustees of the British Museum (Natural History). (Taylor and Francis, printers). xiii + 497 pp. + Plates I-XXIV. (Holbrookia maculata, p. 209).
- ISBN 0-395-19979-4(hardcover). (Holbrookia maculata, pp. 96–97 + Plate 14 + Map 58).
- Girard CF (1851). "On a New American Saurian Reptile". Proceedings of the American Association for the Advancement of Science 4: 200–202. (Holbrookia maculata, new species).
- ISBN 0-307-47009-1(hardcover). (Holbrookia maculata, pp. 128–129).
- ISBN 978-0-395-98272-3. (Holbrookia maculata, p. 278 + Plate 28 on p. 90 + Map 80 on p. 484).