Northern alligator lizard

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Northern alligator lizard
Elgaria coerulea

Least Concern  (IUCN 3.1)[1]
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Reptilia
Order: Squamata
Family: Anguidae
Genus: Elgaria
Species:
E. coerulea
Binomial name
Elgaria coerulea
(Wiegmann, 1828)
Synonyms
  • Gerrhonotus coeruleus
    Wiegmann, 1828
  • Gerrhonotus cæruleus
    — Boulenger, 1885 (Missp.)

The northern alligator lizard (Elgaria coerulea) is a species of medium-sized lizard in the family Anguidae. The species is endemic to the North American west coast.

Taxonomy

The northern alligator lizard was formerly known by the scientific name of Gerrhonotus coeruleus Wiegmann, 1828, but more recently has been assigned to the genus Elgaria.

Subspecies

Four

nominotypical subspecies.[2]

A

trinomial authority
in parentheses indicates that the subspecies was originally described in a genus other than Elgaria.

The subspecies E. c. principis is one of seven species of

lizards in Canada
.

Etymology

The subspecific name, palmeri, is in honor of American zoologist Theodore Sherman Palmer.[3]

Description

The northern alligator lizard is a medium-sized slender lizard. Adults reach a

Dorsally
, E. coerulea is brownish in color and often has dark blotches that sometimes blend together into bands. The throat and mouth area of some young individuals can be yellow. The belly is light gray. The eyes are dark.

Diet

The typical diet of E. coerulea includes crickets, slugs, beetles, spiders, and moths, but it will also take larger prey, such as small lizards, and will even eat small baby mice if given the opportunity.

Reproduction

The northern alligator lizard is live-bearing, producing up to 15 young (typically 4–5), between June and September.[4] During the spring breeding season, a male lizard grasps the head of a female with his mouth until she is ready to let him mate with her. They can remain attached this way for many hours, almost oblivious to their surroundings. Besides keeping her from running off to mate with another male, this probably shows her how strong and suitable a mate he is.[5]

E. coerulea shastensis
E. coerulea coerulea
E. coerulea

Distribution

Range of the Northern Alligator Lizard Ranges of
  •   E. c. coerulea,
  •   E. c. palmeri,
  •   E. c. principis, and
  •   E. c. shastensis.

The northern alligator lizard occurs along the

Sierra Nevada in central California. As the map shows, the different subspecies have quite different geographic ranges, with E. c. principis being the most widely distributed, whereas E. c. coerulea occurs mainly around the San Francisco area but is also found farther north into Humboldt County
.

The species is widely distributed along the

Pacific coast and can be found from sea level up to elevation of about 3,350 m (10,990 ft). It is found in a variety of forested habitats and montane chaparral
.

As winter sets in, colder temperatures force northern alligator lizards to undergo brumation. Brumation allows them to reduce caloric usage and retain body heat during winter.[6] Often, western alligator lizards choose to hide under rocks—though logs and burrows are occasionally used—to undergo this process. [7]

See also

References

  1. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2007.RLTS.T63701A12706801.en
    . Retrieved 6 June 2022.
  2. ^ Species Elgaria coerulea at The Reptile Database . www.reptile-database.org.
  3. ISBN 978-1-4214-0135-5
    . (Elgaria coerulea palmeri, p. 200).
  4. ISBN 978-0-395-98272-3
    . (Elgaria coerulea, pp. 332-333 + Plate 41 + Map 126).
  5. ^ "Northwestern Alligator Lizard - Elgaria coerulea principis". Californiaherps.com. Retrieved 2020-01-19.
  6. ^ "Definition of BRUMATION". www.merriam-webster.com. Retrieved 2022-10-22.
  7. ISSN 0022-1511
    .

Further reading

  • Boulenger GA (1885). Catalogue of the Lizards in the British Museum (Natural History). Second Edition. Volume II. ... Anguidæ ... London: Trustees of the British Museum (Natural History). (Taylor and Francis, printers). xiii + 497 pp. + Plates I-XXIV. (Gerrhonotus cæruleus, pp. 273–274).
  • Wiegmann AF (1828). "Beiträge zur Amphibienkunde ". Isis von Oken 21 (4): 364-383. (Gerrhonotus coeruleus, new species, p. 380). (in German and Latin).

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Elgaria coerulea.
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