DICKERSON’S COLLARED LIZARD Crotaphytus dickersonae – Schmidt 1922

IDENTIFICATION:

DISTRIBUTION: This colorful species is found only in a narrow band of rocky hills [...]]]>
Adult male, 200′, Sonora, Mexico

Adult male, 200′, Sonora, Mexico

Adult male, 200′, Sonora, Mexico

Adult male, 200′, Sonora, Mexico

Venter of adult male, 200′, Sonora, Mexico

Female showing gravid coloration, 200′, Sonora, Mexico

Subadult male, 200′, Sonora, Mexico

Juvenile male, 200′, Sonora, Mexico

DICKERSON’S COLLARED LIZARD
Crotaphytus dickersonae – Schmidt 1922

IDENTIFICATION:

DISTRIBUTION:
This colorful species is found only in a narrow band of rocky hills along the coast of Sonora, Mexico from the town of El Desemboque south to Bahia Kino Nuevo; it is also found on Isla Tiburon in the Gulf of California. They are found from near sea level to the highest peaks of these hills, which are just a few hundred meters in elevation.

HABITAT:
This lizard inhabits Sonoran upland and rocky coastal desert sites. It is most common on the low-mid rocky slopes of ridges and hills.

Habitat, 200′, Sonora, Mexico

NATURAL HISTORY:
This species is saxicolous and is most often observed perched on rocks and rock outcrops. Male and female Crotaphytus dickersonae display their breeding coloration in April, and females are thought to lay their eggs in May and June. Smaller lizards are a large part of the diet of Crotaphytus dickersonae. This species will bask during the heat of the day in temperatures that are too extreme for other lizards. When frightened, collared lizards have the ability to run on their hind legs (bipedal motion) for short distances.

TAXONOMY:
In the Crotaphytus collaris species group, its closest relatives are C. collaris and C. nebrius.

TYPE:
Described as Crotaphytus dickersonae by K. P. Schmidt (1922). Holotype: USNM 64451. Type locality: Tiburon Island, Sonora, Mexico.

PERSONAL NOTES:
I found C. dickersonae in 2004 and 2005 at the same locality in coastal Sonora, Mexico. Males seemed to outnumber females by a large margin, but this may have been due to the activity patterns of the sexes. Males basked on open boulders and were ubiquitous due to their gawdy coloration, while the few females we found were often flushed from terrestrial locations beneath large bushes and cactus patches. Other species of reptiles I observed here are: Dipsosaurus dorsalis sonoriensis, Aspidoscelis tigris ssp., Salvadora hexalepis hexalepis, and Masticophis bilineatus.

CONSERVATION STATUS:
This species is abundant and needs no special protection.

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GUERRERO LEAF-TOED GECKO Phyllodactylus delcampoi – Mosauer 1936

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HABITAT: Upland Habitat, 800′, Guerrero, Mexico Microhabitat, 800′, Guerrero, Mexico Microhabitat, 800′, Guerrero, Mexico

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BAJA CALIFORNIA HORNED LIZARD Phrynosoma coronatum – Blainville 1835

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HABITAT: Tropical Thornscrub habitat, 1000′, Baja California Sur, Mexico Sandy Arroyo microhabitat, 1000′, Baja California Sur, Mexico

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PERSONAL NOTES: In June, 2002 with the help of Victor Velasquez, Gary Nafis and I happened upon this lizard while digging for Bipes biporus on the outskirts of La [...]]]>
Adult, 50′, Baja California Sur, Mexico

Venter

BAJA CALIFORNIA HORNED LIZARD
Phrynosoma coronatum – Blainville 1835

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Tropical Thornscrub habitat, 1000′, Baja California Sur, Mexico

Sandy Arroyo microhabitat, 1000′, Baja California Sur, Mexico

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PERSONAL NOTES:
In June, 2002 with the help of Victor Velasquez, Gary Nafis and I happened upon this lizard while digging for Bipes biporus on the outskirts of La Paz. It was sleeping just beneath the surface of a sandy substrate at the base of a large bush. Luckily, it managed to avoid being severed in half by our shovels’ blade.

CONSERVATION STATUS:
This species is currently not threatened, and it appears this status will not change in the near future.

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CANYON SPOTTED WHIPTAIL Aspidoscelis burti – Taylor 1938 Aspidoscelis burti burti – Taylor 1938

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HABITAT: Habitat, 100′, Sonora, Mexico

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PERSONAL NOTES: I have seen this species once, at the above photographed locality. It was the first morning of a three-week long trip and this low rocky hill just outside of Bahia San Carlos, Sonora seemed [...]]]>
Adult, 100′, Sonora, Mexico

Same as above

CANYON SPOTTED WHIPTAIL
Aspidoscelis burti – Taylor 1938
Aspidoscelis burti burti – Taylor 1938

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Habitat, 100′, Sonora, Mexico

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PERSONAL NOTES:
I have seen this species once, at the above photographed locality. It was the first morning of a three-week long trip and this low rocky hill just outside of Bahia San Carlos, Sonora seemed just the place to find A. burti. We found one in about 5 minutes, within the large bush at the bottom-center of the picture. Also seen on this hillside were several Uta stansburiana.

CONSERVATION STATUS:

REFERENCES:
Maslin, T. P. and D. M. Secoy. 1986. A Checklist of the Lizard Genus Cnemidophorus (Teiidae). Contributions in Zoology, University of Colorado Museum, 1:1-60.

SPINY LIZARD Sceloporus sp. – “horridus albiventris”?

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MOUNTAIN HORNED LIZARD Phrynosoma hernandezi – Girard 1853

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HUACHUCAN EARLESS LIZARD Holbrookia maculata – Girard 1851 Holbrookia maculata pulchra –

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HABITAT: Pond edge habitat, 4,800′, Cochise Co., Arizona

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MEXICO BEADED LIZARD Heloderma horridum – Wiegmann 1829 Heloderma horridum horridum – Wiegmann 1829

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HABITAT: Habitat, 250′, Sinaloa, Mexico Habitat, 500′, Oaxaca, Mexico

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SOUTHERN PYGMY SKINK Eumeces parvulus – Taylor 1933

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