Crotaphytus reticulatus
RETICULATE COLLARED LIZARD
Crotaphytus reticulatus - Baird 1858
IDENTIFICATION:
DISTRIBUTION:
HABITAT:
NATURAL HISTORY:
Unlike other species of Crotaphytus, this lizard spends the majority of its time on bare earth; however, it will bask on small limestone rocks and associated formations when available. It is largely insectivorous but also consumes smaller lizards with vigor. When frightened, collared lizards have the ability to run on their hind legs (bipedal motion) for short distances.
TAXONOMY:
This species is closely related to C. antiquus of southern Coahuila.
TYPE:
PERSONAL NOTES:
I finally found this species in September, 2007 while traveling with W. Farr in Tamaulipas, Mexico. I spotted a single female basking on a roadside rock along a dirt track south of Reynosa. Sceloporus variabilis was also common on these rocks. This female represents the farthest south this species has ever been recorded.
CONSERVATION STATUS:
This species is in no need of protection. Some habitat modification in Tamaulipas has destroyed reticulatus habitat, but this appears to threaten only a small portion of the population.
REFERENCES:
Axtell, R. W. and Webb, R. G. 1995. Two New Crotaphytus from Southern Coahuila and the Adjacent States of East-Central Mexico. Bulletin of the Chicago Academy of Sciences, Vol. 16(2):1-15.