Orange-throated whiptail

Orange-throated whiptail
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Subphylum: Vertebrata
Class: Reptilia
Order: Squamata
Suborder: Lacertilia
Family: Teiidae
Genus: Aspidoscelis
Species: A. hyperythra
Binomial name
Aspidoscelis hyperythra
(Cope, 1863)
Subspecies

A. h. beldingi (Stejneger, 1894)
A. h. hyperythrus (Cope, 1863)
A. h. pictus (Van Denburgh & Slevin, 1921)[1]

The orange-throated whiptail (Aspidoscelis hyperythra) is a species of lizard in the family Teiidae. It was previously placed in the genus Cnemidophorus.

Geographic range

This lizard is native to southern California in the United States and to the states of Baja California and Baja California Sur in Mexico.[1]

Description

A. hyperythra has five or six light-colored stripes down a black, brown, or grey dorsal side. The middle stripe may be forked at both ends. It is whitish-yellow or cream on the venter, and has an orange throat (females and juveniles may lack this character). Its head is yellow-brown to olive colored, and its tongue is forked and flicked continually. It has a length of 5–7.2 centimetres (2.0–2.8 in).

Juveniles of this species have cobalt blue legs and tails. The entire ventral surface of males, including the tail, may be orange, although gravid females may also have some orange especially lining the lower jaw. The colors are most distinct in the breeding season. Males have larger femoral pores than females.

Behavior

The orange-throated whiptail has a distinctive, jerking gait.

References

  1. 1 2 "Deletion of Cnemidophorus hyperythrus from Appendix II" (PDF). Consideration of Proposals for Amendments of Appendices I and II. CITES. Retrieved 2009-06-28.

External links

Further reading

This article is issued from Wikipedia - version of the Wednesday, April 20, 2016. The text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share Alike but additional terms may apply for the media files.