Sceloporus jarrovii, also known commonly as Yarrow's spiny lizard, is a species of lizard in the family Phrynosomatidae. The species is native to the southwestern United States and northern Mexico. There are two recognized subspecies.

Yarrow's spiny lizard
Adult male in Tucson, AZ
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Reptilia
Order: Squamata
Suborder: Iguania
Family: Phrynosomatidae
Genus: Sceloporus
Species:
S. jarrovii
Binomial name
Sceloporus jarrovii
Cope, 1875[2]
Geographic range of Sceloporus jarrovii shown in red
Synonyms[2]
  • Sceloporus jarrovii
    Cope, 1875
  • Sceloporus yarrovii [sic]
    Boulenger, 1885
  • Sceloporus ornatus
    — Boulenger, 1897
    (fide H.M. Smith et al., 2000)
  • Sceloporus lineolateralis
    H.M. Smith, 1936
  • Sceloporus jarrovii
    — H.M. Smith, 1938

Etymology

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The specific name, jarrovii, is in honor of Henry Crécy Yarrow (November 19, 1840 – July 2, 1929), an American ornithologist, herpetologist, naturalist, and surgeon.[2][3]

Geographic range

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The nominate subspecies in Ramsey Canyon, Arizona

S. j. jarrovii is found in the United States in the states of Arizona and New Mexico, and it is found in Mexico in the states of Chihuahua, Durango, Sonora, northern Tamaulipas, and western Zacatecas. The subspecies S. j. lineolateralis is found only in Mexico in the states of Durango and Zacatecas.[2]

Habitat

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The preferred natural habitats of S. jarrovii are forest and rocky areas.[1]

Description

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S. jarrovii grows to a snout-to-vent length of 10.5 cm (4.1 in) with keeled scales and a crosshatch-patterned torso. Its coloration includes tints of pink, green, blue, and copper. The top of the head is dark gray. Males have a blue throat and a blue belly. A complete black collar with a white inferior border distinguishes this lizard from similar species.[4]

Reproduction

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S. jarrovii is viviparous.[2]

Subspecies

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Two subspecies of S. jarrovii are recognized as being valid, including the nominotypical subspecies.[2]

  • Sceloporus jarrovii jarrovii Cope, 1875
  • Sceloporus jarrovii lineolateralis H.M. Smith, 1936 – lined spiny lizard

References

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  1. ^ a b Hammerson GA, Vazquez Díaz J, Quintero Díaz GE (2018). "Sceloporus jarrovii (amended version of 2007 assessment)". The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2018: e.T64116A128964989. https://dx.doi.org/10.2305/IUCN.UK.2007.RLTS.T64116A128964989.en. Downloaded on 22 January 2021.
  2. ^ a b c d e f Species Sceloporus jarrovii at The Reptile Database www.reptile-database.org
  3. ^ Beolens B, Watkins M, Grayson M (2011). The Eponym Dictionary of Reptiles. Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press. xiii + 296 pp. ISBN 978-1-4214-0135-5. (Sceloporus jarrovii, p. 292).
  4. ^ Brennan TC, Holycross AT (2006). A Field Guide to Amphibians and Reptiles in Arizona. Phoenix: Arizona Game and Fish Department. 150 pp. ISBN 978-0917563539. (Sceloporus jarrovii, p. 74).

Further reading

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  • Cope ED (1875). In: Yarrow HC (1875). Chapter IV. Report upon the Collections of Batrachians and Reptiles made in Portions of Nevada, Utah, California, Colorado, New Mexico, and Arizona, during the Years 1871, 1872, 1873, and 1874. Washington, District of Columbia: United States Government. pp. 509–584. (Sceloporus jarrovii, new species, pp. 569–571 + Plate XXIII, figures 2, 2b, 2c, 2d).
  • Smith HM (1936). "Descriptions of New Species of Lizards of the Genus Sceloporus from Mexico". Proceedings of the Biological Society of Washington 49: 87–96. (Sceloporus lineolateralis, new species, pp. 92–95).
  • Smith HM, Brodie ED Jr (1982). Reptiles of North America: A Guide to Field Identification. New York: Golden Press. 240 pp. ISBN 0-307-13666-3 (paperback), ISBN 0-307-47009-1 (hardcover). (Sceloporus jarrovii, pp. 118–119).
  • Stebbins RC (2003). A Field Guide to Western Reptiles and Amphibians, Third Edition. The Peterson Field Guide Series ®. Boston and New York: Houghton Mifflin Company. xiii + 533 pp., 56 color plates, 39 figures, 204 maps. (Sceloporus jarrovii, pp. 284–285 + Plate 30 + Map 95).
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