词条 | Zebra-tailed lizard |
释义 |
| name = Callisaurus draconoides | image = ZebraTailed-Lizard-640px.jpg | image_caption = A zebra-tailed lizard | genus = Callisaurus | parent_authority = Blainville, 1835 | species = draconoides | authority = Blainville, 1835 | range_map = Callisaurus draconoides.png }} The zebra-tailed lizard (Callisaurus draconoides) is a species of phrynosomatid lizard endemic to the southwestern United States and northwestern Mexico. HabitatZebra-tailed lizards live in open desert with fairly hard-packed soil, scattered vegetation, and scattered rocks, typically flats, washes, and plains. DescriptionZebra-tailed lizards range in size from {{convert|2.5|to|4|in|mm}} in snout-to-vent length. These lizards are grey to sandy brown, usually with a series of paired dark gray spots down the back, becoming black crossbands on the tail. The underside of the tail is white with black crossbars. Males have a pair of black blotches on their sides, extending to blue patches on their bellies. Females have no blue patches, and the black bars are either faint or completely absent. BehaviorZebra-tailed lizards are diurnal and alert. They rise early and are active in all but the hottest weather. During the hottest times of day, lizards may stand alternately on two legs, switching to the opposite two as needed in a kind of dance. When threatened they will run swiftly with their toes curled up and tails raised over their backs exposing the stripes. When stopped, they wag their curled tails side-to-side to distract predators. They can even run on their hind legs for short distances. In areas of creosote scrub this lizard seems to reach highest densities, around 4.8 to 6.0 individuals per acre (600 to 800 m² per lizard). This lizard burrows into fine sand for retreat at night and usually seeks day shelter in the shade of bushes. They are also known to burrow under sand for safety when being chased by predators. ReproductionIn summer, zebra-tailed lizards typically lay 2 to 8 eggs, which hatch from July to November. However, more than 1 clutch can be laid during a season. Eggs are laid, presumably, in friable, sandy soil. Being a prey species for many animals, including birds, other lizards, and mammals, they have a fairly high reproductive rate. DietLizards of the genus Callisaurus feed on a variety of prey from insects, such as moths, ants and bees, as well as spiders and other smaller lizards. The diet occasionally includes vegetation, such as spring buds and flowers. Geographic rangeZebra-tailed lizards are common and widely distributed throughout the southwestern United States, ranging from the Mojave and Colorado deserts north into the southern Great Basin. TaxonomyThe genus Callisaurus is monotypic, containing only one species, Callisaurus draconoides. Nine subspecies are recognized as being valid, including the nominotypical subspecies.[1]
Nota bene: A trinomial authority in parentheses indicates that the subspecies was originally described in a genus other than Callisaurus. EtymologyThe subspecific name, bogerti, is in honor of American Herpetologist Charles Mitchill Bogert.[2] References{{Commons category|Callisaurus draconoides}}1. ^"Callisaurus draconoides ". The Reptile Database. www.reptile-database.org. 2. ^Beolens, Bo; Watkins, Michael; Grayson, Michael (2011). The Eponym Dictionary of Reptiles. Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press. xiii + 296 pp. {{ISBN|978-1-4214-0135-5}}. (Callisaurus draconoides bogerti, p. 30). External links
Further reading
9 : Phrynosomatidae|Reptiles of the United States|Fauna of the Western United States|Fauna of the Mojave Desert|Fauna of the Colorado Desert|Fauna of the Great Basin|Fauna of the Sonoran Desert|Monotypic reptile genera|Reptiles described in 1835 |
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