In texas, the two subspecies of cophosaurus texanus are seen across the western twothirds of the state. The debate rages about the taxonomy of the lesser earless lizards. Greater earless lizards are among the most common lizards living in our local desert. Common lesser earless lizard holbrookia maculata rclelx. Bleached earless lizard white sands national park u. The lesser earless species complex is found across shortgrass prairie and open habitats of the southern colorado plateau, new mexico, texas, northern mexico, and on the western edge of the great plains, at elevations ranging from. During 1992 95, 1061 common lesser earless lizards collected on. The lesser earless lizards are generally active between april through october. The greater earless lizard may save its life by sacrificing its wagging and distracting barred tail to a pursuing predator.
Nuisance wildlife laws in colorado colorado parks and. The common lesser earless lizard reaches a maximum of 75 mm. This white lizard is a subspecies of the common lesser earless lizard. Is rosenblum some kind of wild west reptile rustler. Photo taken at vulture peak, south of wickenburg on oct 6, 2002 from wikipedia. The thermoregulatory and reproductive behavior of the. Lesser earless lizard oklahoma department of wildlife. Neuroanatomical changes related to a changing environment. Federal register endangered and threatened wildlife and. Color brownish to gray, with rows of mottled pattern between lighter stripes or rows of dots lighter stripes may be missing in individuals from southwestern colorado. Pdf holbrookia maculata common lesser earless lizard. The common lesser earless can be found throughout the central and southwestern united states, including most of new mexico.
This habitat map was created by applying a deductive habitat model to remotelysensed data layers within the species known range. Earless lizards are two genera of small lizards native to the semiarid and grassland habitats of the southwestern united states and mexico. Common lesser earless lizard holbrookia maculata confirmed texas horned lizard phrynosoma cornutum confirmed northern prairie lizard fence lizard. Lesser earless lizard holbrookia maculata 14848517241. Holbrookia maculata, commonly known as the lesser earless lizard, is a species of phrynosomatid lizard endemic to the southwestern and central united states and northern mexico.
The greater earless lizard is not a protected species in texas and can be legally collected with a hunting license. Wild herps common lesser earless lizard holbrookia. Nuisance wildlife laws in colorado following are summaries of colorados most common regulations and statutes pertaining to nuisance wildlife questions. They are small with bodies that are about three to four inches long not counting tails and often quite shy. Lesser earless lizards are relatively small, stoutbodied diurnal lizards with small granular scales on the body. Coloration usually matches the soil on which the lizard lives. Lizards neuroanatomical changes related to a changing. See gap analysis project species habitat maps for more information.
This dataset represents a species habitat distribution map for common lesser earless lizard holbrookia maculata within the conterminous united states conus based on 2001 ground conditions. Holbrookia maculata girard, 1851 lesser earless lizard. Sideblotched lizard uta stanasburiana common lesser earless lizard holbrookia maculata common sagebrush lizard sceloporus graciosus common ornate tree lizard urosaurus ornatus uncommon plateau whiptail lizard cnemidophorus valor common greater shorthorned lizard phrynosoma douglasii uncommon snakes. This lizard is distributed across southeastern arizona. Elegant earless lizard holbrookia elegans reptiles of. Callisaurus zebratailed lizard, aspidoscelis whiptails, coleonyx banded gecko, cophosaurus greater earless lizard, holbrookia lesser earless lizard, urosaurus tree lizard, uta sideblotched lizard, hypsiglena. Earless lizards are two genera of small lizards native to the semiarid and grassland habitats of. Holbrookia lacerate spot tailed earless lizard pyrocephalus rubinus vermillion flycatcher bassariscus astutus ringed tailed cat phrynosoma cornutum texas horned lizard holbrookia maculate common lesser earless lizard aspidoscelis sexlineata sixlined racerunner lizard thanks again to richard taylor for inviting us to. The similar common lesser earless lizard has a shorter tail, lacks chevrons on the posterior third of the tail, and is smaller than the elegant earless lizard. Increased lesser earless lizard holbrookia maculata. Pdf on dec 1, 2018, rowdy white and others published holbrookia maculata common lesser earless lizard.
The lesser earless species complex is found across shortgrass prairie and open habitats of the southern colorado plateau, new mexico, texas, northern mexico. Reptile and amphibian species list salt plains nwr updated. Holbrookia maculata, commonly known as the lesser earless lizard, is a species of. Utah is a scenic state with some of the most stunning scenery in north america. Most recent records some records may be hidden from the public. Common lesser earless lizard holbrookia maculata reptiles of az. Increased lesser earless lizard abundance on gunnisons prairie dog colonies and short term response to artificial prairie dog burrows. Speckled earless lizard holbrookia maculata approximans. Other species include the hognose snake and the green racer.
The speckled earless lizard is an overall graybrown in color, with black and white speckling all along its back, with a solid graybrown underside. The greater earless lizard is found in southeastern arizona. It is a very dry state with the majority of its habitat being desert. The greater earless lizard has a higher average activity temperature 101.
June 17, 2014 page 3 of 3 prairie rattlesnake crotalus viridis viridis confirmed salamanders barred tiger. Southwestern utah dips into the mojave desert one of north americas hottest and driest deserts. Its likely that the subspecies of holbrookia maculata and even the species in holbrookia will be rearranged in the near future. Utah habitats, mammals, birds, amphibians, reptiles. Nongame species and subspecies, including threatened or endangered wildlife are protected and their. Lesser earless lizard university of massachusetts amherst. Therefore, its likely that the spottailed earless lizard would have to be living right next to a road for the possibility of a roadrelated mortality to occur.
Lizards collared lizard crotaphytus collaris common sideblotched lizard uta stanasburiana common lesser earless lizard holbrookia maculata common sagebrush lizard sceloporus graciosus common ornate tree lizard urosaurus ornatus uncommon plateau whiptail lizard cnemidophorus valor common. Reptile and amphibian species list united states fish. Such reptiles and amphibians and their progeny may only be disposed of by gift or as authorized by the division of wildlife. Earless lizard definition of earless lizard by the free.
The lesser earless lizard occurs in 5 central to western states, including eastern arizona, south to guanajuato, mexico at elevations ranging from sea level to 7000 feet 2 m. Longnose leopard lizard gambelia wislizenii lesser earless lizard holbrookia maculata texas horned lizard phrynosoma cornutum. The sandhills portion of the refuge, however, supports lesser earless lizard pictured here, prairie lizard, and manylined skink, species generally only found in the sandhills portion of south dakota. The lesser earless lizard is not a protected species in texas and can be legally collected with a hunting license. Speckled earless lizard holbrookia maculata approximans hm 295043 speckled earless lizard holbrookia maculata approximans hm. Lesser earless lizards were regularly observed and caught in traps between 1959 and 1974, however during trapping efforts in 1984, 1985, 1997, and 1998, no specimens were collected, and only one was observed in 1984. Unlike its relatives, however, the bleached earless lizard is only found in the white sands area. They can easily be distinguished from all lizards in oklahoma by the absence of an ear opening hence the name earless. Our studies of the association between the lesser earless lizard holbrookia maculata and gunnisons prairie dogs cynomys gunnisoni revealed. Nocturnal activity has been recorded, but they are mainly diurnal. Only four species were permanent residents of the creosotebush bajada. Find, read and cite all the research you need on researchgate.
Biology department university of massachusetts amherst. Common lesser earless lizard tiger whiptail north american racer plains hognosed snake a. Structure and function of chihuahuan desert ecosystem the. The earless lizards, like the side blotched lizards in the caresheet before, are common prey items for a. The genus cophosaurus and the genus holbrookia are both characterized by having no external ear openings, presumably to prevent sand from entering the body as they dig earless lizard in the white sands national monument. Calisi, sana chintamen, elsie ennin, lance kriegsfeld, and erica bree rosenblum neuroanatomical changes related to a changing environment in lesser earless lizards, journal of herpetology 512, 258262, 3 april 2017. In texas, the three subspecies of holbrookia maculata are present in north texas, the panhandle, and west texas.
Graham and others published holbrookia maculata lesser earless lizard. Body markings usually consist of four rows of brown blotches or chevrons extending from the neck to the tail and light speckles on the upper surfaces of the. Lesser earless lizards holbrookia maculata from whitesand habitats have smaller medial cortices relative to brain size than conspecifics from neighboring darkersoiled desert calisi et al. Zebrafish embryo stained by in situ hybridization using an atp2a1 mrna probe. It was a greater earless lizard, basking in the sun. The jungle lady performs educational and fun animal shows featuring reptiles, snakes, bugs, and mammals in colorado. The white sands habitat has less vegetation, reduced species richness, and abundance of competitors and predators des roches et al.
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