Gray checkered whiptail

The gray checkered whiptail (Aspidoscelis dixoni), also known commonly as Dixon's whiptail and the gray-checkered whiptail, is a species of lizard in the family Teiidae. The species is native to northern Mexico, and to the United States in southern New Mexico and western Texas.[2]

Gray checkered whiptail
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Reptilia
Order: Squamata
Family: Teiidae
Genus: Aspidoscelis
Species:
A. dixoni
Binomial name
Aspidoscelis dixoni
(Scudday, 1973)
Synonyms[2]
  • Cnemidophorus dixoni
    Scudday, 1973
  • Cnemidophorus tesselatus dixoni
    — Stebbins, 1985
  • Cnemidophorus dixoni
    — Wright, 1993
  • Aspidoscelis dixoni
    — Reeder, Cole & Dessauer, 2002
  • Aspidoscelis dixoni
    — Weidler, 2019

Taxonomy

Some sources consider the gray checkered whiptail to be a subspecies of the common checkered whiptail, Aspidoscelis tesselatus,[2] whereas others grant it full species status.[1] It is one of many lizard species known to be parthenogenetic.[2]

Etymology

The epithet, dixoni, is in homage of renowned American herpetologist James R. Dixon,[3]

Description

The gray checkered whiptail grows to between 20 and 30 centimetres (8 and 12 in) in total length (including tail). It is typically gray in color, with 10–12 white or yellow stripes that go the length of the body, often with spotting or checkering on the stripes. It is thin-bodied, with a long tail.

Behavior and diet

Like most whiptail lizards, the gray checkered whiptail is diurnal and insectivorous. It is wary, energetic, and fast moving, darting for cover if approached.

Habitat

The preferred habitat of A. dixoni is rocky, semi-arid areas with sparse vegetation.

Reproduction

A. dixoni is parthenogenic, females lay unfertilized eggs in the mid-summer, which hatch in approximately six weeks.

References
  1. Hammerson GA (2007). "Aspidoscelis dixoni ". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2007. Retrieved 6 July 2015.
  2. Aspidoscelis dixoni at the Reptarium.cz Reptile Database. Accessed 6 July 2015.
  3. 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. (Aspidoscelis dixoni, p. 73).

Further reading
  • Reeder, Tod W; Cole, Charles J.; Dessauer, Herbert C. (2002). "Phylogenetic Relationships of Whiptail Lizards of the Genus Cnemidophorus (Squamata: Teiidae): A Test of Monophyly, Reevaluation of Karyotypic Evolution, and Review of Hybrid Origins". American Museum Novitates (3365): 1-64. (Aspidoscelis dixoni, new combination, p. 22).
  • Scudday, James F. (1973). "A New Species of Lizard of the Cnemidophorus tesselatus Group from Texas". Journal of Herpetology 7 (4): 363-371. (Cnemidophorus dixoni, new species).
  • Smith, Hobart M.; Brodie, Edmund D., 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). (Cnemidophorus dixoni, p. 100).


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