Spiny lizard

Spiny lizard
Western fence lizard, Sceloporus occidentalis
Scientific classification
Domain:	Eukaryota
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Reptilia
Order:	Squamata
Suborder:	Iguania
Family:	Phrynosomatidae
Genus:	Sceloporus Wiegmann, 1828
Synonyms
Sator Dickerson, 1919

A yellow-backed spiny lizard,
Sceloporus uniformis

Spiny lizards is a common name for the genus Sceloporus in the family Phrynosomatidae. The genus is endemic to North America, with various species ranging from New York, to Washington, and one occurring as far south as northern Panama. The greatest diversity is found in Mexico. This genus includes some of the most commonly seen lizards in the United States. Other common names for lizards in this genus include fence lizards, scaly lizards, bunchgrass lizards, and swifts.

Taxonomy

The 114 species in the genus Sceloporus are organized into 21 species groups. However, their relationships to each other are currently under review. Listed below are species of Sceloporus:

Species

• Sceloporus acanthinus Bocourt, 1873
• Sceloporus adleri H.M. Smith & Savitzky, 1974
• Sceloporus aeneus Wiegmann, 1828
• Sceloporus albiventris H.M. Smith, 1939
• Sceloporus anahuacus Lara-Góngora, 1983
• Sceloporus angustus (Dickerson, 1919) – Santa Cruz Island sator
• Sceloporus arenicolus Degenhardt & K.L. Jones, 1972 – dunes sagebrush lizard
• Sceloporus asper Boulenger, 1897
• Sceloporus aurantius Grummer & Bryson, 2014
• Sceloporus aureolus H.M. Smith, 1942
• Sceloporus becki Van Denburgh, 1905 – island fence lizard
• Sceloporus bicanthalis H.M. Smith, 1937
• Sceloporus bimaculosus Phelan & Brattstrom, 1955 – two-spotted spiny lizard
• Sceloporus binocularis Dunn, 1936
• Sceloporus brownorum H.M. Smith et al., 1997
• Sceloporus bulleri Boulenger, 1895
• Sceloporus caeruleus H.M. Smith, 1936
• Sceloporus carinatus H.M. Smith, 1936
• Sceloporus cautus H.M. Smith, 1938
• Sceloporus chaneyi Liner & Dixon, 1992
• Sceloporus chrysostictus Cope, 1866 – yellow-spotted spiny lizard, Yucatán spiny lizard
• Sceloporus clarkii Baird & Girard, 1852 – Clark's spiny lizard
• Sceloporus consobrinus Baird & Girard, 1854 – southern prairie lizard
• Sceloporus couchii Baird, 1859
• Sceloporus cowlesi Lowe & Norris, 1956 – southwestern fence lizard
• Sceloporus cozumelae J.P. Jones, 1927
• Sceloporus cryptus H.M. Smith & Lynch, 1967
• Sceloporus cupreus Bocourt, 1873
• Sceloporus cyanogenys Cope, 1885
• Sceloporus cyanostictus R.W. Axtell & C.A. Axtell, 1971
• Sceloporus dixoni Bryson & Grummer, 2021
• Sceloporus druckercolini Pérez-Ramos & Saldaña-de La Riva, 2008
• Sceloporus dugesii Bocourt, 1874
• Sceloporus edbelli H.M. Smith, Chiszar & Lemos-Espinal, 2003
• Sceloporus edwardtaylori H.M. Smith, 1936
• Sceloporus esperanzae McCranie, 2018
• Sceloporus exsul Dixon, Ketchersid & Lieb, 1972
• Sceloporus formosus Wiegmann, 1834
• Sceloporus gadoviae Boulenger, 1905
• Sceloporus gadsdeni Castañeda-Gaytán & Díaz-Cárdenas, 2017
• Sceloporus goldmani H.M. Smith, 1937
• Sceloporus graciosus Baird & Girard, 1852 – sagebrush lizard
• Sceloporus grammicus Wiegmann, 1828 – mesquite lizard or graphic spiny lizard
• Sceloporus grandaevus (Dickerson, 1919)
• Sceloporus halli Dasmann & H.M. Smith, 1974
• Sceloporus hesperus Bryson & Grummer, 2021
• Sceloporus heterolepis Boulenger, 1895
• Sceloporus hondurensis McCranie, 2018
• Sceloporus horridus Wiegmann, 1834
• Sceloporus huichol Flores-Villela, Smith, Campillo-Garcia, Martinez-Mendez, & Campbell, 2022
• Sceloporus hunsakeri Hall & H.M. Smith, 1979
• Sceloporus insignis Webb, 1967
• Sceloporus internasalis H.M. Smith & Bumzahem, 1955
• Sceloporus jalapae Günther, 1890
• Sceloporus jarrovii Cope, 1875 – Yarrow's spiny lizard
• Sceloporus lemosespinali Lara-Góngora, 2004
• Sceloporus licki Van Denburgh, 1895
• Sceloporus lineatulus Dickerson, 1919
• Sceloporus lunae Bocourt, 1873
• Sceloporus lundelli H.M. Smith, 1939
• Sceloporus macdougalli H.M. Smith & Bumzahem, 1953
• Sceloporus maculosus H.M. Smith, 1934
• Sceloporus madrensis Olson, 1986
• Sceloporus magister Hallowell, 1854 – desert spiny lizard, escorpión
• Sceloporus malachiticus Cope, 1864
• Sceloporus marmoratus Hallowell, 1852 – northern rosebelly lizard
• Sceloporus megalepidurus H.M. Smith, 1934
• Sceloporus melanogaster Cope, 1885
• Sceloporus melanorhinus Bocourt, 1876
• Sceloporus merriami Stejneger, 1904 – canyon lizard
• Sceloporus mikeprestoni H.M. Smith & Alvarez, 1974
• Sceloporus minor Cope, 1885
• Sceloporus mucronatus Cope, 1885
• Sceloporus nelsoni Cochran, 1923
• Sceloporus oberon H.M. Smith & B.C. Brown, 1941
• Sceloporus occidentalis Baird & Girard, 1852 – western fence lizard
• Sceloporus ochoterenae H.M. Smith, 1934
• Sceloporus olivaceus H.M. Smith, 1934 – Texas spiny lizard
• Sceloporus olloporus H.M. Smith, 1937 – southern rosebelly lizard
• Sceloporus omiltemanus Günther, 1890
• Sceloporus orcutti Stejneger, 1893 – granite spiny lizard
• Sceloporus ornatus Baird, 1859 – ornate spiny lizard
• Sceloporus palaciosi Lara-Góngora, 1983
• Sceloporus parvus H.M. Smith, 1934
• Sceloporus poinsettii Baird & Girard, 1852 – crevice spiny lizard
• Sceloporus pyrocephalus Cope, 1864
• Sceloporus salvini Günther, 1890
• Sceloporus samcolemani H.M. Smith & Hall, 1974
• Sceloporus scalaris Wiegmann, 1828 – light-bellied bunchgrass lizard
• Sceloporus schmidti Jones, 1927
• Sceloporus scitulus Smith, 1942 – striated emerald lizard
• Sceloporus serrifer Cope, 1866 – blue spiny lizard
• Sceloporus shannonorum Langebartel, 1959
• Sceloporus siniferus Cope, 1870
• Sceloporus slevini H.M. Smith, 1937 – Slevin's bunchgrass lizard
• Sceloporus smaragdinus Bocourt, 1873
• Sceloporus smithi Hartweg & J.A. Oliver, 1937
• Sceloporus spinosus Wiegmann, 1828
• Sceloporus squamosus Bocourt, 1874
• Sceloporus stejnegeri H.M. Smith, 1942
• Sceloporus subniger Poglayen & Smith,H.M. 1958
• Sceloporus subpictus J.D. Lynch & H.M. Smith, 1965
• Sceloporus sugillatus H.M. Smith, 1942
• Sceloporus taeniocnemis Cope, 1885
• Sceloporus tanneri H.M. Smith & Larsen, 1975 – Tanner's spiny lizard
• Sceloporus teapensis Günther, 1890
• Sceloporus torquatus Wiegmann, 1828 - crevice swift
• Sceloporus tristichus Cope, 1875 – plateau fence lizard
• Sceloporus undulatus (Bosc & Daudin, 1801) – eastern fence lizard
• Sceloporus unicanthalis H.M. Smith, 1937
• Sceloporus uniformis Phelan & Brattstrom, 1955 – yellow-backed spiny lizard
• Sceloporus utiformis Cope, 1864
• Sceloporus vandenburgianus Cope, 1896
• Sceloporus variabilis Wiegmann, 1834 – rosebelly lizard
• Sceloporus virgatus H.M. Smith, 1938 – striped plateau lizard
• Sceloporus woodi Stejneger, 1918 – Florida scrub lizard
• Sceloporus zosteromus Cope, 1863

Nota bene: A binomial authority in parentheses indicates that the species was originally described in a genus other than Sceloporus.

Sceloporus gallery

• 
  Prairie lizard (Sceloporus consobrinus) Hardin Co. Texas
• 
  Cozumel spiny lizard (Sceloporus cozumelae), Celestún Biosphere Reserve, Yucatán, México. (12 February 2015)
• 
  Sagebrush spiny lizard (Sceloporus graciosus), Salt Lake County, Utah, USA (3 July 2009)
• 
  Sagebrush lizard (Sceloporus graciosus)
• 
  Desert spiny lizard (Sceloporus magister), Coconino County, Arizona, USA (6 October 2015)
• 
  Desert spiny lizard (Sceloporus magister), Coconino County, Arizona, USA (17 April 2011)
• 
  Northern rose-bellied Lizard (Sceloporus marmoratus), photographed in situ, Santa Ana National Wildlife Refuge, Texas, USA (14 April 2016).
• 
  Big Bend canyon lizard (Sceloporus merriami annulatus) Brewster County, Texas, USA (10 April 2014)
• 
  Minor spiny lizard (Sceloporus minor) a male photographed in situ, municipality of Victoria, Tamaulipas, Mexico (4 October 2008).
• 
  Cleft spiny lizard (Sceloporus mucronatus), archeological zone of Cantona, Puebla, Mexico (11 October 2013)
• 
  Western fence lizard (Sceloporus occidentalis), no data
• 
  Texas spiny lizard (Sceloporus olivaceus) basking on a fencepost, Highway 102, Colorado County, Texas, USA (26 March 2017)
• 
  Crevice spiny lizard (Sceloporus poinsettii), Mason County, Texas, USA (9 May 2014)
• 
  Spiny lizard (Sceloporus smithi), Municipality of San Lorenzo Albarradas, Oaxaca, Mexico (20 December 2011)
• 
  Torquate lizard (Sceloporus mikeprestoni) photographed in situ, municipality of Miquihuana, Tamaulipas, Mexico (5 October 2008).
• 
  Plateau fence lizard (Sceloporus tristichus), Emory County, Utah, USA, (17 September 2016)
• 
  Plateau fence lizard (Sceloporus tristichus), Uintah County, Utah, USA (9 June 2012)
• 
  Rose-bellied Lizard (Sceloporus variabilis), photographed in situ, municipality of Ocampo, Tamaulipas, Mexico (14 October 2005).
• 
  Florida scrub lizard (Sceloporus woodi), Palm Beach County, Florida, USA (16 December 2011)
• 
  Green spiny lizard (Sceloporus malachiticus) female (left) male (right), Central Highlands, Costa Rica (31 January 2020)
• 
  Green spiny lizard (Sceloporus malachiticus), female, Central Highlands, Costa Rica (31 January 2020)
• 
  Green spiny lizard (Sceloporus malachiticus), male, Central Highlands, Costa Rica (31 January 2020)
• 
  Eastern spiny lizard (Sceloporus spinosus) photographed in situ, municipality of Tula, Tamaulipas, Mexico (22 September 2003).

See also

• Moloch horridus, an unrelated Australian lizard that is sometimes also referred to as "spiny lizard"

Further reading

• Boulenger GA (1885). Catalogue of the Lizards in the British Museum (Natural History). Second Edition. Volume II. Iguanidæ ... London: Trustees of the British Museum (Natural History). (Taylor and Francis, printers). xiii + 497 pp. + Plates I-XXIV. (Genus Sceloporus, p. 216).
• Goin CJ, Goin OB, Zug GR (1978). Introduction to Herpetology, Third Edition. San Francisco: W.H. Freeman. xi + 378 pp. ISBN 0-7167-0020-4. (Genus Sceloporus, pp. 130, 291).
• Köhler G, Heimes P (2002). Stachelleguane: Lebensweise, Pflege, Zucht [Spiny Lizards: Way of Life, Care, Breeding]. Offenbach, Germany: Herpeton, Verlag Elke Köhler. 174 pp. ISBN 3-9806214-9-9. (in German).
• Powell R, Conant R, Collins JT (2016). Peterson Field Guide to Reptiles and Amphibians of Eastern and Central North America, Fourth Edition. Boston and New York: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. xiv + 494 pp., 47 Plates, 207 Figures. ISBN 978-0-544-12997-9. (Genus Sceloporus, p. 292).
• Smith HM (1939). "The Mexican and Central American Lizards of the Genus Sceloporus ". Field Museum of Natural History, Zoological Series 26: 1–429.
• 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). (Genus Sceloporus, p. 114-115).
• 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. xi + 533 pp. 56 plates, 39 figures. ISBN 978-0-395-98272-3. (Genus Sceloporus, p. 283; Sceloporus species accounts, pp. 283–294).
• Wiegmann AF (1828). "Beyträge zur Amphibienkunde ". Isis von Oken 21 (4): 364–383. (Sceloporus, new genus, p. 369). (in German and Latin).

External links

• Video of Sceloporus jarrovii in Arizona
• Data related to Sceloporus at Wikispecies
• Media related to Sceloporus at Wikimedia Commons