Cnemidophorus gularis

Taxobox
name = Texas Spotted Whiptail

---

regnum = Animalia
phylum = Chordata
classis = Reptilia
ordo = Squamata
subordo = Sauria
familia = Teiidae
genus = "Cnemidophorus"
species = "C. gularis"
binomial = "Cnemidophorus gularis"
binomial_authority = Baird & Girard, 1852
synonyms = "Cnemidophorus sackii gularis"
"Aspidoscelis gularis"

The Texas Spotted Whiptail ("Cnemidophorus gularis") is a species of long-tailed lizard native to the southern United States, in Texas, New Mexico, and Oklahoma, and northern Mexico in Coahuila, Nuevo León, Tamaulipas, San Luis Potosí, Querétaro, and Veracruz.

Description

Texas spotted whiptails grow 6.5-11 inches in length. They are typically a tan brown or green-brown in color, with a pattern of seven distinct grey or white stripes that run the length of the body, and stop at the tail, with light colored spots along the sides. Their underside is uniformly white in color. Males often have a red colored throat, blue belly, and black or blue patches on their chest, while females have only a pink colored throat. Their tail is long compared to the body, usually close to three times their body length. It is usually a uniform peach or tan color.

Behavior

Texas Spotted Whiptails are diurnal and insectivorous. They are highly active and found in a wide variety of habitats, from grassland and semi-arid regions, to canyons and rocky terrain, typically not far from a permanent water source. Breeding occurs in the spring, and a clutch of 1-5 eggs is laid in the early summer.

Subspecies

Some sources list six subspecies of the Texas Spotted Whiptail:

*"Cnemidophorus gularis gularis" (Baird & Girard, 1852)
*"Cnemidophorus gularis colossus" (Dixon, Lieb & Ketchersid, 1971)
*"Cnemidophorus gularis pallidus" (Duellmand & Zweifel, 1962)
*"Cnemidophorus gularis rauni" (Walker, 1967)
*"Cnemidophorus gularis semiannulatus" (Walker, 1967)
*"Cnemidophorus gularis semifasciatus" (Cope, 1892)

References

* [http://www.zo.utexas.edu/research/txherps/lizards/cnemidophorus.gularis.html Herps of Texas: "Cnemidophorus gularis"]
*EMBL species|genus=Cnemidophorus|species=gularis