Western fence lizard

Taxobox
name = Western Fence Lizard


image_caption = Subspecies "taylori"
image_width = 250px
regnum = Animalia
phylum = Chordata
classis = Reptilia
ordo = Squamata
familia = Phrynosomatidae
genus = "Sceloporus"
species = "S. occidentalis"
binomial = "Sceloporus occidentalis"
binomial_authority = Baird and Girard, 1852

The Western Fence Lizard ("Sceloporus occidentalis") is a common lizard of California and surrounding areas. They also can be found in Oregon and Lake Powell. They are harmless and fun to catch, although it is illegal to catch at Lake Powell. It is also known as the Blue-belly or Texas Swift.

It is a member of the genus "Sceloporus", and therefore is a spiny lizard. ITIS|ID=173875|taxon=Sceloporus occidentalis|year=2006|date=6 February]

Description

Western fence lizards are about 8-10 cm long excluding their tail, and about 15 cm long with the tail included. They are brown to black in color (the brown may be sandy or greenish), but adult males have iridescent blue lateral patches on their flanks, and their entire bodies may be flecked with blue. Males may expose their blue stomachs in a territorial display. The blue is much less pronounced in females.

The western fence lizard eats insects and spiders. They are commonly seen sunning on paths and rocks, and this behavior makes them vulnerable to predation by snakes and birds.

Native Habitat

Although California is the heart of the range of this lizard, it is also found in eastern and southwest Oregon, as well as in the Columbia River Gorge, southwest Idaho, Nevada, western Utah, and northwestern Baja California, and some of the islands off the coast of both California and Baja California. [C. Michael Hogan (2008) "Western fence lizard ("Sceloporus occidentalis")", Globaltwitcher, ed. Nicklas Stromberg [http://www.globaltwitcher.com/artspec.asp?thingid=55037}] It is found in scrub and chaparral, up to heights approaching 2000 meters, but it is not found in the desert.

Taxonomy

The taxonomy of this species is currently under discussion: until recently, six subspecies were recognized, as follows:
*Island fence lizard, "Sceloporus occidentalis becki"
*San Joaquin fence lizard, "Sceloporus occidentalis biseriatus"
*Coast Range fence lizard, "Sceloporus occidentalis bocourtii"
*Great Basin fence lizard, "Sceloporus occidentalis longipes"
*Northwestern fence lizard, "Sceloporus occidentalis occidentalis"
*Sierra fence lizard, "Sceloporus occidentalis taylori"

Some authors have raised the island fence lizard to specific rank. However, recent work in molecular systematics has suggested that there are four clades and 11 genetically separable populations, and the subspecies will probably have to be redefined.

Lyme Disease

It is thought that the presence of western fence lizards diminishes the danger of transmission of Lyme disease by ticks. The incidence of Lyme disease is lower in areas where the lizards occur, and it has been found that when ticks carrying Lyme disease feed on these lizards (which they commonly do, especially around their ears), the bacteria that cause the disease are killed. [http://www.calacademy.org/science_now/archive/wild_lives/fence_lizards_050601.html Lizards that fight Lyme disease] from the California Academy of Sciences]

References