Urosaurus
Urosaurus is a genus of lizards, commonly known as tree lizards or brush lizards, belonging to the New World family Phrynosomatidae.[1]
| Urosaurus | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Urosaurus ornatus | |
Scientific classification  | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Reptilia |
| Order: | Squamata |
| Suborder: | Iguania |
| Family: | Phrynosomatidae |
| Genus: | Urosaurus Hallowell, 1854[1] |
| Diversity | |
| 8 species, see text. | |
Description
Species in the genus Urosaurus can be distinguished from members of the genus Sceloporus by the presence of a gular (under neck) fold and granular lateral scales. They can be distinguished from members of the genus Uta by the presence of enlarged (sometimes only slightly) dorsal scales.
It is important to note that these lizards come from a different family than lizards like the common side-blotched lizard which comes from the family 'Uta'.
Reproduction
Urosaurus have been used as a model system in lizard life-history studies, and populations produce two or more clutches of eggs per year.[2][3] Field studies have also shown a cost of reproduction in a natural New Mexico population of the species Urosaurus ornatus.[4]
Species
In the genus Urosaurus there are 8 species which are recognized as being valid.[5]
| Image | Scientific Name | Distribution |
|---|---|---|
.jpg.webp) | Urosaurus auriculatus (Cope, 1871) | Socorro Island in Baja California |
| Urosaurus bicarinatus (A.M.C. Duméril, 1856) | Mexico. | |
| Urosaurus clarionensis (Townsend, 1890) | Baja California | |
| Urosaurus gadovi (Schmidt, 1921) | Mexico | |
_(5-5-08)_ticaboo_cyn%252C_garfield_co%252C_ut_-01_(14812845892).jpg.webp) | Urosaurus graciosus Hallowell, 1854 | southwestern United States and adjacent northern Mexico. |
| Urosaurus lahtelai Rau & Loomis, 1977 | Mexico. | |
 | Urosaurus nigricauda (Cope, 1864) | southern California, Baja California, |
.jpg.webp) | Urosaurus ornatus (Baird & Girard, 1852) | southwestern United States and northwestern Mexico. |
Etymology
The specific name, gadovi, is in honor of German ornithologist Hans Friedrich Gadow.[6]
References
- "Urosaurus Hallowell, 1854". Integrated Taxonomic Information System.
- Michel L (1976). "Reproduction in a southwest New Mexican population of Urosaurus ornatus". The Southwestern Naturalist. 21 (3): 281–299. doi:10.2307/3669714. JSTOR 3669714.
- Ballinger RE (1984). "Survivorship of the lizard, Urosaurus ornatus linearis, in New Mexico". Journal of Herpetology. 18 (4): 480–481. doi:10.2307/1564108. JSTOR 1564108.
- Landwer AJ (1994). "Manipulation of egg production reveals costs of reproduction in the tree lizard (Urosaurus ornatus)". Oecologia. 100 (3): 243–249. Bibcode:1994Oecol.100..243L. doi:10.1007/BF00316951. PMID 28307007. S2CID 3226827.
- Urosaurus at the Reptarium.cz Reptile Database. Accessed 28 January 2015.
- 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. (Urosaurus gadovi, p. 96).
Further reading
- Hallowell E (1854). "Descriptions of new Reptiles from California". Proc. Acad. Nat. Sci. Philadelphia 7: 91–97. (Urosaurus, new genus, p. 92).