Baja California leopard lizard

The Baja California leopard lizard (Gambelia copeii), also known commonly as Cope's leopard lizard, is a species of lizard in the family Crotaphytidae. The species is endemic to Baja California and adjacent southern California.

Baja California leopard lizard
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Reptilia
Order: Squamata
Suborder: Iguania
Family: Crotaphytidae
Genus: Gambelia
Species:
G. copeii
Binomial name
Gambelia copeii
(Yarrow, 1882)
Synonyms[2]
  • Crotaphytus copeii
    Yarrow, 1882
  • Gambelia wislizeni copei
    Banta & W. Tanner, 1968
  • Gambelia copeii
    McGuire, 1996

Etymology

The specific name, copeii, is in honor of American herpetologist and paleontologist Edward Drinker Cope.[3]

Description

Gambelia copeii is between 8 and 14 cm (3.1 and 5.5 in) in snout-to-vent length (SVL), and has a smoky gray color and darker gray or black dorsal spots, edged in a lighter shade. The dorsal pattern appears mottled or ocellated. There are light crossbars on the dorsum, and light gray or white on the venter. It has small granular scales. The large head is distinct from the neck, and the lining of the mouth and throat is purplish-black. Juvenile lizards are similar to adults, but have more distinct banding across the dorsum. Females develop red-orange blotches on the ventral side during breeding season. Males have femoral pores.

Biology

The Baja California leopard lizard is an uncommon species. It is a powerful bipedal runner. An adult can inflict a painful bite. It prefers chaparral habitats with an open understory.

Sources

References

  1. Hollingsworth, B.; Hammerson, G.A. (2007). "Gambelia copeii ". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2007: e.T64014A12735511. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2007.RLTS.T64014A12735511.en. Retrieved 12 November 2021.
  2. Species Gambelia copeii at The Reptile Database www.reptile-database.org.
  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. (Gambelia copeii, p. 59).

Further reading

  • McGuire, Jimmy A. (1996). "Phylogenetic Systematics of Crotaphytid Lizards (Reptilia: Iguania: Crotaphytidae)". Bulletin of the Carnegie Museum of Natural History (32): 1-142. (Gambelia copeii, pp. 98–102).
  • Stebbins RC (2003). A Field Guide to Western Reptiles and Amphibians, Third Edition. The Peterson Field Guide Series ®. Boston and New York: Houghton Mifflin. xiii + 533 pp., 56 plates, 204 maps. ISBN 978-0-395-98272-3. (Gambelia copeii, pp. 276–277 + Plate 26 + Map 84).
  • Yarrow HC (1882). "Descriptions of New Species of Reptiles and Amphibians in the United States National Museum". Proceedings of the United States National Museum 5: 438-443). (Crotaphytus copeii, new species, p. 441).
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