Six-lined racerunner

The six-lined racerunner (Aspidoscelis sexlineatus) is a species of lizard native to the United States and Mexico.

Six-lined racerunner
Male six-lined racerunner (Aspidoscelis sexlineata).

Least Concern  (IUCN 3.1)[1]
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Reptilia
Order: Squamata
Family: Teiidae
Genus: Aspidoscelis
Species:
A. sexlineatus
Binomial name
Aspidoscelis sexlineatus
(Linnaeus, 1766)
Synonyms

Geographic range

The six-lined racerunner is found throughout much of the southeastern and south-central portion of the United States, from Maryland to Florida in the east, across the Great Plains to southern Texas and northern Mexico.[3][4] The species' range also reaches north to Wisconsin and Minnesota. A small disjunct population is found in Tuscola County, Michigan.[5]

Description
Adult, Indialantic, Florida

The six-lined racerunner is typically dark green, brown, or black in color, with six yellow or green-yellow stripes that extend down the body from head to tail. The underside is usually white in color on females, and a pale blue in males. Males also sometimes have a pale green-colored throat. They are slender-bodied, with a tail nearly twice the body length.

Behavior

Like other species of whiptail lizards, the six-lined racerunner is diurnal and insectivorous. They are wary, energetic, and fast moving, with speeds of up to 18 mph (29 kmh), darting for cover if approached.

Habitat

Due to its extensive range, A. sexlineata is found in a wide variety of habitats including grasslands, woodlands, open floodplains, or rocky outcroppings. It prefers lower elevations, with dry loamy soils.

Reproduction

Breeding takes place in the spring and early summer, with up to six eggs being laid in mid-summer and hatching six to eight weeks later. A second clutch of eggs may be laid several weeks after the first.

Subspecies

There are three recognized subspecies of A. sexlineatus:

  • Eastern six-lined racerunner, Aspidoscelis sexlineatus sexlineatus (Linnaeus, 1766)
  • Texas yellow-headed racerunner, Aspidoscelis sexlineatus stephensae Trauth, 1992
  • Prairie racerunner, Aspidoscelis sexlineatus viridis Lowe, 1966

Conservation status

The six-lined racerunner is listed as a species of concern in the state of Michigan, due to its limited population but otherwise holds no official conservation status.

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See also

References
  1. IUCN (2016). "Aspidoscelis sexlineata". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2016. Retrieved 7 December 2016.CS1 maint: ref=harv (link)
  2. The Reptile Database. www.reptile-database.org.
  3. Animal Diversity Web: Cnemidophorus sexlineatus
  4. Savannah River Ecology Laboratory Herpetology Program - Species Profile: Six-lined Racerunner (Cnemidophorus [Aspidoscelis] sexlineatus)
  5. Michigan Natural Features Inventory: Aspidoscelis sexlineata

Data related to Aspidoscelis at Wikispecies Media related to Aspidoscelis sexlineata at Wikimedia Commons

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