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 | |
| Nine 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.
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 nine species which are recognized as being valid.[5]
- Urosaurus auriculatus (Cope, 1871)
- Urosaurus bicarinatus (A.M.C. Duméril, 1856)
- Urosaurus clarionensis (Townsend, 1890)
- Urosaurus gadovi (Schmidt, 1921)
- Urosaurus graciosus Hallowell, 1854
- Urosaurus irregularis (Fischer, 1881)
- Urosaurus lahtelai Rau & Loomis, 1977
- Urosaurus nigricaudus (Cope, 1864)
- Urosaurus ornatus (Baird & Girard, 1852)
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.
- Landwer AJ (1994). "Manipulation of egg production reveals costs of reproduction in the tree lizard (Urosaurus ornatus)". Oecologia. 100 (3): 243–249. doi:10.1007/BF00316951.
- 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).