Kingdom Animalia Subphylum Vertebrata Order Squamata Scientific name Phrynosoma wigginsi | Phylum Chordata Class Reptilia Suborder Lacertilia Rank Species | |
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Similar Short‑tailed horned lizard, Cuatro Cienegas softshell, Ctenosaura oedirhina, Mexican Plateau horned liz, Yap flying fox | ||
The Gulf Coast horned lizard (Phrynosoma wigginsi) is a horned lizard species native to Baja California, Mexico.
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Taxonomy
It was split from Phrynosoma coronatum in 2004 on morphological evidence. The species has a tan rather than chocolate forehead, a fourth 'subrictal' spine below the eyes, and a longer head than other subspecies of P. coronatum. The species is named for Stanford botanist Ira L. Wiggins, who collected what later became the holotype in 1946.
Geographic range
The species' range is restricted to the region around Mulegé and Loreto on the gulf coast side of Baja California Sur, specifically the eastern side of the Sierra de Guadalupe and Sierra de La Giganta.
Habitat
P. wigginsi lives in similar coastal desert habitats to its close relative P. coronatum, but unlike more distantly related members of the genus. This alignment has been used to illustrate the principle of niche conservatism. It preys on ants and other invertebrates, and, like other Phrynosomatid lizards, has the remarkable ability to squirt blood from its eyes as a defense.