Suborder Lacertilia Phylum Chordata Rank Species | Subphylum Vertebrata Scientific name Aspidoscelis hyperythra Order Scaled reptiles | |
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Similar Aspidoscelis, Reptile, Cnemidophorus, Western whiptail, Teiidae | ||
Orange throated whiptail
The orange-throated whiptail (Aspidoscelis hyperythra) is a species of lizard in the family Teiidae. It was previously placed in the genus Cnemidophorus.
Contents
Geographic range
This lizard is native to southern California in the United States and to the states of Baja California and Baja California Sur in Mexico.
Description
A. hyperythra has five or six light-colored stripes down a black, brown, or grey dorsal side. The middle stripe may be forked at both ends. It is whitish-yellow or cream on the venter, and has an orange throat (females and juveniles may lack this character). Its head is yellow-brown to olive colored, and its tongue is forked and flicked continually. It has a length of 5–7.2 centimetres (2.0–2.8 in).
Juveniles of this species have cobalt blue legs and tails. The entire ventral surface of males, including the tail, may be orange, although gravid females may also have some orange especially lining the lower jaw. The colors are most distinct in the breeding season. Males have larger femoral pores than females.
Behavior
The orange-throated whiptail has a distinctive, jerking gait.
