Kingdom Animalia Order Squamata Family Phrynosomatidae Scientific name Sceloporus variabilis Rank Species | Phylum Chordata Suborder Iguania Genus Sceloporus Higher classification Spiny lizard | |
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Similar Spiny lizard, Reptile, Phrynosomatinae, Scaled reptiles, Sceloporus grammicus | ||
Sceloporus variabilis
Sceloporus variabilis, commonly known as the rosebelly lizard, is a species of lizard, which is endemic to Central America and North America.
Contents
Geographic range
It ranges from the United States in southern Texas, through eastern Mexico, and into Central America as far south as Costa Rica.
Description
S. variabilis is one of the smaller species of the genus Sceloporus. Adults may attain a snout-vent length (SVL) of 54 mm (2.1 in). With unbroken tails, they may reach a maximum total length of 140 mm (5.5 in).
Dorsally, it is tan or olive, with a double series of dark brown spots. There are two yellowish dorsolateral stripes, one at each side of the back. Males are darker on the side below the dorsolateral stripe. Ventrally, it is dirty white or yellowish. Males have a large pink blotch on each side of the belly, which is bordered with dark blue, and they also have a black mark on the axilla.
The supraoculars are small, and they are bordered medially by a row of small scales, which prevent them from contacting the median head shields. The dorsal scales are keeled, pointed, and spiny. There are 58-69 dorsal scales from the interparietal shield to the base of the tail. A postfemoral pocket is present. Males have 10-14 femoral pores.
Subspecies
The three recognized subspecies of S. variabilis are:
Some sources consider S. v. marmoratus to be its own species, and some sources also consider S. v. olloporus to be merely a local variation of S. v. variabilis, and not an actual subspecies.