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]

Etymology

The specific name, gadovi, is in honor of German ornithologist Hans Friedrich Gadow.[6]

References

  1. "Urosaurus Hallowell, 1854". Integrated Taxonomic Information System.
  2. 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.
  3. Ballinger RE (1984). "Survivorship of the lizard, Urosaurus ornatus linearis, in New Mexico". Journal of Herpetology. 18 (4): 480–481. doi:10.2307/1564108. JSTOR 1564108.
  4. Landwer AJ (1994). "Manipulation of egg production reveals costs of reproduction in the tree lizard (Urosaurus ornatus)". Oecologia. 100 (3): 243–249. Bibcode:1994Oecol.100..243L. doi:10.1007/BF00316951. PMID 28307007. S2CID 3226827.
  5. Urosaurus at the Reptarium.cz Reptile Database. Accessed 28 January 2015.
  6. 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).


This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.