Sceloporus jarrovii, also known commonly as Yarrow's spiny lizard, is a species of lizard in the family Phrynosomatidae. The species is native to the southwestern United States and northern Mexico. There are two recognized subspecies.
Etymology The specific name, jarrovii, is in honor of Henry Crécy Yarrow (November 19, 1840 – July 2, 1929), an American ornithologist, herpetologist, naturalist, and surgeon.Beolens B, Watkins M, Grayson M (2011). The Eponym Dictionary of Reptiles. Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press. xiii + 296 pp. . (Sceloporus jarrovii, p. 292).
Geographic range
S. j. jarrovii is found in the United States in the states of Arizona and New Mexico, and it is found in Mexico in the states of Chihuahua, Durango, Sonora, northern Tamaulipas, and western Zacatecas. The subspecies S. j. lineolateralis is found only in Mexico in the states of Durango and Zacatecas.
Habitat The preferred natural habitats of S. jarrovii are forest and rocky areas. Its habitat in the Mule Mountains of Arizona is shrinking as a result of climate change, which may lead to its designation and protection under the Endangered Species Act of 1973, pending the result of litigation.
Description S. jarrovii grows to a snout-to-vent length of with keeled scales and a crosshatch-patterned torso. Its coloration includes tints of pink, green, blue, and copper. The top of the head is dark gray. Males have a blue throat and a blue belly. A complete black collar with a white inferior border distinguishes this lizard from similar species.Brennan TC, Holycross AT (2006). A Field Guide to Amphibians and Reptiles in Arizona. Phoenix: Arizona Game and Fish Department. 150 pp. . (Sceloporus jarrovii, p. 74).
Reproduction S. jarrovii is viviparous.
Subspecies Two subspecies of S. jarrovii are recognized as being valid, including the nominotypical subspecies. Sceloporus jarrovii jarrovii Cope, 1875 Sceloporus jarrovii lineolateralis H.M. Smith, 1936 – lined spiny lizard
References
Further reading Cope ED (1875). In: Yarrow HC (1875). Chapter IV. Report upon the Collections of Batrachians and Reptiles made in Portions of Nevada, Utah, California, Colorado, New Mexico, and Arizona, during the Years 1871, 1872, 1873, and 1874. Washington, District of Columbia: United States Government. pp. 509–584. (Sceloporus jarrovii, new species, pp. 569–571 + Plate XXIII, figures 2, 2b, 2c, 2d). Smith HM (1936). "Descriptions of New Species of Lizards of the Genus Sceloporus from Mexico". Proceedings of the Biological Society of Washington 49: 87–96. (Sceloporus lineolateralis, new species, pp. 92–95). Smith HM, Brodie ED Jr (1982). Reptiles of North America: A Guide to Field Identification. New York: Golden Press. 240 pp. (paperback), (hardcover). (Sceloporus jarrovii, pp. 118–119). Stebbins RC (2003). A Field Guide to Western Reptiles and Amphibians, Third Edition. The Peterson Field Guide Series ®. Boston and New York: Houghton Mifflin Company. xiii + 533 pp., 56 color plates, 39 figures, 204 maps. (Sceloporus jarrovii, pp. 284–285 + Plate 30 + Map 95).
External links
Yarrow's Spiny Lizard Sceloporus jarrovii. Reptiles and Amphibians of Arizona.