The dead side-blotched lizard (Uta lowei), also known commonly as the El Muerto side-blotched lizard and la mancha lateral muerta in Mexican Spanish, is a species of lizard in the subfamily Sceloporinae of the family Phrynosomatidae. The species is endemic to Isla El Muerto, an island in the Gulf of California, Mexico.
Etymology The specific name, lowei, is in honor of American herpetologist Charles Herbert Lowe.Beolens, Bo; Watkins, Michael; Grayson, Michael (2011). The Eponym Dictionary of Reptiles. Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press. xiii + 296 pp. . (Uta lowei, p. 161).
Description Uta lowei has strongly keeled dorsal scales, and is light gray to off-white ventrally. Adult males have a dorsal pattern of offset paravertebral dark blotches, with a dense network of turquoise spots.
Habitat The preferred natural habitat of Uta lowei is rocky areas of the marine intertidal zone, but it has also been found in rocky areas of inland desert.
Diet Uta lowei preys predominately upon isopods.
Reproduction Uta lowei is oviparous.
References
Further reading (Uta lowei, new species, p. 464).
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