Little striped whiptail

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Little striped whiptail - Wikipedia

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Little striped whiptail

A. inornatus heptagrammus
Conservation status
Least Concern (IUCN 3.1)^[1]
Scientific classification
Domain:	Eukaryota
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Reptilia
Order:	Squamata
Family:	Teiidae
Genus:	Aspidoscelis
Species:	A. inornatus
Binomial name
*Aspidoscelis inornatus* Baird, 1859
Synonyms
Cnemidophorus perplexus Van Denburgh, 1922 Cnemidophorus gularis velox Springer, 1928 Cnemidophorus inornatus Baird, 1859

The little striped whiptail (Aspidoscelis inornatus) is a species of lizard found in the southwestern United States (in Arizona, New Mexico and Texas) and in northern Mexico (in Chihuahua, Coahuila, Durango, Zacatecas, San Luis Potosí, and Nuevo León). A significant amount of research was done on the species during the mid-1990s, with several new subspecies being added, many of which some sources consider to be distinct enough to warrant full species status, and the research is ongoing. It is called little to distinguish it from many other species known as striped whiptails and to indicate that it is the smallest of those species.

Description

The little striped whiptail grows from 6.5 to 9.5 inches (17 to 24 cm) in length. It is typically black in color, with yellow or white striping from head to tail, and a light blue underside. It is slender bodied, with a blue colored tail approximately three times the body length. The blue coloration is much more pronounced on males than females. They aren't always striped or blue, sometimes they are brown with darker patches to blend in with the sand or dirt.

Behavior

Like most species of whiptail lizard, the little striped whiptail is diurnal and insectivorous. They are wary, energetic, and fast moving, darting for cover if approached. They are found in a range of habitats, from grasslands to semi-arid rocky slopes. Breeding takes place in the late spring, and clutches of 2 to 4 eggs are laid from May to July and hatch approximately six weeks later. The whiptail species eat crickets and other insects that live in Arizona. They are very fast in speed and quick to dive under a cactus if necessary.

Subspecies

There are eight recognized subspecies of Cnemidophorus inornatus:

Aspidoscelis inornatus chihuahuae (Wright & Lowe, 1993)
Aspidoscelis inornatus cienegae (Wright & Lowe, 1993)
Aspidoscelis inornatus heptagrammus (Axtell, 1961) - Trans-Pecos striped whiptail
Aspidoscelis inornatus juniperus (Wright & Lowe, 1993) - woodland striped whiptail
Aspidoscelis inornatus llanuras (Wright & Lowe, 1993)
Aspidoscelis inornatus inornatus (Baird, 1859)
Aspidoscelis inornatus octolineatus (Baird, 1858)
Aspidoscelis inornatus paululus (Williams, 1968)^[2]

References

^ Hammerson, G.A.; Gadsden, H.; Lavin, P. (2019). "Aspidoscelis inornata". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2019: e.T89931365A89931433. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2019-2.RLTS.T89931365A89931433.en. Retrieved 17 May 2023.
^ Williams, Kenneth L. (March 29, 1968), "A New Subspecies of the Teiid Lizard Cnemidophorus inornatus from México", Journal of Herpetology, 1 (1/4): 21–24, doi:10.2307/1563258, JSTOR 1563258

Notes

Taxon identifiers
Aspidoscelis inornatus	Wikidata: Q2709319 Wikispecies: Aspidoscelis inornatus CoL: 5W6SC iNaturalist: 73673 IRMNG: 10793655 ITIS: 1172352 IUCN: 64270 NatureServe: 2.962003 NCBI: 68352 RD: inornatus
Cnemidophorus inornatus	Wikidata: Q43306457 EoL: 1056811 ITIS: 174021 Observation.org: 98208

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