Gambelia (lizard)
 | This article needs additional citations for verification. (December 2009) |
| Gambelia | |
|---|---|
| File:Long-nosed Leopard Lizard (8043739603) (cropped).jpg | |
| Gambelia wislizenii, long-nosed leopard lizard | |
| Scientific classification Edit this classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Reptilia |
| Order: | Squamata |
| Suborder: | Iguania |
| Family: | Crotaphytidae |
| Genus: | Gambelia Baird, 1859[1] |
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Gambelia is a genus of lizards, commonly known as leopard lizards, within the family Crotaphytidae. Leopard lizards are indigenous to arid environments of southwestern North America. Specifically, in San Joaquin Valley and southeastern Carrizo Plain in California, is where the endangered species inhabits as it lives in isolated populations.[2] Furthermore, the Gambelia Sila or leopard lizard is active during the spring to early summer for 2.5 months after they estivate and goes back into hibernation soon after.[2]
Description
[edit | edit source]Species in the genus Gambelia superficially resemble those of the genus Crotaphytus. However, one difference between the genera Gambelia and Crotaphytus is that leopard lizards have fracture planes in their tails, allowing the tails to break off when grasped by predators.[citation needed]
Etymology
[edit | edit source]The generic name, Gambelia, is in honor of American naturalist William Gambel.[3]
Species
[edit | edit source]Three species are recognized as being valid.[4]
| Image | Scientific name | Common Name | Distribution |
|---|---|---|---|
| File:Gambelia copei.jpg | Gambelia copeii (Yarrow, 1882) | Cope's leopard lizard | Baja California peninsula and adjacent southern California. |
| File:LIZARD, BLUNT-NOSED LEOPARD (Gambelia sila) (3-30-08) van metre wash, carrizo plain national monument, slo co, ca -2 (2380352944).jpg | Gambelia sila (Stejneger, 1890) | blunt-nosed leopard lizard | southern California. |
| File:LIZARD, LONG-NOSED LEOPARD (gambelia wislizenia) moab, grand co, utah (14790202096).jpg | Gambelia wislizenii (Baird & Girard, 1852) | long-nosed leopard lizard | United States from Oregon to Idaho in the north and from California to Texas in the south, south to northern Mexico in Baja California, Sonora, Chihuahua, Coahuila, and Zacatecas. |
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Nota bene: A binomial authority in parentheses indicates that the species was originally described in a genus other than Gambelia.
References
[edit | edit source]- ^ "Gambelia ". ITIS (Integrated Taxonomic Information System). www.itis.gov.
- ^ a b Lua error in Module:Citation/CS1/Configuration at line 2172: attempt to index field '?' (a nil value).
- ^ Beolens, Bo; Watkins, Michael; Grayson, Michael (2011). The Eponym Dictionary of Reptiles. Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press. xiii + 296 pp. Lua error in Module:Citation/CS1/Configuration at line 2172: attempt to index field '?' (a nil value).. (Genus Gambelia, p. 97).
- ^ Genus Gambelia at The Reptile Database www.reptile-database.org.
Further reading
[edit | edit source]
- Baird SF (1859). United States and Mexican Boundary Survey, Under the Order of Lieu. Col. W.H. Emory, Major First Cavalry, and United States Commissioner. [Volume 2, Part 2]. Reptiles of the Boundary, with Notes by the Naturalists of the Survey. Washington, District of Columbia: Department of the Interior. 35 pp. + Plates I-XLI. (Gambelia, new genus, p. 7).
- Smith HM, Brodie ED Jr (1982). Reptiles of North America: A Guide to Field Identification. New York: Golden Press. 240 pp. Lua error in Module:Citation/CS1/Configuration at line 2172: attempt to index field '?' (a nil value).. (Genus Gambelia, p. 108).
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