Canyon lizard | |
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A male Big Bend canyon lizard (S. m. annulatus) near Big Bend NP, Texas | |
Scientific classification | |
Domain: | Eukaryota |
Kingdom: | Animalia |
Phylum: | Chordata |
Class: | Reptilia |
Order: | Squamata |
Suborder: | Iguania |
Family: | Phrynosomatidae |
Genus: | Sceloporus |
Species: | S. merriami
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Binomial name | |
Sceloporus merriami Stejneger, 1904
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Sceloporus merriami, commonly known as the canyon lizard, is a species of lizard in the family Phrynosomatidae. The species is native to the south-western United States and northern Mexico.[1][2]
The specific name, merriami, is in honor of American zoologist Clinton Hart Merriam.[2][3][4]
S. merriami is found in the United States in the state of Texas, and it is found in Mexico in the states of Chihuahua, Coahuila, Durango,[1] and Nuevo León.[2]
Adults of S. merriami may reach 58 mm (2.2 in) snout-to-vent length (SVL). Including the tail, they may reach 162 mm (6.4 in) in total length. The dorsal scales are small, and the lateral scales are granular.[5]
Dorsally, the canyon lizard is gray, tan, or reddish-brown, matching the rocks on which it lives. There are four rows of dark spots on the back, and a vertical black line in front of the front leg. Males have blue and black lines on the throat.[6]
The seven recognized subspecies of S. merriami, including the nominotypical subspecies, are:[2]