Sceloporus merriami

Sceloporus merriami, commonly known as the canyon lizard, is a species of lizard in the family Phrynosomatidae. The species is native to the southwestern United States and adjacent northern Mexico.

Etymology

The specific name, merriami, is in honor of American zoologist Clinton Hart Merriam.

Geographic range

Sceloporus 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, and Nuevo León.

Habitat

The preferred natural habitat of Sceloporus merriami is steep rocky areas of desert.

Behavior

Sceloporus merriami lives on rock faces of canyon walls, and shelters in crevices.

Description

Adults of Sceloporus 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.

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.

Reproduction

Sceloporus merriami is oviparous. The eggs are buried in soil.

Subspecies

Seven subspecies of Sceloporus merriami are recognized as being valid, including the nominotypical subspecies.

• Sceloporus merriami annulatus <small>H.M. Smith, 1937</small> – Big Bend canyon lizard
• Sceloporus merriami australis <small>K.L. Williams, H.M. Smith & Chrapliwy, 1960</small> – southeastern canyon lizard
• Sceloporus merriami ballingeri <small>Lemos-Espinal, H.M. Smith, & , 2001</small> – Ballinger's canyon lizard
• Sceloporus merriami longipunctatus <small>, 1973</small> – Presidio canyon lizard
• Sceloporus merriami merriami <small>Stejneger, 1904</small> – Merriam's canyon lizard
• Sceloporus merriami sanojae <small>Lemos-Espinal & Chiszar, 2003</small> – Sanoja's canyon lizard
• Sceloporus merriami williamsi <small>Lemos-Espinal, Chiszar & H.M. Smith, 2000</small> – Williams' canyon lizard

References

Further reading

• Behler JL, King FW (1979). The Audubon Society Field Guide to North American Reptiles and Amphibians. New York: Alfred A. Knopf. 743 pp. . (Sceloporus merriami, pp. 524–525 + Plate 368).
• Powell R, Conant R, Collins JT (2016). Peterson Field Guide to Reptiles and Amphibians of Eastern and Central North America, Fourth Edition. Boston and New York: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. xiv + 494 pp., 47 plates, 207 figures. . (Sceloporus merriami, pp. 296–297, Figure 141 + Plate 27).
• Stejneger L (1904). "A New Lizard from the Rio Grande Valley, Texas". Proceedings of the Biological Society of Washington 17: 17–20. (Sceloporus merriami, new species).
• Stejneger L, Barbour T (1917). A Check List of North American Amphibians and Reptiles. Cambridge, Massachusetts: Harvard University Press. 125 pp. (Sceloporus merriami, p. 55).