Reptile & Amphibian Forums

What kind is this? And scientific name also.

Or young. Beyond that, I don't know. I am still learning . .

I mean mostly the common name and the scientific name It was taken a while ago.

Sorry. Its all Eve's fault. She made me cackle earlier, and I haven't been able to contain my funny bone since.

I would like to know as well.

Still learning but I would hazarda geus as the common or eastern collared lizard,Crotaphytus collaris.

Thanks. Any more answers?

I'm working on a paper for my Herpetology class and I'm probably going to do something with my collared involved.

I have been looking into collareds for about a year, and I am finding out that when you talk about Easterns, the locale where they originate is the most often used means of identifying them. They are all considered the same species by science these days, but people generally discuss their collared breeds in terms of locales. You can still break them up into older terms that science no longer uses.

Easterns have a huge range, from the Kansas/Missouri area where they are generally lime green with whitish heads and orange throats, to OK, where they are green or blue with very yellow heads and bellies (aquaflames), to Texas where they are green or solid yellow, etc, to what we usually think of as the Southwest. In NM, they are identified by county because "Eastern" collared color morphs are so diverse in NM. Then Arizona has THREE separate collared species, C. Bicintores, and C.Nebrius, and Eastern. Then there is the natural hybrid, C. Bicintores/C. Collaris baileyi(old term)in the White Tank Mountains.Finally, there is a fourth species in the Baja region of Cal., the C.vestigium.

We obviously need and want some way to classify this huge diverse group of lizards known as Easterns. I guess locale is as good as any.

Wow, Rosebuds. You said a mouthful! That's a lot of info to have gleened. I'm lurking over here on the Collared Forum. It's definitely the most active Forum, though I am not defecting from the Chuck Forum! LOL Such pretty pretty boys and girls!!

Donna some you have listed are Sub- species, I believe there are about are 5 sub- species in the Collaris group one being Sonoran/ or C. nebrius.

I think there are actually 8 maybe 9 species
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PHEve / Eve

Are they all still recognized by science? I thought all of the Eatsern collared sub species were collapsed into one a few years ago.

Which sub species is the "common collared"?

confusing to so many, lol, right, what I meant was some of the ones you spoke of like c. nebrius were sub- species, there were 5 and then they were all grouped into the one, C. collaris then ya have the rest that are species. Many people were not pleased about this. Especially grouping the C. auriceps( Utah Yellowheads) into the C. collaris group.

We can make things more difficult/ confusing by saying there are 2 types of crotaphytus, collaris and insularis, lol.

Mine are just collareds, hahahaha !
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PHEve / Eve

There you go!

Looks like a gravid female C. bicinctores.

a cute bicinctores girl
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PHEve / Eve

What details of morphology are the indicators?

Common collareds (C. collaris) have more of a rounded tail, shorter snout, have black pigment on the inside of the mouth, and neither collar should be complete ventrally. C. bicinctores should have a latterally flattened tail, a longer and more pointed snout,(both previous traits are less pronounced in females), The anterior collar should completely encircle the neck, and there should be no black pigment inside the mouth.
As far as males go, dewlap coloration can also be used. Male bicinctores should have black pigment in the center of the dewlap. Sometimes it is not completely jet black, more of a charcoal or slate gray.
Just some of the differences. Bicinctores also shares the above listed traits with a few other species of collareds, but they will help distiguish bicinctores from collaris.

Good Post! Right On! Good taxonomy comes with applying the basic
keys and descriptions as you have indicated.
Thanks,
Barney

Then I have a question about what used to be classified as the c. Baileyi, and I hope Barney will also respond. These collareds are noticeably smaller. they don't have the laterally compressed tail, but they have what seems to me a unique head shape, and the males have a very dark dulap, unlike any of the other Eastern varieties that I know of, but I don't know that much!From what I have been told, the hybrids, if and when they do exist, are bicintores/baileyi crosses.

Shouldn't the baileyi still be classified as different from "Eastern" because of thes specific differences? Are there other Easterns that have the dark dulaps?

If you accept the subspecies, then Crotaphytus collaris (Eastern Collared Lizard or Common Collared Lizard would be subdivided into at least 5 subspecies:

C. collaris collaris (Eastern Collared Lizard)
C. collaris baileyi (Western Collared Lizard)
C. collaris auriceps (Yellowhead Collared Lizard)
C. collaris fuscus (Chihuahuan Collared Lizard)
C. collaris melanomaculata - a subspecies found in Mexico

and for a time C. collaris nebrius was considered a subspecies as well, until it was elevated to a full species C. nebrius (Sonoran Collared Lizard). Further DNA work might merge this species back with C. collaris according to McGuire's latest scientific paper.
Clinal variation helps to describe how a species may be blue/green with a yellow head and blue throat in SE Utah, and by gradual change across the range is green with a grey head and orange throat in Kansas. It is truly a fascinating phenomena.
Barney
Link

Yeah, that's why I think using the word common to describe ANY collared is laughable!

Yes, I to feel the name Common Collared Lizard is a pathetic name for such a superb species to say the least.

Barney

too

Yep..female C. bicinctores (aka) Mojave desert collared, Great Basin collared lizard, She's nice a fat at that. Good job.

Easiest way to differentiate between C. collaris and C. bicinctores without asking them to open their mouths:

According to Hobart M. Smith's Handbook of Lizards, C. bicinctores have two separate rows of scales (interorbitals) atop their heads between their eyes, whereas C. collaris have one (they're fused).

The female in the photo has two rows of scales between her eyes. So, she's definitely not a C. collaris. I imagine all the collared lizards in the West have two rows of interorbitals, so further taxonomy keys might be needed. But from the looks, I'd say C. bicinctores.