Desert spiny lizardSceloporus magister
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General Distribution: Wide ranging. Central California, Nevada, southern Utah, southwestern Colorado south through Arizona, New Mexico, and western Texas to northeastern Baja California and northwestern and north-central mainland Mexico.
Colorado Distribution: Only in extreme southwestern Colorado (Montezuma County) below about 5,100 ft.
County color codes: Blue = known historic occurrence, Yellow = possible/likely occurrence, Gray = unlikely to occur.
County color codes: Blue = known historic occurrence, Yellow = possible/likely occurrence, Gray = unlikely to occur.
Conservation Status: Nongame in Colorado. NatureServe rank: G5 (Globally Secure), S2 (State Imperiled). General threats include habitat loss and fragmentation. Range very limited in Colorado.
Diagnostic Features:
Coloration / Markings: In adult males, dorsal color brownish with dim transverse bands across middle of back. There are often scattered gold to orange scales on the sides. Head may have areas with yellowish to orange. There is a conspicuous black collar. In females and juveniles the transverse bars are more prominent and the collar is not black. Adult males have blue or greenish belly patches and a blue throat. Blue patches are faint or absent on adult females.
Diagnostic Features:
- Large body size compared to all other Sceloporus species in Colorado
- Dark wedge-shaped marks on sides of neck
- Dorsum with large spiny scales
- Males have larger post-anal scales than females and adult males have prominent hemipenal bulges.
Coloration / Markings: In adult males, dorsal color brownish with dim transverse bands across middle of back. There are often scattered gold to orange scales on the sides. Head may have areas with yellowish to orange. There is a conspicuous black collar. In females and juveniles the transverse bars are more prominent and the collar is not black. Adult males have blue or greenish belly patches and a blue throat. Blue patches are faint or absent on adult females.
Size: In Utah, males may attain 100 mm (3.9 in) snout-vent length and females slightly less (Tinkle 1976). Hatchlings measure about 30-35 mm (1.2-1.4 in) snout-vent length (Tinkle 1976).
Habitat: In Colorado, Desert Spiny Lizards prefer sparsely vegetated rocky areas and shrub-covered dirt banks near arroyos or flowing streams. Associated vegetation includes greasewood, cottonwood, salt-cedar (tamarisk), rabbitbrush and other shrubs. Although they are primarily terrestrial, individuals often perch on rocks or in large shrubs, or low on the trunks of large trees.
Activity: Primarily May to September in Colorado, but may be active in April and October, warm weather permitting. Diurnal.
Reproduction: Females produce one clutch of 2-9 eggs a year in southern Utah (Tinkle 1976). Hatchings first appear in early August in Colorado (Hammerson 1999).
Feeding & Diet: Arthropods, small lizards, and plant material. A sit-and-wait predator.
Defenses from Predation: Cryptic behavior and coloration. Quick to take cover when approached - often in rock crevaces. Does not occur in areas with insufficient cover.
Habitat: In Colorado, Desert Spiny Lizards prefer sparsely vegetated rocky areas and shrub-covered dirt banks near arroyos or flowing streams. Associated vegetation includes greasewood, cottonwood, salt-cedar (tamarisk), rabbitbrush and other shrubs. Although they are primarily terrestrial, individuals often perch on rocks or in large shrubs, or low on the trunks of large trees.
Activity: Primarily May to September in Colorado, but may be active in April and October, warm weather permitting. Diurnal.
Reproduction: Females produce one clutch of 2-9 eggs a year in southern Utah (Tinkle 1976). Hatchings first appear in early August in Colorado (Hammerson 1999).
Feeding & Diet: Arthropods, small lizards, and plant material. A sit-and-wait predator.
Defenses from Predation: Cryptic behavior and coloration. Quick to take cover when approached - often in rock crevaces. Does not occur in areas with insufficient cover.
Cited & Additional Resources
- Degenhardt, W. G., C. W. Painter and A. H. Price.1996. Amphibians and reptiles of New Mexico. University of New Mexico Press, Albuquerque, New Mexico. 431 pp.
- Hammerson, G. A. 1999. Amphibians and reptiles in Colorado. 2nd ed. University Press of Colorado, Boulder, Colorado. 484 pp.
- Tinkle D.W. 1976. Comparative data on the population ecology of the desert spiny lizard, Sceloporus magister. Herpetologica 32:1-6.
Account compiled by: Tom Mathies
Reviewed by: Lauren Livo
Last updated: 4/14/2022 by Rémi Pattyn
Suggested Citation
Colorado Partners in Amphibian and Reptile Conservation. 2014. Species account for the Desert Spiny Lizard (Sceloporus magister). Compiled by Tom Mathies. http://www.coparc.org/desert-spiny-lizard.html [accessed date here].
Reviewed by: Lauren Livo
Last updated: 4/14/2022 by Rémi Pattyn
Suggested Citation
Colorado Partners in Amphibian and Reptile Conservation. 2014. Species account for the Desert Spiny Lizard (Sceloporus magister). Compiled by Tom Mathies. http://www.coparc.org/desert-spiny-lizard.html [accessed date here].