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Adult, San Diego County |
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Sub-adult, San Diego County |
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Habitat, San Diego County |
Habitat, San Diego County |
Habitat, San Diego County |
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Habitat, San Diego County |
Habitat, Riverside County |
Habitat, San Diego County
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| Description |
| Size |
| 2 - 2 3/4 inches snout to vent (5.1 - 7 cm). |
| Appearance |
Slim-bodied with a long slender tail, a thin snout, and large symmetrical head plates.
The back is unspotted and black, dark brown, or grayish with 6 or fewer pale yellow or whitish stripes.
The throat and often the chest are orange, turning brighter orange during breeding season.
The belly is pale blue-gray or whitish with large, smooth, rectangular scales in 8 lengthwise rows.
Scales on the back are small and granular, and scales on the tail are keeled.
The tail is blue in juveniles, fading to gray in adults. It can reach up to two times the length of the body.
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| Behavior |
| Diurnal. Wary and very active, moving with abrupt stops and starts, side-to-side head movement, and tongue flicking. Often seen digging rapidly when foraging. Difficult to approach - typically foraging near cover, and capable of quick bursts of speed into heavy brush or holes. Males defend territory with a threat display - arching the back, twitching the tail tip, and pointing the snout at the ground. |
| Diet |
| Small invertebrates, especially spiders, scorpions, centipedes, and termites, and small lizards. |
| Reproduction |
| Eggs are laid June - July, hatching in about 2 months. |
| Range |
| Ranges from the Santa Ana River in Orange County, and near Colton in San Bernardino County, west of the Peninsular ranges, south throughout the Baja Peninsula. From sea level to aproximately 2,000 ft. (610 m). |
| Habitat |
| Semi-arid brushy areas typically with loose soil and rocks, including washes, streamsides, rocky hillsides, and coastal chaparral. |
| Taxonomic Notes |
| Formerly placed in the genus Cnemidophorus. |
| Conservation Issues (Conservation Status) |
| Populations of this lizard are fragmented. It inhabits only about 25 percent of its former range. Much of the habitat it needs for survival has been destroyed by development. |
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Taxonomy |
| Family |
Teiidae |
Whiptails and Racerunners |
| Genus |
Aspidoscelis |
Whiptails (formerly Cnemidophorus) |
| Species |
hyperythra |
Orange-throated Whiptail |
Subspecies
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beldingi |
Belding's Orange-throated Whiptail |
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Original Description |
Cnemidophorus hyperythrus Cope, 1863 - Proc. Acad. Nat. Sci. Philadelphia, Vol. 15, p. 103
Cnemidophorus hyperythrus beldingi - Stejneger, 1894 - Proc. U.S. Natl. Mus., Vol. 17, p. 17
from Original Description Citations for the Reptiles and Amphibians of North America © Ellin Beltz
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Meaning of the Scientific Name |
(Cnemidophorus - Gr. knemidos greaves and Gr. phoros wearing - refers to the large scales on forelegs)
Aspidoscelis - shield leg
hyperythrus - Greek - hyper above, beyond, over and erythros red - referring to the throat color
beldingi - honors Belding, Lyman
from Scientific and Common Names of the Reptiles and Amphibians of North America - Explained © Ellin Beltz
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Alternate Names |
Orange-throated Whiptail
Formerly placed in the Genus Cnemidophorus
Cnemidophorus hyperythrus - Orange-throated whiptail (no subspecies recognized)
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Related or Similar California Lizards |
A. t. stejnegeri - Coastal Whiptail
A. t. munda - California Whiptail
A. t. tigris - Great Basin Whiptail
E. s. interparietalis - Coronado Skink
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More Information and References |
Natureserve Explorer
California Dept. of Fish and Game
Stebbins, Robert C. A Field Guide to Western Reptiles and Amphibians. 3rd Edition. Houghton Mifflin Company, 2003.
Behler, John L., & F. Wayne King. The Audubon Society Field Guide to North American Reptiles and Amphibians. Alfred A. Knopf, 1992.
Smith, Hobart M. Handbook of Lizards, Lizards of the United States and of Canada. Cornell University Press, 1946.
Grismer, L. Lee. Amphibians and Reptiles of Baja California, Including Its Pacific Islands and the Islands in the Sea of Cortés. The University of California Press, 2002.
McPeak, Ron H. Amphibians and Reptiles of Baja California. Sea Challengers, 2000.
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The following status listings come from the Special Animals List which is published several times each year by the California Department of Fish and Game.
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Organization
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Status Listing
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| U.S. Endangered Species Act (ESA) |
None |
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| California Endangered Species Act (CESA) |
None |
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| California Department of Fish and Game |
DFG:SSC |
California Species of Special Concern |
| Bureau of Land Management |
None |
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| USDA Forest Service |
None |
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| Natureserve Global Conservation Status Ranks |
G5 |
Secure |
World Conservation Union - IUCN Red List
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IUCN:DD |
Data Deficient |
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