Striped Plateau Lizard – Tucson Herpetological Society

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Striped Plateau Lizard (Sceloporus virgatus)

[/vc_column_text][gap size=”12px” id=”” class=”” style=””][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column width=”1/2″][vc_single_image image=”1289″ img_size=”large” alignment=”center” style=”vc_box_rounded”][vc_column_text]Striped Plateau Lizard, Pine Cyn, Chiricahua Mtns, AZ. Photo by Jim Rorabaugh[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][vc_column width=”1/2″][vc_row_inner][vc_column_inner width=”1/2″][vc_single_image image=”1882″ img_size=”medium” alignment=”center” onclick=”img_link_large”][vc_column_text]Juvenile Striped Plateau Lizard, Sierra Los Ajos, Sonora, MX. Photo by Jim Rorabaugh[/vc_column_text][gap size=”12px” id=”” class=”” style=””][/vc_column_inner][vc_column_inner width=”1/2″][vc_single_image image=”1883″ img_size=”medium” alignment=”center” style=”vc_box_rounded” onclick=”img_link_large”][vc_column_text]Adult Striped Plateau Lizard, Chiricahua Mtns, AZ. Photo by Jim Rorabaugh[/vc_column_text][gap size=”12px” id=”” class=”” style=””][/vc_column_inner][/vc_row_inner][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column width=”1/6″][/vc_column][vc_column width=”2/3″][vc_column_text]

Description

The Striped Plateau Lizard (Sceloporus virgatus) is a relatively small (< 72 mm SVL), striped lizard of the sky islands and the northern Sierra Madre Occidental. A pair of distinctive, whitish or yellowish (sometimes pale brown, especially in females), sharp-edged dorsolateral stripes about two scale rows wide extends from the ear to the base of the tail where they merge. The area between the stripes is gray, brown, or tan and is marked by two rows of dark-edged light spots. These spots may be faint, and may be mostly dark, lacking white centers. Another light stripe lies low on each side from the neck to the groin. The area between the dorsolateral and lateral light stripes is usually darker than the mid-dorsal area. The belly is cream-colored and unpatterned. A small, pale blue or faint greenish spot is present on each side of the throat near the gular region in both adult sexes. In reproductive females, these patches become bordered with orange, or orange replaces the blue or green coloration. A few black flecks are often present on the chest. Dorsal scale rows on the sides of the body, particularly to the rear, run diagonally, upward and back. The scales upon which the femoral pores reside are notched posteriorly (most evident in males). Males are smaller (< 61 mm SVL) than females, and they have enlarged postanal scales and swollen tail bases. Compared to the female, male dorsal spotting tends to be less distinct, the striping is often more vivid, and the throat patches are more distinct and the color more intense.

This species resembles the Southwestern Fence Lizard (Sceloporus cowlesi), the Plateau Fence Lizard (S. tristichus), and Slevin’s Bunchgrass Lizard (S. slevini). But all of those species have abdominal coloration (blue and sometimes black or orange, particularly in males). In the Southwestern Fence Lizard the femoral pore scales are not notched posteriorly, and in our area it is primarily a valley lizard. It does not occur in the wooded mountains where the Striped Plateau Lizard lives. Slevin’s Bunchgrass Lizard has lateral dorsal scale rows that run longitudinally (not up and back), granular scales on the posterior surface of the thigh (not so in the Striped Plateau Lizard), and usually paired chevron markings down each side of the back. The Plateau Fence Lizard is very similar to the Southwestern Fence Lizard, and occurs only to the north of the range of the Striped Plateau Lizard.

This is one of the better studied lizards in the 100-Mile Circle, which is surprising given its very limited distribution in the United States. In the U.S., it occurs only in the northern end of the Sierra San Luis and the Chiricahua, Dos Cabezas, Peloncillo, and Animas mountains of New Mexico and Arizona. In the 100-Mile Circle it is only known from the Sierras Azul and Los Ajos, Sonora, and the Chiricahua and Dos Cabezas mountains. Only three specimens have been collected in the latter range, all of which reside in the University of Arizona herpetological collection, including UAZ 34357 and 34358 from “7000 feet” in an area of Gambel Oak, and UAZ 42500 from “area of Ft Bowie Nat Historic Site” (identity of UAZ 34357 and 42500 confirmed by the author). Prival (2001) also observed Striped Plateau Lizards in the Dos Cabezas Mountains. Range wide, the Striped Plateau Lizard occurs from southeastern Arizona and southwestern New Mexico south through the Sierra Madre Occidental and associated sky island ranges to about the Sinaloa-Sonora border. It may occur in Durango.

This is a species primarily of pine-oak woodland, but can be found in canyons of oak woodland below the pine belt and also upslope into mixed conifer forest. Elevational range in the 100-Mile Circle is 1372-2944 m. The latter elevation is near the top of Fly Peak, which is very close to the high point of the Chiricahua Mountains. At a study site in the Chiricahuas, Striped Plateau Lizards used flat, rocky wooded areas, talus slopes, north facing slopes, and south facing slopes in proportion to their availability. More than half of lizard observations were on rocks, about a quarter were on logs, another 20% on the ground, and the remainder were on tree trunks (Smith 1996). Most are found from early March into late September. There is one 23 November collection from the Chiricahua Mountains. This is a strictly diurnal lizard that can be found active throughout the day.

Females mature at about 50 mm SVL and one clutch of 3-18 (mean = 10) eggs is laid at the beginning of the summer rainy season from late June to late July. Clutch size is correlated with recent (within the previous 12 months) precipitation and temperature. Hatchlings appear in late August and September and are 21-22 mm SVL. Both males and females defend territories against others of their sex. Aggressive interactions among males are common. Interactions between males and females are dominated by courtship. Striped Plateau Lizards are relatively sedentary lizards that catch prey by sudden ambush. They feed on a variety of arthropods.

Montane populations in our area are isolated by inhospitable semi-desert grassland or desertscrub valleys. Ten thousand years ago, these valleys were much cooler and woodlands extended downslope into them, perhaps creating continuous habitat among ranges for the Striped Plateau Lizard and other montane species. However, molecular genetic data of Striped Plateau Lizards from the Chiricahua, Peloncillo, and Animas mountains, and the Sierra San Luis suggest populations have been isolated for much longer times, on the order of hundreds of thousands or millions of years (Tennessen and Zamudio 2008).

The Striped Plateau Lizard is a species of least concern on the IUCN’s 2013 Red List. With a valid Arizona hunting license, four can be taken per year or held in possession, alive or dead. The woodland habitats of this species are vulnerable to catastrophic wildfire and the effects of climate change.

Striped Plateau Lizard (Sceloporus virgatus)

Description

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