Home/Species/ Twin-spotted Spiny Lizard

Sceloporus bimaculosus

(Phelan and Brattstrom, 1955)

Twin-spotted Spiny Lizard

G5Secure Found in 3 roadless areas NatureServe Explorer →

G5SecureGlobal Rank

Identity

Unique IDELEMENT_GLOBAL.2.1167736

Element CodeARACF14220

Record TypeSPECIES

ClassificationSpecies

Classification StatusStandard

Name CategoryVertebrate Animal

KingdomAnimalia

PhylumCraniata

ClassReptilia

OrderSquamata

FamilyPhrynosomatidae

GenusSceloporus

Synonyms

Sceloporus magister bimaculosusPhelan and Brattstrom, 1955

Concept Reference

Crother, B. I. (editor). 2017. Scientific and standard English names of amphibians and reptiles of North America north of Mexico, with comments regarding confidence in our understanding. 8th edition. SSAR Herpetological Circular 43:1-104. [Updates in SSAR North American Species Names Database at: https://ssarherps.org/cndb]

Taxonomic Comments

Sceloporus bimaculosus is currently recognized as a full species (see Crother 2017 and Lazcano et al. 2019). Previously, Sceloporus magister bimaculosus was elevated to full species by Schulte et al. (2006) but returned to the synonymy of S. magister by Leaché and Mulcahy (2007).

Conservation Status

Rank MethodExpertise without calculation

Review Date2013-07-04

Change Date2013-07-04

Edition Date2013-07-10

Edition AuthorsHammerson, G.

Number of Occurrences81 - 300

Range Extent Comments

Range has not been precisely circumscribed but (based on Fig. 2 in Leaché and Mulcahy 2007) includes central and much of southern New Mexico, adjacent north central Mexico, Texas, and southeastern Arizona, (Degenhardt et al. 1996, Schulte et al. 2006, Leaché and Mulcahy 2007).

Occurrences Comments

This species is represented by a fairly large number of occurrences (subpopulations) and locations (as defined by IUCN).

Ecology & Habitat

Habitat

In much of New Mexico, these lizards are mostly terrestrial and closely associated with dense stands of mesquite, creosotebush, or tarbush along arroyos or playa edges (Degenhardt et al. 1996).

Terrestrial Habitats

Desert

Palustrine Habitats

Riparian

Other Nations (1)

United StatesN5

Province	Rank	Native
Arizona	SNR	Yes
New Mexico	SNR	Yes
Texas	SNR	Yes

Roadless Areas (3)

Arizona (2)

Area	Forest	Acres
Middle Dragoon Roadless	Coronado National Forest	10,543
Pinaleno	Coronado National Forest	130,920

New Mexico (1)

Area	Forest	Acres
West Face Sacramento Mountains	Lincoln National Forest	41,176

References (8)

Crother, B. I. (editor). 2008. Scientific and standard English names of amphibians and reptiles of North America north of Mexico, with comments regarding confidence in our understanding. Sixth edition. Society for the Study of Amphibians and Reptiles Herpetological Circular 37:1-84. Online with updates at: http://www.ssarherps.org/pages/comm_names/Index.php
Crother, B. I. (editor). 2012. Scientific and standard English names of amphibians and reptiles of North America north of Mexico, with comments regarding confidence in our understanding. 7th edition. SSAR Herpetological Circular 39:1-92.
Crother, B. I. (editor). 2017. Scientific and standard English names of amphibians and reptiles of North America north of Mexico, with comments regarding confidence in our understanding. 8th edition. SSAR Herpetological Circular 43:1-104. [Updates in SSAR North American Species Names Database at: https://ssarherps.org/cndb]
Crother, B. I., J. Boundy, J. A. Campbell, K. de Quieroz, D. Frost, D. M. Green, R. Highton, J. B. Iverson, R. W. McDiarmid, P. A. Meylan, T. W. Reeder, M. E. Seidel, J. W. Sites, Jr., S. G. Tilley, and D. B. Wake. 2003. Scientific and standard English names of amphibians and reptiles of North America north of Mexico: update. Herpetological Review 34:198-203.
Degenhardt, W. G., C. W. Painter, and A. H. Price. 1996. Amphibians and reptiles of New Mexico. University of New Mexico Press, Albuquerque. xix + 431 pp.
Lazcano, D., M. Neva´rez-de los Reyes, E. Garci´a-Padilla, J. D. Johnson, V. Mata-Silva, D. L. DeSantis, and L. D. Wilson. 2019. The herpetofauna of Coahuila, Mexico: composition, distribution, and conservation status. Amphibian & Reptile Conservation 13(2):31-94.
Leaché, A. D., and D. G. Mulcahy. 2007. Phylogeny, divergence times and species limits of spiny lizards (<i>Sceloporus magister</i> species group) in western North American deserts and Baja California. Molecular Ecology 16:5216-5233.
Schulte II, J.A., R. Macey, and T.J. Papenfuss. 2006. A genetic perspective on the geographic association of taxa among arid North American lizards of <i>the Sceloporus magister</i> complex (Squamata: Iguanidae: Phrynosomatinae). Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution 39:873-880.