Holbrookia propinqua BAIRD & GIRARD, 1852
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Holbrookia propinqua
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| Higher Taxa | Phrynosomatidae, Phrynosomatinae, Callisaurini; Iguania, Sauria, Squamata (lizards) |
| Subspecies | Holbrookia propinqua propinqua BAIRD & GIRARD 1852 Holbrookia propinqua piperata SMITH & BURGER 1950 |
| Common Names | E: Keeled Earless Lizard E: Northern Keeled Earless Lizard [propinqua] S: Lagartija Sorda Carinada |
| Synonym | Holbrookia propinqua BAIRD & GIRARD 1852 Holbrookia propinqua — BOULENGER 1885: 208 Holbrookia propinqua — SCHMIDT 1922: 714 Holbrookia propinqua stonei HARPER 1932 Holbrookia propinqua propinqua — SMITH & TAYLOR 1950: 85 Holbrookia propinqua — CONANT & COLLINS 1991: 101 Holbrookia propinqua — LINER 1994 Holbrookia propinqua — LINER 2007 Holbrookia propinqua — HEIMES 2022 Holbrookia propinqua piperata SMITH & BURGER 1950 Holbrookia propinqua piperata SMITH & BURGER 1950: 167 Holbrookia propinqua piperata — AXTELL 1983 Holbrookia propinqua piperata — LINER 2007 |
| Distribution | USA (S Texas), Mexico (E Tamaulipas, N Veracruz) Type locality: Between Indianola and San Antonio, Texas. Restricted to 9 miles southwest of Somerset, Atascosa County, by SMITH & TAYLOR 1950. piperata: Type locality: Mexico: Etiopa, 2 mi S of Tecolutla, Veracruz. propinqua: S Texas, Mexico (Tamaulipas); Type locality: Between Indianola and San Antonio, Texas. stonei: Texas; Type locality: Padre Island, Texas. |
| Reproduction | oviparous |
| Types | Lectotype: USNM 2671, desgnation by Axtell 1981: 211. Given as “unknown” by SMITH & TAYLOR 1950: 85. Holotype: INHS (= UIMNH) 4048; P.W. Smith, and R.W. Reese; April 24, 1949 [piperata] Holotype: ANSP 19879 [stonei] |
| Diagnosis | Diagnosis: A medium-sized, slender Holbrookia of the maculata species group (sensu Axtell, 1958). Average and maximum snout-vent lengths for mature males are 49.8 and 60.0 mm; for females 48.1 and 56.0 mm. The tail is slightly flattened dorsoventrally, and averages 1.35 and 1.08 times SVL in adult males and females, respectively. The head is slightly elongated and depressed, with keeled, angled (ca. 9° from horizontal) supralabials. The enlarged dorsal head scales are smooth, slightly convex, and unsculptured. There are one to three rows of minute circum- orbitals between the enlarged frontals and the supraoculars. The keeled dorsal scales are tiny, 146-177 from the interparietal to the posterior edge of the hindlimb, and 25-52 in one snout-interparietal length (counted posteriorly from the anterior edge of the forelimb). Femoral pores vary from 14 to 41 (x = 29.9, ± 0.18). The dorsal pattern consists of four rows of brownish blotches on a pale grayish-tan ground. This blotching may be obliterated (especially in coastal populations) by white speckling in mature males and general bleaching in females. The paravertebral rows of larger blotches converge on the tail to form narrow, distally pointing, sharp-tipped V's. A pale zone separating the paravertebral and dorsolateral blotch rows extends from behind the eye to the tail. White scales along the anterior part of this zone usually appear as distinct light lateral nuchal stripes. The lateral-abdominal dark bars are black and elongate (3-4 times longer than broad) in adult males, grayish and less attenuate in females and young. There may be a faint trace of bluish-gray pigment around the bars in males. The gular region is either completely suffused or obscurely barred with fine melanic stippling. The remaining ventral side is unmarked opaque white. During the reproductive season, the sides of the head, neck, trunk, proximal limb joints and the underside of the tail become creamy, yellow, or even reddish in mature males. In ovigerous females hormonally sensitive areas become yellow to bright vermillion, or both (Axtell 1983). |
| Comment | Synonymy: H. p. stonei has been considered a synonym of proinqua at least since Schmidt 1953, hence is not listed by CROTHER (2000), nor Liner 2007. Phylogenetics: Schulte & DE QUEIROZ (2008) showed that Holbrookia maculata is shown to be paraphyletic with respect to Holbrookia propinqua. |
| Etymology | From the Latin propinquus, meaning "near," implying nearness to H. maculata. Piperata (Latin) means "peppery, in allusion to the black dorsal speckling. |
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