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Sceloporus magister HALLOWELL, 1854

IUCN Red List - Sceloporus magister - Least Concern, LC
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Higher TaxaPhrynosomatidae, Sceloporinae, Iguania, Sauria, Squamata (lizards)
Subspecies 
Common NamesE: Desert Spiny Lizard
E: Orange-headed Spiny Lizard [cephaloflavus]
E: Twin-spotted Spiny Lizard [bimaculosus]
S: Cachora [bimaculosus]
E: Purple-backed Spiny Lizard [magister]
E: Barred Spiny Lizard [transversus]
G: Wüsten-Stachelleguan
S: Lagartija del Desierto 
SynonymSceloporus magister HALLOWELL 1854: 93
Sceloporus spinosus magister — BOULENGER 1897: 492
Sceloporus magister montserratensis VAN DENBURGH & SLEVIN 1921
Sceloporus montserratensis VAN DENBURGH & SLEVIN 1921: 396
Sceloporus magister magister — SMITH & TAYLOR 1950: 114
Sceloporus magister cephaloflavus TANNER 1955
Sceloporus magister transversus PHELAN & BRATTSTROM 1955
Sceloporus magister montserratensis — ZWEIFEL 1958
Sceloporus magister cephaloflavus — STEBBINS 1985: 128
Sceloporus magister — STEBBINS 1985: 127
Sceloporus magister — LINER 1994
Sceloporus magister cephaloflavus — CROTHER 2000
Sceloporus magister transversus — CROTHER 2000
Sceloporus magister cephaloflavus — BELL et al. 2003
Sceloporus magister — SCHULTE et al. 2006
Sceloporus magister — WERNING 2012
Sceloporus magister — HEIMES 2022 
DistributionUSA (SE California, Nevada, S Utah, Colorado, Arizona, New Mexico),
Mexico (Baja California, Sonora, NW Chihuahua, Coahuila, Sinaloa)

cephaloflavus: USA (Utah). Type Locality: Bentley's Cabin, approximately 15 mi NW Hole-in-the-Rock, Kaiparowits Plateau, Kane County, Utah.

magister: USA (Arizona); Type locality: Fort Yuma, Arizona, restricted to Yuma, Yuma, Arizona, by Smith and Taylor (1950)].

montserratensis: Mexico (Baja California: Monserrate Island); Type locality: Monserrate Island, Gulf of California

transversus: USA (California); Type Locality: Keough's Hot Springs, 7 mi. S Bishop, Inyo County, California.  
Reproductionoviparous 
TypesHolotype: USNM 2967
Holotype: CAS 91199 [bimaculosus]
Holotype: CAS 91200 [transversus]
Holotype: BYU 11270, collected 16 July 1953 by D. E. Beck [cephaloflavus]
Holotype: CAS 50509 [montserratensis] 
DiagnosisDiagnosis: Smith 1939: 145 
CommentSimilar species: Historically, this species has been confused with S. clarkii (STEJNEGER 1893).

Subspecies: Sceloporus magister bimaculosus PHELAN & BRATTSTROM 1955 and S. m. uniformis have been elevated to full species. S. m. transversus is neither listed nor discussed by BOUNDY et al. 2012. Leaché and Mulcahy (2007) found that specimens from closer to the type locality of S. m. cephaloflavus were part of S. uniformis rather than S. magister; consequently, Crother et al. 2012 have not recognized subspecies within S. magister. Crother et al. 2017 and Pavón-Vázquez et al. 2024 do not recognize any subspecies and thus consider magister as monotypic.

Distribution: Not in Durango fide Lemos-Espinal (2018); not in Coahuila where it is represented by S. m. bimaculosus, now a valid species according to some authors; see maps in Jones & Lovich 2009: 226, Parker 1982, Pavón-Vázquez et al. 2024 (Fig.1). The map in Pavón-Vázquez et al. 2024 also shows the formerly recognized subspecies bimaculosus, cephaloflavus, magister, transversus, and uniformis (even though they do not recognize them any more).

Diet: a large percentage of the diet of this species (10-30%) consists of ants (Lucas et al. 2023). 
EtymologyNamed after the Latin magister, "master," or "chief," refers to the large size of this species.

cephaloflavus: The Greek noun kephale, "head," and the Latin noun flavus, "yellow," together refer to the yellow or orange dorsal head scales.

transversus: The Latin noun transversus, "crosswise," refers to the 6 or 7 conspicuous dark crossbars on the dorsum. 
References
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