You are here » home › search results › Sceloporus merriami

Sceloporus merriami STEJNEGER, 1904

IUCN Red List - Sceloporus merriami - Least Concern, LC
iNaturalist logo

Can you confirm these amateur observations of Sceloporus merriami?

Add your own observation of
Sceloporus merriami »

Find more photos by Google images search: Google images

Higher TaxaPhrynosomatidae, Sceloporinae, Iguania, Sauria, Squamata (lizards)
SubspeciesSceloporus merriami annulatus SMITH 1937
Sceloporus merriami australis WILLIAMS, SMITH & CHRAPLIWY 1960
Sceloporus merriami ballingeri LEMOS-ESPINAL, SMITH, AUTH & CHISZAR 2001
Sceloporus merriami longipunctatus OLSON 1973
Sceloporus merriami merriami STEJNEGER 1904
Sceloporus merriami sanojae LEMOS-ESPINAL in SMITH, LEMOS-ESPINAL & CHISZAR 2003
Sceloporus merriami williamsi LEMOS-ESPINAL, CHISZAR & SMITH 2000 
Common NamesE: Canyon Lizard
S: Lagartija de Cañón
annulatus: Big Bend Canyon Lizard
australis: Southeastern Canyon Lizard
ballingeri: Ballinger’s Canyon Lizard
longipunctatus: Presidio Canyon Lizard
merriami: Merriam's Canyon Lizard
sanojae: Sanoja's Canyon Lizard
williamsi: Williams’ Canyon Lizard 
SynonymSceloporus merriami STEJNEGER 1904
Sceloporus merriami merriami — SMITH & TAYLOR 1950: 131
Lysoptychus merriami — LARSEN & TANNER 1975
Sceloporus merriami — CONANT & COLLINS 1991: 109
Sceloporus merriami — LINER 1994
Sceloporus merriami merriami — BELL et al. 2003
Sceloporus merriami merriami — CROTHER et al. 2012
Sceloporus merriami — HEIMES 2022

Sceloporus merriami annulatus SMITH 1937: 83
Sceloporus merriami annulatus — SCHMIDT & OWENS 1944
Sceloporus merriami annulatus SMITH 1946
Sceloporus merriami annulatus — BARTLETT & BARTLETT 1999: 225
Sceloporus merriami annulatus — BELL et al. 2003
Sceloporus merriami annulatus — LINER & CASAS-ANDREU 2008
Sceloporus merriami annulatus — CROTHER et al. 2012

Sceloporus merriami australis WILLIAMS, SMITH & CHRAPLIWY 1960
Sceloporus merriami australis — BELL et al. 2003
Sceloporus merriami australis — LINER & CASAS-ANDREU 2008

Sceloporus merriami ballingeri LEMOS-ESPINAL, SMITH, AUTH & CHISZAR 2001
Sceloporus merriami ballingeri — LINER & CASAS-ANDREU 2008

Sceloporus merriami longipunctatus OLSON 1973
Sceloporus merriami longipunctatus — BARTLETT & BARTLETT 1999: 227
Sceloporus merriami longipunctatus — BELL et al. 2003
Sceloporus merriami longipunctatus — CROTHER et al. 2012

Sceloporus merriami sanojae LEMOS-ESPINAL in SMITH et al. 2003
Sceloporus merriami sanojae — BELL et al. 2003
Sceloporus merriami sanojae — LINER & CASAS-ANDREU 2008

Sceloporus merriami williamsi LEMOS-ESPINAL, CHISZAR & SMITH 2000
Sceloporus merriarni willaimsi [sic] LEMOS-ESPINAL, CHISZAR & SMITH 2000: 93
Sceloporus merriami williamsi — BELL et al. 2003
Sceloporus merriami williamsi — LINER & CASAS-ANDREU 2008 
DistributionUSA (SW Texas), Mexico (Nuevo Léon, Coahuila, Chihuahua)

merriami: Rio Grande and its immediate tributaries from western Brewster County to SE Val Verde County, Texas; Mexico (Chihuahua [HR 32: 276]). Type locality: East Painted Cave, near mouth of the Pecos River, Texas.

annulatus: S/C Brewster County, Texas. Mexico (E Coahuila). Type locality: East slope of the Chisos Mountains, Brewster County, Texas.

australis: Mexico (Coahuila). Type Locality: 15.6 mi (25.1 km) E Cuatro Ciénegas, Coahuila, Mexico.

ballingeri: Mexico (Durango). Type Locality: La Campana, Sierra La Campana, municipio Tlahualilo, Durango (26°7'39.1"N, 103°41'00.0"W).

longipunctatus: USA (W Texas); Type Locality: Closed Canyon, 14.3 rd mi (23.0 km.) SE Redford, Presidio County, Texas.

merriami: W Texas, Mexico (Coahuila)

sanojae: Mexico (Chihuahua). Type Locality: Rancho Peñoles (27°7'49.6"N, 103°48'45.0"W), 1194m, Chihuahua, Mexico.

williamsi: Mexico (Chihuahua). Type Locality: El Fortín, 51 air km W Rio Grande at 29°35’40”N.  
Reproductionoviparous 
TypesHolotype: USNM 33039
Holotype: INHS (= UIMNH) 25058, EHT-HMS A787 [annulatus]
Holotype: INHS (= UIMNH) 43319, collected 9 July 1958; paratype: BYU [australis]
Holotype: UBIPRO 5094, Julio A. Lemos-Espinal collector, 9 June 2000 [ballengeri]
Holotype: USNM 192744, formerly REO 3286, collected 31 May 1971, by R. Earl Olson [longipunctatus]
Holotype: UBIPRO 7456, collected 24 July 2001 by Julio A. Lemos-Espinal [sanojae].
Holotype: INHS (= UIMNH) 52378, taken by K. L. Williams, E. O. Moll, F. Vuilleumier, and J. E. Williams, 31 August 1962 [williamsi]
Holotype: UBIPRO 5094, an adult male, 9 June 2000, Julio A. Lemos-Espinal [ballingeri] 
DiagnosisDiagnosis: Smith 1939: 285


Additional details (39 characters) are available for collaborators and contributors. Please contact us for details. 
Comment 
EtymologyNamed in honor of C. Hart Merriam, the originator of the life-zone theory of biotic ditribution, and chief of the Bureau of Biological Survey, predecessor of the U. S. Fish and Wildlife Service.

S. m. annulatus is named after the Latin noun annulus refers to the banded subcaudal surface, such banding being one of the key characteristics separating this subspecies from Sceloporus merriami merriami.

S. m. australis has been named after the Latin adjective australis, "southern," referring to the range of this southernmost subspecies of S. merriami.

S. m. ballingeri honors Dr. Royce E. Ballinger, of the University of Nebraska, for his many contributions to herpetology and for guidance of Julio A. Lemos-Espinal to his doctoral degree.

S. m. longipunctatus: The Latin adjective long, "long," the noun punctum, "spot," and the suffix -atus, "pertaining to", refer to laterally elongate paravertebral spots, diagnostic of the subspecies.

S. m. sanojae: The subspecific matronym honors Susy Sanoja Sarabia, in honor of and gratitude for her long-term support of Julio A. Lemos-Espinal in the field, laboratory and at home.

S. m. williamsi: The patronym honors Kenneth L. Williams (1934-2017), a specialist in the classification of snakes and the herpetology of Mexico and Honduras. In the original description, two spellings of the name appeared: willaimsi and williamsi. BELL et al. (2003) designated the latter as correct. 
References
  • Axtell, Ralph W. 1959. AMPHIBIANS AND REPTILES OF THE BLACK GAP WILDLIFE MANAGEMENT AREA, BREWSTER COUNTY, TEXAS. Southwestern Naturalist 4 (2): 88-109
  • Baeza-Tarín, F., Hernández, T., Herr, M., Giovanetto, L., Lazcano, D., & Graham, S. P. 2025. NEW DISTRIBUTION RECORDS OF AMPHIBIANS AND REPTILES OF MADERAS DEL CARMEN, COAHUILA, MEXICO. The Southwestern Naturalist, 68(4), 257-262 - get paper here
  • Bartlett, R. D. & Bartlett, P. 1999. A Field Guide to Texas Reptiles and Amphibians. Gulf Publishing Co., Houston, Texas, 331 pp.
  • Bell, E.L.; Smith, H.M. & Chiszar, D. 2003. AN ANNOTATED LIST OF THE SPECIES-GROUP NAMES APPLIED TO THE LIZARD GENUS SCELOPORUS. Acta Zoologica Mexicana (n.s.) 90: 103-174 - get paper here
  • Beolens, Bo; Michael Watkins, and Michael Grayson 2011. The Eponym Dictionary of Reptiles. Johns Hopkins University Press, Baltimore, USA - get paper here
  • Chaney, Allan H.;Gordon, Robert E. 1954. Notes on a population of Sceloporus merriami merriami Stejneger. Texas Journal of Science 6 (1): 78-82 - get paper here
  • Cole, Charles J. 1971. Karyotypes of five monotypic species groups of lizards in the genus Sceloporus. American Museum Novitates (2450): 1-17 - get paper here
  • Conant,R. & Collins,J.T. 1991. A Field Guide to Reptiles and Amphibians of Eastern/Central North America, 3rd ed. Houghton Mifflin (Boston/New York), xx + 450 p.
  • Cooper Jr., W.E. 2005. Duration of movement as a lizard foraging movement variable. Herpetologica 61 (4): 363-372 - get paper here
  • Cooper Jr., W.E.; Vitt, L.J.; Caldwell, J.P. & Fox, S.F. 2005. Relationships among foraging variables, phylogeny, and foraging modes, with new data for nine North American lizard species. Herpetologica 61 (3): 250-259 - get paper here
  • Crother, B. I. (ed.) 2012. Standard Common and Current Scientific Names for North American Amphibians, Turtles, Reptiles, and Crocodilians, Seventh Edition. Herpetological Circular 39: 1-92
  • De Los Reyes, M. N. and D. Lazcano 2016. Geographic Distribution: Sceloporus merriami (Canyon Lizard). Herpetological Review 47(3): 424. - get paper here
  • Dixon, James R. 2000. Amphibians and reptiles of Texas, second edition. Texas A&M University Press, 421 pp.
  • Dunham, A. E. 1981. Populations in a fluctuating environment: the comparative population ecology of the iguanid lizards Sceloporus merriami and Urosaurus ornatus. Thesis: Museum of Zoology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan, USA. - get paper here
  • Fitch, H. S. 1978. Sexual size differences in the genus Sceloporus. Univ. Kansas Sci. Bull. 51 (13): 441-461 - get paper here
  • Heimes, P. 2022. LIZARDS OF MEXICO - Part 1 Iguanian lizards. Edition Chimaira, Frankfurt Am Main, 448 pp. - get paper here
  • Jones, L.L. & Lovich, R.E. 2009. Lizards of the American Southwest. A photographic field guide. Rio Nuevo Publishers, Tucson, AZ, 568 pp. [review in Reptilia 86: 84] - get paper here
  • Kasper, S & Yancey, F D, II; 2018. Sceloporus merriami (Canyon Lizard) Predation by pallid bat. Herpetological Review 49 (4): 746-747 - get paper here
  • Köhler, G. & Heimes, P. 2002. Stachelleguane. Herpeton-Verlag (Offenbach), 174 pp.
  • Larsen, Kenneth R.;Tanner, Wilmer W. 1975. Evolution of the sceloporine lizards (Iguanidae). Great Basin Naturalist 35 (1): 1-20 - get paper here
  • Lazcano D, Nevárez-de los Reyes M, García-Padilla E, Johnson JD, Mata-Silva V, DeSantis DL, Wilson LD. 2019. The herpetofauna of Coahuila, Mexico: composition, distribution, and conservation status. Amphibian & Reptile Conservation 13(2) [General Section]: 31–94 (e189) - get paper here
  • Leaché, A.D. 2009. Species trees for spiny lizards (Genus Sceloporus): Identifying points of concordance and conflict between nuclear and mitochondrial data. Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution 54: 162–171 [print 2010] - get paper here
  • Leaché, A.D. & J.W.Sites, Jr. 2009. Chromosome Evolution and Diversification in North American Spiny Lizards (Genus Sceloporus). Cytogenet Genome Res 127: 166-181 - get paper here
  • Lemos-Espinal JA, Smith GR, Cruz A 2016. Amphibians and Reptiles of the state of Nuevo León, Mexico. ZooKeys 594: 123-141, doi: 10.3897/zookeys.594.8289 - get paper here
  • Lemos-Espinal JA, Smith GR, Gadsden-Esparza H, Valdez-Lares R, Woolrich-Piña GA 2018. Amphibians and reptiles of the state of Durango, Mexico, with comparisons with adjoining states. ZooKeys 748: 65-87 - get paper here
  • Lemos-Espinal, J.A. & Smith, H.M. 2007. Amphibians and reptiles of the state of Chihuahua, Mexico. Universidad Nacional Autonoma de Mexico, 613 pp.
  • Lemos-Espinal, J.A. & Smith, H.M. 2007. Amphibians and reptiles of the state of Coahuila, Mexico. Universidad Nacional Autonoma de Mexico, 550 pp.
  • Lemos-Espinal, J.A.; Smith, H.M.; Auth, D.L. & Chiszar, D. 2001. The subspecies of Sceloporus merriami (Reptilia: Lacertilia) in Chihuahua and Durango, Mexico. Bull. Maryland Herp. Soc. 37 (4): 123-129 - get paper here
  • Lemos-Espinal, Julio A., David Chiszar, and Hobart M. Smith 2000. The lizard Sceloporus merriami in Chihuahua, Mexico. [spelled rnerriarni in original print] Bull. Maryland Herp. Soc. 36 (3): 86-96 - get paper here
  • Liner, Ernest A.;Montanucci, Richard R.;González-Alonso, Arturo;Mendoza Quijano, Fernando 1993. An additional contribution to the herpetology of Northern Coahuila, Mexico. Bol. Soc. Herpetol. Mex. 5 (1): 9-11 - get paper here
  • Lutterschmidt, William I. 2013. REPTILES IN RESEARCH: INVESTIGATIONS OF ECOLOGY, PHYSIOLOGY, AND BEHAVIOR FROM DESERT TO SEA. Nova Science, New York, 527 pp. - get paper here
  • Marr, John C. 1944. Notes on amphibians and reptiles from the Central United States. American Midland Naturalist 32: 478-490 - get paper here
  • Milstead, W.W. 1970. Late Summer Behavior of the Lizards Sceloporus merriami and Urosaurus ornatus in the Field Herpetologica 26 (3): 343-354. - get paper here
  • Nevárez-de-los-Reyes, Manuel, David Lazcano, Elí García-Padilla, Vicente Mata-Silva, Jerry D. Johnson and Larry David Wilson. 2016. The Herpetofauna of Nuevo León, Mexico: Composition, Distribution, and Conservation. Mesoamerican Herpetology 3 (3): 558–638 - get paper here
  • Olson R E 1979. Sceloporus merriami Stejneger. Canyon lizard. Catalogue of American Amphibians and Reptiles (227): 1-2 - get paper here
  • Olson, R. Earl 1973. Variation in the Canyon lizard, Sceloporus merriami Stejneger. Herpetologica 29 (2): 116-127 - get paper here
  • Pilliod, D., Jeffries, M., Arkle, R. and Olson, D. 2024. Climate Futures for Lizards and Snakes in Western North America May Result in New Species Management Issues. Ecol Evol, 14: e70379 - get paper here
  • Schmidt, K.P., and D. Owens. 1944. Amphibians and reptiles of northern Coahuila, Mexico. Field Museum of Natural History, Zoological Series. Chicago. 29: 97-115. - get paper here
  • Smith, H. M. 1939. The Mexican and Central American lizards of the genus Sceloporus. Field Mus. Nat. Hist., Zool. Ser. 26: 1-397. - get paper here
  • Smith, H. M.; Lemos-Espinal, J. A.; Chiszar, D. 2003. New subspecies of Sceloporus merriami (Reptilia: Lacertilia) and the derivation of its subspecies. Southwestern Naturalist 48 (4): 700-704 - get paper here
  • Smith, H.M. 1937. A new subspecies of the lizard genus Sceloporus from Texas. Proc. Biol. Soc. Washington 50: 83-86 - get paper here
  • Smith, Hobart M. 1946. Handbook of Lizards: Lizards of the United States and of Canada. Comstock, Ithaca, NY, xxii + 557 pp.
  • Stejneger, L. 1904. A new lizard from the Rio Grande Valley, Texas. Proc. Biol. Soc. Washington. 17: 17-20 - get paper here
  • Tanner, W. W. 1970. A catalogue of the fish, amphibian, and reptile types in the Brigham Young University Museum of Natural History. Great Basin Naturalist 30 (4): 219-226 - get paper here
  • Valdez-Lares, R.; R. Muñiz-Martínez; E.Gadsden; G. Aguirre-León; G. Castañeda-Gaytán; R. Gonzalez-Trápaga 2013. Checklist of amphibians and reptiles of the state of Durango, México. Check List 9 (4):714-724 - get paper here
  • Weidler, J M 2019. Protected areas of Texas in relation to Texas reptiles. Herpetological Review 50 (3): 462-473 - get paper here
  • Werning, H. 2018. Der Große Treck. Teil 6: Den Rio Grande entlang. Reptilia 23 (130): 68-78
  • Werning, Heiko 2012. Die Reptilien und Amphibien des Südwestens. Draco 13 (50): 18-60 - get paper here
  • Williams, Kenneth L.;Smith, Hobart M.;Chrapliwy, Pete S. 1960. Turtles and lizards from Northern Mexico. Transactions of the Illinois State Academy of Science 53 (1/2): 36-45
  • Wilson, L.D. 2018. Obituary: Kenneth Lee Williams 1934-2017: My fast friend and herpetological colleague of more than half a century. Herpetological Review 49 (1): 178-180. - get paper here
  • Wright, A. H.;Wright, A. A. 1927. Notes on Sceloporus merriami Stejneger. Proc. Biol. Soc. Washington 40: 57-64 + 3 plates - get paper here
  • Zúñiga-Vega, J Jaime, Jake A Pruett, Alison G Ossip-Drahos, Stephanie M Campos, Ryan J Seddon, Savannah L Price, Cristina Romero-Diaz, et al. 2021. Information out of the Blue: Phenotypic Correlates of Abdominal Color Patches in Sceloporus Lizards. Zoology 149: 125961 - get paper here
 
External links  
Is it interesting? Share with others:

As link to this species use URL address:

https://reptile-database.reptarium.cz/species?genus=Sceloporus&species=merriami

without field 'search_param'. Field 'search_param' is used for browsing search result.



Please submit feedback about this entry to the curator