Gila Spotted Whiptail Lizard
Aspidoscelis flagellicauda
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- A. flagellicauda – Coconino Co, AZ – photo from iNaturalist, geomamba
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- Map by Steve Bledsoe, SWCHR
DISTRIBUTION: In our region, Aspidoscelis flagellicauda occurs across Arizona’s Mogollon Rim country from western central Arizona eastward into extreme western New Mexico. The species also occurs in several of the Sky Island Mountain ranges of southeastern Arizona including the Catalina, Galiuro, Pinaleño, and Chiricahua Mountains.
LEGAL STATUS: No Listings
MEANING OF SCIENTIFIC NAME: Aspidoscelis flagellicauda (Lowe & Wright – 1964)
Genus: Aspidoscelis, Greek – aspido = shield + scelis (skelos) = leg – pos. ref. large shield-like scales on legs
Species: flagellicauda, Latin – flagellum = whip + caudus = tailed — ref. long slender tail, typical of genus
Ref. Ellen Beltz 2006
Ref. E. Jaeger 1962