| New Mexico whiptail | |
|---|---|
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| New Mexico whiptail (Aspidoscelis neomexicanus) | |
Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Reptilia |
| Order: | Squamata |
| Suborder: | Lacertoidea |
| Family: | Teiidae |
| Genus: | Aspidoscelis |
| Species: | A. neomexicanus |
| Binomial name | |
| Aspidoscelis neomexicanus | |
| Synonyms | |
Cnemidophorus perplexus | |
TheNew Mexico whiptail (Aspidoscelis neomexicanus) is a female-onlyspecies oflizard found inNew Mexico andArizona in the southwestern United States, and inChihuahua in northern Mexico. It is the officialstate reptile of New Mexico.[2] It is one of many lizard species known to beparthenogenetic. Individuals of the species can be created either through the hybridization of the little striped whiptail (A. inornatus) and the western whiptail (A. tigris),[3] or through the parthenogenetic reproduction of an adult New Mexico whiptail.
The hybridization of these species prevents healthymales from forming, whereas males exist in one parent species (seesexual differentiation). Parthenogenesis allows the all-female population to reproduce. This combination ofinterspecific hybridization andparthenogenesis exists as a reproductive strategy in several species of whiptail lizard within the genusAspidoscelis to which the New Mexico whiptail belongs.
The New Mexico whiptail grows from 6.5 to 9.1 in (16.5 to 23 cm) in length, and is typically overall brown or black in color with seven pale yellow stripes fromhead totail. Light colored spots often occur between the stripes. They have a white or pale blue underside, with a blue or blue-green colored throat. They are slender bodied, with a long tail that is more commonly blue-green in their infant stage, melding into the same spotted brown and yellow color as they age.
Like most other whiptail lizards, the New Mexico whiptail isdiurnal andinsectivorous. They are wary, energetic, and fast moving, darting for cover if approached. They are found in a wide variety of semi-arid habitats, includinggrassland, rocky areas, shrubland, or mountainside woodlands. Reproduction occurs throughparthenogenesis, with up to four unfertilizedeggs being laid in mid summer, and hatching approximately eight weeks later.
The New Mexico whiptail lizard is a crossbreed of awestern whiptail, which lives in the desert, and thelittle striped whiptail, which favors grasslands. The whiptail engages in mating behavior with other females of its own species, giving rise to the nickname "lesbian lizards".[4][5] A common theory is that this behavior stimulates ovulation, as those that do not "mate" do not lay eggs.[6]
Authority control databases: National |
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