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Red-Lipped Plateau Lizard
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- Order: Squamata (scaled reptiles)
- Suborder: Lacertilia (=Sauria) (lizards)
- Family: Iguanidae (iguanid lizards)
- Subfamily: Phrynosomatinae (spiny and horned
lizards)
- Genus: Sceloporus (fence and spiny
lizards)
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| Also known as: (all undulatus)
eastern fence lizard, fence swift |
Scientific Name: Sceloporus
undulatus erythrocheilus Maslin, 1956 |
| Habitat: Open areas
(clearings, meadows, prairies), commonly seen among brush piles
and on fence posts. |
Skelos="leg," porus="pore"
(referring to femoral pores on the legs), erythro="red,"
cheilos="lip"
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| Length: to 7.5 inches total. |
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| Food: Insects and
other small arthropods. |
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Fence lizards are a common sight throughout most
of the southern and central United States. The red-lipped
plateau lizard is a subspecies of the eastern fence lizard, whose
range is shown here. The western fence lizard (Sceloporus
occidentalis) takes the eastern's place in the western
states. This specimen is a male, as evidenced by the
turquoise belly patches which can be seen (just barely!) in the
picture. |
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