THE CENTER FOR NORTH AMERICAN HERPETOLOGY


Reptilia    Squamata (part-other lizards)    Teiidae  

Neaves’ Whiptail
Aspidoscelis neavesi Cole, Taylor, Baumann, and Baumann, 2014
as-pid-OSS-uh-lis — NEE-vess-eye

SSAR 9th Edition Comments:
This newly named species was generated in the laboratory by hybridization between A. exsanguis and A. arizonae (as A. inornatus) (Cole et al., 2014, Brevoria (539): 1-20). (de Queiroz, Kevin and Lauren M. Chan. 2025. Squamata (excluding snakes) – Lizards. Pages 23-37 in Kirsten E. Nicholson (Editor), Scientific and Standard English Names of Amphibians and Reptiles of North America North of Mexico, with Comments Regarding Confidence in Our Understanding, 9th Edition. Society for the Study of Amphibians and Reptiles, Lawrence, Kansas. 87 pp.)

Range maps are based on curated specimens and provided gratis by CNAH.
(Created by Travis W. Taggart; Version: 2025.01.30.10.21.14)
Download GeoJSON polygon range file: - 0.02 MB

Province/State Distribution:
United States: Missouri

Taxonomic Etymology:
A parthenogenetic species named in honor of a geneticist.
Aspidoscelis — Greek for “shield leg.”
neavesi — Patronym honoring William B. Neaves, a geneticist known for his work on parthenogenesis.

First instance(s) of published English names:
No historic English names have been assigned to this taxon yet.

Taxon Links:

  
Catalog of American Amphibians and Reptiles
  
The Reptile Database
  
NatureServe
  
iNaturalist
  
GenBank
  
USGS - Nonindigenous Aquatic Species Database

Selected References:
1970 Gorman, George C. Chromosomes and the systematics of the family Teiidae (Sauria, Reptilia). Copeia 1970(2):230-245
2002 Reeder, Tod W., Charles J. Cole, and Herbert C. Dessauer. Phylogenetic relationships of Whiptail lizards of the genus Cnemidophorus (Squamata: Teiidae): A test of monophyly, reevaluation of karyotypic evolution, and review of hybrid origins. American Museum Novitates (3365):1-61
2014 Cole, Charles J., Harry L. Taylor, Diana P. Baumann, and Peter Baumann. Neave's Whiptail Lizard: The first known tetraploid parthenogenetic tetrapod (Reptilia: Squamata: Teiidae). Brevoria (539):1-20

THE CENTER FOR NORTH AMERICAN HERPETOLOGY — Accessed: Friday 05 December 2025 16:54 CT