Aspidoscelis velox
(Springer, 1928)
as-pid-OSS-uh-lis — VEL-oks
SSAR 9th Edition Comments:
Cole et al. (2019, American Museum Novitates. 3936: 1–8) studied karyotypes of Aspidoscelis from a population that had previously been treated as the species A. innotatus (e.g., Wright, 1993, in J. W. Wright and L. J. Vitt [Editors], Biology of Whiptail Lizards [Genus Cnemidophorus], Oklahoma Museum of Natural History, Pp. 27–81), which had been thought to differ from triploid A. velox in being diploid (Wright, op. cit.; see also Cuellar and Wright, 1992, Compte rendu des séances de la Société de biogéographie 68: 157–160). They found all individuals examined to be triploid and therefore treated this population as conspecific with A. velox.
(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: 2023.04.08.10.27.57)
Download GeoJSON polygon range file: - 1.48 MB
Taxonomic Etymology:
A fast-moving whiptail lizard of the western U.S.
Aspidoscelis — Greek for “shield leg.”
velox — Latin velox = “swift” or “fast,” referring to its rapid locomotion.
First instance(s) of published English names:
Colorado Plateau Race Runner (Cnemidophorus sacki innotatus: Schmidt, Karl P. 1953. A Check List of North American Amphibians and Reptiles. 6th Edition. University of Chicago Press, Chicago, Illinois. 280pp.);
Catalog of American Amphibians and Reptiles
The Reptile Database
GenBank
USGS - Nonindigenous Aquatic Species Database
Selected References:
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1928
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Springer, Syewart. An annotated list of the lizards of Lee's Ferry, Arizona. Copeia 1928(169):100-104
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1931
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Burt, Charles E. A study of the teiid lizards of the genus Cnemidophorus with special reference to their phylogenetic relationships. Bulletin of the United States National Museum (154):1-286
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1968
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Wright, John W. Variation in three sympatric sibling species of whiptail lizards, genus Cnemidophorus. Journal of Herpetology 1(1-4):1-20
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1970
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Gorman, George C. Chromosomes and the systematics of the family Teiidae (Sauria, Reptilia). Copeia 1970(2):230-245
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1998
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Stuart, James N. Cnemidophorus velox Catalogue of American Amphibians and Reptiles (656):1-6
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2002
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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
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