THE CENTER FOR NORTH AMERICAN HERPETOLOGY


Reptilia    Squamata (part)    Iguanidae  

Common Chuckwalla
Sauromalus ater Duméril, 1856

Current SSAR Comments:
Sumarli et al. (2024, Biological Journal of the Linnean Society 141: 572–588) presented results based on genomic RADseq data indicating that populations formerly included in S. ater from most of the Baja California peninsula are potentially a different species from those in the United States and Sonora (and northeastern Baja California), Mexico, although that finding does not affect the name of the species covered in this list.

Range maps are based on curated specimens and provided gratis by CNAH.
(Created by Travis W. Taggart; Version: 2023.04.10.13.21.22)
Download GeoJSON polygon range file: - 0.95 MB

First instance(s) of published English names:
Fat Lizard (Euphryne obesa: Cooper, James G. 1869. The fauna of California and its geographical distribution. Proceedings of the California Academy of Sciences 4():61-81); Alderman Lizard (Sauromalus ater: Yarrow, Henry C. 1882. Check list of North American Reptilia and Batrachia with catalogue of specimens in U. S. National Museum. Bulletin of the United States National Museum (24):1-249); Chuck-walla (Sauromalus ater: Stejneger, Leonard. 1893. Annotated list of the reptiles and batrachians collected by the Death Valley Expedition in 1891, with descriptions of new species. North American Fauna 7():159–228); Chuck-walla (Sauromalus ater: Van Denburgh, John. 1897. The reptiles of the Pacific Coast and Great Basin: An account of the species known to inhabit California, and Oregon, Washington, Idaho, and Nevada. Occasional Papers of the California Academy of Sciences 5():9-236); Northern Chuckwalla (Sauromalus ater: Van Denburgh, John. 1922. The Reptiles of Western North America: An Account of the Species Known to Inhabit California and Oregon, Washinton, Idaho, Utah, Nevada, Arizona, British Columbia, Sonora, and Lower California. Volume I. Lizards. California Academy of Sciences, San Francisco. 556pp.); Chuckwalla (Sauromalus obesus: Schmidt, Karl P. 1953. A Check List of North American Amphibians and Reptiles. 6th Edition. University of Chicago Press, Chicago, Illinois. 280pp.); Chuckwalla (Sauromalus obesus obesus: Schmidt, Karl P. 1953. A Check List of North American Amphibians and Reptiles. 6th Edition. University of Chicago Press, Chicago, Illinois. 280pp.); Gila Mountain Chuckwalla (Sauromalus obesus tumidus: Schmidt, Karl P. 1953. A Check List of North American Amphibians and Reptiles. 6th Edition. University of Chicago Press, Chicago, Illinois. 280pp.);

Taxon Links:

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

Pertinent LIterature:
1856 Dumeril, Auguste H. A. Description des reptiles nouveaux ou imparfaitement connus de la collection du Muséum d’Histoire Naturelle et remarques sur la classification et les charactères des reptiles. [Description of new or imperfectly known reptiles in the collection of the Natural History Museum and remarks on the classification and characteristics of reptiles.] Archives du Muséum d'Histoire Naturelle, Paris 8(56):437—588

THE CENTER FOR NORTH AMERICAN HERPETOLOGY — Accessed: Thursday 30 January 2025 02:22 CT