THE CENTER FOR NORTH AMERICAN HERPETOLOGY

Reptilia    Squamata (part-other lizards)    Phrynosomatidae  

Dunes Sagebrush Lizard
Sceloporus arenicolus Degenhardt and Jones, 1972
sel-oh-PORE-us — uh-REN-ih-ko-lus

SSAR 9th Edition Comments:
 Chan et al. (2020, PLoS ONE 15: e0238194) presented additional evidence (see Chan et al., 2009, Conservation Genetics 10: 131–142) for mtDNA and microsatellite differentiation among S. arenicolus populations. They found multiple nested genetic clusters with limited gene flow among them. (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: 2023.04.10.13.21.22)
Download GeoJSON polygon range file: - 0.16 MB

Province/State Distribution:
United States: New Mexico Texas

Taxonomic Etymology:
Named for its sandy environment.
Sceloporus — rom Greek skelos (σκελός), “leg,” and poros (πόρος), “pore,” referring to the conspicuous femoral pores found on the legs of males.
arenicolus — From Latin arena (“sand”) and -cola (“dweller”), meaning “sand-dweller.” Refers to the species’ strict association with sandy shinnery oak dunes in southeastern New Mexico and adjacent Texas.

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:
1972 Degenhardt, William G. and Kirkland L. Jones. A new sagebrush lizard, Sceloporus graciosus, from New Mexico and Texas. Herpetologica 28(3):212-217
1975 Cole, Charles J. Karyotype and systematic status of the San Dune Lizard (Sceloporus graciosus arenicolous) of the American Southwest. Herpetologica 31(3):288-293
1991 Collins, Joseph T. Viewpoint: A new taxonomic arrangement for some North American amphibins and reptiles Herpetological Review 22(2):42-43
1992 Sites, Jack W., Jr., J. W. Archie, C. J. Cole, and O. Flores Villela. A review of phylogenetic hypotheses for lizards of the genus Sceloporus (Phrynosomatidae): Implications for ecological and evolutionary studies. Bulletin of the American Museum of Natural History (213):1-110
1993 Wiens, John J. Phylogenetic relationships of phrynosomatid lizards and monophyly of the Sceloporus group. Copeia 1993(2):287-299
1997 Wiens, John J. and Todd W. Reeder. Phylogeny of the spiny lizards (Sceloporus) based on molecular and morphological evidence. Herpetological Monographs 11:1-101
2010 Wiens, John J., Caitlin A. Kuczynski, Saad Arif, and Tod W. Reeder. Phylogenetic relationships of phrynosomatid lizards based on nuclear and mitochondrial data, and a revised phylogeny for Sceloporus. Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution 54:150-161
2010 Leaché, Adam D. and Jack W. Sites. Chromosome evolution and diversification in North American Spiny Lizards (genus Sceloporus). Cytogenetic and Genome Research 127(2-4):166-191
2010 Leaché, Adam D. Species trees for spiny lizards (Genus Sceloporus): Identifying points of concordance and conflict between nuclear and mitochondrial data. Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution 2010(54):162-171
2013 Lambert, Shea M. and John J. Wiens. Evolution of viviparity: A phylogenetic test of the cold-climate hypothesis in Phrynosomatid lizards. Evolution 67(9):2614–2630
2014 Crother, Brian I. The bold taxonomic hypotheses of Collins (1991): 23 years later. Herpetological Review 45(2):268-272
2024 Pillod, David S., Michelle I. Jeffries, Robert S. Arkle, and Deanna H. Olson. Climate futures for lizards and snakes in western North America may result in new species management issues Ecology and Evolution 14(10):1-23

THE CENTER FOR NORTH AMERICAN HERPETOLOGY — Accessed: Friday 05 December 2025 15:54 CT