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Reptilia    Squamata (part)    Phrynosomatidae  

Western Fence Lizard
Sceloporus occidentalis Baird and Girard, 1852

Current SSAR Comments:
Bouzid et al. (2022, Molecular Ecology 31: 620–631) used RADseq data to characterize genetic structure and gene flow throughout the range of S. occidentalis. They found evidence for four or five populations inhabiting different geographic regions with admixture at the boundaries between them. They inferred long-term stability in the southern portions of the range and northward expansion followed by secondary contact in the north and suggested that S. occidentalis constitutes an ephemeral ring species. The authors did not address taxonomy, but their results indicate that the current subspecies taxonomy (e.g., Bell and Price, 1996, Catalogue of American Amphibians and Reptiles 631.1) needs revision. S. o. occidentalis corresponds approximately to the Pacific Northwest population. S. o. biseriatus and S. o. bocourti are part of a single population (central California west of the Sierra Nevada), for which the name S. o. biseriatus has priority. The former S. o. longipes is composed of an eastern Sierra Nevada population and a Great Basin population, which were sometimes inferred to form a single population and a separate Southern California population. We here treat the combined Great Basin and eastern Sierra Nevada population as one subspecies and the Southern California population as another; however, this creates nomenclatural complications because specimens from near the type locality of S. o. longipes are not assigned to any of these populations, and it is unclear if there are any available names for them (e.g., S. smaragdinus Cope, in Yarrow, 1875 is based on specimens from the Great Basin but is unavailable as a junior primary homonym of S. smaragdinus Bocourt, 1873 [Bell et al., 2003, Acta Zoológica Mexicana. 90: 103–174]; S. biseriatus nigroventris Bocourt, 1874 is based on one or more specimens from “Californie”, whose precise collection locality is currently unknown). The taxonomy of S. occidentalis needs further study.

Range maps are based on curated specimens and provided gratis by CNAH.
(Created by Travis W. Taggart; Version: 2024.07.02.09.10.05)
Download GeoJSON polygon range file: - 2.94 MB

First instance(s) of published English names:
Western Fence Lizard (Sceloporus occidentalis: Cooper, James G., George Suckley, William Cooper, George Gibbs, Asa Gray, and John L. Le Conte. 1859. The natural history of Washington territory, with much relating to Minnesota, Nebraska, Kansas, Oregon, and California, between the thirty-sixth and forty-ninth parallels of latitude, being those parts of the final reports on the survey of the Northern Pacific railroad route, containing the climate and physical geography, with full catalogues and descriptions of the plants and animals collected from 1853 to 1857. Bailliere Bros., London, H. Bailliere;, New York, New York. pp.); Two-striped Lizard (Sceloporus biseriatus: Cooper, James G. 1869. The fauna of California and its geographical distribution. Proceedings of the California Academy of Sciences 4():61-81); Long-footed Lizard (Sceloporus longipes: Cooper, James G. 1869. The fauna of California and its geographical distribution. Proceedings of the California Academy of Sciences 4():61-81); Two-lined Lizard (Sceloporus biseriatus: 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); Western Alligator Lizard (Sceloporus undulatus occidentalis: 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); Fence Lizard (Sceloporus biseriatus: 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); Blue-bellied Lizard (Sceloporus occidentalis: 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); Occidental Wave-lined Lizard (Sceloporus occidentalis: Brown, Arthur, E. 1902. Report of the Board of Directors. Pages 5-22 in Thirtieth Annual Report of the Board of Directors of the Zoological Society of Philadelphia. Allen, Lane, and Scott, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. pp.); Pacific Blue-bellied Lizard (Sceloporus occidentalis occidentalis: 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.); Western Blue-bellied Lizard (Sceloporus occidentalis taylori: 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.); Tenaya Blue-bellied Lizard (Sceloporus occidentalis taylori: 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.); Western Fence Lizard (Sceloporus occidentalis: Schmidt, Karl P. 1953. A Check List of North American Amphibians and Reptiles. 6th Edition. University of Chicago Press, Chicago, Illinois. 280pp.); Island Fence Lizard (Sceloporus occidentalis becki: Schmidt, Karl P. 1953. A Check List of North American Amphibians and Reptiles. 6th Edition. University of Chicago Press, Chicago, Illinois. 280pp.); Great Basin Fence Lizard (Sceloporus occidentalis biseriatus: Schmidt, Karl P. 1953. A Check List of North American Amphibians and Reptiles. 6th Edition. University of Chicago Press, Chicago, Illinois. 280pp.); Pacific Fence Lizard (Sceloporus occidentalis occidentalis: Schmidt, Karl P. 1953. A Check List of North American Amphibians and Reptiles. 6th Edition. University of Chicago Press, Chicago, Illinois. 280pp.); Yosemite Fence Lizard (Sceloporus occidentalis taylori: 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:
1852 Baird, Spencer F. and Charles Girard. Descriptions of new species of reptiles, collected by the U. S. Exploring Expedition under the command of Capt. Charles Wilkes, U. S. N., First Part including the species from the western part of America. Proceedings of the Academy of Natural Sciences, Philadelphia 6():174-177
2021 Pereira, Ricardo J. and Sonal Singhal. A lizard with two tales: What diversification within Sceloporus occidentalis teaches us about species formation. Molecular Ecology 31(2):407-410
2022 Bouzid, Nassima M., James W. Archie, Roger A. Anderson, Jared A. Grummer, and Adam D. Leaché. Evidence for ephemeral ring species formation during the diversification history of western fence lizards (Sceloporus occidentalis). Molecular Ecology 31(2):620–631

THE CENTER FOR NORTH AMERICAN HERPETOLOGY — Accessed: Thursday 30 January 2025 02:23 CT