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Reptilia    Squamata (part)    Phrynosomatidae  

Eastern Fence Lizard
Sceloporus undulatus (Bosc and Daudin in Sonnini de Manoncourt and Latreille, 1801)

SSAR 9th Edition Comments:
There are no current SSAR comments for this taxon.

Range maps are based on curated specimens and provided gratis by CNAH.
(Created by Travis W. Taggart; Version: 2023.04.10.13.21.20)
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First instance(s) of published English names:
Banded Lizard (Lacerta fasciata: Green, Jacob. 1818. Descriptions of several species of North American Amphibia, accompanied with observations. Journal of the Academy of Natural Sciences of Philadelphia 1():348-359); Indigo Lizard (Lacerta hyacinthina: Green, Jacob. 1818. Descriptions of several species of North American Amphibia, accompanied with observations. Journal of the Academy of Natural Sciences of Philadelphia 1():348-359); Northern Tropidolepis (Tropidolepis undulatus: Gray, John E. 1830. A synopsis of the species of the class reptilia. Pages 1-110 in The Animal Kingdom Arranged in Conformity with its Organization by the Baron Cuvier, member of teh Institute of France, with Additional Descriptions of all the Species Hitherto Named, and of many not before noticed. Ninth Volume. Whittaker, Treacher, and Company, London, England. pp.); Brown Swift (Tropidolepis undulatus: De Kay, James E. 1842. Zoology of New-York, or, The New-York Fauna: Comprising Detailed Descriptions of All the Animals Hitherto Observed within the State of New-York, with Brief Notices of those Occasionally Found Near its Borders, and Accompanied by Appropriate Illustrations. Volume 1, Part 3 (Reptiles and Amphibians). W. & A. White & J. Visscher, Albany, New York. pp.); Pine Lizard (Tropidolepis undulatus: De Kay, James E. 1842. Zoology of New-York, or, The New-York Fauna: Comprising Detailed Descriptions of All the Animals Hitherto Observed within the State of New-York, with Brief Notices of those Occasionally Found Near its Borders, and Accompanied by Appropriate Illustrations. Volume 1, Part 3 (Reptiles and Amphibians). W. & A. White & J. Visscher, Albany, New York. pp.); Brown Scorpion (Tropidolepis undulatus: De Kay, James E. 1842. Zoology of New-York, or, The New-York Fauna: Comprising Detailed Descriptions of All the Animals Hitherto Observed within the State of New-York, with Brief Notices of those Occasionally Found Near its Borders, and Accompanied by Appropriate Illustrations. Volume 1, Part 3 (Reptiles and Amphibians). W. & A. White & J. Visscher, Albany, New York. pp.); Swift (Tropidolepis undulatus: De Kay, James E. 1842. Zoology of New-York, or, The New-York Fauna: Comprising Detailed Descriptions of All the Animals Hitherto Observed within the State of New-York, with Brief Notices of those Occasionally Found Near its Borders, and Accompanied by Appropriate Illustrations. Volume 1, Part 3 (Reptiles and Amphibians). W. & A. White & J. Visscher, Albany, New York. pp.); Undulated Lizard (Tropidolepis undulatus: Royal College of Surgeons of England. 1859. Descriptive catalogue of the specimens of natural history in spirit contained in the Museum of the Royal college of surgeons of England. Vertebrata: Pisces, Reptilia, Aves, Mammalia. Taylor and Francis, London, England. pp.); Brown Swift (Tropidolepis undulatus: Allen, J. A. 1869. Catalogue of the reptiles and batrachians found in the vicinity of Springfield, Mass., with notices of all the other species known to inhabit the state. Proceedings of the Boston Society of Natural Hisotry 12(1868-1869):171-204); Pine Lizard (Tropidolepis undulatus: Allen, J. A. 1869. Catalogue of the reptiles and batrachians found in the vicinity of Springfield, Mass., with notices of all the other species known to inhabit the state. Proceedings of the Boston Society of Natural Hisotry 12(1868-1869):171-204); Pine Tree Lizard (Sceloporus undulatus: Jordan, David Starr. 1876. Manual of the Vertebrates of the Northern United States: Including the District East of the Mississippi River, and North of North Carolina and Tennessee, Exclusive of Marine Species. Jansen, McClurg, and Company, Chicago, Illinois.. 342pp.); Common Lizard (Sceloporus undulatus undulatus: Yarrow, Henry C. 1876. List of Skeletons and Crania in the Section of Comparative Anatomy of the United States Army Medical Museum for use during the International Exhibition of 1876 in Connection with the Representation of the Medical Department U.S. Army. Army Medical Museum, Washington, D. C. pp.); Brown Swift (Sceloporus undulatus undulatus: Yarrow, Henry C. 1876. List of Skeletons and Crania in the Section of Comparative Anatomy of the United States Army Medical Museum for use during the International Exhibition of 1876 in Connection with the Representation of the Medical Department U.S. Army. Army Medical Museum, Washington, D. C. pp.); Swift (Sceloporus undulatus: Jordan, David S. 1878. Manual of the Vertebrates of the Northern United States: Including the District East of the Mississippi River, and North of North Carolina and Tennessee, Exclusive of Marine Species. Second Edition, Revised, and Enlarged. Jansen, McClurg & Company, Chicago. pp.); Pine Tree Lizard (Sceloporus undulatus: Jordan, David S. 1878. Manual of the Vertebrates of the Northern United States: Including the District East of the Mississippi River, and North of North Carolina and Tennessee, Exclusive of Marine Species. Second Edition, Revised, and Enlarged. Jansen, McClurg & Company, Chicago. pp.); Florida Alligator Lizard (Sceloporus floridanus: 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); Thayer's Alligator Lizard (Sceloporus undulatus thayeri: 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); Alligator Lizard (Sceloporus undulatus undulatus: 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); Swift Lizard (Sceloporus undulatus undulatus: Davis, N. S., and Frank L. Rice. 1883. List of Batrachia and Reptilia of Illinois. Bulletin of the Chicago Academy of Sciences 1(3):25–32); Pine-tree Lizard (Sceloporus undulatus: Garman, H. 1892. A synopsis of the reptiles and amphibians of Illinois. Illinois Laboratory of Natural History Bulletin 3():215-403); Brown Swift (Sceloporus undulatus: Garman, H. 1892. A synopsis of the reptiles and amphibians of Illinois. Illinois Laboratory of Natural History Bulletin 3():215-403); Alligator Lizard (Sceloporus undulatus: Hay, Oliver P. 1892. Batrachians and Reptiles of the State of Indiana. Pages 409-624 in 17th Annual Report of the Indiana Department of Geology and Natural Resources, William B. Burford, Printer and Binder, Indianapolis, Indiana. pp.); Pine Tree Lizard (Sceloporus undulatus: Hay, Oliver P. 1892. Batrachians and Reptiles of the State of Indiana. Pages 409-624 in 17th Annual Report of the Indiana Department of Geology and Natural Resources, William B. Burford, Printer and Binder, Indianapolis, Indiana. pp.); Tree Lizard (Sceloporus undulatus: Rhoads, Samuel N. 1895. Contributions to the zoology of Tennessee. No. 1, Reptiles and amphibians. Proceedings of the Academy of Natural Sciences, Philadelphia 47():376-407); Wave-lined Lizard (Sceloporus undulatus: 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.); Fence Lizard (Sceloporus undulatus: Drowne, Frederick P. 1905. The reptiles and batrachians of Rhode Island. Monograph of the Roger Williams Park Museum 15():1-24); Swift (Sceloporus undulatus: Drowne, Frederick P. 1905. The reptiles and batrachians of Rhode Island. Monograph of the Roger Williams Park Museum 15():1-24); Pine Lizard (Sceloporus undulatus: Fowler, Henry W. 1907. The amphibians and reptiles of New Jersey. MacCrellish and Quigley, Trenton, N. J.. 29-250pp.); Pine Tree Lizard (Sceloporus undulatus: Fowler, Henry W. 1907. The amphibians and reptiles of New Jersey. MacCrellish and Quigley, Trenton, N. J.. 29-250pp.); Common Lizard (Sceloporus undulatus: Fowler, Henry W. 1907. The amphibians and reptiles of New Jersey. MacCrellish and Quigley, Trenton, N. J.. 29-250pp.); Brown Scorpion (Sceloporus undulatus: Fowler, Henry W. 1907. The amphibians and reptiles of New Jersey. MacCrellish and Quigley, Trenton, N. J.. 29-250pp.); Alligator Lizard (Sceloporus undulatus: Hurter, Julius. 1911. Herpetology of Missouri. Transactions of the Academy of Science St. Louis 20(5):59-274); Stejneger's Blue-bellied Lizard (Sceloporus elongatus: 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.); Fence Lizard (Sceloporus undulatus: Schmidt, Karl P. 1953. A Check List of North American Amphibians and Reptiles. 6th Edition. University of Chicago Press, Chicago, Illinois. 280pp.); Northern Plateau Lizard (Sceloporus undulatus elongatus: Schmidt, Karl P. 1953. A Check List of North American Amphibians and Reptiles. 6th Edition. University of Chicago Press, Chicago, Illinois. 280pp.); Northern Fence Lizard (Sceloporus undulatus hyacinthinus: Schmidt, Karl P. 1953. A Check List of North American Amphibians and Reptiles. 6th Edition. University of Chicago Press, Chicago, Illinois. 280pp.); Southern Fence Lizard (Sceloporus undulatus undulatus: 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

Selected References:
1801 Sonnini de Manoncourt, Charles S. and Pierre A. Latreille. An. X. Histoire Naturelle des Reptiles, avec Figures dissines d'apres Nature. [Natural History of Reptiles, with Figures drawn from Nature]. Tome IV. Chez Deterville, rue du Battoir, Paris, France. 410pp.
1938 Smith, Hobart M. Remarks on the status of the subspecies of Sceloporus undulatus, with descriptions of new species and subspecies of the undulatus group. Occasional Papers of the Museum of Zoology, University of Michigan (387):1-17
1948 Smith, Hobart M. and Bryce C. Brown. The scientific name of the common northern fence lizard. Natural History Miscellanea (24):1-2
1954 Bell, Edwin L. A preliminary report on the subspecies of the western fence lizard, Sceloporus occidentalis and its relationships to the eastern fence lizard, Sceloporus undulatus. Herpetologica 10:31-36
1960 McCoy, Clarence J., Jr. Systematics and variation of Sceloporus undulatus in Oklahoma. Thesis. Oklahoma State University, Stillwater. 55pp.
1961 McCoy, Clarence J., Jr. Distribution of the subspecies of Sceloporus undulatus (Reptilia: Iguanidae) in Oklahoma. Southwestern Naturalist 6(2):79-85
1965 Taylor, D. R. Display patterns of various subspecies of the Eastern Fence Lizard Sceloporus undulatus. Thesis. Emporia State University, Emporia, Kansas. pp.
1976 Spohn, R. T. and S. I. Guttman. An electrophoretic study of inter- and intrapopulation genetic variation within the northern fence swift, Sceloporus undulatus hyacinthinus. Comparative Biochemistry and Physiology 55B:471-474
1977 Cole, Charles J. Chromosomal aberration and chromatid exchange in the North American fence lizard, Sceloporus undulatus (Reptilia: Iguanidae). Copeia 1977(1):53-59
1978 Rachuk, N. A. Genetic variation in Sceloporus undulatus: Effects of gene flow, isolation, and selection. Thesis. Oklahoma State University, Stillwater. 103pp.
1983 Cole, Charles J. Specific status of the North American fence lizards, Sceloporus undulatus and Sceloporus occidentalis, with comments on chromosome variation. American Museum Novitates (2768):1-13
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
1992 Smith, Hobart M., E. L. Bell, J. S. Applegarth, and David Chiszar. Adaptive convergence in the lizard superspecies Sceloporus undulatus. Bulletin of the Maryland Herpetological Society 28:123-149
1993 Wiens, John J. Phylogenetic relationships of phrynosomatid lizards and monophyly of the Sceloporus group. Copeia 1993(2):287-299
1995 Bell, Edwin. History and the authorship of the name of the Fence Lizard, Sceloporus undulatus (Bosc and Daudin in Sonnini and LaTreille). Bulletin of the Maryland Herpetological Society 31(1):15-27
1996 Bell, Edwin L. Descriptions of neotypes for Sceloporus undulatus undulatus, the Southern Fence Lizard, and Sceloporus undulatus hyacinthinus, the Northern Fence Lizard, and a lectotype for Sceloporus undulatus garmani, the Northern Prairie Lizard. Bulletin of the Maryland Herpetological Society 32:81-103
2002 Leaché, Adam D. and Tod W. Reeder. Molecular systematics of the Eastern Fence Lizard (Sceloporus undulatus): A comparison of parsimony, likelihood, and bayesian approaches. Systematic Biology 51(1):44–68
2002 Miles, Donald B., Robert Noecker, Willem M. Roosenburg, and Matthew M. White. Genetic relationships among populations of Sceloporus undulatus fail to support present subspecific designations. Herpetologica 58(3):277-292
2009 Leaché, Adam D. Species tree discordance traces to phylogeographic clade boundaries in North American Fence Lizards (Sceloporus). Systematic Biology 58(6):547-559
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

THE CENTER FOR NORTH AMERICAN HERPETOLOGY — Accessed: Saturday 26 April 2025 21:49 CT