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A Taxonomic Study of the Western Collared Lizards, Crotaphytus Collaris and Crotaphytus Insularis

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A Taxonomic Study of the Western Collared Lizards, Crotaphytus Collaris and Crotaphytus Insularis Brigham Young University Science Bulletin, Biological Series Volume 19 Number 4 Article 1 4-1974 A taxonomic study of the Western Collared Lizards, Crotaphytus collaris and Crotaphytus insularis Nathan M. Smith Graduate Department of Library and Information Sciences, Brigham Young University, Provo, Utah 84602 Wilmer W. Tanner Department of Zoology, Brigham Young University, Provo, Utah 84602 Follow this and additional works at: https://scholarsarchive.byu.edu/byuscib Part of the Anatomy Commons, Botany Commons, Physiology Commons, and the Zoology Commons Recommended Citation Smith, Nathan M. and Tanner, Wilmer W. (1974) "A taxonomic study of the Western Collared Lizards, Crotaphytus collaris and Crotaphytus insularis," Brigham Young University Science Bulletin, Biological Series: Vol. 19 : No. 4 , Article 1. Available at: https://scholarsarchive.byu.edu/byuscib/vol19/iss4/1 This Article is brought to you for free and open access by the Western North American Naturalist Publications at BYU ScholarsArchive. It has been accepted for inclusion in Brigham Young University Science Bulletin, Biological Series by an authorized editor of BYU ScholarsArchive. For more information, please contact [email protected], [email protected]. Brigham Young University Science Bulletin MUS. CCMP. ZOOL LIBRARY '"^'ATaxonomic study of the •^n^t^stern collared lizards, crotaphytus collaris and cromphytus insularis by Nathan M. Smith and Wilmer W. Tanner BIOLOGICAL SERIES ~ VOLUME XIX, NUMBER 4 APRIL 1974/ISSN 0068-1024 INFORMATION FOR CONTRIBUTORS Contributions to the Science Bulletin should Illustrations (line drawings or photographs) be primarily monographic in nature. For the should be numbered consecutively throughout most part only manuscripts of approximately the paper, and the approximate place of inser- forty or more typewritten pages will be accepted. tion should be indicated in the margins of the Papers will be published approximately in manuscript pages. Captions for illustrations the order that they are received, pending avail- should be assembled on a separate sheet, and ability of funds. Authors must arrange for fi- each plate of figures must have its correspond- nancing their publications, except that the Uni- ing figure number pencilled lightly on the back. versity Press and the library of Brigham Young Illustrations and cuts will be destroyed unless University will share the publication cost pro- their return is requested when proof is returned portionately to their needs for copies of the to the editor. article printed. 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Authors blurred, and showing sharp contrast. Line draw- should leave forwarding addresses if they move ings should be made with black ink on heavy from the address sent with the manuscript. white drawing paper, blue tracing cloth, or Reprints should be ordered when the proof blue-ruled coordinate paper. Use the same is returned. abbreviations on line drawings as in text. Line Address all manuscripts to Stanley L. Welsh, drawings must be equivalent to a professional Department of Botany, Brigham Young Univer- draftsman's work. Original drawings are pref- sity, Provo, Utah 84602. erable to photographs, even if they are large. Brigham Young University Science Bulletin A TAXONOMIC STUDY OF THE WESTERN COLLARED LIZARDS, CROTAPHYTUS COLLARIS AND CROMPHrrus insularis by Nathan M. Smith and Wilmer W. Tanner BIOLOGICAL SERIES — VOLUME XIX, NUMBER 4 APRIL 1974/ISSN 0068-1024 TABLE OF CONTENTS INTRODUCTION 1 REVIEW OF LITERATURE 2 MATERIALS AND METHODS 3 External Morphology 3 Cranial Morphology 7 RESULTS 8 External Morphology 8 Cranial Morphology 9 DISCUSSION 9 External Morphology 12 Cranial Morphology 19 Population Characteristics and Systematics 20 Phyletie Relationships 24 SUMMARY AND CONCLUSIONS 27 ACKNOWLEDGMENTS 27 APPENDIX I , 28 APPENDIX II 28 LITERATURE CITED 28 A Taxonomic Study of the Western Collared Lizards, Crotaphytus collaris and Crotaphytus insularis by Nathan M. Smith' and Wilmer W. Tanner- INTRODUCTION The range of the Western Collared Lizard habitat for the collared lizard since the Wis- Crotaphytus collaris baileiji Stejneger (1890) consinian. as formerly construed included northern Mexico, Systematists recognizing the potential isolat- the Baja California Peninsula, the Islands Angel ing factors within the range originally attributed de la Guarda and Tiburon in the Gulf of Cali- to C. c. haileiji have described C. c. auriceps fornia, and parts of the seven western states of Fitch and Tanner ( 1951 ) from the Upper Colo- Arizona, California, Colorado, Idaho, Nevada, rado River Basin, and C. c. fusciis Ingram and New Mexico, and Utah ( Stejneger and Barbour, Tanner ( 1971 ) from the Chihuahuan Desert. 1917). Within this vast area the geophysical Also, two insular forms, C. iiistihiris Van Den- features vary considerably and may serve as burgh and Slevin ( 1921 ) and C. dickersonae population barriers. Schmidt ( 1922 ) , although given species rank, Although geophysical variation is broad have long been recognized as closely related to throughout the range, niche requirements are C. collaris Sav ( Burt, 1928; Fitch and Tanner, narrow. The collared Uzards require boulders 1951; Ingran/and Tanner, 1971). Allen (193.3) for basking, lookouts, and shelter, and occupy referred to the collared lizards from Tiburon mountain slopes, canyons, rocky gullies and Island as C. c. dickersonae. boulder-strewn alluvial fans where vegetation Collecting trips were made to determine the is sparse (Stebbins, 1966). The many mountain geographic limits of the several populations ranges oriented on north-south axes have pro- and to gather live specimens for electrophoretic vided favorable conditions for extensive distri- analysis of blood proteins. As a result, two new bution of the collared lizard in the Great Basin, subspecies of Crotapht/tus were named (Smith Arizona-Sonoran Desert, and Baja California and Tanner, 1972). The present paper brings Peninsula. Narrow niche requirements cause together the basic techniques and data used collared lizards to form demes with valleys be- with an analysis of the characteristics of each tween the mountain ranges acting as isolating population of C. collaris and C. insularis. barriers. The Imperial Valley, Gran Desierto In this comparative ta.xonomic study multi- of southern California and northwestern Mexico, variate analysis techniques are utilized (Ingram is an important potential barrier between popu- and Tanner, 1971) to study general external lations of the Great Basin and the Baja Cali- morphology and comparative cranial morpholo- fornia Peninsula. The island populations in the gy. Disc gel electrophoresis, which was used Gulf of California were probably members of to compare populations of C. c. bailey, C. c. the mainland population in late Miocene or auriceps, and C. c. bicinctores is not included early Phocene (Anderson, 1950), with Isla in this report because of the limited scope of the Tiburon still part of the mainland as recently as material available, but the data are available 10,000 years ago (Lawlor, 1971). This possible from the authors upon request. An analysis is geophysical arrangement has been discussed made of the westem-collaris complex and its by Tanner ( 1966 ) to e.xplain the distribution relationship to C. c. auriceps, C. c. bailey, and of the night snakes in and around the Gulf of C. c. fiiscus. The Great Plains population, C. c. California. Portions of the Great Basin, which, collaris, is not included, however; a cursory according to Wells and Jorgensen ( 1964 ) were analysis indicates that it also may be a hetero- significantly cooler (and perhaps moister) 8,000
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