''Sceloporus occidentalis bocourtii'', commonly known as the Coast Range fence lizard, is a
subspecies of ''Sceloporus occidentalis'', the
Western fence lizard
The western fence lizard (''Sceloporus occidentalis'') is a common lizard of Arizona, New Mexico, California, Idaho, Nevada, Oregon, Utah, Washington, Northern Mexico, and the surrounding area. As the ventral abdomen of an adult is characteristi ...
.
Geographic range
This
taxon
In biology, a taxon ( back-formation from '' taxonomy''; plural taxa) is a group of one or more populations of an organism or organisms seen by taxonomists to form a unit. Although neither is required, a taxon is usually known by a particular n ...
, ''S. o. bocourtii'', is found in the state of
California
California is a state in the Western United States, located along the Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the most populous U.S. state and the 3rd largest by area. It is also the ...
, from
Sonoma County
Sonoma County () is a county located in the U.S. state of California. As of the 2020 United States Census, its population was 488,863. Its county seat and largest city is Santa Rosa. It is to the north of Marin County and the south of Mendocino ...
south to
Santa Barbara County
Santa Barbara County, California, officially the County of Santa Barbara, is located in Southern California. As of the 2020 census, the population was 448,229. The county seat is Santa Barbara, and the largest city is Santa Maria.
Santa Barba ...
.
Taxonomy
The
subspecies ''S. o. bocourtii'' is in the
family
Family (from la, familia) is a group of people related either by consanguinity (by recognized birth) or affinity (by marriage or other relationship). The purpose of the family is to maintain the well-being of its members and of society. Idea ...
Phrynosomatidae
The Phrynosomatidae are a diverse family of lizards, sometimes classified as a subfamily (Phrynosomatinae), found from Panama to the extreme south of Canada. Many members of the group are adapted to life in hot, sandy deserts, although the spin ...
,
North American
North America is a continent in the Northern Hemisphere and almost entirely within the Western Hemisphere. It is bordered to the north by the Arctic Ocean, to the east by the Atlantic Ocean, to the southeast by South America and the Ca ...
spiny lizards.
Etymology
The subspecific name, ''bocourtii'', is in honor of French
herpetologist
Herpetology (from Greek ἑρπετόν ''herpetón'', meaning " reptile" or "creeping animal") is the branch of zoology concerned with the study of amphibians (including frogs, toads, salamanders, newts, and caecilians (gymnophiona)) and r ...
Marie Firmin Bocourt
Marie Firmin Bocourt (19 April 1819 – 4 February 1904) was a French zoologist and artist.
As a young man, he worked as a preparateur for the zoologist Gabriel Bibron (1805–1848), later serving as a museum artist. In 1861, he was sent to Tha ...
.
[Beolens, Bo; Watkins, Michael; Grayson, Michael (2011). ''The Eponym Dictionary of Reptiles''. Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press. xiii + 296 pp. . (''Sceloporus occidentalis bocourtii'', p. 29).]
See also
*
Great Basin fence lizard
*
Island fence lizard
An island or isle is a piece of subcontinental land completely surrounded by water. Very small islands such as emergent land features on atolls can be called islets, skerries, cays or keys. An island in a river or a lake island may be call ...
*
Northwestern fence lizard
*
Sierra fence lizard
References
External links
*Hogan, C. Michael (2008). "Western fence lizard (''Sceloporus occidentalis'')". Globaltwitcher, ed. Nicklas Stromber
ITIS report: ''Sceloporus occidentalis bocourtii'' (1996)
Further reading
*Bell, Edwin L. (1954). "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 (1): 31–36. (''Sceloporus occidentalis bocourtii'', new combination).
*
George Albert Boulenger, Boulenger GA (1885). ''Catalogue of the Lizards in the British Museum (Natural History). Second Edition. Volume II. Iguanidæ ...'' London: Trustees of the British Museum (Natural History). (Taylor and Francis, printers). xiii + 497 pp. + Plates I-XXIV. ("''Sceloporus undulatus'' Var. ''bocourtii'' ", new variation, p. 229).
*
Smith, Hobart M.; Brodie, Edmund D., Jr. (1982). ''Reptiles of North America: A Guide to Field Identification''. New York: Golden Press. 240 pp. , paperback; , hardcover. (''Sceloporus occidentalis bocourtii'', p. 122).
Sceloporus
Fauna of the California chaparral and woodlands
Reptiles of the United States
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