The Colorado Desert fringe-toed lizard (''Uma notata'') is a

species In biology, a species is the basic unit of Taxonomy (biology), classification and a taxonomic rank of an organism, as well as a unit of biodiversity. A species is often defined as the largest group of organisms in which any two individuals of ...

of medium-sized,

diurnal Diurnal ("daily") may refer to: General * Diurnal cycle, any pattern that recurs daily ** Diurnality, the behavior of animals and plants that are active in the daytime * Diurnal phase shift, a phase shift of electromagnetic signals * Diurnal tem ...

lizard Lizards are a widespread group of squamate reptiles, with over 7,000 species, ranging across all continents except Antarctica, as well as most oceanic island chains. The group is paraphyletic since it excludes the snakes and Amphisbaenia al ...

in the family

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 ...

. It is adapted to arid climates and is most commonly found in sand dunes within the

Colorado Desert California's Colorado Desert is a part of the larger Sonoran Desert. It encompasses approximately , including the heavily irrigated Coachella and Imperial valleys. It is home to many unique flora and fauna. Geography and geology The Colorado De ...

of the United States and Mexico. It was originally described by Baird in 1859 as having a head that was two-fifths the size if the head and body, was a light pea-green spotted with darker green and with a white underside. It can be distinguished from the

Mojave fringe-toed lizard The Mojave fringe-toed lizard (''Uma scoparia'') is a species of medium-sized, white or grayish, black-spotted diurnal lizard in the family Phrynosomatidae. It is adapted to arid climates and is most commonly found in sand dunes within the Mojav ...

and the

Coachella Valley fringe-toed lizard The Coachella Valley fringe-toed lizard (''Uma inornata'') is a species of phrynosomatid lizard. Phylogeny and evolution The species is most closely related to Uma notata, the Colorado Desert fringe-toed lizard. Genetic variation within the ...

by its orange/pinkish stripes on the sides of its underside, while the backs have much similar appearances. The former subspecies ''Uma notata rufopunctata'' has had an unsettled taxonomy, and in 2016 was found to represent a hybrid between ''Uma notata'' and ''

Uma cowlesi The Yuman Desert fringe-toed lizard (''Uma cowlesi'') is a species of phrynosomatid lizard endemic to northwestern Mexico, although a hybrid population of it and '' Uma notata'' ranges north to southwestern Arizona in the United States. Taxono ...

''.

Habitat

The Colorado Desert fringe-toed lizard (''Uma notata'') occupy the vast windblown sands of the

Algodones Dunes The Algodones Dunes is a large sand dune field, or erg, located in the southeastern portion of the U.S. state of California, near the border with Arizona and the Mexican state of Baja California. The field is approximately long by wide and ext ...

Imperial County, California Imperial County is a county on the southeast border of the U.S. state of California. As of the 2020 census, the population was 179,702, making it the least populous county in Southern California. The county seat is El Centro. Imperial is the ...

and crossing the border into

Sonora, Mexico Sonora (), officially Estado Libre y Soberano de Sonora ( en, Free and Sovereign State of Sonora), is one of the 31 states which, along with Mexico City, comprise the Federal Entities of Mexico. The state is divided into 72 municipalities; the ...

References

Uma Reptiles of Mexico Reptiles of the United States Fauna of the Colorado Desert Reptiles described in 1859 Taxa named by Spencer Fullerton Baird {{Lizard-stub