having fewer femoral pores than the other subspecies of _S.
melanorhinus_ and as having the lateral belly patches in the males
confluent in the midline. Examination of forty specimens from the
Tepalcatepec Valley and the coastal regions of Michoacan does not
substantiate this diagnosis. The number of femoral pores varies from 15
to 22 (18.9); 14 individuals (35%) had 20 or more femoral pores. Smith
(_loc. cit._) stated that _S. melanorhinus_ in Oaxaca had 18 to 27
(21.6) femoral pores and that 77 per cent of the specimens had more than
20 femoral pores. Of the 24 males examined from Michoacan, 18 have the
lateral belly patches separated in the midline. Usually they are
separated by no more than one scale, but in some individuals they are
separated by two or more scales. Although the above data minimize
certain differences between the northern and southern populations of
this species, certain of the color pattern characters seem to be
diagnostic of the subspecies inhabiting the Pacific lowlands from
Guerrero to Nayarit. Large adults of _S. m. calligaster_ have only a
faint dorsal pattern, which in the subspecies _melanorhinus_ and
_stuarti_ consists of a series of large, dark, interconnected triangles
on the back. This pattern is present in young and small adults of _S. m.
calligaster_; furthermore, in this subspecies the ventral coloration of
the males differs from that found in the more southern populations.
Adult males of _S. m. calligaster_ have a black throat, that changes to
brilliant blue posteriorly, and a large white spot medially on the chin.
This spot is present in some specimens from Oaxaca and Chiapas, but, if
present, it is much smaller and less distinct than in specimens from
Michoacan. In _S. m. calligaster_ the chest and midventral area are
orange to salmon-color.
A male from Lombardia in life was colored as follows: Dorsum grayish tan
bearing faint bluish gray flecks; chest deep salmon-orange, this color
continuing down midventral area to the somewhat paler groin; belly
patches pale blue fading to pale green laterally; throat black
anteriorly enclosing a white spot; throat blue posteriorly and bluish
green posterolaterally.
Individual lizards were observed to change in dorsal color from a pale
ashy gray to a rather dull brown. Normally, inactive individuals and
those observed on overcast days were dull brown.
_Sceloporus melanorhinus calligaster_ is found in trees in riparian
situations in the lowlands to elevations of about 1500 meters. It does
not inhabit the arid tropical scrub forest in the Tepalcatepec Valley or
on the coast, but in those areas is found in the gallery forests along
streams and rivers. The lizards are wary and live high in the trees;
they are especially difficult to locate in the rainy season, when the
trees are in full leaf.
~Sceloporus pyrocephalus~ Cope
_Sceloporus pyrocephalus_ Cope, Proc. Acad. Nat. Sci.
Philadelphia, 16:177, September 30, 1864.--Colima, Colima,
Mexico.
Acahuato (2); Apatzingan (142); Arteaga (4); 26 km. S of
Arteaga (4); Capirio (6); Chinapa; Chupio; 19 km. S of
Corralito (5); El Sabino (220); Jazmin (3); La Placita (8);
La Playa (14); La Salada (6); Lombardia (5); Nueva Italia
(14); Ojos de Agua de San Telmo (2); Oropeo (3); Ostula;
Punta de San Telmo (3); Rio Cancita, 14 km. E of Apatzingan
(13); Rio Marquez, 10 km. S of Lombardia (10); Rio Marquez,
13 km. SE of Nueva Italia (3); San Juan de Lima (2); Santa
Ana (2); Tafetan (2); Tepalcatepec (2); Tzitzio (6); Volcan
Jorullo (3).
This small species is extremely common in the Tepalcatepec Valley and
noticeably less so on the coast. It is usually found on the ground in
rocky areas, but males frequently have been seen on the trunks of low
trees in the scrub forest. Altitudinally, it ranges from sea level to
slightly more than 1000 meters. The sexes are readily distinguished in
the field (Oliver, 1937; Smith, 1939; Duellman, 1954b). In the dry
season only males were observed in the Tepalcatepec Valley, but in the
rainy season both sexes were found in approximately the same numbers.
~Sceloporus scalaris scalaris~ Wiegmann
_Sceloporus scalaris_ Wiegmann, Isis von Oken, 21:370,
1828.--Mexico. Type locality restricted to Mexico, Distrito
Federal, by Smith and Taylor (1950b:137).
_Sceloporus scalaris scalaris_, Smith, Occ. Pap. Mus. Zool.
Univ. Michigan, 361:2, December 15, 1937.
Carapan (2); Cheran; Ciudad Hidalgo; Huingo (3); Jacona (3);
Jiquilpan (2); Lago de Camecuaro (2); Lago de Chapala; Lago
de Cuitzeo (5); Morelia (4); Patzcuaro (4); Querendaro;
Quiroga; Tacicuaro (5); Tarecuaro; Zacapu (4); Zamora (4);
Zinapecuaro (11).
This small terrestrial species does not seem to be abundant anywhere in
the state. It sometimes is found in open pine, oak, or pine-oak forest,
but usually it is observed in areas supporting bunch grass. In such
places the lizards sun and forage on the open ground and quickly take
refuge in the large clumps of grass. Altitudinally, the species ranges
from 1550 to 2300 meters. Although _Sceloporus scalaris scalaris_ has
been found in association with _S. dugesi intermedius_, _S. spinosus_,
and _S. torquatus_, it does not seem to form any close ecological
association with any of these species. In the pine forests of the
Cordillera Volcanica _S. s. scalaris_ is replaced by _Sceloporus aeneus
aeneus_, another small terrestrial species that occurs in great
abundance throughout the coniferous forests of the Cordillera Volcanica.
~Sceloporus siniferus siniferus~ Cope
_Sceloporus siniferus_ Cope, Proc. Amer. Philos. Soc.,
11:159, 1869.--Pacific side of the Isthmus of Tehuantepec.
Type locality restricted to Tehuantepec, Oaxaca, Mexico, by
Smith and Taylor (1950b:134).
_Sceloporus siniferus siniferus_, Smith and Taylor, Bull. U.
S. Natl. Mus., 199:134, October 26, 1950.
Twenty-six km. S of Arteaga; Barranca de Bejuco (2);
Coahuayana; El Ticuiz (2); La Mira; La Orilla (2); La
Placita (9); Maruata; Ojos de Agua de San Telmo; Ostula (4);
Playa Azul (6); Pomaro (2); Puerto de las Higuerita; Santa
Ana (3).
This small terrestrial species inhabits the dense arid tropical scrub
forest on the coast and lower foothills of the Sierra de Coalcoman to
elevations of about 150 meters. It also occurs in the lower Balsas
Valley, but it has not been found in the scrub forest of the broad
Tepalcatepec Valley. Perhaps the large number of _Sceloporus siniferus_
on the coastal lowlands is responsible for the small number there of _S.
pyrocephalus_, another terrestrial species of about the same size. The
latter is abundant in the Tepalcatepec Valley, where _S. siniferus
siniferus_ has not been found. _Sceloporus siniferus siniferus_ is a
fast runner and difficult to collect; consequently, the small number of
specimens available is not indicative of its abundance.
~Sceloporus spinosus spinosus~ Wiegmann
_Sceloporus spinosus_ Wiegmann, Isis von Oken, 21:370,
1828.--Mexico. Type locality restricted to Puebla, Puebla,
Mexico, by Smith and Taylor (1950b:116).
_Sceloporus spinosus spinosus_, Martin del Campo, Anal.
Inst. Biol. Mexico, 8:262, 1937.
Cojumatlan (2); Huetamo Road; Lago de Cuitzeo (4); Maravatio
(8); Tupataro (2).
Although this species is widespread on the southern part of the Mexican
Plateau, it is uncommon in Michoacan. It has been collected only in
rather open situations in the mesquite-grassland on the plateau between
1500 and 2300 meters, where it has been found in association with
_Sceloporus dugesi intermedius_ and _S. scalaris scalaris_. Most
specimens of _Sceloporus spinosus spinosus_ have been observed on rock
fences. In this habitat the species is the larger member of a pair of
species, the smaller of which is _Sceloporus dugesi intermedius_.
~Sceloporus torquatus torquatus~ Wiegmann
_Sceloporus torquatus_ Wiegmann, Isis von Oken, 21:369,
1828.--Mexico. Type locality restricted to Mexico, Distrito
Federal, by Smith and Taylor (1950b:126).
_Sceloporus torquatus torquatus_, Cope, Proc. Amer. Philos.
Soc., 22:402, 1885.
Angahuan (31); Araparicuaro; Capacuaro (3); Carapan (11);
Cerro Tancitaro; Cheran; Ciudad Hidalgo; Cojumatlan;
Copandaro (2); Corupu (4); Cuseno Station (9); El Alamo;
Jacona (6); Jiquilpan (2); Jungapeo (3); Lago de Camecuaro;
Lago de Chapala; Lago de Cuitzeo (3); La Palma (2); Los
Conejos (3); Los Reyes (3); Maravatio (9); Morelia (17);
Paracho (3); Patzcuaro (27); Pino Gordo; Querendaro (2);
Quiroga; Sahuayo (3); San Jose de la Cumbre; San Juan de
Panangaricutiro; Tacicuaro (10); Tancitaro (200);
Tangamandapio; Tangancicuaro (3); Temazcal (2); Tupataro
(5); Uruapan (136); Zacapu; Zinapecuaro (10); Zirimicuaro
(12); Zitacuaro.
This large species inhabits the Mexican Plateau and the Cordillera
Volcanica, but not the Sierra de Coalcoman, where apparently it is
replaced by _Sceloporus bulleri_. _Sceloporus torquatus torquatus_
usually is found in pine or pine-fir forests at elevations between 1450
and 3000 meters. In many places it is almost entirely arboreal, but in
areas where there are many fallen trees or rock fences and rock piles,
many individuals have been found on the ground near the rocks or logs.
In the coniferous forests this species is associated with _S. grammicus
microtepidotus_ and _S. aeneus aeneus_.
The distinction made by Smith (1938:572) between the subspecies _S.
torquatus torquatus_ and _melanogaster_ is slight. Individuals with pale
bluish spots are found throughout the range of the species in Michoacan;
spotting is especially evident in the young. Individuals having an
incomplete nuchal collar have been found at Maravatio and at Zinapecuaro
in the northern part of the state; in this character these specimens
resemble _S. torquatus melanogaster_, which is found to the north from
Guanajuato to Zacatecas and San Luis Potosi.
~Sceloporus utiformis~ Cope
_Sceloporus utiformis_ Cope, Proc. Acad. Nat. Sci.
Philadelphia, 16:177, September 30, 1864.--Colima, Colima,
Mexico.
Nineteen km. S of Arteaga (2); Cascada Tzararacua (17);
Coahuayana (3); Coalcoman (6); El Sabino (2); El Ticuiz (2);
Ostula (3); Pomaro; Rio Cachan; San Juan de Lima; Uruapan
(26).
In Michoacan the range of this species is discontinuous. It has been
found between 1050 and 1550 meters on the slopes of the Cordillera
Volcanica, and on the coast and seaward slopes of the Sierra de
Coalcoman up to an elevation of 900 meters. It is absent from the
Tepalcatepec Valley. At Uruapan and at Cascada Tzararacua this lizard
was found on the ground in oak forest or in open pine-oak forest; on the
coast and foothills of the Sierra de Coalcoman it was found on the
ground in the gallery forests along streams, and not in the scrub
forest.
~Urosaurus bicarinatus tuberculatus~ (Schmidt)
_Uta tuberculata_ Schmidt, Amer. Mus. Novitates, 22:4,
December 1, 1921.--Colima, Colima, Mexico.
_Urosaurus bicarinatus tuberculatus_, Mittleman, Bull. Mus.
Comp. Zool., 91:169, September, 1942.
Twenty-six km. S of Arteaga; Cascada Tzararacua (2); Chupio;
Coahuayana; Coalcoman (8); El Sabino (2); Jungapeo; La
Orilla (2); La Placita (4); Playa Azul (4); Pomaro (2); San
Salvador (16);? Tupataro; Uruapan (12); Tzitzio; Zamora.
The known distribution and geographic variation of _Urosaurus
bicarinatus_ in southwestern Mexico presents a confused picture. In
general rugosity, specimens from the coastal region of Michoacan
(Coahuayana, La Orilla, La Placita, Playa Azul, and Pomaro) resemble _U.
bicarinatus tuberculatus_ to the north along the Pacific coast.
Furthermore, specimens from the coast have less stippling in the gular
region than do those from the Sierra de Coalcoman and the slopes of the
Cordillera Volcanica. Specimens from the mountains have greatly carinate
enlarged dorsals, large lateral tubercles, and heavily stippled throats;
in these characters they resemble specimens from Morelos, Guerrero, and
Oaxaca. As mentioned by Peters (1954:14), some specimens from La Orilla
and San Salvador are like _U. bicarinatus bicarinatus_ in certain
characters, and one specimen has the blue ventral patches restricted to
the sternal area, a characteristic of _U. bicarinatus anonymorphus_ of
Oaxaca and eastern Guerrero. Examination of all available specimens from
Michoacan indicates that the nature of the dorsal scales is of little
value in separating the subspecies. The specimens from Michoacan are
here provisionally referred to _U. bicarinatus tuberculatus_, because
cursory examination of specimens from several localities between Nayarit
and Oaxaca shows that there are only minor differences between the named
populations. Individuals from the northern part of the range are more
rugose and have larger blue ventral patches and less gular stippling
than those from the south.
In Michoacan _Urosaurus bicarinatus tuberculatus_ is found in wooded
areas, not in open scrub forest, in the coastal area to elevations of
about 900 meters, and along the slopes of the Cordillera Volcanica and
the southern edge of the Mexican Plateau at elevations from 1000 to 1700
meters. The record for Tupataro probably is erroneous, for no other
specimens of this species are known from the central plateau.
Essentially, the distribution of this species parallels that of
_Sceloporus utiformis_, a strictly terrestrial species. _Urosaurus
bicarinatus tuberculatus_ lives on tree trunks. Below 1000 meters in the
Tepalcatepec Valley _Urosaurus bicarinatus tuberculatus_ is replaced by
_Urosaurus gadowi_.
~Urosaurus gadowi~ (Schmidt)
_Uta gadovi_ Schmidt, Amer. Mus. Novitates, 22:3, December
1, 1921.--Cofradia, Jalisco, Mexico (in error) = Cofradia,
Michoacan, Mexico (Duellman, 1958b:49).
_Urosaurus gadowi_, Mittleman, Bull. Mus. Comp. Zool.,
91:154, September, 1942.
Acahuato (2); Apatzingan (56); 12-16 km. S of Apatzingan
(12); Buenavista (7); Capirio (23); Cofradia (21); El Sabino
(13); Guayabo; Jazmin; La Playa; La Salada (3); Nueva Italia
(7); Rancho Nuevo; Rio Cancita, 14 km. E of Apatzingan (5);
Rio Marquez, 10 km. S of Lombardia (2); Rio Marquez, 13 km.
SE of Nueva Italia (3); San Salvador (2); Santa Ana;
Tepalcatepec; Volcan Jorullo (3); Zicuiran (2);
Ziracuaretiro.
Although individuals of this species have been collected at elevations
slightly exceeding 1200 meters on Volcan Jorullo and at 1100 meters at
Ziracuaretiro on the southern slopes of the Cordillera Volcanica, for
the most part these lizards are found at elevations of less than 800
meters, where they inhabit the open arid scrub forest of the
Tepalcatepec Valley, a region to which this species is endemic
(Duellman, 1958b:49). These small lizards usually are found on the
trunks and main branches of the small trees in the scrub forest; in this
habitat they are associated with _Sceloporus horridus oligoporus_, a
much larger species.
Males have a pale orange spot on the throat and a pale blue belly;
females have immaculate venters.
A specimen from Guayabo on the northern slopes of the Sierra de
Coalcoman was referred to _Urosaurus irregularis_ (Fischer) by Peters
(1954:15). I have studied this specimen (BMNH 1914.1.28.110), a female
having a snout-vent length of 46 mm., and agree with Peters that it
closely resembles Fischer's description and figure (1882: pl. 17, fig.
1). This specimen and those seen of _Urosaurus gadowi_ all have
pavementlike enlarged dorsal scales that are complete across the
vertical line. In _U. gadowi_ the enlarged dorsals usually are in four
to six irregular rows; in the specimen from Guayabo the dorsals are in
two rows. Although none of the other specimens of _U. gadowi_ examined
has only two rows of enlarged dorsals, I prefer to consider the specimen
from Guayabo as an aberrant individual of that species, rather than _U.
irregularis_. Guayabo is in the known range of _U. gadowi_. _Urosaurus
irregularis_ is known only from the type specimen in the Bremen Museum;
the type locality, according to Fischer (1882:232), is "Aus dem
Hochlande von Mexico." If an examination of the type specimen of _U.
irregularis_ shows it to be identical with _U. gadowi_, then _U.
irregularis_ would be the name for the lizards here referred to _U.
gadowi_.
~Mabuya brachypoda~ Taylor
_Mabuya brachypoda_ Taylor, Univ. Kansas Sci. Bull., 38
(1):308, December 20, 1956.--Four kilometers east-southeast
of Los Angeles de Tilaran, Guanacaste, Costa Rica.
El Sabino (42); La Placita; Playa Azul; Tzitzio (3).
Previously this species has been reported from La Placita as _Mabuya
mabouya alliacea_ by Peters (1954:15). Webb (1958:1311) provided
evidence that Mexican specimens were conspecific with _Mabuya
brachypoda_, as described from Costa Rica by Taylor (1956:308). The
large series in the Taylor collection studied by Webb and listed by him
as being from Uruapan actually is part of a series collected by Hobart
M. Smith at El Sabino at an elevation of 1050 meters, 30 kilometers
south of Uruapan.
This species probably ranges throughout the coastal region of the state;
individuals from La Placita and Playa Azul were taken in dense scrub
forest near sea level.
~Scincella assata taylori~ (Oliver)
_Leiolopisma assatum taylori_ Oliver, Occ. Pap. Mus. Zool.
Univ. Michigan, 360:12, November 20, 1937.--Santiago,
Colima, Mexico.
_Scincella assata taylori_, Mittleman, Herpetologica, 6:20,
June 5, 1950.
Twenty-one km. S of Arteaga; Ostula.
The specimen from Ostula was obtained in semi-deciduous broad-leaf
forest at an elevation of 120 meters; that from 21 kilometers south of
Arteaga was taken in oak forest at an elevation of 830 meters. Both
localities are on the coastal slopes of the Sierra de Coalcoman.
Probably the species inhabits the heavy forests on the lower slopes of
these mountains. The specimen from south of Arteaga (UMMZ 119117) in
life had a tan dorsum and a bright orange-pink tail.
~Eumeces altamirani~ Duges
_Eumeces altamirani_ Duges, La Naturaleza, ser. 2, 1:485,
1891.--Apatzingan, Michoacan, Mexico.
Twelve km. E of Apatzingan; El Sabino (4).
One specimen of this rare species was found beneath a rock in the open
scrub forest 12 kilometers east of Apatzingan on July 3, 1955. Another
skink, presumably of this species, was seen at Capirio. The specimen
from east of Apatzingan is a male having a snout-vent length of 97 mm.
and an incomplete tail. In most respects it compares favorably with
accounts of the species given by Taylor (1936b:55 and 1936c:102). The
frontal is divided by a transverse suture; the enlarged dorsal scales
are arranged in 11 pairs anteriorly, followed by 48 unpaired enlarged
scales. The head and middorsal area are brown; there is a pale tan
stripe on the edges of the vertebral and paravertebral rows, bordered by
a dark brown stripe on the paravertebral row, which, in turn, is
bordered by a pale tan stripe on the lateral edge of the paravertebral
scale row and the median edge of the adjacent scale row. The stripes
extend from the neck to the base of the tail. The flanks are mottled
with brown and cream-color; the labials are cream-color barred by brown;
the venter is a pale cream-color.
Duges (1891:485) described _Eumeces altamirani_ from "las regiones
calidas del Estado de Michoacan" and subsequently (1896:480) gave
Apatzingan as a locality for the species. Presumably he had only one
specimen. In 1935 Hobart M. Smith collected the species at El Sabino on
the lower slopes of the Cordillera Volcanica bordering the Tepalcatepec
Valley. All of the known specimens are from this valley and the adjacent
slopes, an area to which the species apparently is endemic.
~Eumeces colimensis~ Taylor
_Eumeces colimensis_ Taylor, Publ. Field Mus. Nat. Hist.,
zool. ser., 20:77, May 15, 1935.--Colima, Colima, Mexico.
Coalcoman; Salitre de Estopila.
The species was reported by Peters (1954:16); no additional material has
been discovered. The species is known only from foothills and low
mountains at elevations between 130 and 950 meters in Michoacan and
Colima.
~Eumeces copei~ Taylor
_Eumeces copei_ Taylor, Proc. Biol. Soc. Washington, 46:133,
June 5, 1933.--10 miles southeast of Asuncion, Mexico,
Mexico. Cerro Tancitaro (3); Zacapu.
This member of the _Eumeces brevirostris_-group has been found only in
pine or pine-fir forests at elevations from 1800 to 2700 meters. It
probably ranges throughout the high mountains of the state north of the
Tepalcatepec Valley; its apparent absence in other parts of the
Cordillera Volcanica, other than on Cerro Tancitaro, is surprising. The
species has been taken near Asuncion in the state of Mexico and at
Lagunas de Zempoala in Morelos.
In this species the lateral pale yellow stripe, which is bordered below
by dark brown, extends to the groin and onto the base of the tail. The
dorsolateral stripe is separated from the copper-colored middorsum by a
narrow brown stripe.
~Eumeces dugesi~ Thominot
_Eumeces Dugesii_ Thominot, Bull. Soc. Philom. Paris, ser.
7, 7:138, 1883.--Guanajuato. Type locality restricted to
Guanajuato, Guanajuato, Mexico, by Smith and Taylor
(1950b:169).
Carapan (6); Cheran (5); Opopeo (2); 17 km. S of Patzcuaro
(3); San Jose de la Cumbre (2); Tancitaro (2);
Tangancicuaro; Uruapan; Zacapu.
Individuals of this species frequently have been found beneath rocks and
logs in pine-oak, pine, or fir forests from elevations of 1550 to 1850
meters. To judge from specimens available, _E. dugesi_ probably is the
most abundant and widespread species of skink in the state.
In this species the lateral yellow stripe is indistinct and is
persistent only in the axilla; the dorsolateral stripes terminate
anterior to the hind limbs and are not separated from the tan dorsum.
~Eumeces indubitus~ Taylor
_Eumeces indubitus_ Taylor, Univ. Kansas Sci. Bull., 21:257,
November 27, 1934.--Near Cuernavaca, Morelos, Mexico.
Puerto Hondo.
The one specimen of this species from Michoacan was collected by Edward
H. Taylor in pine forest at Puerto Hondo, near Zitacuaro, at an
elevation of about 2750 meters (Taylor, 1935:466). The species is known
from the high mountains of eastern Michoacan, western Mexico, and
northern Morelos.
~Eumeces parvulus~ Taylor
_Eumeces parvulus_ Taylor, Proc. Biol. Soc. Washington,
46:175, October 26, 1933.--Tepic, Nayarit, Mexico.
El Ticuiz; La Placita; Pomaro (2); San Pedro Naranjestila
(3).
Aside from the specimens reported by Peters (1954:17), one other
specimen was obtained at El Ticuiz. It has 22 scale rows, 3 supraoculars
in contact with the frontal, 2 postlabials, and a unicolored olive-tan
dorsum. In life the anterior dorsolateral stripes were pale pinkish tan,
the labials cream color, the throat white, and the tail pale blue. All
specimens were found in semi-deciduous broad-leaf forest at elevations
of less than 500 meters on the seaward slopes of the Sierra de
Coalcoman.
~Ameiva undulata sinistra~ Smith and Laufe
_Ameiva undulata sinistra_ Smith and Laufe, Univ. Kansas
Sci. Bull., 31 (1):59, May 1, 1946.--Manzanillo, Colima,
Mexico.
Apatzingan (9); 19 km. S of Arteaga (3); Barranca de Bejuco
(2); Coahuayana (6); Coalcoman (3); El Ticuiz (10); La
Placita (2); Limoncito (3); Ostula (2); Playa Azul; Salitre
de Estopila; San Juan de Lima (2); San Pedro Naranjestila
(4).
Six males and six females from the Tepalcatepec Valley have more femoral
pores than do 16 males and nine females from the coastal lowlands; the
ranges and average number of femoral pores in the former are 40-50
(44.8) for males and 38-40 (38.6) for females; males from the coast have
34-44 (39.2), and females have 32-40 (36.2) femoral pores. In all
specimens the number of lamellae beneath the fourth toe varies from 26
to 33 (29.7). In life juveniles have a pale olive-tan dorsum and a
dorsolateral dark band, superimposed on which is a row of darker brown
spots. The dorsolateral band is bordered below by a narrow cream-colored
stripe. The tail is tan above and grayish white below; the belly is pale
bluish white. Adult males are brilliantly colored in life. A male having
a snout-vent length of 108 mm. had a rusty brown dorsum and bright blue
bars on the flanks separated by dark brown interspaces. The side of the
head was pale green, and the chin and throat were golden yellow. In some
specimens the throat is orange. Juveniles and subadults have dark flecks
on the brown or tan middorsal area, but these are absent in the largest
males.
This species inhabits the heavily wooded areas in the lowlands to
elevations of about 950 meters. In the Tepalcatepec Valley it has been
found only in gallery forests along streams. In both the Tepalcatepec
Valley and the coastal lowlands there is a noticeable absence of large
adults in the dry season.
~Cnemidophorus calidipes~ Duellman
_Cnemidophorus calidipes_ Duellman, Occ. Pap. Mus. Zool.
Univ. Michigan, 574:1, December 23, 1955.--Capirio,
Michoacan, Mexico.
Apatzingan (56); 12-20 km. S of Apatzingan (5); 19 km. E of
Apatzingan (5); 25 km. S of Arteaga; Capirio (57); El
Espinal (13); Jazmin (9); 11 km. S of Lombardia; Nueva
Italia.