Mexican alligator lizard

Mexican alligator lizard
Abronia graminea
CITES Appendix II (CITES)[2]
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Reptilia
Order: Squamata
Family: Anguidae
Genus: Abronia
Species:
A. graminea
Binomial name
Abronia graminea
Cope, 1864

The Mexican alligator lizard (Abronia graminea), also known as the green arboreal alligator lizard, is an endangered species of lizard endemic to the Sierra Madre de Oaxaca highlands of Mexico.[3][4] It can be found in the states of Puebla, Veracruz, and Oaxaca.[3] It was originally described under the genus Gerrhonotus as Gerrhonotus gramineus by Edward D. Cope in 1864.[5]

The Mexican alligator lizard adopts an arboreal lifestyle and is commonly found inhabiting the bromeliads among mesic cloud or pine-oak forest canopies.[6][7][8][9] This habitat offers a humid temperate climate with summer rains. The preferred diet of this species is a variety of insects.[6][10] Colour patterns of the Mexican alligator lizard can range from bright emerald green to dark teal blue;[8][9] juvenile colouration is a tan ground colour with dark crossbands.[3][7][11]

The IUCN rates the Mexican alligator lizard as endangered.[3][1] Decline of the species is mainly the result of habitat fragmentation due to fire, deforestation, and land use change for agriculture.[6][10] Illegal trafficking for the pet trade has also contributed to the status of this species.[6]

  1. ^ a b Flores-Villela, O.; Santos-Barrera, G. (2007). "Abronia graminea". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2007: e.T63678A12695490. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2007.RLTS.T63678A12695490.en. Retrieved 19 November 2021.
  2. ^ "Appendices | CITES". cites.org. Retrieved 2022-01-14.
  3. ^ a b c d Clause, Adam, G.; Solano-Zavaleta, Israel; Vazquez-Vega, Luis Felipe (2016). "Captive reproduction and neonate variation in Abronia graminea (Squamata: Anguidae)". Herpetological Review. 47 (2): 231–234.{{cite journal}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  4. ^ Clause, Adam, G.; Solano-Savaleta, Israel; Soto-Huerta, Karlo Antonio; Perez y Soto, Rosalia de la A.; Hernandez-Jiminez, Carlos A. (30 April 2018). "Morphological similarity in a zone of sympatry between two Abronia (Squamata: Anguidae), with comments on ecology and conservation". Herpetological Conservation and Biology. 13 (1): 183–193 – via Web of Science.{{cite journal}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  5. ^ Cope, Edward D. (1864). "Contributions to the herpetology of tropical America". Proceedings of the Academy of Natural Sciences of Philadelphia. 16: 166–181 – via Biodiversity Heritage Library.
  6. ^ a b c d Alejandro, Zaldivar Riveron; Schmidt, Walter; Heimes, Peter (12 January 2004). "Abronia graminea (Cope, 1864)" (PDF). National Commission for the Knowledge and Use of Biodiversity (CONABIO). Retrieved 22 March 2020.
  7. ^ a b Campbell, Jonathan A.; Frost, Darrel R. (3 September 1993). "Anguid lizards of the genus Abronia: Revisionary notes, descriptions of four new species, a phylogenetic analysis, and key". Bulletin of the American Museum of Natural History (216): 1–121. hdl:2246/823.
  8. ^ a b Clause, Adam G.; Jimenez-Velaquez, Gustavo; Perez-Mendoza, Hibraim A. (March 2016). "Reptilia: Squamata (lizards)" (PDF). Mesoamerican Herpetology. 3 (1): 142–145. ISSN 2373-0951.
  9. ^ a b Martin, Paul S. (19 August 1955). "Herpetological records from the Gómez Farías region of southwestern Tamaulipas, México". Copeia. 1955 (3). American Society of Ichthyologists and Herpetologists (ASIH): 173–180. doi:10.2307/1440457. JSTOR 1440457.
  10. ^ a b "Dragoncito del Sur de la Sierra Madre Oriental". Naturalista. Retrieved 22 March 2020.
  11. ^ Werler, John E. (1951). "Miscellaneous notes on the eggs and young of Texan and Mexican reptiles". Zoologica. 36: 37–48 – via Biodiversity Heritage Library.