A medium-sized whip-tailed lizard with 7 cream stripes on a dark background. Remarkably, every individual is female — the species reproduces entirely without males through parthenogenesis.
§ Quick facts
§ Encyclopedia
The New Mexico whiptail is a female-only species of lizard found in New Mexico and Arizona in the southwestern United States, and in Chihuahua in northern Mexico. It is the official state reptile of New Mexico. It is one of many lizard species known to be parthenogenetic. Individuals of the species can be created either through the hybridization of the little striped whiptail and the western whiptail, or through the parthenogenetic reproduction of an adult New Mexico whiptail.
Source: Wikipedia — New Mexico whiptail Licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0
§ Identification
Field marks. Slender lizard with bold dark dorsal stripes and bright yellow lines; long tail; smooth scales.
Similar species. Other whiptail species (subtle differences; expert ID required).
Voice. N/A.
§ Diet & behavior
Diet. Insects, spiders, small invertebrates.
Behavior. All-female parthenogenetic species — populations consist entirely of females that reproduce by laying unfertilized eggs that develop into genetically identical female offspring. Among the few known all-female vertebrates. Hybrid origin from related sexual species. Active fast-running lizard of arid habitats.
§ Range
New Mexico, west Texas, southeastern Arizona
§ Habitat
Desert grasslands, sage flats, arroyo edges
§ Threats
Habitat loss to development, vehicle strikes, climate-driven range shifts.
§ Conservation status
According to the IUCN Red List, the new mexico whiptail is currently classified as Least Concern.
§ What helps
Support arid grassland conservation. Drive slowly on rural roads. Skip pesticides.
§ Further reading
- Wikipedia — New Mexico whiptail
- www.nwf.org — authoritative profile of Aspidoscelis neomexicanus
- IUCN Red List · taxon 64185
- iNaturalist · taxon 36460
- GBIF occurrence records
- Encyclopedia of Life — Aspidoscelis neomexicanus
§ Sources cited
- New Mexico Game and Fish
- American Society of Mammalogists
- IUCN Red List 2007
