About Sceloporus nelsoni Cochran, 1923
Nomenclature
Sceloporus nelsoni, first described by Cochran in 1923, has common names including Nelson's lizard, Nelson's spiny lizard, and la espinosa de Nelson in Mexican Spanish.
Taxonomy
It is a species of lizard belonging to the subfamily Sceloporinae of the family Phrynosomatidae. This species is endemic to Mexico, and two subspecies are currently recognized: Sceloporus nelsoni barrancarum and Sceloporus nelsoni nelsoni.
Distribution Range
The species is distributed across western Mexico, in the foothills of the Sierra Madre Occidental, ranging from southern Sonora and southwestern Chihuahua through Sinaloa and Nayarit to central Jalisco.
Type Localities
The type locality of the subspecies S. n. barrancarum is Urique, Chihuahua, while the type locality of S. n. nelsoni is Plomosas, Sinaloa.
Habitat
Sceloporus nelsoni lives in lowland tropical deciduous and semi-deciduous forest habitats, found on rocks and most often associated with rocky slopes.
Reproduction
Sceloporus nelsoni reproduces by laying eggs, that is, it is oviparous.
