Sceloporus poinsettii Baird & Girard, 1852

Dorsal Coloration

Sceloporus poinsettii, commonly called the crevice spiny lizard, is typically grey in color, but sometimes has a ruddy red-brown appearance, with a black and white collar around the neck.

Ventral Coloration

Its underside is usually light grey, and males often have blue patches on either side of the belly.

Tail and Scale Features

The tail typically has black banding, and its scales have a distinctly spiny texture.

Size Measurements

This species can reach 11.8 cm (4.6 in) in snout-to-vent length, and 31.1 cm (12.2 in) in total length.

United States Distribution

In the United States, Sceloporus poinsettii is found in the Chihuahua Desert and Edwards Plateau regions of Texas and New Mexico.

Northern Mexico Distribution

In Mexico, it occurs in border states from the Sierra Madre Occidental of Sonora, eastward through Chihuahua, Coahuila, and Nuevo Leon.

Southern Mexico Distribution

Its distribution south of these areas is less well established, but it is known to live across all of the state of Durango, in parts of Zacatecas, with additional records from San Luis Potosi in the southeast, and the Pacific slopes of the Sierra Madre Occidental of northern Jalisco in the southwest.

Reproductive Mode

Sceloporus poinsettii is one of several ovoviviparous species in the Sceloporus genus.

Breeding and Offspring

Breeding takes place in spring, and a litter of up to 11 young are born in midsummer.