REPTILIA: SQUAMATA: IGUANIDAE: Petrosaurus

Petrosaurus thalassinus (Cope, 1863)

Blue rock lizard

Photo & text by Dr. Robert Sprackland.

Range: Rocky habitats in Baja California, Mexico.

Diagnosis:

Description: A beautiful lizard with turquoise blue head and body markings, including a series of intense solid spots across the shoulders of males. Body scales small and granular. Body slightly depressed. Head distinct from neck. A series of thin black bands across dorsum. Limbs well developed, each with five clawed digits.

Natural History:

Reproduction: Egg layer.

Taxonomy & Relationships: Blue rock lizards are closely related to the genus Uta, which includes the side-blotched lizard. There is one other species in the genus, Petrosaurus mearnsi of southern California and northern Baja. The name "Petrosaurus" comes from Greek for "rock lizard."  

Variation: There is enough variation in this species to warrant recognition by some authors of two subspecies: Petrosaurus t. thalassinus and P. t. repens.

Additional Comments:

Type Specimen:

Literature:  

Stebbins, Robert. 1985. A Field Guide to Western Reptiles and Amphibians, 2nd edition. Houghton Mifflin Co. ISBN: 0-395-38253-X.