Added 31 December 2011. Last updated 19 January 2012: added A. inornata.

The Teiidae

Aspidoscelis

Racerunners and Whiptails

Aspidoscelis are a New World genus found from as far north as the northern USA to as far south as Honduras, the majority being distributed in the southern US and Mexico. There are over forty species. Originally these were considered part of the genus Cnemidophorus but were split off in 2002.

The genus is of interest to scientists and herpetologists because some species are parthenogenic, ie consisting of females only which lay eggs that produce only females. In addition some of these unisexual species may nevertheless mate with bisexual species, ie those containing males and females. Here is another parallel with the Old World Lacertidae, this time with some of the parthenogenic Lacerta and Darevskia species of the Caucausus and Turkish mountains. Conant and Collins also note in this respect that the unisexual species (at least those covered in their field guide) are most often found in disturbed areas such as draws or arroyos where flooding occurs. Lee observes that some parthenogenetic species are more unwary than bisexual species.

Conant and Collins note the difficulty of an exact identification of the many species and subspecies (even with the lizard in hand) but give some helpful pointers:

number of longitudinal stripes;

absence or presence of pale spots in dark fields between stripes;

how far back the small scales around the inner edge of the supraorbital scales (the supraorbital semicircles) extend and whether they touch the frontal;

presence of enlarged scales in front of gular fold, and likewise on rear of forelimbs;

number of granules at midbody (admittedly difficult without magnification!).

Diet consists mainly of insects but also other small arthropods. Although attractive lizards, these reptiles are highly nervous and very fast, making them perhaps less than ideal captives for ordinary keepers.

	QUICK INDEX
A. angusticeps, Yucatan Whiptail	A. arizonae, Arizona Striped Whiptail	A. burti, Canyon Spotted Whiptail
A. calidipes, Rio Tepalcatepic Valley Whiptail	A. ceralbensis, Cerralvo Island Whiptail	A. communis, Colima Giant Whiptail
A. costatus, Western Mexico Whiptail	A. cozumelae, Cozumel Racerunner	A. danheimae
A. deppei, Black-Bellied Racerunner	A. dixoni, Grey Checkered Whiptail	A. exsanguis, Chihuahuan Spotted Whiptail
A. flagellicaudus, Gila Whiptail	A. gularis, Eastern Spotted Whiptail	A. guttatus, Mexican Racerunner
A. gypsi, Little White Whiptail	A. hyperythrus, Belding's Orange-Throated Whiptail	A. inornata, Little Striped Whiptail
A. labialis, Baja California Whiptail	A. laredoensis, Laredo Striped Whiptail	A. lineatissimus, Many-Lined Whiptail
A. marmoratus, Marbled Whiptail	A. maximus, Cape Region Whiptail	A. mexicanus, Mexican Whiptail
A. neomexicanus, New Mexico Whiptail	A. neotesselatus, Colorado Checkered Whiptail	A. opatae, Opata Whiptail
A. pai, Pai Striped Whiptail	A. parvisocius, Mexican Pygmy Whiptail	A. picta
A. rodecki, Rodeck's Whiptail	A. sackii	A. scalaris, Rusty-Rumped Whiptail
A. septemvittata, Mexican Plateau Whiptail	A. sexlineata, Six-Lined Racerunner	A. sonorae, Sonoran Spotted Whiptail
A. tesselata, Common Checkered Whiptail	A. tigris, Tiger Whiptail	A. uniparens, Desert Grassland Whiptail
A. velox, Plateau Striped Whiptail

Scientific Name	Common Name	Distribution	Size	Notes
Aspidoscelis
A. angusticeps	Yucatan Whiptail	Mexico (Campeche, Quintana Roo, Yucatán), Guatemala, Belize	SVL 2½-3¼”/6½-8½cm, tail 2½x SVL	Found in open areas including roadsides, ruins, forest edges and savanna. Scalation details: 4 supraoculars; gular fold distinct; tail covered in enlarged keeled scales; 8 longitudinal ventral rows. Other: 15-24 femoral pores, better developed in males. Coloration: overall reddish- or dark brown or almost black, usually with 6 cream or yellow stripes that are sometimes obscured in adults by light spots; age tends to obscure stripes with light spots and blotches, more so in males; venter of males is uniform- or bluish black or mottled with dark pigment, that of females immaculate tan or light grey; tail often reddish-brown. Juveniles have 6 distinct light stripes on dark background, spots appearing between these with age; tail and hind limbs bright reddish orange, this fading with growth. Reproduction: bisexual; in Campeche and Yucatán gravid females are found in June-July. [SOURCE: Lee]
A. a. angusticeps		Mexico (Campeche, Quintana Roo and Yucatán)
A. a. petenensis		Guatemala, Belize
A. arizonae	Arizona Striped Whiptail	USA (Arizona)		See the Reptile Database for the history of the subspecies systematics of this species.
A. burti	Canyon Spotted Whiptail	USA (Arizona, New Mexico), Mexico (Sonora, poss. N Sinaloa, N Chihuahua and N Coahuila)	SVL 3½”-5½”/8¾-14cm	Habitat mainly dense scrubby vegetation, often near rocks and streams, in mountain canyons and at the edges of lowland desert. Scalation details: supraorbital semicircles normal; enlarged scales on gular fold and rear of forelimbs; 85-115 dorsal granules. Other: 15-24 femoral pores, better developed in males. Coloration: 6-7 light stripes, faint or absent in large adult males; vertebral stripe present or absent; speckled with pale spots; head and neck, sometimes entire dorsum, reddish; young have distinct striping with spots in dark fields and orange or reddish tail. Reproduction: bisexual; clutches of 1-10 eggs laid in summer. [SOURCE: Stebbins]
A. b. burti		Mexico
A. b. stictogrammus	Giant Spotted Whiptail	USA (Arizona), Mexico (Sonora, poss. N Sinaloa, N Chihuahua and N Coahuila)		Found from near sea level to about 4,500ft. Coloration: reddish colour usually confined to head and neck; young have reddish-orange tail.
A. b. xanthonotus	Red-Backed Whiptail	USA (S Arizona)		Primarily a mountain-dweller, found in desert scrub, grassland and stands of trees at the desert edge. Coloration: dorsum reddish-brown to reddish-orange, obscuring stripes and spots and abruptly terminating on the sides; neck, legs and feet dorsally and laterally dark greyish-green to bluish; stripes and spots more distinct in young.
A. calidipes	Rio Tepalcatepic Valley Whiptail	Mexico
A. ceralbensis	Cerralvo Island Whiptail	Mexico (Baja California)		Confined to Cerralvo Island.
A. communis	Colima Giant Whiptail	Mexico		This species appears to have been reported from most of the Mexican mainland. For more precise locality data, see Reptile Database entry.
A. c. communis
A. c. mariar
A. costatus	Western Mexico Whiptail	Mexico (Tlaxcala, Nayarit)
A. c. costatus
A. c. barrancorum
A. c. griseocephalus
A. c. huico
A. c. mazatlanensis
A. c. nigrigularis
A. c. occidentalis
A. c. zweifeli
A. cozumelae	Cozumel Racerunner/Whiptail	S Mexico (Yucatán, Campeche, Quintana Roo, Mujeres and Cozumel Island), Guatemala, Belize		See subspecies entries for details. Lee describes all three subspecies as “common” within their range. All three have accessory scales between their frontoparietal and parietal scales.
A. c. cozumelae	Cozumel Whiptail	S Mexico (Cozumel Island)	SVL 2½-2¾”/6-7cm, tail 2x SVL	Found in open and disturbed areas including roadsides and beaches. Scalation details: 3 supraoculars; gular fold distinct; 8 longitudinal ventral rows, slightly overlapping; tail covered with whorls of enlarged keeled scales. Other: 16-18 femoral pores. Coloration: overall greyish or tan, 4 thin light dorsolateral stripes from side of head to groin and tail base; middorsally uniform brown; throat and venter is immaculate light grey, limbs and tail ventrally tan. Reproduction: unisexual; eggs lain in summer rainy season, hatchlings appearing in late summer or autumn. [SOURCE: Lee]
A. c. maslini	Maslin's Whiptail	S Mexico (Yucatán Peninsula inc. SW Campeche and Quintana Roo), Guatemala (Petén), Belize	SVL 2½-2¾”/6½-7cm, tail 2x SVL	Found in open and disturbed areas including roadsides and beaches. Populations are isolated from one another across their range. Scalation details: gular fold distinct; 8 longitudinal ventral rows, slightly overlapping. Other: 16-18 femoral pores. Coloration: overall light tan or brown, 4 thin light dorsolateral stripes from side of head to groin and tail base, of which the innermost usually indistinct; middorsally uniform brown; throat and venter is immaculate light grey, limbs and tail ventrally tan. Reproduction: unisexual; gravid females found in June-July and October, hatchlings appearing in October. [SOURCE: Lee]
A. c. rodecki	Rodeck's Whiptail	S Mexico (Islas Contoy and Mujeres off Yucatán Peninsula, and Quintana Roo)	SVL 2½-2¾”/6-7cm, tail 2x SVL	Limited distribution, but common therein. Found on sandy beaches but apparently not in areas of dense vegetation. Scalation details: 3 supraoculars; 8 longitudinal ventral rows, slightly overlapping; tail covered with whorls of enlarged keeled scales. Other: 15-18 femoral pores. Coloration: overall dorsally olive tan, laterally pale bluish grey; 2 thin broken white lateral stripes on each side from tympanum, fading until disappearing on posterior half of body; throat and venter is pale bluish grey, limbs and tail ventrally white. In juveniles, the lateral stripes continue to the groin. Reproduction: unisexual; no further details available. [SOURCE: Lee]
A. danheimae		Mexico (San José Island in Baja California)
A. deppei	Black-Bellied Racerunner	Mexico (SW Campeche in Yucatán, Guerrero, Oxacas, Chiapas, Michoacan), Guatemala, El Salvador, Costa Rica, Honduras, Nicaragua, poss. Belize		A common whiptail found at low to moderate elevations. See subspecies entries for details.
A. d. deppei			SVL 2½-3¼”/6½-8cm, tail 2x SVL	Found in open areas including beaches and coconut plantations. Scalation details: 3 supraoculars; 8 longitudinal ventral rows; gular fold distinct; several rows of enlarged scales on dorsal surface of forelimbs; scales enlarged in preanal region. Other: 18-22 femoral pores. Coloration: overall dark brown, grey or black; 8 thin yellow stripes from head to tail; more distinctly dorsally in juveniles and females, often with light vertebral stripe and bluish tail; limbs dorsally dark, spotted or striped with cream or grey; stripes fade with age; throat and ventral surfaces uniform bluish grey in females, in males bluish black with dark throat. Reproduction: bisexual; gravid females found June-July; clutch of 2-4 eggs; hatchlings appear in August. [SOURCE: Lee]
A. d. infernalis
A. d. schizophorus
A. dixoni	Grey Checkered Whiptail	USA (New Mexico and Texas), Mexico
A. exsanguis	Chihuahuan Spotted Whiptail	USA (SE Arizona, New Mexico, SW Texas), Mexico (N Chihuahua, NE Sonora)	9½-12¼” (21-31½cm); max SVL 3¾”/9¾cm; young 1½”	Varied habitat including desert and mountainous areas; usually found in open but near cover.. Scalation details: supraorbital semicircles normal; 62-86 granules around midbody; scales in front of gular fold and on rear of forelimbs slightly enlarged. Coloration: overall brown or reddish brown; 6 pale- to grey-brown stripes, often yellowish laterally; lateral dark areas with prominent dark spots; dorsal dark areas have faint or absent spots; pale yellowish or whitish spots on dark brown or reddish brown fields and on light stripes; venter whitish or faintly blue, without markings; tail dark, usually brown, often with greenish hue. Young striped yellow or whitish, paravertebral stripes wavy, pale reddish spots present, tail blue or greenish, light middorsal stripe may also be present on neck, disappearing or mostly fading by adulthood. Reproduction: unisexual. [SOURCE: Conant & Collins]
A. flagellicaudus	Gila Spotted Whiptail	USA (Arizona, New Mexico)
A. gularis	Eastern Spotted Whiptail	USA (New Mexico, Texas, Oklahoma), Mexico (NE Coahuila, Nuevo Leon, Tamaulipas, San Luis Potosi, Querétaro, Veracruz, Aguascalientes, Michoacan), poss. Guatemala
A. g. gularis	Texas Spotted Whiptail	USA (SE New Mexico, Texas, Oklahama), Mexico	6½-11”/16½-27¾cm; max SVL 3½”/9cm; young 1¼-”/3½cm	Varied habitat includes grassland, flood plains, washes and rocky hillsides. Scalation details: supraorbital semicircles normal; 76-93 granules around midbody; 10-21 granules between paravertebral stripes; scales in front of gular fold and on rear of forelimbs slightly enlarged. Coloration: 7 dorsal and lateral yellowish or whitish stripes, often greenish anteriorly and brownish posteriorly; middorsal stripe broad and may divide, creating extra stripe; lateral dark areas with prominent dark spots; dorsal dark areas have faint or absent spots; spots white or pale yellow, becoming brown towards posterior; venter immaculate white or cream in female, in male, blue, with pink, red or orange chin and often ventral dark patch; tail pink, pale or orange-brown. Young striped but have faint or absent spots confined to lateral fields if present, reddish rump and pink or reddish tail. Reproduction: bisexual. [SOURCE: Conant & Collins]
A. g. colossus
A. g. pallidus
A. g. rauni
A. g. semiannulatus
A. g. semifasciatus
A. guttatus	Mexican Racerunner	Mexico (Guerrero, Oaxaca, Veracruz, Chiapas)
A. g. guttatus
A. g. flavilineatus
A. g. immutabilis
A. gypsi	Little White Whiptail	USA (New Mexico)
A. hyperythrus	Belding's Orange-Throated Whiptail	USA (S California, New Mexico), Mexico (Baja California, Chihuahua)	SVL 2-2¾”/5-7cm; max SVL	Found in sandy areas, often with rocks and patches of brush, and rocky hillsides. Populations fragmented through habitat loss. Scalation details: frontoparietal single. Coloration: unspotted species; up to 6 light stripes, of which paravertebral stripes usually merge except in southern part of range; head dorsally yellow-brown to olive grey; dark area between dorsolateral and lower lateral stripe may be grey, reddish- or dark brown or black; males have orange throat and chest, intensifying in breeding season; young have blue tail. Reproduction: bisexual; 1-2 clutches of 1-4 eggs laid June-July. [SOURCE: Stebbins]
A. h. hyperythrus
A. h. beldingi
A. h. caeruleus		Mexico (Carmen Island in Baja California)
A. h. carmenensis
A. h. espiritensis
A. h. franciscensis
A. h. schmidti		Mexico (Baja California)
A. inornata	Little Striped Whiptail	USA (Arizona, New Mexico, SW Texas), Mexico (Chihuahua, Coahuila, NE Durango, Zacatecas, San Luis Potosi, Nuevo Leon)	2-3¼”/5-8½cm	Mainly found on prairie grassland and other grassy areas, or open pine forest in some parts. Stebbins states that the species is in apparent decline, possibly due to human activity Scalation details: supraorbital semicircles normal; 52-79 granules around midbody; scales in front of gular fold and on rear of forelimbs slightly enlarged or normal; usually 3 enlarged rounded circles in front of vent. Coloration: 6-8 (usually 7) pale yellowish, greyish to white stripes; vertebral stripe may be faint or absent; stripes separated by unspotted areas that are blackish, brown, or brownish-green to grey, these areas becoming lighter with age; venter bluish white to blue, brighter in males; tail is blue- to purplish-blue, being ventrally brighter blue than on the body; young are less ventrally blue. A pale form with faint stripes is found in New Mexico. Reproduction: bisexual; clutch of 1-3 eggs. [SOURCE: Stebbins]
A. i. inornata
A. i. chihuahuae
A. i. cienegae
A. i. heptagrammus	Trans-Pecos Striped Whiptail	USA (Texas and New Mexico), Mexico (E Chihuahua, N Coahuila)	6-9¼”/16½-23½cm; max SVL 2¾”/7cm; young 1-1”/2¾cm	Inhabits foothills and slopes, sometimes alluvial flats. Scalation details: supraorbital semicircles normal; 55-71 granules around midbody; scales in front of gular fold enlarged, about 2 rows on rear of forelimbs slightly so. Coloration: 7 light stripes separated by dark unspotted areas that are black in young but fade to greyish or brownish later; venter and sides of head bright blue in male, blue to bluish white in females and less blue in young; tail is bright- to purplish-blue throughout life. Reproduction: bisexual. [SOURCE: Conant & Collins]
A. i. juniperus	Woodland Striped Whiptail
A. i. llanuras
A. i. octolineatus	Eight-Striped Whiptail
A. i. paululus		Mexico (inc. Durango)
A. labialis	Baja California Whiptail	Mexico (Baja California)
A. laredoensis	Laredo Striped Whiptail	USA (S Texas), Mexico (Coahuila, N Tamaulipas)	7¼”-11¼”/18½-28¾cm; max SVL 3½”/9cm; young ??	Conant & Collins refer to this as the Cnemidophorus laredoensis complex. The species is found in semi-arid areas near stream beds and sparsely vegetated hills. Scalation details: supraorbital semicircles normal; 84-98 granules around midbody; ; scales on rear of forelimbs slightly enlarged. Coloration: overall dark green to greenish-brown; 7 cream or whitish stripes; middorsal stripe very narrow; small pale or indistinct spots may be present on posterior third to half of body; venter white; tail greenish-brown above, light tan below, with dorsolateral stripes. Young striped with spots confined to dark fields. Reproduction: unisexual. [SOURCE: Conant & Collins]
A. lineatissimus	Many-Lined Whiptail	Mexico (Nayarit, Colima, Guadalajara, Guerrero, Jalisco, Michoacán, Puebla, Morelos)
A. l. lineatissimus
A. l. duodecemlineatus
A. l. exoristus
A. l. lividus
A. marmoratus	Marbled Whiptail	USA (SW New Mexico, Texas), Mexico (Coahuila, Chihuahua, Nuevo León, Durango)	8-12”/20-30cm; max SVL 4”/10cm; young 1¼-1¾”/3½-4½cm	Considered a subspecies of A. tigris by some authorities (see Reptile Database entry). Found on desert flats or sandy areas, where it can tolerate temperatures in the shade of around 100ºF/38ºC. Hunts insects beneath clumps of thorny vegetation. Scalation details: supraorbital semicircles penetrate far forward; 74-114 granules around midbody; scales in front of gular fold slightly enlarged but separated from it by one or more rows of granules. Coloration: variable; overall brown; 4-8 dorsal/dorsolateral yellowish-white stripes, often broken or reticulated, may be present; lateral light transverse bars that may be broken into spots; venter mainly white or pale yellow, anterior black flecks; peach on throat that in large individuals may reach chest and ventrolaterally; adults have black markings on chin and throat. Young overall dark brown to black with numerous small, pale and often elongated spots forming longitudinal lines. Reproduction: bisexual. [SOURCE: Conant & Collins]
A. m. marmoratus	Western Marbled Whiptail	USA (W New Mexico and W Texas), Mexico (N Chihuahua)		Coloration: as above, but striped pattern usually more reticulated than striped.
A. m. reticuloriens	Eastern Marbled Whiptail	USA (SE New Mexico, Texas), Mexico (Chihuahua, Coahuila and Nuevo León)		Coloration: as above, but striped pattern usually more striped than reticulated.
A. maximus	Cape Region Whiptail	Mexico (S Baja California)
A. mexicanus	Mexican Whiptail	Mexico (Puebla, Oaxaca)
A. motaguae	Giant Whiptail	USA (Florida; introduced), Mexico (Oaxaca), Guatemala, El Salvador, Honduras
A. neomexicanus	New Mexico Whiptail	USA (New Mexico, Arizona, W Texas), Mexico (N Chihuahua)	8-11¾”/20-30cm; max SVL 3¼”/8½cm; young 1¼-1½”/3½-4cm	See note in Reptile Database entry. Found in disturbed areas, eg those prone to flooding or altered by human activity, mainly in the Rio Grande Valley in Texas and New Mexico. Stebbins notes that the species arose from hybridisation between A. tigris and A. inornata. In turn it occasionally hybridises with other species, especially A. i. heptagrammus. Scalation details: supraorbital semicircles penetrate far forward; 71-85 granules around midbody; scales in front of gular fold and on rear of forelimbs not normally enlarged. Coloration: overall brown; 7 pale yellow stripes, of which middorsal is wavy; dark areas brown to black and indistinctly spotted; venter white to pale blue, immaculate, ; tail greenish-grey to bluish green; young with yellow stripes on black spotted background, with bright blue tale. Reproduction: unisexual; 1-2 clutches of 1-4 eggs laid June-July. [SOURCES: Conant & Collins, Stebbins]
A. neotesselatus	Colorado Checkered Whiptail, Triploid Checkered Whiptail	USA (SE Colorado)		Triploid parthenogenic species.
A. opatae	Opata Whiptail	Mexico
A. pai	Pai Striped Whiptail	USA
A. parvisocius	Mexican Pygmy Whiptail	Mexico
A. picta		Mexico (Monserrate Island in Baja California)
A. rodecki	Rodeck's Whiptail	Mexico (Yucatán)
A. sackii		Mexico (Chiapas, Guerrero, Michoacán, Morelos, Oaxaca, Puebla, Tamaulipas), Guatemala		For more precise subspecies distribution data, see Reptile Database entry.
A. s. sackii		Mexico (Guerrero, Michoacán, Morelos, Puebla)
A. s. australis		Mexico (Oaxaca)
A. s. bocourti		Mexico (Chiapas, Oaxaca), Guatemala
A. s. gigas
A. scalaris	Rusty-Rumped Whiptail	USA (SW Texas), Mexico (NE Chihuahua, Coahuila, NE Durango), San Luis Potosi, Zacatecas)
A. septemvittata	Mexican Plateau Spotted Whiptail	USA (Texas), Mexico (Chihuahua, Coahuila)
A. sexlineata	Six-Lined Racerunner	USA (E New Mexico, E Colorado, Texas, Oklahoma, Arkansas, Louisiana, Alabama, Mississippi, Georgia, Florida, SE Wyoming, S South Dakota, Nebraska, Kansas, Missouri, South Carolina, North Carolina, Tennessee, W Kentucky, Virginia, Maryland, Illinois, E Iowa, S Wisconsin, Michigan, SE Minnesota), Mexico (Tamaulipas)		Most northerly distributed species of the genus, covering most of the USA.
A. s. sexlineata	Six-Lined Racerunner	USA (Maryland, Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia, Florida, Alabama, Mississippi, N, W & E Louisiana, E Texas, Tennessee, W Kentucky, S Indiana and S Illinois)	6-9½”/15-24cm; max SVL 3”/7½cm; young 1-1½”/2¾-3cm	Prefers open, well-drained areas with sand or loose soil, also found in open woods, edges of thickets and rocky outcrops. Intergrades with A. s. viridis west of the Mississippi River. These lizards sometimes dig their own burrows. Scalation details: supraorbital semicircles normal; 89-110 granules around midbody; scales in front of gular fold prominently enlarged, those on rear of forelimbs slightly so. Coloration: 6 yellow, white, pale grey or pale blue stripes, well defined in male; dark fields are brown, greenish-brown or almost black, with no spots; short dark lateral stripe running back from leg on to tail and bordered above by light stripe; venter blue in male. Young have yellow stripes contrasting sharply with dark fields, and light blue tail. Reproduction: bisexual. [SOURCE: Conant & Collins]
A. s. stephensae	Texas Yellow-Headed Racerunner
A. s. viridis	Prairie Racerunner	USA (S South Dakota, SE Wyoming, Nebraska, Kansas, Oklahoma, Texas, Louisiana, Arkansas, Missouri, Illinois, Wisconsin, SE Minnesota, NW Indiana)	6-10½”/15-26¾cm; max SVL 3¼”/8½cm; young 1¼”/3cm	Found in both lowland and hilly areas similar to nominate subspecies. Coloration: similar to nominate subspecies but 7 stripes and bright green anteriorly; venter pale blue in males. Scalation: similar to nominate subspecies but 62-91 granules at midbody. Reproduction: bisexual. [SOURCE: Conant & Collins]
A. sonorae	Sonoran Spotted Whiptail	USA (S Utah, SW Colorado, Arizona, N New Mexico), Mexico (NE Sonora)
A. tesselata	Common Checkered Whiptail	USA(SE Colorado, New Mexico, W Texas), Mexico (NE Chihuahua, Coahuila)	11-15½”/28-39¼cm; max SVL 4¼”/10½cm; young 1½ 1¾”/3¾-4¼cm	See also notes in Reptile Database entry. Largest Aspidoscelis north of Mexico. Found in many different habitats, all of which nevertheless have rocks, and occurs mainly in isolated local populations or small groups of individuals. Intergrades with A. s. viridis west of the Mississippi River. These lizards sometimes dig their own burrows. Scalation details: supraorbital semicircles extend far forward; 81-112 granules around midbody; scales in front of gular fold prominently enlarged, but not those on rear of forelimbs. Coloration: variable; overall yellowish to cream; individuals may be checkered, have rows of black spots or an orange brown rump; venter plain whitish or with some black spots; chin usually unmarked; tail brown to yellow. Young have 6-14 light stripes, which become less distinct with age and laterally may disappear completely; light middorsal stripes may be present, often represented by pale dots or dashes; small pale spots in dark areas; . Reproduction: unisexual. [SOURCE: Conant & Collins]
A. tigris	Tiger Whiptail	USA (SE Oregon, W Utah, S Idaho, S & E California, New Mexico, S Arizona), Mexico (Baja California, Chihuahua, Nuevo Leon, Sonora)		Taxonomy of this species is complicated – see Reptile Database entry.
A. t. tigris	Great Basin Whiptail	USA (SE Oregon W Utah, S Idaho, SE California), Mexico (NE Baja California, NW Sonora)
A. t. aethiops		Mexico (S Sonora and adj. Islands of Tiburón and San Esteban)
A. t. bacatus		Mexico (Sonora)
A. t. canus		Mexico (Baja California)
A. t. catalinensis		Mexico (Santa Catalina Island in Baja California)
A. t. celeripes		Mexico (Baja California)
A. t. dickersonae		Mexico (Baja California)
A. t. disparilis
A. t. gracilis		USA (E California, S Arizona, SW New Mexico), Mexico (N Sonora)
A. t. multiscutatus		USA (coastal S California), Mexico (Baja California)
A. t. mundus	California Whiptail
A. t. nigroriens
A. t. pulcher		Mexico (Chihuahua)
A. t. punctatus
A. t. punctilinealis	Sonoran Tiger Whiptail
A. t. reticuloriens		Mexico (Nuevo Leon)
A. t. rubidus	Reddish Whiptail	Mexico (Baja California)
A. t. septentrionalis	Painted Desert Whiptail
A. t. stejnegeri	Coastal Whiptail	USA (coastal S California)
A. t. vandenburghi
A. t. variolosus		Mexico (Nuevo Leon)
A. t. vividus
A. uniparens	Desert Grassland Whiptail	USA (SE Arizona, SW New Mexico), Mexico (N Chihuahua)	6½-9¼” (16½-23¾cm); max SVL 2¾”/7½cm; young 1¼-1½”/3¼-4cm	Parthenogenic triploid species. Found in desert and mesquite grassland, river valleys and low mountainous areas. Scalation details: supraorbital semicircles normal; 59-78 granules around midbody; scales in front of gular fold and on rear of forelimbs enlarged. Coloration: overall reddish brown to black; 6 stripes, yellowish dorsally and whitish laterally; inconspicuous seventh middorsal stripe may be present on neck if not rest of body; no pale spots in dark areas; venter whitish and almost immaculate, daults often have bluish wash on chin and sides of neck; tail bluish- or olive-green. Reproduction: unisexual. [SOURCE: Conant & Collins]
A. velox	Plateau Striped Whiptail	USA (SE Utah, Colorado, N Arizona, N New Mexico; introduced into Oregon)

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