Petrosaurus mearnsi
| Banded rock lizard | |
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| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Reptilia |
| Order: | Squamata |
| Suborder: | Iguania |
| Family: | Iguanidae |
| Subfamily: | Phrynosomatinae |
| Genus: | Petrosaurus |
| Species: | P. mearnsi |
| Binomial name | |
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Petrosaurus mearnsi (Stejneger, 1894) |
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| Synonyms | |
The banded rock lizard (Petrosaurus mearnsi) is a species of phrynosomatine lizard.
The specific name, mearnsi, is in honor of American naturalist Edgar Alexander Mearns, who collected the first specimens.
It is endemic to extreme southern California and Baja California, Mexico. It also occurs on Isla El Muerto.
Petrosaurus mearnsi is an extremely flat-bodied lizard. Its dorsum is olive, brown or gray, with white or bluish spots. It has a single black collar, a banded tail, and granular scales on its body, with keeled tail and limb scales. Individuals may be 6.2 to 8.7 cm (2.4 to 3.4 in) long snout-to-vent. Males have more pronounced throat patterns and brighter blue coloring than females.
These lizards are associated with boulder hillsides, extending in Baja California to chaparral and pinyon-juniper woodlands.
They are omnivorous, feeding not only on insects and spiders, but also on buds and flowers.
Gravid females lay eggs from June through August. Clutch size varies from 2 to 6 eggs.
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Wikipedia