Anniella pulchra: Difference between revisions
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==Distribution and habitat== |
==Distribution and habitat== |
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They live in loose, sandy soils or leaf litter, typically in sand dunes along the coast. They are found from [[Contra Costa County]] in northern California, all the way south to [[Baja California]], although occurrences are often scattered. They require moisture to aid in shedding their skin. Without it, their vision and feeding can be affected, potentially starving the animal.<ref>[http://animaldiversity.ummz.umich.edu/site/accounts/information/Anniella_pulchra.html Animal Diversity Web: Anniella pulchra]</ref> |
They live in loose, sandy soils or leaf litter, typically in sand dunes along the coast. They are found from [[Contra Costa County]] in northern California, all the way south to [[Baja California]], although occurrences are often scattered. They require moisture to aid in shedding their skin. Without it, their vision and feeding can be affected, potentially starving the animal.<ref>[http://animaldiversity.ummz.umich.edu/site/accounts/information/Anniella_pulchra.html Animal Diversity Web: Anniella pulchra]</ref> |
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These lizards can be found in diverse vegetation zones ranging from seaside dunes to open pine woodlands. In Sierra Nevada, it's been spotted at heights up to 2,050 meters and 1,360 meters in Sierra San Juarez and Sierra San Pedro Martir. <ref>Hunt, L.E. “Anniella pulchra.” Catalogue of American Amphibians and Reptiles, 2006 <nowiki>https://repositories.lib.utexas.edu/bitstream/handle/2152/45523/0850_Anniella_pulchra.pdf</nowiki></ref> |
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==Diet== |
==Diet== |
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Revision as of 08:32, 23 October 2023
| California legless lizard | |
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Scientific classification 
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| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Reptilia |
| Order: | Squamata |
| Family: | Anniellidae |
| Genus: | Anniella |
| Species: | A. pulchra
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| Binomial name | |
| Anniella pulchra (Gray, 1852)
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| Range of Anniella pulchra (sensu lato) in purple | |
Anniella pulchra, the California legless lizard, is a limbless, burrowing lizard often mistaken for a snake.
Description
These lizards are around 7 inches (18 cm) long from snout to vent (not including tail). They have small, smooth scales typically colored silvery above and yellow below, although black or dark brown forms exist in Monterey County, California[2] which were thought to be a separate subspecies at one point.[3]
Taxonomy
There were formerly two subspecies of California legless lizard recognized based on individual color morphs: the silvery legless lizard, A. p. pulchra, and the black legless lizard, A. p. nigra. However, contemporary taxonomy considers them simply a melanistic morph.[4] More recently (in 2013), A. pulchra has been split up into five different species: A. pulchra (with a narrower definition), A. alexanderae, A. campi, A. grinnelli, and A. stebbinsi.[5][6]
Distribution and habitat
They live in loose, sandy soils or leaf litter, typically in sand dunes along the coast. They are found from Contra Costa County in northern California, all the way south to Baja California, although occurrences are often scattered. They require moisture to aid in shedding their skin. Without it, their vision and feeding can be affected, potentially starving the animal.[7]
These lizards can be found in diverse vegetation zones ranging from seaside dunes to open pine woodlands. In Sierra Nevada, it's been spotted at heights up to 2,050 meters and 1,360 meters in Sierra San Juarez and Sierra San Pedro Martir. [8]
Diet
Their diet consists of mainly beetles, larval insects, termites, ants, and spiders.
Reproduction
Males are slightly smaller than females[citation needed], otherwise there is no discernible difference between the two sexes. Females are ovoviviparous and probably breed between early spring and July, with 1 to 4 young born September–November. Young lizards resemble their parents except look like smaller versions of them.
Temperature Selectivity
A study conducted by R. Bruce Bury and Thomas G. Bal gooyen in 1976 revealed the "temperature selectivity" of Anniella pulchra. Based on the results of this study, the mean temperature these lizards preferred was 24-25 C. This temperature depended on the level of moisture in the environment and is said to help them remain its increased activity in its environments where it is often cooler.
The researchers compare the temperature preference of these lizards to be similar to the alligator lizard, the Gerrhonotus multi-carinatus, as both lizards are noted to be active at lower temperatures more so than other diurnal species, while also avoiding temperatures over 30 C. [9]
Genetic Diversity
A study by Parham and Papenfuss in 2008 revealed a higher level of genetic diversity than previously reported. Using mitochondrial and nuclear DNA sequences from museum-volunteered samples, their research identified five major genetic lineages of the Anniella pulchra.
Two of these lineages align with a north-south split observed in other widespread Californian reptiles. Notably, unlike many other Californian reptiles, Anniella pulchra has genetic lineages endemic to Central California, with two being exclusive to the San Joaquin Valley and Carrizo Plain.
Their research has also revealed that due to urban development, only one of the three localities of the Anniella pulchra located in the Bakersfield region remains alive today.[10]
References
- ^ Hammerson, G.A.; Hollingsworth, B. (2021). "Anniella pulchra". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2021: e.T62227A167597877. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2021-2.RLTS.T62227A167597877.en. Retrieved 20 November 2021.
- ^ Kuhnz, Linda A.; Burton, Robert K.; Slattery, Peter N.; Oakden, James M. (2005-01-01). "Microhabitats and Population Densities of California Legless Lizards, with Comments on Effectiveness of Various Techniques for Estimating Numbers of Fossorial Reptiles". Journal of Herpetology. 39 (3): 395–402. doi:10.1670/126-04a.1. JSTOR 4092925. S2CID 86641172.
- ^ CaliforniaHerps.com on Anniella pulchra
- ^ CaliforniaHerps.com on the former A. p. nigra "subspecies" Archived April 29, 2010, at the Wayback Machine
- ^ Papenfuss, Theodore J.; Parham, James F. (2013). "Four New Species of California Legless Lizards (Anniella)". Breviora. 536: 1–17. doi:10.3099/MCZ10.1. S2CID 85350734.
- ^ Anniella in the Reptile Database
- ^ Animal Diversity Web: Anniella pulchra
- ^ Hunt, L.E. “Anniella pulchra.” Catalogue of American Amphibians and Reptiles, 2006 https://repositories.lib.utexas.edu/bitstream/handle/2152/45523/0850_Anniella_pulchra.pdf
- ^ Bury, R. Bruce; Balgooyen, Thomas G. (1976). "Temperature Selectivity in the Legless Lizard, Anniella pulchra". Copeia. 1976 (1): 152–155. doi:10.2307/1443785. ISSN 0045-8511.
- ^ Parham, James F.; Papenfuss, Theodore J. "High genetic diversity among fossorial lizard populations (Anniella pulchra) in a rapidly developing landscape (Central California)". Conservation Genetics. 10 (1): 169–176. doi:10.1007/s10592-008-9544-y. ISSN 1566-0621.