A Guide to the Amphibians
and Reptiles of California

Comparison of Anniella Species

Based on Papenfuss and Parham (2013)

Range of California Anniella:
Red, Blue, Green, Orange, Pink, Gray, Yellow and Black stripes

Click the map for a guide to the other species

Species	*A. alexanderae*	*A. campi*	*A. grinneli*	*A. pulchra*	*A. stebbinsi*
Ventral Color	Gray	Yellow	Purple (grayish red)	Yellow	Yellow
Lateral Stripe	Single	Double (From head to tail)	Single	≈Single or Several	≈Single (When double - not from head to tail)
Mean Dorsal Scales	261.2	227.6	242.4	222.3	213.7
Mean Vertebral Count	<77 (76.0)	>81 (82.2)	<77 (76.5)	>81 (81.2)	<77 (75.4)
Rostral	Rostral large, visible from above, posterior tip pointed and in contact with prefrontals in a slight groove at anterior suture of prefrontals.	Rostral large, visible from above, posterior tip pointed and in contact with prefrontals in a slight groove at anterior suture of prefrontals.	Rostral large, visible from above, posterior side flat and in contact with prefrontals.		Rostral large, visible from above, posterior tip pointed and in contact with prefrontals in a slight groove at anterior suture of prefrontals
Supraoculars	3-3	3-3	3-3		3-3
Preoculars	1-1	1-1	1-1		1- 1
Postoculars	2-2	2-2	2-2		2-2
Occipitals	2-2	2-2	2-2		2-2
Supralabials	6-6	5-5	6-6	5-7 (from Hunt 1984)	6-6
Supralabials	first small and located directly beneath nasal with posterior edge in contact with second supralabial, second largest, third and fourth half the length of second and in contact with eye, fifth equal in size to third and fourth and in contact with postoculars; anterior two-thirds of mental contacts first pair of infralabials, posterior pointed one-third of mental inserts in a groove between postmentals.	first small and located directly beneath nasal with posterior edge in contact with second supralabial, second largest, third, fourth, and fifth half the length of second, third and fourth in contact with eye; anterior two-thirds of mental contacts first pair of infralabials, posterior pointed one-third of mental inserts in a groove between postmentals.	first small and located directly beneath nasal, second largest, third and fourth half the length of second and in contact with eye; mental rounded and broadly in contact with first pair of infralabials and postmentals.		first small and located directly beneath nasal with posterior edge in contact with second supralabial, second largest, third and fourth two-thirds the length of second and in contact with eye; mental rounded, broadly in contact with first pair of infra- labials and postmentals.
Infralabials	5-5	5-5	5-5	5-8 (from Hunt 1984)	4-4
Anterior Scale Rows	32 scale rows two head lengths posterior to the interoccipital.	35 scale rows two head lengths posterior to the interoccipital.	30 scale rows two head lengths posterior to the interoccipital.	31-36 (from Hunt 1984)	30 scale rows two head lengths posterior to the interoccipital.
Midbody Scale Rows	26 scale rows at midbody.	32 scale rows at mid-body.	25 scale rows at mid-body.	28-32 (from Hunt 1984)	28 scale rows at mid-body.
Posterior Scale Rows	24 scale rows counted 10 scales anterior to vent.	27 scale rows counted 10 scales anterior to vent.	23 scale rows counted 10 scales anterior to vent.	22-26 (from Hunt 1984)	24 scale rows counted 10 scales anterior to vent.
Anterior Clear Scale Rows	6 clear (no dark pigment from stripes) scale rows between dorsal and lateral stripe on right side of body two head lengths posterior to the interoccipital.	5 clear scale rows between dorsal and lateral stripe on right side of body two head lengths posterior to the interoccipital.	7 clear (no dark pigment from stripes) scale rows between dorsal and lateral stripe on right side of body two head lengths posterior to the interoccipital.	4-8 (from Hunt 1984)	6 clear (no dark pigment from stripes) scale rows between dorsal and lateral stripe on right side of body two head lengths posterior to the interoccipital.
Midbody Clear Scale Rows	4 clear scale rows at mid-body.	4 clear (no dark pigment from stripes) scale rows at mid-body.	5 clear scale rows at mid-body.	4-7 (from Hunt 1984)	5 clear scale rows at mid-body.
Posterior Clear Scale Rows	4 clear scale rows at a point 10 scales anterior to vent.	4 clear scale rows at a point 10 scales anterior to vent.	6 clear scale rows at a point 10 scales anterior to vent.	3-5 (from Hunt 1984)	5 clear scale rows at a point 10 scales anterior to vent.
Dorsal Body Scales	257 dorsal body scales counted along right side of middorsal line from posterior border of interoccipital to a point above the vent.	244 dorsal body scales counted along right side of mid-dorsal line from posterior border of interoccipital to a point above the vent.	239 dorsal body scales counted along right side of mid-dorsal line from posterior border of interoccipital to a point above the vent.	198-250 (from Hunt 1984)	215 dorsal body scales counted on right side of mid-dorsal line from posterior border of interoccipital to a point above the vent.

Four New Species of California Legless Lizards (Anniella) Author(s): Theodore J. Papenfuss and James F. Parham Source: Breviora, Number 536:1-17. 2013. Published By: Museum of Comparative Zoology, Harvard University URL: http://www.bioone.org/doi/full/10.3099/MCZ10.1

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