California Reptiles & Amphibians

Sceloporus graciosus vandenburgianus - Southern Sagebrush Lizard

Click on a picture for a larger view

Range in California: Orange

Click the map for a guide
to the other subspecies

Adult male, San Bernardino County

Close-up showing orange coloring
behind front legs

Adult Male San Diego County

Adult male, 6,000 ft., San Bernardino County

Adult female San Diego County

Dorsal view - Sagebrush Lizard, Sceloporus graciosus, on the left, Fence Lizard, Sceloporus occidentalis, on the right. Note the larger dorsal scales on the Fence Lizard. © Patrick Briggs

Ventral view - Sagebrush Lizard on the right, Fence Lizard on the left. Note the yellow rear thighs on the Fence Lizard.
© Patrick Briggs

Head view - Sagebrush Lizard on the left, Fence Lizard on the right.
© Patrick Briggs

Habitat ,6,200 ft. San Bernardino Mountains,
San Bernardino County

Habitat, 5,600 ft. San Diego County

Habitat, San Jacinto Mountains,
Riverside County

Short Video

A lizard runs over the rocks and does territorial push-up displays.

Description

Size

1 7/8 - 3 1/2 inches long from snout to vent (4.7 - 8.9 cm). (Stebbins 2003)

Appearance

A small lizard with small keeled and pointed scales overlapping on the upper surfaces of the body and limbs. These scales are not as large as they are on other lizards of the species Sceloporus. The gular fold is incomplete. The scales on the back of the thigh are mostly granular, not keeled (as they are on the Western Fence Lizard.)

Color is gray or brown with dark blotches or irregular bands on the body and tail and light stripes along the sides and upper sides at the edge of the back. There is usually a bar of black on the shoulder and rusy coloring on the armpits and sometimes on the sides of the body and the neck. Unlike the Western Fence Lizard - Sceloporus occidentalis, there is normally no yellow coloring on the rear of the limbs.

Males have a patch of blue color on each side of the belly and on the throat. Blue patches usually meet across the belly and touch the throat coloring. Underside of tail and legs is also often blue. Male postanal scales are enlarged, and the base of the tail is broader than on the female. The throat is light blue mottled with white spots. Sometimes the blue patch is reduced or even absent. Some males may develop bright orange breeding coloring.

Females have little or no blue on the belly, but belly may be dark. When breeding, females may develop orange coloring on the sides and neck and yellow underneath. Young lizards have little or no blue on the belly.

Behavior & Natural History

Diurnal. Active from March or April to September or October depending on the weather. Hibernates during winter in rock cracks and mammal burrows. A good climber and jumper, able to quickly jump from rock to rock. Lives mostly on the ground near bushes, logs, rocks, or brush piles. Often observed basking on rocks and logs. Escapes danger by running into rocks, rodent burrows, or brush or climbs up trees or rock outcrops. Males defend their territory with head-bobbing and by standing tall and displaying the blue belly and throat.

Diet

Eats a variety of small invertebrates, including ants, termites, grasshoppers, flies, spiders, and beetles.

Reproduction

Breeds from May to July. 1 or 2 clutches of 2 - 7 eggs are laid from June to August and hatch in August and September.

Range

Found in the Transverse and Peninsular mountains of southern California, and in the Sierra San Pedro Martir of northern Baja California.

Habitat

Lives in shrublands such as chaparral, manzanita and ceanothus, as well as open pine and Douglas Fir forests, mainly in the mountains. Often occurs with the Western Fence Lizard. Prefers open areas with scattered low bushes and lots of sun. From 500 ft. to around 10,500 ft. (150 - 3,200 m). (Stebbins 2003)

Taxonomic Notes

Three subspecies of Sceloporus graciosus are recognized in California:
Sceloporus graciosus gracilis - Western Sagebrush Lizard,
Sceloporus graciosus graciosus - Northern Sagebrush Lizard, and
Sceloporus graciosus vandenburgianus - Southern Sagebrush Lizard.
Sceloporus graciosus vandenburgianus was described as a unique species in 1997, Sceloporus vandenburgianus.
Wiens & Reeder (1997 Herpetological Monographs 11: 1-101).

Conservation Issues (Conservation Status)

None.

Taxonomy
Family	Phrynosomatidae	Zebra-tailed, Earless, Fringe-toed, Spiny, Tree, Side-blotched, and Horned Lizards
Genus	Sceloporus	Spiny Lizards
Species	graciosus	Common Sagebrush Lizard
Subspecies	vandenburgianus	Southern Sagebrush Lizard
Original Description
Sceloporus graciosus - Baird and Girard, 1852 - Proc. Acad. Nat. Sci. Philadelphia, Vol. 6, p. 69 Sceloporus vandenburgianus - Cope, 1896 - Amer. Nat., Vol. 30, p. 834 from Original Description Citations for the Reptiles and Amphibians of North America © Ellin Beltz
Meaning of the Scientific Name
Sceloporus - Greek -skelos leg and porus - pore or opening - refers to the femoral pores on hind legs graciosus - Latin - graciosus graceful - "This small and graceful species..." vandenburgianus- honors Van Denburgh, John from Scientific and Common Names of the Reptiles and Amphibians of North America - Explained © Ellin Beltz
Alternate Names
Sceloporus vandenburgianus - Southern Sagebrush Lizard (Recognized as a full species)
Related or Similar California Lizards
Sceloporus graciosus gracilis - Western Sagebrush Lizard Sceloporus graciosus graciosus - Northern Sagebrush Lizard Uta. stansburiana - Common Side-blotched Lizard Sceloporus occidentalis - Western Fence Lizard
More Information and References
Natureserve Explorer California Dept. of Fish and Game Stebbins, Robert C. A Field Guide to Western Reptiles and Amphibians. 3rd Edition. Houghton Mifflin Company, 2003. Behler, John L., & F. Wayne King. The Audubon Society Field Guide to North American Reptiles and Amphibians. Alfred A. Knopf, 1992. Smith, Hobart M. Handbook of Lizards, Lizards of the United States and of Canada. Cornell University Press, 1946.

Conservation Status
The following status listings come from the Special Animals List which is published several times each year by the California Department of Fish and Game. This animal is not included on the Special Animals List, which indicates that there are no significant conservation concerns for it in California.
Organization	Status Listing
U.S. Endangered Species Act (ESA)
California Endangered Species Act (CESA)
California Department of Fish and Game
Bureau of Land Management
USDA Forest Service
Natureserve Global Conservation Status Ranks
World Conservation Union - IUCN Red List