Six-lined racerunner

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Six-lined racerunner
Aspidoscelis sexlineata (male).jpg
Male six-lined racerunner (Aspidoscelis sexlineata).

Least Concern (IUCN 3.1)[1]
Scientific classification edit
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Reptilia
Order: Squamata
Family: Teiidae
Genus: Aspidoscelis
Species:
A. sexlineatus
Binomial name
Aspidoscelis sexlineatus
(Linnaeus, 1766)
Synonyms

The six-lined racerunner (Aspidoscelis sexlineatus) is a species of lizard native to the United States and Mexico.

Geographic range[]

The six-lined racerunner is found throughout much of the southeastern and south-central portion of the United States, from Maryland to Florida in the east, across the Great Plains to southern Texas and northern Mexico.[3][4] The species' range also reaches north to Wisconsin and Minnesota. A small disjunct population is found in Tuscola County, Michigan.[5]

Description[]

Adult, Indialantic, Florida

The six-lined racerunner is typically dark green, brown, or black in color, with six yellow or green-yellow stripes that extend down the body from head to tail. The underside is usually white in color on females, and a pale blue in males. Males also sometimes have a pale green-colored throat. They are slender-bodied, with a tail nearly twice the body length.

Behavior[]

Like other species of whiptail lizards, the six-lined racerunner is diurnal and insectivorous. They are wary, energetic, and fast moving, with speeds of up to 18 mph (29 kmh), darting for cover if approached.

Habitat[]

Due to its extensive range, A. sexlineata is found in a wide variety of habitats including grasslands, woodlands, open floodplains, or rocky outcroppings. It prefers lower elevations, with dry loamy soils.

Reproduction[]

Breeding takes place in the spring and early summer, with up to six eggs being laid in mid-summer and hatching six to eight weeks later. A second clutch of eggs may be laid several weeks after the first.

Subspecies[]

There are three recognized subspecies of A. sexlineatus:

  • Eastern six-lined racerunner, Aspidoscelis sexlineatus sexlineatus (Linnaeus, 1766)
  • Texas yellow-headed racerunner, Aspidoscelis sexlineatus stephensae Trauth, 1992
  • Prairie racerunner, Lowe, 1966

Conservation status[]

The six-lined racerunner is listed as a species of concern in the state of Michigan, due to its limited population but otherwise holds no official conservation status.

See also[]

References[]

  1. ^ IUCN (2016). "Aspidoscelis sexlineata". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2016. Retrieved 7 December 2016.
  2. ^ The Reptile Database. www.reptile-database.org.
  3. ^ Animal Diversity Web: Cnemidophorus sexlineatus
  4. ^ Savannah River Ecology Laboratory Herpetology Program - Species Profile: Six-lined Racerunner (Cnemidophorus [Aspidoscelis] sexlineatus)
  5. ^ Michigan Natural Features Inventory: Aspidoscelis sexlineata

External links[]

Data related to Aspidoscelis at Wikispecies Media related to Aspidoscelis sexlineata at Wikimedia Commons

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