Dead side-blotched lizard

Dead side-blotched lizard
Conservation status
Vulnerable (IUCN 3.1)
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Reptilia
Order:	Squamata
Suborder:	Iguania
Family:	Phrynosomatidae
Genus:	Uta
Species:	U. lowei
Binomial name
Uta lowei L. Grismer, 1994

The dead side-blotched lizard (Uta lowei), also known commonly as the El Muerto side-blotched lizard and la mancha lateral muerta in Mexican Spanish, is a species of lizard in the subfamily Sceloporinae of the family Phrynosomatidae. The species is endemic to Isla El Muerto, an island in the Gulf of California, Mexico.

Etymology

The specific name, lowei, is in honor of American herpetologist Charles Herbert Lowe.

Description

Uta lowei has strongly keeled dorsal scales, and is light gray to off-white ventrally. Adult males have a dorsal pattern of offset paravertebral dark blotches, with a dense network of turquoise spots.

Habitat

The preferred natural habitat of Uta lowei is rocky areas of the marine intertidal zone, but it has also been found in rocky areas of inland desert.

Diet

Uta lowei preys predominately upon isopods.

Reproduction

Uta lowei is oviparous.

References

Further reading

• Grismer, L.L. (1994). "Three New Species of Intertidal Side-Blotched Lizards (Genus Uta) from the Gulf of California, México". Herpetologica. 50 (4): 451–474. (Uta lowei, new species, p. 464).
• Grismer, L.L. (1999). "An Evolutionary Classification of Reptiles on Islands in the Gulf of California, México". Herpetologica. 55 (4): 446–469.
• Grismer, L.L. (2002). Amphibians and Reptiles of Baja California, Including Its Pacific Islands and the Islands in the Sea of Cortés. Berkeley and Los Angeles: University of California Press. ISBN 978-0-520-92520-5. 413 pp.
• Heimes, P. (2022). Lizards of Mexico, Herpetofauna Mexicana Vol. 2, Part I. Iguanian Lizards. Frankfurt am Main, Germany: Edition Chimaira. ISBN 978-3-89973-101-9. 448 pp.