Cnemidophorus sexlineatus
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 Six-lined Racerunner (Cnemidophorus sexlineatus) with a bifurcated tail.
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| Cnemidophorus sexlineatus Linneaus, 1766 |
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Lacerta sexlineata |
The Six-lined Racerunner (Cnemidophorus sexlineatus) is a species of lizard found in the United States, from Wyoming across the Great Plains east to Rhode Island, south to Florida and west to southern Texas, and in northern Mexico, in Tamaulipas.
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[edit] Description
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.
[edit] Behavior
Like other species of whiptail lizard, the Six-lined Racerunner is diurnal and insectivorous. They are wary, energetic, and fast moving, darting for cover if approached. Due to its extensive range, it is found in a wide variety of habitats including grasslands, woodlands, open floodplains, or rocky outcroppings. It prefers lower elevations, with dry loamy soils. Breeding takes place in the spring and early summer, with up to six eggs being laid in mid-summer and hatch six to eight weeks later. A second clutch of eggs may be laid several weeks after the first.
[edit] Subspecies
There are three recognized subspecies of C. sexlineatus:
- Eastern Six-lined Racerunner, Cnemidophorus sexlineatus sexlineatus (Linneaus, 1766)
- Texas Yellow-headed Racerunner, Cnemidophorus sexlineatus stephensae (Trauth, 1992)
- Prairie Racerunner, Cnemidophorus sexlineatus viridis (Lowe, 1966)
[edit] Conservation status
The Six-lined Racerunner is listed as a species of concern in the state of Michigan, due to its limited but otherwise hold no official conservation status.
[edit] References
- Genus Cnemidophorus at the EMBL Reptile Database
- Herps of Texas: Cnemidophorus sexlineatus
- Animal Diversity Web: Cnemidophorus sexlineatus
