Sceloporus arenicolus

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The Sand Dune Lizard, Sceloporus arenicolus, (formerly called the Dunes-Sagebrush Lizard, Sceloporus graciosus arenicolus, a subspecies of sagebrush lizard), is an insectivorous spiny lizard species which only occurs in the Shinnery oak Sand Dune systems of extreme South-east New Mexico and only four counties in adjacent Texas. Sceloporus arenicolus has the second smallest range of all lizards in the United States.

[edit] Habitat

Their habitat requirements include large networks of Shinnery Oak (Quercus havardii), which are short (<1m) shrubs, and a sloping, sandy topography, where the lizards use "blowouts" as their primary microhabitat. Blowouts are sandy, bowl-shaped interruptions in the Shinnery Oak sand dune system which look like small meteor crators. The roots of the shinnery oak shrubs provide structure for the Sand Dune Lizards' burrows, where the lizards retreat from the blowouts when the sand surface is too hot or cold.

[edit] Threats

Habitat Destruction is the primary threat. Shinnery oak through much of the lizard's range was sprayed with herbicide to clear the land for cattle grazing, and the lizards are now extinct at these locations. The dune systems are also heavily interrupted by oil industry activities. These interruptions allow mesquite to invade areas where shinnery oak (and Sand Dune Lizards) were once dominant. While herbicide spraying has been outlawed in the sand dune lizard's New Mexico distribution, development for the oil industry has not ceased.

Competition from other lizard species may be a threat as well. Uta stansburiana, the Side-blotched Lizard, seems to be more of a habitat generalist than the Sand Dune Lizard, and may be able to take advantage of recent habitat changes, introducing skewed resource competition that isn't natural for that ecosystem.