| Desert Grassland Whiptail Lizard | |
|---|---|
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Reptilia |
| Order: | Squamata |
| Suborder: | Sauria |
| Family: | Teiidae |
| Genus: | Aspidoscelis |
| Species: | A. uniparens |
| Binomial name | |
| Aspidoscelis uniparens Wright and Lowe, 1965 |
|
The Desert Grassland Whiptail lizard (Aspidoscelis uniparens) is an all-female species. It was formerly placed in the genus Cnemidophorus. These reptiles reproduce by parthenogenesis; eggs undergo a chromosome doubling after meiosis and develop into lizards without being fertilized. However, ovulation is enhanced by female-female courtship and "mating" (pseudocopulation) rituals that resemble the behavior of closely related to species that reproduce sexually.[1][2][3]
The lizard lives in dry deserts from central Arizona to west Texas and south into Mexico.