Abstract
Three species of lizards in the genus Xantusia occur in Arizona: X. vigilis, X. arizonae and
a new species described here, X. bezyi. Previous workers have suggested that only a single species of
Xa7itusia is found in Arizona with some populations living in yucca-type plants and others specializing
in granite rock habitats. Recognition of the three species is based on previously reported allozyme
data, new mitochondrial DNA sequence data (1716 aligned sites, 59 parsimony informative), and
morphological differences. Phylogenetic analysis of mitochondrial DNA sequences among the three
species of Xantusia that occur in Arizona indicate that X. arizonae and X. vigilis are sister taxa with the
exclusion of X. bezyi. Genetic differentiation between mitochondrial DNA sequences suggests that species in Arizona are 5-6 million years old.
Citation
Papenfuss, T. J., Macey, J. R., & Schulte, J. A. (2001). A new lizard species in the genus Xantusia from Arizona / by Theodore J. Papenfuss, J. Robert Macey and James A. Schulte II. Scientific Papers, (23), 1-9. doi:10.5962/bhl.title.16284