An Annotated Bibliography of the Texas Alligator Lizard
(Gerrhonotus infernalis Baird)
(Gerrhonotus infernalis Baird)
Compiled by Tom Lott [TEL] - Last updated: 1/17/2016.
[These bibliographies and their annotations are an on-going project. I have many comments on papers that I have not yet posted but I will attempt to attend to this task as time allows. Comments proffered in the annotations are strictly my own opinions and should be taken as such. If you wish to comment or supply additional references that I have overlooked, you may contact me via E-mail. To correspond with me, Email me at tomlott[at]thornscrub[dot]com. Thanks for reading, Tom Lott]
Axtell, R.W. 1959. Amphibians and reptiles of the Black Gap Wildlife Management Area, Brewster County, Texas. Southwest Naturalist 4(2): 88-109. [Under the heading of "Questionable Forms," the author states: "Black Gap lies between two recorded populations of the Texas alligator lizard (Chisos Mts. and Edwards Plateau), but we were unable to find them. The less xeric highlands in our area however, do support them. I have seen a photograph of a specimen that was reportedly taken in the Dead Horse Mountains, several miles southwest of the area we were exploring. It was discovered in the spiny crown of a yucca about six off the ground." Axtell's group consisted of 14 graduate students in zoology and geology who spent five weeks of June and July in the area during the legendary 1950-1956 drought. - TEL]
Bailey, V. 1905. Biological survey of Texas. N. Amer. Fauna 25. [Classifies the species as "Upper Sonoran" in west Texas. Mentions but a single specimen collected at 6000 ft. in the Chisos Mountains. "It was nosing about in the dry leaves under scrub oaks on the mountain side in the manner peculiar to the individuals of the genus." There is no elaboration as to what these mannerisms might be -- TEL]
Baird, S.F. 1858. Description of new genera and species of North American lizards in the museum of the Smithsonian Institution. Proc. Acad. Nat. Sci. Philadelphia 10: 253-65 [Original description of Gerronotus infernalis; type locality: "Devils River, Texas."--TEL] [PDF]
Bartlett, R. D. 1994. Herping in Texas: The Big Bend. Trop. Fish Hobby. 42(11): 112, 114, 116-118, 120, 122-126.
Blair, A.P. 1950. Notes on two anguid lizards. Copeia 1950(1):57
Blair, W.F. 1949. The biotic provinces of Texas. Texas J. Sci. 2(1):93-117.
Brennan, J.N. 1945. Field investigations pertinent to Bullis fever: Preliminary report on the species of ticks and vertebrates occurring at Camp Bullis, Texas. Tex. Rept. Biol. Med. 3(1): 112-121.
Brooks, B. 1906. The anatomy of the internal urogenital organs of certain North American lizards. Trans. Texas Acad. Sci. 8:23-38.
Brown, B.C. 1950. An annotated check list of the reptiles and amphibians of Texas. Waco, Tex.:Baylor Univ. Studies. [Provides locality records from ten Texas counties (only one {Brewster} from west of the Pecos River); "Remarks -- In spite of the fact that there are few records, Gerrhonotus liocephalus infernalis is to be found throughout most of west Texas in suitable habitats. Its secretive habits make it uncommon in most collections. Even in areas where it occurs commonly, local residents look upon it as an oddity. . . . Natural history is not well known." -- TEL]
Burkett, R.D. 1962. Two clutches of eggs in the lizard Gerrhonotus liocephalus infernalis. Herpetologica 18(3):211.
Carignan, J.M. 1988. Geographic distribution. Gerronotus liocephalus infernalis. Herpetol. Rev. 19(3): 60. ["Brewster Co.: Del Norte Mts., Seale Altuda Ranch, ca. 20.1 km E of Alpine off US Hwy 90. 29 August 1987. . . . Only prior known Brewster Co. population in Chisos Mts., Big Bend National Park (J. F. Scudday, pers. comm.). Extends range ca. 161 km N of Big Bend National Park and verifies hypothetical range connecting specimens from Big Bend National Park with specimens from east of the Pecos River . . . ." - TEL]
Cochran, D.M. 1961. Type specimens of reptiles and amphibians in the United States National Museum. Bull. United States Natl. Mus. 220:1-291
Conant, R. 1958. A field guide to reptiles and amphibians of the
_________. 1975. A field guide to the reptiles and amphibians: Eastern and central North America. 2nd edition. Boston: Houghton Mifflin Co.
_________. and J.T. Collins. 1991. A field guide to reptiles and amphibians of eastern-central North America. Boston: Houghton Mifflin Co.
________________________. 1998. A field guide to reptiles and amphibians of eastern-central North America, 3rd edition (expanded). Boston: Houghton Mifflin Co.
Contreras-Lozano, J.A., Lazcano, D., Contreras-Balderas, A.J. and P.A. Laví n-Murcio. 2010. Notes on Mexican Herpetofauna 14: An Update to the Herpetofauna of Cerro El Potosí, Galeana, Nuevo León, México. Bull. Chicago Herpetol. Soc. 45(3): 41-46. [Documents G. infernalis from this locality along with Barisia ciliaris; includes a monotone A. Kardon photo of the former - TEL]
Cope, E.D. 1900. The crocodilians, lizards, and snakes of North America. Ann. Rept. United States Natl. Mus. 1898: 155-1294.
Cordes, J.E., J.M. Walker, and M.S. Calaway. 1987. Geographic distribution. Gerronotus liocephalus infernalis. Herpetol. Rev. 18(2): 40. [Burnet County record, Longhorn Cavern State Park. - TEL]
Degenhardt, W.G., T.L. Brown, and D.A. Easterla. 1976. The taxonomic status of Tantilla cucullata and Tantilla diabola. Texas J. Sci. 17(1):225-234.
Degenhardt, W.G. and W.W. Milstead. 1959. Notes on a second specimen of the snake Tantilla cucullata Minton. Herpetologica 15(3):158-159. [Incorrectly cited in an earlier on-line bibliography of this species as providing the first record of this taxon from the Davis Mountains of Texas. Actually the authors report that T. cucullata is found in similar habitats as G. infernalis in Green Gulch, in the Chisos Mountains, where it is well known. Despite some tantalizing anecdotal reports, G. infernalis remains officially unreported from the Davis Mtns. -- TEL]
Ditmars, R.L. 1936. The Reptiles of North America. New York: Doubleday, Dorman & Co. Pub.
Dixon, J.R. 1987. Amphibians and reptiles of Texas. College Station: Texas A&M Press. [The source of most of the pre-1982 citations in this bibliography, it also contains county distribution maps, but does not list specific collection localities. -TEL]
_________. 1993. Supplement to the literature for the Amphibians and reptiles of Texas, 1987. Smithson. Herpetol. Info. Serv. 94:1-43.
_________. 1996b. Ten year supplement to Texas herpetological county records published in Amphibians and reptiles of Texas, 1987. Texas Herpetol. Soc. Spec. Publ. (2):1-64.
_________. 2000. Amphibians and reptiles of Texas. (2nd edition). College Station: Texas A&M Press [Includes twenty-two additional citations for this taxon; declares the Dallas County (Seifert, W.S. 1978) record to be an "accidental introduction." - TEL]
_______ . 2013. Amphibians and reptiles of Texas. 3rd Ed. W. L. Moody, Jr., Nat. Hist. Ser. 25. College Station: Texas A&M University Press. [Includes 71 literature citations for this species, a color photo of a specimen from Nuevo Leon, Mexico, and includes a county-based distribution map with a gap in Terrell County, which has recently been filled (Sager 2014). New information in Remarks: "The superintendent of the state park just south of La Grange {the Fayette County record} recently photographed two individual alligator lizards along one of the park trails. This suggests a viable population still exists at this isolated location." I have reviewed this book HERE. - TEL]
Flury, A. 1949. Gerrhonotus liocephalus infernalis Baird in Texas. Herpetologica 5(3): 65-67. [ Presents data from seven adult and two juvenile specimens kept in lab. States that "species appears to be uncommon in central Texas." Specimens were "collected on warm mornings in the spring or fall . . . except for three specimens collected on a midsummer morning after a light shower and a single specimen seen sunning itself on a warm December day." Stalking and feeding behavior is described. Captives fed on "grasshoppers, crickets, June Beetles, etc." Juveniles fed on larvae of dermestid beetles. Temperament is described as "gentle" except that juveniles were "more active and excitable than the adults." States that area ranchers use the names "copperhead lizard . . . , Gila monster, mountain boomer or barking lizard" and that most locals consider them to be venomous. Notes several fall copulations or attempts. Mating position is described. Records captive oviposition on 30 March and 11 May, of 14 and 22 eggs, respectively. Eggs of the first clutch had mean dimensions of 17.2mm X 10.5mm. Eggs of first clutch began hatching after forty-six days. Nine of eleven eggs (81.8%) of the first clutch hatched. The second clutch spoiled. Those hatchlings that were measured had a mean S-V length of 37.5mm. Coloration of adults and hatchlings is described. One of the best early natural history summaries for the species -- TEL]
Garrett, J.M. and D.G. Barker. 1987. A Field Guide to the Reptiles and Amphibians of Texas. Austin: Texas Monthly Press.
Gehlbach, F.R. 1991. The east-west transition zone of terrestrial vertebrates in central Texas: A biogeographical analysis. Tex. J. Sci. 43(4): 415-427.
Good, D.A. 1988. Phylogenetic relationships among gerrhonotine lizards: An analysis of external morphology. Univ. Calif. Publ. Zool. 121:1-139.
Good, D.A. 1994. Species limits in the genus Gerrhonotus (Squamata:Anguidae). Herpetol. Monogr. 8: 180-202.
Good, D.A. and M.G. Wiedenfeld. 1995. The holotype of the Texas alligator lizard, Gerrhonotus infernalis Baird (Squamata:Anguidae). J. of Herpetol. 29(4): 628-630. [Authors apply historical records (Kennerly's field notes) and some questionable information concerning the pre-Amistad environment of the Devils River Canyon to restrict the type locality of the species to "0-13 km N Baker's Crossing, Val Verde County, Texas," where it was collected on 8 November 1854 by Dr. Caleb Burwell Rowan Kennerly. The authors also seem to labor under the misconception that the species is limited to mesic conditions, but this paper is an interesting read anyway -- TEL]
Greene, H.W. and B.E. Dial. 1966. Brooding behavior by a female Texas alligator lizard. Herpetologica 22(4):303.
Greene, H.W.; P.M. Ralidis, and E.W. Acuna. 2009. Texas Alligator Lizard. Pp. 492-495. In: Jones, L.C. and R.E. Lovich, eds, Lizards of the American Southwest: A Photographic Field Guide. Tucson, AZ: Rio Nuevo Publishers.
Guttman, S.I. 1971. An electrophoretic analysis of the hemoglobins of old and new world lizards. J. Herp. 5(1-2):11-16.
Hampton, N. 1976. Annotated checklist of the amphibians and reptiles of Travis County, Texas. Pp. 84-101 in A bird finding and naturalist's guide for Austin, Texas, area. Edited by E. Kutac and S. Caran. Austin, Tex.: Oasis Press.
Kauffeld, C.F. 1960a. The search for subocularis. Bull. Phila. Herpetol. Soc. 8(2): 13-19.
Lazcano, D., Contreras-Lozano, J.A., Gallardo-Valdez, J., García del Peña, C. and G. Castañeda. 2009. Notes on Mexican Herpetofauna 11: Herpetological Diversity in Sierra “Cerro de La Silla” (Saddleback Mountain), Nuevo León, Mexico. Bull. Chicago Herpetol. Soc. 44(2): 21-27. [Present in the "Cerro de la Silla" natural protected area of Nuevo Leon, Mexicoat elevations of 1356-2835 m. - TEL]
Lichtenstein, H. 1856. Nomenclator Reptilium et Amphibiorum. Musei. zoologici berolinensis. Berlin.
McAllister, C.T. 1991d. First report of Mesocestoides sp. Tetrathyridia (Cyclophllidea: Mesocestoididae) in the Texas alligator lizard, Gerrhonotus liocephalus infernalis (Sauaria: Anguidae) from Coahuila, Mexico. Tex. J. Sci. 43(3): 325-326.
McCallion, J. 1945. Notes on Texas reptiles. Herpetologica 2(7-8):197-198.
Maxwell, T.C. 2013. Wildlife of the Concho Valley. College Station: Texas A&M Univ. Press. 292 pp. [Considered a "marginal" inhabitant of the Conch Basin, especially from Crockett County. "Texas Alligator Lizards occur in and around Ozona but are more frequent to the southwest nearer the Pecos River. Although there are no cataloged museum specimens from the Concho Valley portion of Crockett County, as of the year 2010 there was a live specimen from Ozona on display in the San Angelo Nature Center." - TEL]
Milstead, W.W. 1960. Relict Species of the Chihuahuan Desert. Southwest. Nat. 5(2):75-88. [The author, in listing fourteen relict species of the Chihuahuan Desert, considers Gerrhonotus liocephalus (=infernalis) as a possible relict as it meets at least one of his four criteria. He declines to do so, however, because of its "widespread distribution in . . . areas contiguous with the Chihuahuan Desert leaves considerable doubt as to whether or not they should really be thought of as disjunct species." Given that G. infernalis is currently considered a full species, one would wonder whether the late Dr. Milstead might reconsider his opinion on this -- TEL]
Miller, D. 1983. The Texas alligator lizard. Chihuahuan Desert Disc. 6:3.
Minton, S.A. 1959. Observations on amphibians and reptiles of the Big Bend region of Texas. Southwest. Nat. 3:28-54. ["I obtained the species under logs in needle grass meadows and in the open or under rocks in the oak-pinyon-juniper forest. The slow, sinuous movements of this animal are very different from the scurrying of the desert lizards. The tail is prehensile. Large ones bite powerfully, and the short teeth produce painful scratches. The stomach of one specimen contained a scorpion and several large beetles. A very young alligator lizard, 45 mm. body length, was collected July 17." - TEL]
Montoya-Ferrer, Daniel; D. Lazcano, and M. Garcia-Bastida. 2014. Notes on Mexican Herpetofauna 23: An Unusual Injury to a Texas Alligator Lizard (Gerrhonotus infernalis) in Parque Ecologico Chipinque, San Pedro Garza Garcia, Nuevo Leon, Mexico. Bull. Chicago Herp. Soc. 49(9): 125-126. [A male lizard collected in the month of January 2014 displayed an injured ocular cavity that appeared to contain decaying tissue. From this cavity was growing a ca. 3 mm filament of a moss of the family Fissidentaceae (Fissidens sp.) - TEL]
Morafka, D.J. 1977. A biogeographical analysis of the Chihuahuan desert through its herpetofauna. Biogeographica 9:1-313.
Murray, L.T. 1939. Annotated list of amphibians and reptiles from the Chisos Mountains. Contrib. Baylor Univ. Mus. 24:4-16.
Neck, R.W., D.H. Riskind. Undated [1977-78]. [Unpublished TPWD report.] Significant range extension and related environmental factors in a Gulf Coast population of the Texas alligator lizard, (Anguidae).
Neck, R.W., D.H. Riskind, and K. Peterson. 1979. Geographical distribution Gerrhonotus liocephalus infernalis. Herp. Rev. 10(4):118. ["TEXAS: Fayette Co: Monument Hill and Kreische Brewery State Historic Sites, 3 km south LaGrange. 1 September 1978. 1.L. Jones and K. Von Minder. . . . Heretofore considered to be endemic to the
Texas Hill Country and adjacent physiographically similar areas in western Texas and northern Mexico (Raun & Gehlbach, 1972. Dallas Mus. Nat. Hist., Bull. 2:1-61), a viable population has been located 100 km SE of previous nearest specimens from Austin, Travis County. Habitat is wooded, dissected massif of calcareous Oakville Escarpment which supports flora and fauna characterized by outlying populations of species with Hill Country affinities." - TEL]
Owen, J.G. 1989. Patterns of herpetofaunal species richness: Relation to temperature, precipitation, and variance in elevation. J. Biogeogr. 16:141-150.
Owen, J.G. and J.R. Dixon. 1989. An ecogeographic analysis of the herpetofauna of Texas. Southwest. Nat. 34(2): 165-180.
Parmley, D. 1998b. Middle Holocene herpetofauna of Klein Cave, Kerr County, Texas. Southwest. Nat. 33(3): 378-382. [Two dorsal osteoderms, presumably of this species, were found in late Pleistocene/early Holocene deposits in this cavern located ca. 20 km WSW of Mountain Home, Kerr County. Includes a SEM photo of one of the osteoderms. - TEL]
Pritchett, A.H. 1903. Some experiments in feeding lizards with protectively colored insects. Biol. Bull. 5:271-287.
Quijano, Fernando M. and David A. Good. 1994. Geographic distr.: Gerrhonotus infernalis. Herpetol. Rev. 25(4): 164. [First record for the state of Hidalgo and a range extension southeastward of ca. 260 airline km from records reported by Good (1994). - TEL]
Rakowitz, V.A., R.R. Fleet, and F.L. Rainwater. 1983. New distributional records of Texas amphibians and reptiles. Herp. Rev. 14(3):85-89. [Recorded a specimen from Llano Co., TX (9.6 km W Llano, SFA-4267), collected on 10 August 1969 by J. Filecia -- TEL]
Ralidis, Phillip and Edward Acuna. 2012. Natural history observations of the anguid lizard Gerrhonotu infernalis (Baird, 1859) in Travis County, Texas (Lacertilia: Anguidae). SWCHR Bulletin 2(4): 3-6.
Sager, Michael T. 2014. Geographical distribution. Gerrhonotus infernalis. Herp. Rev. 45(3): 462. [UTA photo vouchered record for Terrell County, Independence Creek Preserve; corroborates frequent amateur sightings and reports of this species from this county where its presence was a given - TEL]
Schmidt, K.P. 1953. A check list of North American amphibians and reptiles. Chicago: University of Chicago Press.
Schmidt, K.P. and T.F. Smith. 1944. Amphibians and reptiles of the Big Bend region of Texas. Field Mus. Nat. Hist. Zool. Ser. 29:75-96. ["The alligator lizard is by no means an uncommon resident in the Chisos Mountains and surrounding foothills. Our series of seventeen specimens, all from the Basin, shows that in the juveniles
the color pattern is the reverse of that found in the adults, the light crossbars cf the juveniles being converted into the dark bars of the adults (with their intermixed light scales) by invasion of black pigment, the dark brown bars of the juvenile pattern becoming a lighter brown in the adult." - TEL]
Seifert, W.S. 1978. Geographic distribution. Gerrhonotus liocephalus infernalis. Herp. Rev. 9(2): 61-62. [Purported Dallas County record. A specimen was collected from "typical habitat" within the city of Dallas but no additional specimens were seen. This record is generally considered to be the result of an introduction (Dixon 2013) - TEL]
Smith, H.M. 1946. Handbook of lizards. Ithaca, N.Y.: Comstock Publ. Co. [This reference contains remarkably little information about the Texas Alligator Lizard, considering that Smith was a Texas resident at the time, teaching at Texas A&M -- TEL]
Smith, H.M. and H. K. Buechner. 1947. The influence of the Balcones Escarpment on the distribution of amphibians and reptiles in Texas. Bull Chicago Acad. Sci. 8(13): 277-84.
Smith, H.M. 1950. Type localities of Mexican reptiles and amphibians. Univ. Kansas Sci. Bull. 33:313-79.
Smith, H.M. 1950. An annotated checklist and key to the reptiles of Mexico exclusive of the snakes. United States Natl. Bull. 199:1-253.
Stebbins, R.C. 1958. A new alligator lizard from the Panamint Mountains, Inyo County, California. Amer. Mus. Novitates 1883:1-27.
Strecker, J.K. 1909. Notes on the herpetology of Burnet County, Texas. Baylor Univ. Bull. 12(1): 1-9.
Strecker, J.K. 1909. Reptiles and amphibians collected in Brewster County, Texas. Baylor Univ. Bull. 12(1):11-16.
Strecker, J. K. 1915. Reptiles and amphibians of Texas. Baylor Univ. Bull. 18(4):1-82. ["Texas Gerrhonotus : Plated Lizard. This rare lizard has been recorded from only a few scattered localities, mostly in the central-northern, central and western sections of the State. It inhabits rocky places and is our most pugnacious lizard{?}. The following are the published localities: Devil's River, Helotes Creek and Wichita County (Cope), Chisos Mountains, Brewster County, at 6,000 feet (Bailey), Hays and Travis Counties and between Lewisville and Roanoke, Denton County (Cragin). My three specimens are each from a different locality, i.e., White Bluff, Burnet County, the hills west of Austin, and the foothills of the Chisos Mountains." The Wichita and Denton county records were erroneous -- TEL]
Strecker, J.K. 1922. An annotated catalog of the amphibians and reptiles of Bexar County, Texas. Bull. Sci. Soc. San Antonio 4:1-31. ["Mr. Marnock collected nearly a dozen examples of this rare lizard at Helotes. The Scientific Society collection contains a fine specimen from a point fifteen miles from San Antonio on the Blanco Road, collected by the late Dr. R. Menger." - TEL]
Strecker, J.K. 1926. A list of reptiles and amphibians collected by Louis Garni in the vicinity of Boerne, Texas. Contr. Baylor Univ. Mus. 6:3-9
Strecker, J.K. 1928. Common English and folk names for Texas amphibians and reptiles. Contr. Baylor Univ. Mus. 16:1-21.
Strecker, J.K. 1928. Doubtful Texas reptile records. Contr. Baylor Univ. Mus. 18:3-5.
Strecker, J.K. 1930. A catalogue of the amphibians and reptiles of Travis County, Texas. Contr. Baylor Univ. Mus. 23:1-16.
Strecker, J.K. 1935. The reptiles of West Frio Canyon, Real County, Texas. Contr. Baylor Univ. Mus. 38(3):32.
Strecker, J.K. and W.J. Williams. 1927. Herpetological records from the vicinity of San Marcos, Texas, with distributional data on the amphibians and reptiles of the Edwards Plateau region and central Texas. Contr. Baylor Univ. Mus. 12:1-16.
Tihen, J.A. 1948. A new Gerrhonotus from San Luis Potosi. Trans. Kansas Acad. Sci. 51:302-305.
Turcotte, R. 1968. The alligator lizards. Herpetology 2(2):7.
Vermersch, T.G. 1992. Lizards and turtles of south-central Texas. Austin: Eakin Press. [Arguably the best natural history summary of this species published to date, based upon his own data and two "private keepers." States age at sexual maturity to be 3-4 years, differing considerably from the estimates of others - TEL]
Ward, R., E.G. Zimmerman, and T.L. King. 1990. Multivariate analyses of terrestrial reptile distribution in Texas: An alternate view. Southwest. Nat. 35(4): 441-445.
Wauer, R. 1980. Naturalist's Big Bend. An introduction to the trees and shrubs, wildflowers, cacti, mammals, birds, reptiles and amphibians, fish, and insects. College Station: Texas A&M University Press.
Werler, J.E. 1949. Reproduction of captive Texas and Mexican lizards. Herpetologica 5(3): 67-70. [Describes an oviposition of a 121mm S-V specimen from Bexar Co., Texas collected on 28 February 1949. Twenty-four eggs were laid on 21 March, several of which appeared not to be fully calcified. Lizard's behavior prior to and during oviposition is described. Eggs varied from 18-24mm in length and 9-13 mm in width (mean= 20.7mm X 10.8mm, including those incompletely calcified). Eggs were incubated at room temperature (75-90°F) under an inch of damp sand in a Pyrex dish. Hatching began on 23 April, after 33 days of incubation. Only 7/24 eggs hatched (29.2%). "Total length" of hatchlings ranged from 43-52mm (median=47.5mm). A full page B&W photo of the lizard and her clutch is provided -- TEL]
Werler, J.E. 1951. Miscellaneous notes on the eggs and young of Texas and Mexican reptiles. Zoologica 36:34-48.
[Reported on two clutches of this species. The first involving a female from Medina County, Texas that laid 10 white, granular, and non-adhesive eggs between 30 Jan and 1 Feb 1950, which averaged 16.9mm in length and 9.9mm in width. These apparently did not hatch. A second female from "central Texas" laid five similar eggs on 18 February 1950, averaging 19.2mm in length and 10.4mm in width. Two of these eggs spoiled. The remaining three eggs hatched between 31 March and 2 April 1950. The three hatchlings averaged 94.6mm in TTL and 35.0mm in tail length. Included are photos of the female and her three hatchlings (Plate III, fig. 6) and of one of the hatchlings and its egg shell (Plate III, fig. 7). - TEL]
Yarrow, H.C. 1882. Checklist of North American Reptilia and Batrachia with catalogue of specimens in the U.S. National Museum. Bull. United States Natl. Mus. 24:1-249.
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