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A Taxonomic Study Of Crotaphytus Collaris Between The Rio Grande And Colorado Rivers, William Ingram Iii, Wilmer W. Tanner

Brigham Young University Science Bulletin, Biological Series

Little work has been done previously on the taxonomy of Crotaphytus collaris baileyi. This and the demonstration by Fitch and Tanner that C. c. baileyi is a heterogeneous grouping prompted the present study. Only the populations of the type material, the Upper Colorado River Basin, and the Chihuahuan Desert were studied. Multivariate, variance, canonical and discriminant analyses of external characters were performed, and pattern-coloration characters were examined on living specimens.

The results of the analyses show significance between all three populations. The discriminant functions distinguished between the populations with 80% reliability and patternal characters were discriminatory with near 100% reliability. …