THE UNIYERSITY OF KANSAS SCIENCE BULLETIN Vol. XXIV.] July 15, 1936 [No. 21. The Lizards of the Torquatus Group of the Genus Sceloporus Wiegmann, 1828* HOBART M. SMITH Department of Zoology, University of Kansas Ab.stract: Complete synonymies, descriptions and a key are gi\'en for the recognized species and subspecies of the lurquaiiis group, in which are inckided serrifer, t. (orqndlu.^, I. melanogasler, hullerl, m. 7nucroiiatus, m. omiltemanus, cynn()</( )i!js, j)()ins< llil, IIik ninlcyah's, j. jorrovii, j. minor, j. immucroimtus, o. oriialus, o. cuienilcuf^, d. (hu/csu and (/. intcrrncdias. S. jcrrnriperczi Cope is s^'nonyniized with S. t. lorqualus Wiegmann; <S. pleurolepis Giinthcr is synon-ymized wit'h S. d. dugcdi Bocourt. S. gucntheri Stejneger is referred to the spinofiut^ grouji. An analysis is presented of th(-phylogeny of the eleven i)ro-posed groups (chri/sostictus, scalaris, t.>a)-iabilis, utiformis, pyrocephnlus, macu-losus, microlepldutus, jorrnoaus, spinosus, undulaLus and torquatu-s) of the genus, and of the species and subspecies of the torquatus group. It is sug-gested that the genus Utn is dcMived from ancestral forms of SceIoj)orus whose most closely related lixing s])eci(>s arc in I he variabilis group. INTRODUCTION S("l']LOP()lvUS is one of the largest, most progressive and most recent of the new world lizard genera. Its extreme genetic activity has resulted in the appearance of numerous variations, many of which have not become fixed, partially because of an insufficiency of the time element, an inadequacy of their survi\-al value, and unfavorable environmental conditions. A thorough re-*After this manuscript was in press, Mr. .Joseph R. Bailey kindly pointed out to me that, unfortunately, the name Sce!oporu!< iorqiintus Wiegmann is not tenable. In 1820 Wied de-scribed Stellii) tor([uatuf:, which was placed by Wied in his new genus Tropidurus rlescribed ill 1824 (Al)l)ild. Nat. Bras.). In 1828 Wiegmann described Sceloporus torquatus, which the same author designated as the genotype of Sceloporus in 1834. In 1830 Wagler plaicetl, Sceloporus torquatus (also S. spinosus and (/rammicus) in the genus Tropidurus, together with Tropidurus torciuatus. Thereby Sceloporus torc/uatus is suppressed as a homonym and cannot he resurrected. The only names synonymous with torciuatus are mehuwgaster Cope and jerrariperezi Cope, both described in 188') in the same article. S. melaiiofiaster is very definitely typical of the northern subspecies, while jerrariperezi is based upon intergrades between the northern and southern subspecies, definitely approaching the southern subspecies more closely than the noi"thern. There seems to be no alternative for the selection of jerrariperezi as the name to replace torquatus. The specific and subsjiecific names of the races of the species previously known as Sceloporus torquatus Wiegmann should therefore lie Sceloporus jerrariperezi jer-rariperezi Cope and Sceloporus jerrariperezi mekinogaster Cope. As Sceloporus poinsettii Baird and Girard (1854) is the next oldest name in the group, I propose that the group previously known as the torquatus group be called the poinsettii group. (539)
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