Abstract
All species of the genus Phrynosoma are cryptically colored and patterned, but two species have bold black or white vertebral-line patterns on their dorsal surfaces. Phrynosoma mcallii lives on aeolian-sand substrates and often rests below shrubs. It has a black vertebral line which is hypothesized to mimic dark shadows of stems falling on the smooth, litter-free sand beneath shrubs. Phrynosoma cornutum inhabitats grasslands and arid shrub-habitats in which below-shrub sites are littered with bleached plant stems. The white middorsal stripe of this species is thought to mimic white stems of the under-shrub litter. Although crypticity in horned lizards has been extensively studied, the two examples of apparent object mimicry described herein have not been reported previously.
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
