NATURAL HISTORY · CATALOGUE RECORD
Southern Alligator Lizard
Elgaria multicarinata (Blainville, 1835)
Source-backed taxonomic record
Accepted species in Catalogue of Life’s 11 September 2026 base release. This preserves the source classification and available supporting data; it is not a completed species monograph.
Open encyclopedia reference
The southern alligator lizard (Elgaria multicarinata) is a common species of lizard in the family Anguidae. The species is native to the Pacific coast of North America. It ranges from Baja California to the state of Washington and lives in a variety of habitats including grasslands, chaparral, forests, and even urban areas. In dry climates, it is likely to be found in moist areas or near streams. There are five recognized subspecies.
Wikipedia contributors, Southern alligator lizard; see linked history · CC BY-SA 4.0 . Plain-text lead excerpt, at most 180 words; no infobox or later sections Retrieved 2026-10-05T11:26:18.823235+00:00. This reference remains separate from the taxonomic record.
Identity & source status
- Scientific name
- Elgaria multicarinata (Blainville, 1835)
- Name authority
- (Blainville, 1835)
- Common name
- Southern Alligator Lizard
- Rank
- species
- Accepted status
- accepted
- Kingdom
- Animalia
- Phylum
- Chordata
- Class
- Reptilia
- Order
- Squamata
- Family
- Anguidae
- Genus
- Elgaria
- Extinction status
- Not supplied by this source
Classification family tree
Nested taxonomic groups from the source. This is not a direct-ancestor chain, a dated evolutionary tree or a phylogenetic reconstruction.
- domainEukaryota (Chatton, 1925) Whittaker & Margulis, 1978
- kingdomAnimalia
- phylumChordata
- subphylumVertebrata
- infraphylumGnathostomata
- parvphylumOsteichthyes
- megaclassTetrapoda
- classReptilia Laurenti, 1768
- orderSquamata Oppel, 1811
- suborderAutarchoglossa
- familyAnguidae
- subfamilyGerrhonotinae
- genusElgaria
- speciesElgaria multicarinata (Blainville, 1835)
Close classified relatives
These entries share the source’s genus, Elgaria. They are not necessarily the closest relatives established by molecular evidence.
| Species | Classification | Source status |
|---|---|---|
| Arizona Alligator Lizard [nobilis]Elgaria kingii Gray, 1838 | AnguidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Central Peninsular Alligator LizardElgaria velazquezi Grismer & Hollingsworth, 2001 | AnguidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Northern Alligator LizardElgaria coerulea (Wiegmann, 1828) | AnguidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Cedros Island Alligator LizardElgaria cedrosensis (Fitch, 1934) | AnguidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Panamint Alligator LizardElgaria panamintina (Stebbins, 1958) | AnguidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| San Lucan Alligator LizardElgaria paucicarinata (Fitch, 1934) | AnguidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
Names & synonyms
Names explicitly linked to this accepted taxon in the source. Synonymy can change with revision.
| Recorded name | Source status |
|---|---|
| Gerrhonotus multi-carinatus nanus Fitch, 1934 Fitch, 1934 | synonym |
| Gerrhonotus scincicauda nanus Fitch, 1934 Fitch, 1934 | synonym |
| Gerrhonotus webbii Baird, 1859 Baird, 1859 | synonym |
| Gerrhonotus scincicauda ignava Van Denburgh, 1905 Van Denburgh, 1905 | synonym |
| Tropidolepis scincicauda Skilton, 1849 Skilton, 1849 | synonym |
| Elgaria grandis Baird & Girard, 1852 Baird & Girard, 1852 | synonym |
| Gerrhonotus scincicauda ignavus Van Denburgh, 1905 Van Denburgh, 1905 | synonym |
| Cordylus (Gerhonotus) multi-carinatus Blainville, 1835 Blainville, 1835 | synonym |
Documented distribution
Source distribution statements, not a complete range map. A listed locality is not necessarily a place of origin.
Source literature & publication evidence
References attached to this source record, including nomenclatural citations where supplied. This is a selected bibliography; abbreviated citations remain in the source’s form.
- https://reptile-database.reptarium.cz/species?genus=Elgaria&species=multicarinata Source fields: Taxon.tsv dwc:namePublishedIn, Taxon.tsv dcterms:references
Origins, evidence & remaining research
Name authority and publication references document nomenclature where the source supplies it. They do not establish evolutionary origins or the earliest fossil occurrence.
Specimen-level evidence, morphology, ecological research, phylogenetic studies, a comprehensive bibliography and a located literary passage have not yet been compiled for this record. A suitable sourced image remains to be added.
Dataset citation & attribution
This exact taxon in ChecklistBank · Catalogue of Life 2026-09-11
Catalogue of Life 2026-09-11; dataset 316321; doi:10.48580/dgz5n. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ . Retrieved 5 October 2026.
Stable key: col:399YC. Classification follows source parent identifiers. English common names may vary by region.