NATURAL HISTORY · CATALOGUE RECORD
Texas Alligator Lizard
Gerrhonotus liocephalus Wiegmann, 1828
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
Gerrhonotus liocephalus, also known commonly as the Texas alligator lizard, Wiegmann's alligator lizard, and la culebra con pata in Spanish, is a species of lizard in the family Anguidae. The species is native to Texas, Mexico, and Guatemala. There are three recognized subspecies.
Wikipedia contributors, Gerrhonotus liocephalus; see linked history · CC BY-SA 4.0 . Plain-text lead excerpt, at most 180 words; no infobox or later sections Retrieved 2026-10-05T10:09:56.195866+00:00. This reference remains separate from the taxonomic record.
Identity & source status
- Scientific name
- Gerrhonotus liocephalus Wiegmann, 1828
- Name authority
- Wiegmann, 1828
- Common name
- Texas Alligator Lizard
- Rank
- species
- Accepted status
- accepted
- Kingdom
- Animalia
- Phylum
- Chordata
- Class
- Reptilia
- Order
- Squamata
- Family
- Anguidae
- Genus
- Gerrhonotus
- 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
- genusGerrhonotus
- speciesGerrhonotus liocephalus Wiegmann, 1828
Close classified relatives
These entries share the source’s genus, Gerrhonotus. They are not necessarily the closest relatives established by molecular evidence.
| Species | Classification | Source status |
|---|---|---|
| Gerrhonotus mccoyi García-Vázquez, Contreras-Arquieta, Trujano-Ortega & Nieto-Montes de Oca, 2018 | AnguidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Gerrhonotus occidentalis Nieto-Montes de Oca, Wiens & García-Vázquez, 2025 | AnguidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Gerrhonotus farri Bryson & Graham, 2010 | AnguidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Texas Alligator LizardGerrhonotus infernalis Baird, 1859 | AnguidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Snake LizardGerrhonotus ophiurus Cope, 1867 | 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 tesselatus Wiegmann, 1834 Wiegmann, 1834 | synonym |
| Scincus ventralis Peale & Green, 1838 Peale & Green, 1838 | 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=Gerrhonotus&species=liocephalus 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:3FX5R. Classification follows source parent identifiers. English common names may vary by region.