NATURAL HISTORY · CATALOGUE RECORD
Texas Horned Lizard
Phrynosoma cornutum (Harlan, 1825)
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.
Phrynosoma cornutum, northwest bajada of the Animas Mountains near Bull Creek, 31.764 -108.734, Hidalgo County, New Mexico, 2 Aug 2015.
Patrick Alexander from Las Cruces, NM · CC0 · Image sourceProvider-generated thumbnail requested at 800 pixels; no local editing Local WebP display rendition; resized without cropping.
Open encyclopedia reference
The Texas horned lizard (Phrynosoma cornutum) is one of about 21 North American species of spikey-bodied reptiles called horned lizards, all belonging the genus Phrynosoma. It occurs in south-central regions of the US and northeastern Mexico, as well as several isolated introduced records and populations from Southern United States. Though some populations are stable, severe population declines have occurred in many areas of Texas and Oklahoma. The Texas spiny lizard (Sceloporus olivaceus) may be confused for a Texas horned lizard due to its appearance and overlapping habitat. Texas horned lizard populations show strong genetic structuring across their range, with limited gene flow between regions. Because the Texas horned lizard is listed as a threatened species in the state, it is illegal to pick up, touch, or possess them in Texas.
Wikipedia contributors, Texas horned lizard; see linked history · CC BY-SA 4.0 . Plain-text lead excerpt, at most 180 words; no infobox or later sections Retrieved 2026-10-05T08:28:07.054652+00:00. This reference remains separate from the taxonomic record.
Identity & source status
- Scientific name
- Phrynosoma cornutum (Harlan, 1825)
- Name authority
- (Harlan, 1825)
- Common name
- Texas Horned Lizard
- Rank
- species
- Accepted status
- accepted
- Kingdom
- Animalia
- Phylum
- Chordata
- Class
- Reptilia
- Order
- Squamata
- Family
- Phrynosomatidae
- Genus
- Phrynosoma
- 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
- suborderIguania
- familyPhrynosomatidae
- genusPhrynosoma
- speciesPhrynosoma cornutum (Harlan, 1825)
Close classified relatives
These entries share the source’s genus, Phrynosoma. They are not necessarily the closest relatives established by molecular evidence.
| Species | Classification | Source status |
|---|---|---|
| Short-tail Horned LizardPhrynosoma braconnieri Bocourt, 1870 | PhrynosomatidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Rock Horned LizardPhrynosoma ditmarsi Stejneger, 1906 | PhrynosomatidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Pigmy Short-horned LizardPhrynosoma douglasii (Bell, 1829) | PhrynosomatidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Baur’s Short-horned Lizard [bauri]Phrynosoma hernandesi Girard, 1858 | PhrynosomatidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Flat-tail Horned LizardPhrynosoma mcallii (Hallowell, 1852) | PhrynosomatidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Giant Horned LizardPhrynosoma asio Cope, 1864 | PhrynosomatidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| San Diego Horned LizardPhrynosoma blainvillii Gray, 1839 | PhrynosomatidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Cedros Island Horned LizardPhrynosoma cerroense Stejneger, 1893 | PhrynosomatidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Coast Horned LizardPhrynosoma coronatum (Blainville, 1835) | PhrynosomatidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Roundtail Horned LizardPhrynosoma modestum Girard, 1852 | PhrynosomatidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Mountain Horned LizardPhrynosoma orbiculare (Linnaeus, 1758) | PhrynosomatidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Desert Horned LizardPhrynosoma platyrhinos Girard, 1852 | PhrynosomatidaeChordata | 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 |
|---|---|
| Phrynosoma harlanii Wiegmann, 1834 Wiegmann, 1834 | synonym |
| Phrynosoma planiceps Hallowell, 1852 Hallowell, 1852 | synonym |
| Phrynosoma bufonium Wiegmann, 1828 Wiegmann, 1828 | synonym |
| Agama cornuta Harlan, 1825 Harlan, 1825 | 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=Phrynosoma&species=cornutum 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.
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:4GWSM. Classification follows source parent identifiers. English common names may vary by region.