NATURAL HISTORY · CATALOGUE RECORD
Flat-tail Horned Lizard
Phrynosoma mcallii (Hallowell, 1852)
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 flat-tail horned lizard (Phrynosoma mcallii), also known commonly as the flat-tailed horned lizard, is a species of lizard in the family Phrynosomatidae. A species of reptile, it is endemic to the Sonoran Desert of the southwestern United States and northwestern Mexico. Its multiple adaptations for camouflage help to minimize its shadow. The species is threatened, with a restricted range under pressure from human activities such as agriculture and development, and is specially protected in the United States.
Wikipedia contributors, Flat-tail horned lizard; see linked history · CC BY-SA 4.0 . Plain-text lead excerpt, at most 180 words; no infobox or later sections Retrieved 2026-10-05T10:30:06.973241+00:00. This reference remains separate from the taxonomic record.
Identity & source status
- Scientific name
- Phrynosoma mcallii (Hallowell, 1852)
- Name authority
- (Hallowell, 1852)
- Common name
- Flat-tail 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 mcallii (Hallowell, 1852)
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 |
| Texas Horned LizardPhrynosoma cornutum (Harlan, 1825) | 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 |
| 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 |
|---|---|
| Anota M'Callii Hallowell, 1852 M'Callii Hallowell, 1852 | 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=mcallii 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:4GWT4. Classification follows source parent identifiers. English common names may vary by region.