NATURAL HISTORY · CATALOGUE RECORD
Mountain Horned Lizard
Phrynosoma orbiculare (Linnaeus, 1758)
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 Mexican Plateau horned lizard (Phrynosoma orbiculare) is a species of horned lizard in the family Phrynosomatidae. The species, also known commonly as the Chihuahua Desert horned lizard, is endemic to Mexico. There are five recognized subspecies. The specific epithet, orbiculare, comes from the Latin adjective orbis, meaning "circular".
Wikipedia contributors, Mexican Plateau horned lizard; see linked history · CC BY-SA 4.0 . Plain-text lead excerpt, at most 180 words; no infobox or later sections Retrieved 2026-10-05T10:09:16.195604+00:00. This reference remains separate from the taxonomic record.
Identity & source status
- Scientific name
- Phrynosoma orbiculare (Linnaeus, 1758)
- Name authority
- (Linnaeus, 1758)
- Common name
- Mountain 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 orbiculare (Linnaeus, 1758)
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 |
| 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 |
| 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 orbiculare durangoensis Horowitz, 1955 Horowitz, 1955 | synonym |
| Tapaya cortezii Duméril & Bocourt, 1870 Duméril & Bocourt, 1870 | synonym |
| Tapaya boucardi Duméril & Bocourt, 1870 Duméril & Bocourt, 1870 | synonym |
| Phrynosoma orbiculare orientale Horowitz, 1955 Horowitz, 1955 | synonym |
| Phrynosoma wiegmanni Gray, 1839 Gray, 1839 | synonym |
| Lacerta orbicularis Linnaeus, 1758 Linnaeus, 1758 | synonym |
| Tapaya dugesii Duméril & Bocourt, 1870 Duméril & Bocourt, 1870 | synonym |
| Phrynosoma orbiculare alticola Davis, 1953 Davis, 1953 | synonym |
| Tapaya orbicularis longicaudatus Dugès, 1888 Dugès, 1888 | 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=orbiculare 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:4GWT9. Classification follows source parent identifiers. English common names may vary by region.