NATURAL HISTORY · CATALOGUE RECORD
Common Sagebrush Lizard
Sceloporus graciosus Baird & Girard, 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.
A Sagebrush Lizard (Sceloporus graciosus) found west of Sedona, Arizona.
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Open encyclopedia reference
The sagebrush lizard or sagebrush swift (Sceloporus graciosus) is a common species of phrynosomatid lizard found at mid to high altitudes in the western United States. It belongs to the genus Sceloporus (spiny lizards) in the Phrynosomatidae family of reptiles. Named after the sagebrush plants near which it is commonly found, the sagebrush lizard has keeled and spiny scales running along its dorsal surface. The sagebrush lizard is similar to the western fence lizard, another Sceloporus species found in the western US. The sagebrush lizard can be distinguished from the western fence lizard in that the former is on average smaller and has finer scales. The keeled dorsal scales are typically gray or tan, but can be a variety of colors. The main (ground) color is broken by a lighter gray or tan stripe running down the center of the back (vertebral stripe) and two light stripes, one on either side of the lizard (dorsolateral stripes). S. graciosus will sometimes have orange markings on its sides.
Wikipedia contributors, Sagebrush lizard; see linked history · CC BY-SA 4.0 . Plain-text lead excerpt, at most 180 words; no infobox or later sections Retrieved 2026-10-05T10:28:55.356707+00:00. This reference remains separate from the taxonomic record.
Identity & source status
- Scientific name
- Sceloporus graciosus Baird & Girard, 1852
- Name authority
- Baird & Girard, 1852
- Common name
- Common Sagebrush Lizard
- Rank
- species
- Accepted status
- accepted
- Kingdom
- Animalia
- Phylum
- Chordata
- Class
- Reptilia
- Order
- Squamata
- Family
- Phrynosomatidae
- Genus
- Sceloporus
- 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
- genusSceloporus
- speciesSceloporus graciosus Baird & Girard, 1852
Close classified relatives
These entries share the source’s genus, Sceloporus. They are not necessarily the closest relatives established by molecular evidence.
| Species | Classification | Source status |
|---|---|---|
| Black-bellied Bunchgrass LizardSceloporus aeneus Wiegmann, 1828 | PhrynosomatidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| White-bellied Rough LizardSceloporus albiventris Smith, 1939 | PhrynosomatidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Anahuacan Bunchgrass LizardSceloporus anahuacus Lara-Gongora, 1983 | PhrynosomatidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Santa Cruz Island SatorSceloporus angustus (Dickerson, 1919) | PhrynosomatidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Southern Occidental Bunchgrass LizardSceloporus aurantius Grummer & Bryson, 2014 | PhrynosomatidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Eastern Cleft Spiny LizardSceloporus aureolus Smith, 1942 | PhrynosomatidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Island Fence LizardSceloporus becki Van Denburgh, 1905 | PhrynosomatidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Trans Volcanic Bunchgrass LizardSceloporus bicanthalis Smith, 1937 | PhrynosomatidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Buller's Spiny LizardSceloporus bulleri Boulenger, 1895 | PhrynosomatidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Blue Ornate Spiny LizardSceloporus caeruleus Smith, 1936 | PhrynosomatidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Shy Spiny LizardSceloporus cautus Smith, 1938 | PhrynosomatidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Yellow-spotted Spiny LizardSceloporus chrysostictus Cope, 1866 | PhrynosomatidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
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=Sceloporus&species=graciosus 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:4V59F. Classification follows source parent identifiers. English common names may vary by region.