Status of the Parthenogenetic Lizards of the Cnemidophorus Laredoensis Complex in Texas: Re-Survey After Eleven Years‪.‬

Abstract. -- During the 1980s, extensive field work was conducted to clarified the distribution of the two species (one undescribed) of the parthenogenetic Cnemidophorus laredoensis complex of lizards. The two species, designated LAR-A and LAR-B, were found either singly or together at 37 sites in Texas; most of these sites were also occupied by the bisexual (gonochoristic) species Cnemidophorus gularis. The majority of these sites were re-surveyed from March through May 2000 to ascertain what changes in lizard population composition and habitat had occurred since the last extensive survey ended in 1989. The data revealed three broad trends. First, sites in large cities were often substantially altered or completely destroyed by development, resulting in dramatic decline or complete extirpation of lizards. Second, the bisexual species C. gularis has expanded its range into many sites that previously had been occupied only by parthenogens. Third, while LAR-A populations remained stable, LAR-B populations appeared to decline since the 1980s. The prolonged drought in southern Texas during the 1990s is one possible explanation of this decline. **********