Class Reptilia
Order Squamata
Suborder Sauria
Family Iguanidae
The Iguanidae includes two genera in our region, Dipsosaurus and Sauromalus. They are limited to the Sonoran and Mojave deserts in the United States. Only the latter is presently recorded in the fossil record.
Synonyms. Sauromalus obesus.
Occurrence at Rampart and Vulture caves is within the general range of the Chuckwalla, though the usual habitat of desert scrub, especially creosotebush, would be unexpected at the site during the last part of the Pleistocene.
Sites.
Late Wisconsin: Desert Almond (Van Devender et al. 1977a); Rampart Cave (Van Devender et al. 1977a); Vulture Canyon (Van Devender et al. 1977a); Vulture Cave (Mead and Phillips 1981); Window Rock (Van Devender et al. 1977a); Wolcott Peak (Van Devender and Mead 1978).
Wisconsin/Holocene: Stanton's Cave (Olsen and Olsen 1984).
Literature. Mead and Phillips 1984 ; Olsen and Olsen 1984; Van Devender et al. 1977a.
Last Update: 15 Jan 2013