State Wildlife Action Plan for New Mexico

Gray-checkered Whiptail

Back to Species

Gray-checkered Whiptail

Scientific Name	Aspidoscelis dixoni
Category	D
Taxon	Reptiles
Climate Change Vulnerability Score	Moderately Vulnerable

View on BISON-M

The Gray-checkered Whiptail (Aspidoscelis dixoni) is a relatively large (up to 36.5 cm [14 in] total length), all-female species of lizard found in patches across Arizona, Colorado, New Mexico, Oklahoma, Texas, and Chihuahua, Mexico. It inhabits rocky, semi-arid areas with sparse vegetation where it hunts for insects during the day. The Gray-checkered Whiptail will experience a high degree of climate exposure and has a moderately low adaptive capacity. Overall, it has a Climate Change Vulnerability Index ranking of Moderately Vulnerable under the Representative Concentration Pathway (RCP) 4.5 Scenario and Highly Vulnerable under the RCP 8.5 Scenario. The Gray-checkered Whiptail’s climate change vulnerability is impacted by factors related to distribution, demography, life history, evolutionary potential, and abiotic niche, which influence its ability shift in space, persist in place, and respond to climate change impacts. It is impacted by barriers, land-use changes, and other anthropogenic and biologic factors that could increase the effects of climate change. It also has documented or modeled responses to climate change that impact its climate change vulnerability score.

Threats and Conservation Actions

ECOREGION

THREAT

Result for: All

Agriculture and Aquaculture Biological Resource Use Climate Change and Severe Weather Energy Production and Mining Pollution Residential and Commercial Development Transportation and Service Corridors

Assess the synergistic effects between climate change and other threats to SGCN and their habitats (e.g., Friggens et al. 2019, Parks et al. 2019). Incorporate appropriate climate adaptation strategies and frameworks into projects designed to address these synergistic effects. This may include enhancing connectivity (CEQ 2023), facilitating a species’ innate adaptive capacity (Thurman et al. 2022), enhancing genetic diversity (Powell 2023), considering local adaptation (Meek et al. 2023), or considering whether it is most appropriate to resist, accept, or direct ecosystem transformation (Lynch et al. 2021, Stevens et al. 2021). Projects should acknowledge ecosystem dynamism and incorporate indigenous knowledge (e.g., Roos et al. 2022, Eisenberg et al. 2024), nature-based solutions (Warnell et al. 2023), and experimentation (Guiterman et al. 2022) when appropriate. Potential collaborators: BLM, NPS, USFS, USFWS, USGS, universities, Tribal natural-resource managers.

Agriculture and Aquaculture

Balance irrigation and groundwater demands with the needs of aquatic communities, particularly those supporting native fish, amphibian, and springsnail populations. This may include promoting a transition from irrigated to dryland farming in areas where groundwater pumping and water scarcity threaten SGCN and their habitats. Potential collaborators: BOR, NRCS, USACE, NMOSE, non-profit organizations, private landowners, Tribal natural-resource managers, water-management districts.

Agriculture and Aquaculture Biological Resource Use Climate Change and Severe Weather Energy Production and Mining Pollution Residential and Commercial Development Transportation and Service Corridors

Collaborate with interested and willing land managers and private landowners to designate protected areas or implement conservation easements for lands that encompass important SGCN habitats. Potential collaborators: BLM, NPS, NRCS, USFS, USFWS, SLO, non-profit organizations, private landowners.

Residential and Commercial Development

Determine distribution and habitat needs of SGCN that reside in (e.g., Boakes et al. 2024) or near urban areas. This includes initiation and promotion of citizen or community science activities that document SGCN and other wildlife in and around urban areas. Inform municipal staff of nearby SGCN and how to minimize development-related impacts to SGCN and their habitats. Encourage community or individual enrollment, as appropriate, in programs designed to benefit particular SGCN or taxa (e.g., Monarch City USA; https://www.monarchcityusa.com/) and in wildlife habitat certification programs (e.g., National Wildlife Federation; https://certifiedwildlifehabitat.nwf.org/; Albuquerque Backyard Refuge Program; https://friendsofvalledeoro.org/abq-backyard-refuge/).Potential collaborators: universities, municipalities, non-profit organizations, private landowners.

Pollution

Determine effects of, and implement actions to mitigate negative effects from, agro- (e.g., neonicotinoids, other pesticides) (Sanchez-Bayo 2021, EPA 2023) and petrochemicals, synthetic chemicals (e.g., per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances [PFAS]), microplastics, urban runoff, and other pollutants (e.g., sewage, nutrients, toxic chemicals, sediment) on SGCN, especially fish and pollinating insects, and their habitats. This includes solid waste that may entangle wildlife. Potential collaborators: EPA, NMDA, NMED, universities, local governments, municipalities, private industry.

Climate Change and Severe Weather

Determine how regional and global climate change will affect SGCN, vegetation patterns (e.g., Davis et al. 2019, Coop et al. 2020, Guiterman et al. 2022, Davis et al. 2023), and community (e.g., Rosenblad et al. 2023) and ecosystem processes and dynamics, including disturbance regimes. This includes identifying SGCN (e.g., Glick et al. 2011) and associated habitats that are most likely to be negatively affected by climate change, including impacts on travel corridors, habitat connectivity, and species and habitat ranges. Identification of environmental conditions or thresholds that could limit SGCN is especially important. Potential collaborators: BLM, NPS, USFS, USFWS, USGS, EMNRD, SLO, universities.

Agriculture and Aquaculture

Determine how timing, intensity, and duration of livestock grazing affect SGCN and their habitats, including the interactions among grazing, fire, and the spread of invasive and problematic species and among grazing, soil erosion (e.g., Pilon et al. 2017), and native riparian vegetation growth (e.g., Lucas et al. 2004). Potential collaborators: BLM, NRCS, USFS, NMDA, SLO, universities, private landowners, Tribal natural-resource managers.

Agriculture and Aquaculture Biological Resource Use Climate Change and Severe Weather Energy Production and Mining Pollution Residential and Commercial Development Transportation and Service Corridors

Determine life history needs, ecology, distribution, movements, status, and trends of and threats to SGCN (especially invertebrates that are not currently monitored, riparian-obligate species, herpetofauna [Pierce et al. 2016, Olson and Pilliod 2022], and rare native fishes) and their habitats. Consider full annual cycles for migratory species when appropriate and logistically feasible (KFF 2021) and interactions with lower trophic levels that may drive SGCN status (e.g., EPA 2023). Use this information to develop and implement effective monitoring protocols and conservation actions, including actions to mitigate identified threats. Potential collaborators: BLM, BOR, NPS, USFS, USFWS, SLO, universities, non-profit organizations, private industry, species working groups, Tribal natural-resource managers.

Energy Production and Mining

Determine where energy development and mineral extraction currently, and in the future, may affect SGCN. Work with regulatory agencies to develop permitting guidelines and policies that result in siting new development in areas that minimize impacts to SGCN. Potential collaborators: BLM, USFS, EMNRD, NMBGMR, SLO, energy and mining companies.

Related Resources

Species of Greatest Conservation Need Chapter in SWAP document