Mohawk Dunes fringe-toed lizard

The Mohawk Dunes fringe-toed lizard (Uma thurmanae) is a species of phrynosomatid lizard endemic to the U.S. state of Arizona.^[1][2] Its name is a reference to American actress Uma Thurman, as both a pun on the genus name Uma as well as a tribute to the actress for her conservation advocacy.^[3]

Mohawk Dunes fringe-toed lizard
Conservation status
Critically Imperiled  (NatureServe)[1]
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Reptilia
Order:	Squamata
Suborder:	Iguania
Family:	Phrynosomatidae
Genus:	Uma
Species:	U. thurmanae
Binomial name
Uma thurmanae Derycke, Gottscho, Mulcahy & de Queiroz, 2020

Taxonomy

It is a cryptic species with few fixed morphological differences from other members of Uma, but has statistical morphological differences, and is also genetically distinct from the rest of the genus according to mtDNA. It was first identified as a potentially distinct species in 2001, which was further verified in a 2016 study, and was ultimately described as a distinct species, Uma thurmanae, in 2020. It is thought to be the most basal member of the Uma notata species complex.^[4][5][3]

Distribution

It is restricted to the Mohawk Dunes, a dune system west of the Mohawk Mountains in southern Arizona.