Head to head
Plateau Striped Whiptail vs Checkered Whiptail
A plateau striped whiptail and a checkered whiptail are both entirely female, parthenogenetic lizard species of the American Southwest, yet neither owes its all-clone reproduction to the other, each having arisen independently from its own separate ancient hybridisation event.
| Plateau Striped Whiptail | Checkered Whiptail | |
|---|---|---|
| Scientific name | Aspidoscelis velox | Aspidoscelis tesselata |
| Pattern | Bold, clean stripes, no spotting | Checkerboard-like blotches |
| Habitat | Higher-elevation mountain grassland | Lower desert and grassland |
| Range | Arizona, New Mexico, adjacent states | Texas, New Mexico, Mexico |
| Reproduction | Parthenogenetic, all female | Parthenogenetic, all female |
| Hybrid origin | Its own separate ancient hybrid event | Its own separate ancient hybrid event |
| Courtship-like behaviour | Not specifically documented | Performed between females |
| Conservation status | Least Concern | Least Concern |
Plateau Striped Whiptail vs Checkered Whiptail: common questions
Did the plateau striped whiptail and checkered whiptail come from the same all-female ancestor?
No, despite both being entirely female, parthenogenetic species, the plateau striped whiptail and the checkered whiptail arose from their own separate ancient hybridisation events, meaning the two all-clone lineages are independent of each other even though they share the same general reproductive strategy.
How can you tell these two whiptails apart by pattern?
The plateau striped whiptail displays bold, clean longitudinal stripes without spotting, while the checkered whiptail instead shows a checkerboard-like pattern of dark blotches, making overall pattern one of the clearest ways to distinguish the two species at a glance.
Do these two whiptails live at the same elevation?
Not typically — the plateau striped whiptail favours higher-elevation mountain grassland and forest edges, while the checkered whiptail occupies lower desert and grassland habitat, meaning the two species generally occupy different elevation bands even where their broader ranges come close together.