Ecogeographical Divergence in Morphological Female Traits of a Widespread Viviparous Lizard in Mexico

ABSTRACT Ecogeographic rules explain intra‐ and interspecific variation in the morphological and reproductive traits of animal species through the heat balance hypothesis , resource availability hypothesis, and dehydration resistance hypothesis . Here, we focused on determining whether populations of female Sceloporus grammicus could be classified by morphological and reproductive traits and whether there is a relationship with environmental temperature, precipitation, and aridity of their habitats according to the heat balance , resource availability , and dehydration resistance hypotheses . Our results showed that populations of female S. grammicus could be classified based on their morphological and reproductive traits. The first discriminant function, which corresponded to large heads and short forearms, was negatively correlated with environmental temperature. However, there was no relationship with precipitation or aridity index. Therefore, our results support the converse of Allen's rule, where short‐limbed lizards are favoured in warm climates, whereas long‐limbed lizards confer advantages in cold climates. This ecogeographical pattern could influence the physiological and locomotor performance of female S. grammicus in different ways and may represent a baseline for future research and conservation agendas.