Aspidoscelis is a genus of whiptail lizards in the family Teiidae.

Taxonomy

The nomenclature for the genus Aspidoscelis was published by T.W. Reeder et al. in 2002. Many species that were formerly included in the genus Cnemidophorus are now considered Aspidoscelis based upon divergent characters between the two groups.

Etymology

The name Aspidoscelis literally means "shield-leg", from the Ancient Greek ἀσπίς ("shield") and σκέλος ("leg").

Species

The following species are recognized as being valid. Nota bene: A binomial authority in parentheses indicates that the species was originally described in a genus other than Aspidoscelis.

Speciation

In 2011, it was announced that a parthenogenetic hybrid Aspidocelis was bred in the laboratory. This serves as a demonstration of how other hybrid parthenogens in this genus may have arisen.