Mexican Plateau horned lizard Mexican Plateau horned lizard The Mexican Plateau horned lizard (Phrynosoma orbiculare) is a species of horned lizard. It is also known as the Chihuahua Desert horned lizard. The specific epithet, "orbiculare", comes from the Latin adjective "orbis", meaning "circular". "Phrynosoma orbiculare" has a characteristic single row of lateral abdominal fringe scales. This "horned toad" also has two short occipital horns. "P. orbiculare" is found only in the high plateau country of central Mexico. Specifically, it is found in the states of Chihuahua, Durango, and Nuevo León. Its range continues southeast through Morelos, Puebla and Veracruz. "P. orbiculare" occurs in a
Golden toad led bachelors to attack amplectant pairs and form what has been described as a "writhing masses of toad balls". During the 1977 and 1982 seasons, males outnumbered females by over 8 to 1 at breeding pools. Each toad couple produced 200–400 eggs each week for the six-week mating period, with each egg approximately 3 mm in diameter. The eggs of the golden toad, black and tan spheres, were deposited in small pools often no more than one-inch deep. Tadpoles emerged in a matter of days, but required another four or five weeks for metamorphosis. During this period, they were highly