Cnemidophorus sacki zweifeli Duellman, Univ. Kansas Publ. Mus. Nat. Hist., 10:589, May 2, 1960.—Capirio, Michoacán, México.
Apatzingán (107); Buenavista (3); Capirio (31); Charapendo (12); Chinapa (2); 19 km. S of Corralito (3); Jazmin (2); between La Playa and Volcán Jorullo (2); Limoncito (3); 14 km. S of Lombardia (11); Nueva Italia (15); Río Marquez, 10 km. S of Lombardia (2); Río Marquez, 13 km. SE of Nueva Italia; Tafetan (18); 14 km. E of Tepalcatepec (2); Tzitzio (11); 19 km. S of Tzitzio; Volcán Jorullo (5); Ziracuaretiro; Zirimícuaro.
These lizards were referred to Cnemidophorus sacki copei by Duellman (1954b:12 and 1955:6); Duellman (1960a) described the subspecies zweifeli and assigned it to Cnemidophorus sacki. Zweifel (1961:98) used the specific name C. costatus for the whiptails on the southwestern part of the Mexican Plateau (C. c. occidentalis). Since occidentalis and zweifeli are conspecific, the combination C. costatus zweifeli is used here for the population inhabiting the Tepalcatepec Valley.
This lizard is abundant in the Tepalcatepec Valley, where it lives in open and dense scrub forest, usually at elevations of less than 1000 meters. Throughout the valley it is found in association with Cnemidophorus deppei infernalis, and in the lower parts of the valley it also is associated with Cnemidophorus calidipes. Observations made in the dry season indicate that large adults are not active at that time.
On the coastal lowlands and in the valleys in the Sierra de Coalcomán Cnemidophorus costatus zweifeli is replaced by C. communis communis. To the east in the Balsas Basin C. costatus zweifeli intergrades with C. costatus costatus.
Cnemidophorus deppei deppei Wiegmann
Cnemidophorus deppei Wiegmann, Herpetologia Mexicana, p. 29, 1834.—México. Type locality restricted to Tehuantepec, Oaxaca, México, by Smith and Taylor (1950b:179).
Cnemidophorus deppei deppei, Cope, Trans. Amer. Philos. Soc., 17:31, 1892.
Salitre de Estopila; San Pedro Naranjestila.
This small species, which is extremely abundant on the coastal lowlands of Guerrero, seems to be rare on the coast of Michoacán, where it has been taken at elevations of 130 and 500 meters in open situations in otherwise forested areas. Duellman and Wellman (1960:25) discussed these specimens in relation to their subspecific assignment. They were referred to Cnemidophorus deppei lineatissimus by Peters (1954:18).