[3] Orange-throated males are "ultra-dominant, high testosterone", that establish large territories and control areas that contain multiple females.

[4] This is called the rock paper scissors effect,[5] borrowed from the name of the playground game, because the outcome of the mating success shows that one morph of the lizard takes advantage over another but not over the third.

Another speculation is that he is highly motivated to engage whenever he sees movement on his territory, which he may be interpreting as a possible intruding male, or another female.

The systematics and phylogeny of the side-blotched lizards is very confusing, with many local forms and morphs having been described as full species.

[7] Following the 1997 review of Upton and Murphy, which included new data from mtDNA cytochrome b and ATPase 6 sequences, the following species can be recognized pending further research: