 The specific name, "undulatus", is Latin for "wave", referring to the transverse dark crossbars on the backs of these lizards.Until 2002, 10 subspecies of "S. undulatus" were recognized, but re-evaluation showed paraphyly between the subspecies.These were reclassified as four distinct evolutionary species (the three new species being "S. consobrinus", "S. tristichus", and "S. cowlesi").