The sandstone night lizard (Xantusia gracilis) is a species of night lizard. Prior to 2005, it was considered a subspecies of the granite night lizard, Xantusia henshawi. The physical difference is that the sandstone night lizard has lighter coloration.
Sandstone night lizard | |
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Scientific classification | |
Domain: | Eukaryota |
Kingdom: | Animalia |
Phylum: | Chordata |
Class: | Reptilia |
Order: | Squamata |
Family: | Xantusiidae |
Genus: | Xantusia |
Species: | X. gracilis
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Binomial name | |
Xantusia gracilis Grismer & Galvan, 1986
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Range
editThe sandstone night lizard is extremely limited geographically; it is known only to the Truckhaven Rocks in the Colorado Desert, at Anza-Borrego Desert State Park in eastern San Diego County, California.
Description
editThe lizard is very secretive using small burrows and sandstone or siltstone for cover. The specific name, gracilis, is derived from Latin meaning "slender", referring to the species' slender habitus.[2]
References
editThis article is based on a description from the website of California Wildlife Habitat Relationships System https://web.archive.org/web/20060805132729/http://www.dfg.ca.gov/whdab/html/reptiles.html
- ^ G. A. Hammerson (2007). "Xantusia gracilis". The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2007. IUCN: e.T64365A12774167. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2007.RLTS.T64365A12774167.en. Retrieved 9 January 2018.
- ^ Lovich, Robert E., and L. Lee Grismer. "Xantusia gracilis." (2003).