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Holbrookia approximans

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Speckled earless lizard
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Reptilia
Order: Squamata
Suborder: Iguania
Family: Phrynosomatidae
Genus: Holbrookia
Species:
H. approximans
Binomial name
Holbrookia approximans
Baird, 1858
Synonyms[1]
  • Holbrookia approximans
    Baird, 1858
  • Holbrookia maculata approximans
    H.M. Smith, 1935
  • Holbrookia approximans
    Webb, 1984

Holbrookia approximans, the speckled earless lizard, is a species of earless lizard which is found in the Southwestern United States and northern Mexico. It is sometimes referred to as the western earless lizard.

Taxonomy

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The speckled earless lizard has been elevated to full species status as Holbrookia approximans.

Description

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The speckled earless lizard is an overall gray-brown in color, with black and white speckling all along its back, with a solid gray-brown underside. It has distinct black and white bars immediately preceding the hind legs. Males tend to have a blue coloration to the white bars, whereas females do not. Like all species of earless lizards, it has no external ear openings.

Behavior

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Like all species of earless lizards, the speckled earless lizard is diurnal and insectivorous. It prefers sandy, grassland habitats with sparse vegetation. It tends to be a nervous, wary species that flees quickly if approached.

References

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  1. ^ "Holbrookia approximans ". The Reptile Database. www.reptile-database.org.

Further reading

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  • Baird SF (1858). "Description of New Genera and Species of North American Lizards in the Museum of the Smithsonian Institution". Proc. Acad. Nat. Sci. Philadelphia 10: 253–246. (Holbrookia approximans, new species, pp. 253–254).
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