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Sandstone night lizard

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Sandstone night lizard
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Reptilia
Order: Squamata
Family: Xantusiidae
Genus: Xantusia
Species:
X. gracilis
Binomial name
Xantusia gracilis
Grismer & Galvan, 1986

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.

Range

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The 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

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The 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

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This 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

  1. ^ 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.
  2. ^ Lovich, Robert E., and L. Lee Grismer. "Xantusia gracilis." (2003).