Holbrookia maculata approximans

speckled earless lizard
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Subphylum: Vertebrata
Class: Reptilia
Order: Squamata
Suborder: Iguania
Family: Phrynosomatidae
Genus: Holbrookia
Species: H. maculata
Subspecies: H. m. approximans
Trinomial name
Holbrookia maculata approximans
Baird, 1858

The speckled earless lizard (Holbrookia maculata approximans) is a subspecies of the lesser earless lizard (Holbrookia maculata), which is found in the Southwestern United States and northern Mexico. It is sometimes referred to as the western earless lizard.

Description

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

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

References


This article is issued from Wikipedia - version of the Sunday, October 09, 2011. The text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share Alike but additional terms may apply for the media files.