Holbrookia approximans
Speckled earless lizard | |
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Scientific classification | |
Kingdom: | Animalia |
Phylum: | Chordata |
Class: | Reptilia |
Order: | Squamata |
Suborder: | Iguania |
Family: | Phrynosomatidae |
Genus: | Holbrookia |
Species: | H. approximans
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Binomial name | |
Holbrookia approximans Baird, 1858
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Synonyms[1] | |
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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[]
The speckled earless lizard has been elevated to full species status as Holbrookia approximans.
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. It prefers sandy, grassland habitats with sparse vegetation. It tends to be a nervous, wary species that flees quickly if approached.
References[]
- ^ "Holbrookia approximans ". The Reptile Database. www.reptile-database.org.
External links[]
- Species Holbrookia approximans at The Reptile Database
Further reading[]
- 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).
- Holbrookia
- Fauna of the Southwestern United States
- Reptiles of Mexico
- Reptiles described in 1858
- Lizard stubs