Range in California: Red
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| Adult, San Diego County |
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Adult, San Diego County |
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| Adult, San Diego County |
Adult, San Diego County |
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Adult, San Diego County |
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Adult, San Diego County
© Adam G. Clause
Animal captured and handled under state Scientific Collecting Permit and released at point of capture. |
The Night Lizards, genus Xantusia, have small granular scales on soft skin.
Xantusia henshawi is shown here.
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| Habitat |
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Habitat from a distance,
San Diego County |
Habitat, San Diego County |
Habitat, San Diego County |
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| Habitat, San Diego County |
Habitat, San Diego County |
Habitat, San Diego County |
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Habitat, San Diego County |
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| Description |
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| Size |
2.0 - 2.8 inches long from snout to vent (5.0 - 7.0 cm). (Lemm 2006)
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| Appearance |
A small flat-bodied lizard with a flattened head, soft skin with fine granular scales, a long thin tail, lidless eyes with vertical pupils, and gular folds.
Similar to and closely related to Xantusia henshawi, but with a narrower head, a body that is shorter between the limbs, and with thinner limbs. |
| Color and Pattern |
The color is white to yellowish, with large dark brown spots on the upper surfaces, and irregular spots and bands on the tail. This species does not exhibit the light and dark phases seen in X. henshawi. It looks more like the light phase of that species but with more light coloring and smaller dark spots.
The underside is white with minute black speckling only on the forepart |
| Male / Female Differences |
Males have enlarged femoral pores.
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| Life History and Behavior |
Activity |
Natural history is not well known.
Nocturnal, taking refuge during the day under exfoliating slabs of sandstone, in cracks, and in rodent burrows dug into the sandstone.
More strictly nocturnal than X. henshawi.
Probably active from spring to fall, taking cover during winter.
More terrestrial and less restricted to climbing rocks than X. henshawi.
This species probably developed a more slender body than X. henshawi to allow it to better exploit the wide range of microhabitats found in its sandstone habitat. |
| Diet and Feeding |
Diet is not well known but probably is similar to that of X. henshawi, consisting of small invertebrates such as ants, beetles, and bees. Captive individuals have been observed eating the eggs of Leaf-toed Geckos.
One Sandstone night lizard was observed emerging from a crevice at night to prey on various invertebrates, retreating to the crevice after each strike. (Herpetological Review 46(1), 2015) |
| Breeding |
Reproduction is not well known but breeding probably occurs in May and June with live young born in September.
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| Habitat |
Inhabits a very small area of sandstone and mudstone.
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| Geographical Range |
| Endemic to California. Occurs only in the Truckhaven Rocks area of San Diego County, in Anza-Borrego State Park. |
| Elevational Range |
From 790 - 1,000 ft. (240 - 305 m).
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| Notes on Taxonomy |
In 1986 Grismer and Galvan published the first description of this species, classifying it a subspecies of Xantusia henshawi - Xantusia henshawi gracilis - Sandstone Night Lizard. It was elevated to a full species in 2001 by Lovich (2001 Herpetologica 57(4): 470-487).
Alternate and Previous Names (Synonyms)
Xantusia henshawi gracilis - Sandstone Night Lizard (Stebbins 2003)
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| Conservation Issues (Conservation Status) |
| Protected from collection by the state and the federal government and by the fact that its known range falls completely within the boundaries of Anza-Borrego State Park where it is also protected. |
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Taxonomy |
| Family |
Xantusiidae |
Night Lizards |
Baird, 1858 |
| Genus |
Xantusia |
Night Lizards |
Baird, 1859 “1858” |
Species
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gracilis |
Sandstone Night Lizard |
Grismer and Galvan, 1986 |
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Original Description |
Xantusia henshawi gracilis - Grismer and Galvan, 1986.
from Original Description Citations for the Reptiles and Amphibians of North America © Ellin Beltz
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Meaning of the Scientific Name |
Xantusia - honors Xantus, John
gracilis - Latin - slender - referring to the body shape.
from Scientific and Common Names of the Reptiles and Amphibians of North America - Explained © Ellin Beltz
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Related or Similar California Lizards |
X. henshawi - Granite Night Lizard
X. r. reticulata - San Clemente Night Lizard
X. vigilis - Yucca Night Lizard
X. sierrae - Sierra Night Lizard
X. wigginsi - Baja California Night Lizard
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More Information and References |
California Department of Fish and Wildlife
Grismer, L. L., and M. A. Galvan. 1986. A new night lizard (Xantusia henshawi) from a sandstone habitat in San Diego County, California. Trans. San Diego Soc. Nat. Hist. 21(10):155-165.
Robert L. Bezy. Night Lizards: Field Memoirs and a Summary of the Xantusiidae. ECO Herpetological Publishing & Distribution. 2019.
Stebbins, Robert C., and McGinnis, Samuel M. Field Guide to Amphibians and Reptiles of California: Revised Edition (California Natural History Guides) University of California Press, 2012.
Stebbins, Robert C. California Amphibians and Reptiles. The University of California Press, 1972.
Stebbins, Robert C. A Field Guide to Western Reptiles and Amphibians. 3rd Edition. Houghton Mifflin Company, 2003.
Lemm, Jeffrey. Field Guide to Amphibians and Reptiles of the San Diego Region (California Natural History Guides). University of California Press, 2006.
Bartlett, R. D. & Patricia P. Bartlett. Guide and Reference to the Turtles and Lizards of Western North America (North of Mexico) and Hawaii. University Press of Florida, 2009.
Jones, Lawrence, Rob Lovich, editors. Lizards of the American Southwest: A Photographic Field Guide. Rio Nuevo Publishers, 2009.
Smith, Hobart M. Handbook of Lizards, Lizards of the United States and of Canada. Cornell University Press, 1946.
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| Conservation Status |
The following conservation status listings for this animal are taken from the August 2019 California Natural Diversity Database (CNDDB) Special Animals List and the CNDDB 2019 Endangered and Threatened Animals List, both of which are published by the California Department of Fish and Wildlife.
The status listings here might not be the most current. Check the CDFW CNDDB website to see if there are more current lists: https://www.wildlife.ca.gov/Data/CNDDB/Plants-and-Animals
If no status is listed here, the animal is not included on either CDFW CNDDB list. This most likely indicates that there are no serious conservation concerns for the animal. To find out more about an animal's status, you can go to the NatureServe and IUCN websites to check their rankings.
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Status Listing |
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| NatureServe Global Ranking |
G1 |
Critically Imperiled—At very high risk of extinction due to extreme rarity (often 5 or fewer populations), very steep declines, or other factors. Imperiled—At high risk of extinction due to very restricted range, very few populations (often 20 or fewer), steep declines, or other factors. |
| NatureServe State Ranking |
S1 |
Critically imperiled in the state because of extreme rarity (often 5 or fewer populations) orbecause of factor(s) such as very steep declines making it especially vulnerable to extirpation from the state.
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| U.S. Endangered Species Act (ESA) |
None |
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| California Endangered Species Act (CESA) |
None |
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| California Department of Fish and Wildlife |
SSC |
Species of Special Concern |
| Bureau of Land Management |
None |
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| USDA Forest Service |
None |
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| IUCN |
VU |
Vulnerable |
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