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Adult, Riverside County |
Adult, Kern County |
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Adult, Kern County |
Adult, Kern County |
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Adult, San Bernardino County |
Adult, Kern County |
Juvenile, Inyo County |
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Habitat, Kern County |
Rocky habitat, Kern County |
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Habitat, Kern County |
Habitat, Inyo County |
Habitat, San Bernardino County |
| Description |
| Size |
| 1.5 - 2.75 inches long from snout to vent (3.8 - 7 cm). (Stebbins 2003) |
| Appearance |
A small thin lizard with soft skin with fine granular scales on most of the body, a head covered with large plates, lidless eyes with vertical pupils, a gular fold, and a detachable tail. Males have enlarged femoral pores. Dorsal scales in 30 - 50 lengthwise rows at mid-body.
Color is olive, grayish, or brown with light brown or black spots, sometimes forming narrow stripes. A narrow beige stripe, edged in black, extends from the eye to the shoulder. The underside is whitish and made up of large square scales, usually in 12 rows. |
| Behavior and Natural History |
Diurnal (contrary to the common name) and crepuscular. May be nocturnal during the heat of the summer. Abundant, but secretive - spending most of its life undercover in and underneath fallen vegetation and debris, such as Joshua tree branches, dead yucca clumps, logs, pine bark, and also under rocks and in rock crevices. Not typically active on the surface away from cover. Sedentary, spending most of its life in a small area.
When frightened, runs away quickly and dashes under cover. The tail breaks off easily and continues wriggling to distract would-be predators as the lizard runs away. |
| Diet |
| Eats small invertebrates inhabiting the decaying vegetation in which it lives including ants, termites, beetles, caterpillars, crickets, and spiders. |
| Reproduction |
| Breeds in late spring. Young are born live, 1-3 per brood, from August to October. |
| Range |
Found on the desert slopes of the Peninsular ranges, throughout the Mojave Desert, along the east slopes of the Sierra Nevada Mountains north to west of Bishop, the Inyo and Panamint mountains, the Greenhorn and Piute Mountains and upper Kern River Canyon in the southern Sierra Nevada Mountains, the coastal side of the mountains in upper Santa Clara River drainage, the headwaters of Big Tujunga and the upper San Gabriel River drainage, and the inner coast ranges at the Panoche Hills and Pinnacles National Monument. Also found on Santa Catalina Island, but these may have been introduced. From sea level to 9,300 ft. (2,830 m). (Stebbins 2003)
Ranges out of California east into Nevada, Arizona, and extreme southwest Utah. |
| Habitat |
| Utilizes a variety of habitats in arid and semi-arid areas, including those grown with Joshua tree, desert scrub, pinon-juniper, basin sagebrush, chaparral, pine-oak woodland, and yucca. |
| Taxonomic Notes |
Several subspecies of Xantusia vigilis are traditionally recognized, including two in California - X. v. vigilis, and X. v. sierrae.
Using nuclear DNA studies, Leavitt et al, 2007, provide support for the recognition of new species within the X. vigilis complex, including X. wigginsi in California, but they continue to recognize the subspecies X. v. vigilis and X. v.sierrae. In addition, they identify several major clades, four of which occur in California - X. vigilis, X. wigginsi (now a full species), a Yucca Valley clade, and a San Jacinto clade.
The 2008 Society for the Study of Amphibians and Reptiles Standard Names List uses X. vigilis based on Sinclair et. al (2004, Am. Nat. 164:396-141). |
| Conservation Issues (Conservation Status) |
| None |
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Taxonomy |
| Family |
Xantusiidae |
Night Lizards |
| Genus |
Xantusia |
Night Lizards |
Subspecies
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vigilis |
Desert Night Lizard |
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Original Description |
Xantusia vigilis - Baird, 1858 - Proc. Acad. Nat. Sci. Philadelphia, Vol. 10, p. 255
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
vigilis - Latin - alert or watchful - possibly refers to the lack of eyelids
from Scientific and Common Names of the Reptiles and Amphibians of North America - Explained © Ellin Beltz
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Alternate Names |
Xantusia vigilis vigilis - Yucca Night Lizard
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Related or Similar California Lizards |
X. henshawi - Granite Night Lizard
X. gracilis - Sandstone Night Lizard
X. sierrae - Sierra Night Lizard
X. r. reticulata - San Clemente Night Lizard
X. wigginsi - Baja California Night Lizard
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More Information and References |
Natureserve Explorer
California Dept. of Fish and Game
Stebbins, Robert C. A Field Guide to Western Reptiles and Amphibians. 3rd Edition. Houghton Mifflin Company, 2003.
Behler, John L., & F. Wayne King. The Audubon Society Field Guide to North American Reptiles and Amphibians. Alfred A. Knopf, 1992.
Smith, Hobart M. Handbook of Lizards, Lizards of the United States and of Canada. Cornell University Press, 1946.
Lemm, Jeffrey. Field Guide to Amphibians and Reptiles of the San Diego Region (California Natural History Guides). University of California Press, 2006.
DEAN H. LEAVITT, ROBERT L. BEZY, KEITH A. CRANDALL, JACK W. SITES JR (2007)
Multi-locus DNA sequence data reveal a history of deep cryptic vicariance and habitat-driven convergence in the desert night lizard Xantusia vigilis species complex (Squamata: Xantusiidae)
Molecular Ecology 16 (21), 4455–4481.
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The following status listings come from the Special Animals List which is published several times each year by the California Department of Fish and Game.
This animal is not included on the Special Animals List, which indicates that there are no significant conservation concerns for it in California.
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Organization
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Status Listing
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| U.S. Endangered Species Act (ESA) |
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| California Endangered Species Act (CESA) |
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| California Department of Fish and Game |
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| Bureau of Land Management |
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| USDA Forest Service |
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| Natureserve Global Conservation Status Ranks |
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World Conservation Union - IUCN Red List
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