Holbrookia approximans

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.

Speckled earless lizard
Scientific classification
Domain:	Eukaryota
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Reptilia
Order:	Squamata
Suborder:	Iguania
Family:	Phrynosomatidae
Genus:	Holbrookia
Species:	H. approximans
Binomial name
Holbrookia approximans Baird, 1858
Synonyms
Holbrookia approximans Baird, 1858 Holbrookia maculata approximans — H.M. Smith, 1935 Holbrookia approximans — Webb, 1984

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.

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).

External links

• Species Holbrookia approximans at The Reptile Database