The Arizona night lizard (''Xantusia arizonae'') is a species of small smooth-skinned gray-brown lizards with dark spots that sometimes form partial lines down the back. The lizard has a slightly flattened head. The scales of the underside and tail are larger than those of the upper side. The lizard grows to a length of 6 to 10 cm.Bezy, Robert L
"The Night Lizards (''Xantusia'') of Arizona"
. Sonoran Herpetologist. Retrieved 30 December 2011Arizona Game and Fish Department. 2003
"Xantusia arizonae"
. Unpublished abstract compiled and edited by the Heritage Data Management System, Arizona Game and Fish Department, Phoenix, AZ. 1-2 pp. Despite its name, the Arizona night lizard is primarily active during the day. The lizard's range extends across west-central

Arizona Arizona ( ; nv, Hoozdo Hahoodzo ; ood, Alĭ ṣonak ) is a state in the Southwestern United States. It is the 6th largest and the 14th most populous of the 50 states. Its capital and largest city is Phoenix. Arizona is part of the Fou ...

. It is usually found in rock crevices or under plant debris. Its diet consists of insects and spiders. The young of the lizard are born live, usually one or two around August or September. As the lizard tends not to move about and generally avoids humans, not much is known about it.

Description

The species grows to maximum size of about 10 cm. The head is covered with large, smooth plates. Body scales are small, while belly scales are rectangular. The dorsal side is covered with many small dark spots tending to form rows. The eyes are large and round with a vertical pupil (similar to a snake's eye). The species is a secretive lizard. It feeds, reproduces, and lives most of its life in seclusion. Populations of night lizards at low elevations become active in the spring and through the summer, while higher elevation populations may not become active until late spring. Daily activity patterns are difficult to determine due to their secretive behavior. Some of the night lizard's predators include larger lizards, many snakes, and birds.

Ecology

The Arizona night lizard is found under exfoliating rock in granite outcrops. The night lizard species occurs primarily in rock-crevice habitat, but also has been found in ''

Neotoma A pack rat or packrat, also called a woodrat or trade rat, are any species in the North and Central American rodent genus ''Neotoma''. Pack rats have a rat-like appearance, with long tails, large ears, and large, black eyes. Pack rats are notice ...

'' nests and in decaying ''

Yucca baccata ''Yucca baccata'' (datil yucca or banana yucca, also known as Spanish bayonet and broadleaf yucca) is a common species of yucca native to the deserts of the southwestern United States and northwestern Mexico, from southeastern California north to ...

''. The habitat extends from the Arizona Upland Sonoran Desert scrub to the Interior Chaparral. The diet consists primarily of ants, termites, flies, beetles, spiders, among other insects. Its predators include larger lizards, birds, and snakes.

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q3570565 Xantusia Reptiles of the United States Endemic fauna of the United States Fauna of the Sonoran Desert Fauna of the Southwestern United States Reptiles described in 1931 Taxa named by Laurence Monroe Klauber