''Lepidophyma'' is a

genus Genus ( plural genera ) is a taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of living and fossil organisms as well as viruses. In the hierarchy of biological classification, genus comes above species and below family. In binomial nom ...

of lizards, commonly called tropical night lizards. The genus ''Lepidophyma'' (

Greek Greek may refer to: Greece Anything of, from, or related to Greece, a country in Southern Europe: *Greeks, an ethnic group. *Greek language, a branch of the Indo-European language family. **Proto-Greek language, the assumed last common ancestor ...

for "warty scales") is one of three genera of

night lizards Night lizards (family Xantusiidae) are a group of small scincomorph lizards, averaging from less than to over snout–vent length. Most species are viviparous (live-bearing), with the exception of those in the genus '' Cricosaura''. The fami ...

(

family Family (from la, familia) is a group of people related either by consanguinity (by recognized birth) or affinity (by marriage or other relationship). The purpose of the family is to maintain the well-being of its members and of society. Idea ...

Xantusiidae), which are a group of

viviparous Among animals, viviparity is development of the embryo inside the body of the parent. This is opposed to oviparity which is a reproductive mode in which females lay developing eggs that complete their development and hatch externally from the ...

(live-bearing) lizards. There are 20

species In biology, a species is the basic unit of classification and a taxonomic rank of an organism, as well as a unit of biodiversity. A species is often defined as the largest group of organisms in which any two individuals of the appropriate s ...

of tropical night lizards in the genus ''Lepidophyma'', making it the most populous night lizard genus. Species of the genus ''Lepidophyma'' are distributed throughout

Central America Central America ( es, América Central or ) is a subregion of the Americas. Its boundaries are defined as bordering the United States to the north, Colombia to the south, the Caribbean Sea to the east, and the Pacific Ocean to the west. ...

, found anywhere from central

Mexico Mexico (Spanish: México), officially the United Mexican States, is a country in the southern portion of North America. It is bordered to the north by the United States; to the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; to the southeast by Guatema ...

Panama Panama ( , ; es, link=no, Panamá ), officially the Republic of Panama ( es, República de Panamá), is a transcontinental country spanning the southern part of North America and the northern part of South America. It is bordered by Co ...

, depending on the particular species. Tropical night lizards, particularly the yellow-spotted species, are sometimes called Central American bark lizards by pet dealers and owners.

Species

The following 22 species are recognized as being valid. www.reptile-database.org. *'' Lepidophyma chicoasensis'' – Sumidero tropical night lizard *'' Lepidophyma cuicateca'' – Sunidero tropical night lizard *'' Lepidophyma dontomasi'' – MacDougall's tropical night lizard *'' Lepidophyma flavimaculatum'' – Yellow-spotted tropical night lizard *'' Lepidophyma gaigeae'' – Gaige's tropical night lizard *'' Lepidophyma inagoi'' *'' Lepidophyma lineri'' – Liner's tropical night lizard *'' Lepidophyma lipetzi'' – Lipetz's tropical night lizard *'' Lepidophyma lowei'' – Lowe's tropical night lizard *'' Lepidophyma lusca'' *'' Lepidophyma mayae'' – Mayan tropical night lizard *'' Lepidophyma micropholis'' – cave tropical night lizard *'' Lepidophyma occulor'' – Jalpan tropical night lizard *'' Lepidophyma pajapanensis'' – Pajapan tropical night lizard *'' Lepidophyma radula'' – Yautepec tropical night lizard *'' Lepidophyma ramirezi'' *'' Lepidophyma reticulatum'' – Costa Rican tropical night lizard *'' Lepidophyma smithii'' – (Andrew) Smith's tropical night lizardBeolens, Bo; Watkins, Michael; Grayson, Michael (2011). ''The Eponym Dictionary of Reptiles''. Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press. xiii + 296 pp. . (''Lepidophyma gaigeae'', p. 96; ''L. lineri'', p. 159; ''L. lipetzi'', p. 159; ''L. lowei'', p. 161; ''L. smithii'', p. 246). *'' Lepidophyma sylvaticum'' – Madrean tropical night lizard *'' Lepidophyma tarascae'' – Tarascan tropical night lizard *'' Lepidophyma tuxtlae'' – Tuxtla tropical night lizard *'' Lepidophyma zongolica'' ''

Nota bene (, or ; plural form ) is a Latin phrase meaning "note well". It is often abbreviated as NB, n.b., or with the ligature and first appeared in English writing . In Modern English, it is used, particularly in legal papers, to draw the atten ...

'': A

binomial authority In taxonomy, binomial nomenclature ("two-term naming system"), also called nomenclature ("two-name naming system") or binary nomenclature, is a formal system of naming species of living things by giving each a name composed of two parts, bot ...

in parentheses indicates that the species was originally described in a genus other than ''Lepidophyma''.

References

External links

*. *. {{Taxonbar, from=Q1516339 Lepidophyma Reptiles of Mexico Lizards of Central America Lizard genera Taxa named by Auguste Duméril

Species

References

Further reading

External links