Bezy's night lizard (''Xantusia bezyi'') is a

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 ...

lizard Lizards are a widespread group of squamate reptiles, with over 7,000 species, ranging across all continents except Antarctica, as well as most oceanic island chains. The group is paraphyletic since it excludes the snakes and Amphisbaenia alt ...

in the

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

Xantusiidae. The species is

endemic Endemism is the state of a species being found in a single defined geographic location, such as an island, state, nation, country or other defined zone; organisms that are indigenous to a place are not endemic to it if they are also found elsew ...

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 ...

Etymology

Bezy's night lizard is named after noted American

herpetologist Herpetology (from Greek ἑρπετόν ''herpetón'', meaning "reptile" or "creeping animal") is the branch of zoology concerned with the study of amphibians (including frogs, toads, salamanders, newts, and caecilians (gymnophiona)) and rept ...

Robert Lee Bezy (born 1941).

Geographic range

''X. bezyi'' is found in central Arizona.

Description

Small, smooth-skinned, and gray-brown to yellow-brown, ''X. bezyi'' measures from its nose to its vent. It has a flattened head, and dark splotches on its back. The eyes lack eyelids and have vertical, linear pupils.

Habitat

Desert highlands and pine woodlands are the preferred

habitat In ecology, the term habitat summarises the array of resources, physical and biotic factors that are present in an area, such as to support the survival and reproduction of a particular species. A species habitat can be seen as the physical ...

s of ''X. bezyi'', where it is found under exfoliating rock in granite outcrops.

Diet

The diet of ''X. bezyi'' consists of

spider Spiders ( order Araneae) are air-breathing arthropods that have eight legs, chelicerae with fangs generally able to inject venom, and spinnerets that extrude silk. They are the largest order of arachnids and rank seventh in total species ...

s and

insect Insects (from Latin ') are pancrustacean hexapod invertebrates of the class Insecta. They are the largest group within the arthropod phylum. Insects have a chitinous exoskeleton, a three-part body ( head, thorax and abdomen), three pairs ...

Behavior

During daylight hours ''X. bezyi'' shelters in rock crevices.

Reproduction

''X. bezyi'' is

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 m ...

. www.reptile-database.org.

References

External links

* Bezy's night lizard Reptiles of the United States Fauna of the Sonoran Desert Fauna of the Southwestern United States Reptiles of Mexico Reptiles described in 2001 Taxa named by Theodore Johnstone Papenfuss {{lizard-stub