- Greater earless lizard
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greater earless lizard 
Cophosaurus texanus Scientific classification Kingdom: Animalia Phylum: Chordata Subphylum: Vertebrata Class: Reptilia Order: Squamata Suborder: Lacertilia Family: Phrynosomatidae Genus: Cophosaurus Species: C. texanus Binomial name Cophosaurus texanus
Troschel, 1852The greater earless lizard (Cophosaurus texanus) is a species of earless lizard endemic to the southwestern United States. It is called "greater" because it grows larger than the earless lizards of the genus Holbrookia, to which it is closely related. While C. texanus is the only species within its genus, it does have two subspecies.
Contents
Geographic range
It is found in the United States in the states of Texas, New Mexico and Arizona; and in Mexico in the states of Sonora, Chihuahua, Durango, Coahuila, Nuevo León, Tamaulipas, Zacatecas, and San Luis Potosí.
Description
Greater earless lizards grow from 3-7 inches in length. They are characterized by the lack of external ear openings, which is presumably to prevent sand from entering their body while they dig. They are normally an overall tan or grey color, reflecting the color of the sand and rocks in their native habitat for camouflage, with black, brown or white spotting. Males often develop bright blue and green colorations, while females tend to be duller in color, except when gravid when they turn a bright orange color. Many have a distinctive pair of curved black bars just before the hind legs.
Behavior
All earless lizards are diurnal, basking lizards. In the early morning they forage for insects, and then spend several hours basking in the sun, until it becomes too hot, around 111 °F (44 °C) at the surface, when they retreat to a burrow or rock crevice. They are oviparous.
Subspecies
- Southwestern earless lizard, Cophosaurus texanus scitulus (Peters, 1951)
- Texas earless lizard, Cophosaurus texanus texanus Troschel, 1850
References
- Species Cophosaurus texanus at The Reptile Database
External links
Categories:- Phrynosomatids
- Reptiles of the United States
- Reptiles of Mexico
- Fauna of Northern Mexico
- Monotypic reptile genera
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