Holbrookia

Taxobox
name = "Holbrookia"


regnum = Animalia
phylum = Chordata
classis = Sauropsida
ordo = Squamata
familia = Phrynosomatidae
genus = "Holbrookia"
genus_authority = Girard, 1851

"Holbrookia" is a genus of earless lizard known commonly as the lesser earless lizards which contains four recognized species that are found throughout the southern and central United States, and northern Mexico. They are characterized by having no external ear openings, presumably to prevent sand from entering the body when they are digging. The name "holbrookia" is in honor of American zoologist, John Edwards Holbrook. ^{[http://ebeltz.net/herps/biogappx.html]}

Description

Lesser earless lizards grow to approximately 2-2.5 inches in length, with a 3-4 inches of tail. They are typically grey or tan in color, with black blotching. The males usually have blue patches on either side of their belly, whereas the females do not, and females will often change to have bright orange patches when gravid.

Behavior

"Holbrookia" species are diurnal, basking lizards. They spend the vast majority of their time sunning on rocks, even in the heat of the day. Up until the surface temperature reaches approximately 104 °F, when they will retreat to a rock crevice or burrow. They are insectivorous.

Species

*Spot-tailed Earless Lizard, "Holbrookia lacerata" (Cope, 1880)
*Lesser Earless Lizard, "Holbrookia maculata" (Girard, 1851)
*Keeled Earless Lizard, "Holbrookia propinqua" (Baird & Girard, 1852)
*Southern Earless Lizard, "Holbrookia subcaudalis" (Axtell, 1956)

Geographic range

Earless lizards are found from the southwestern and central United States, in the states of Texas, Arizona, New Mexico, Utah, Colorado, Kansas, Oklahoma, and as far north as Nebraska, South Dakota, and Wyoming. They are also found in Mexico, in the states of Sonora, Chihuahua, Coahuila, Sinaloa, Durango, Zacatecas, San Luis Potosi, Nuevo Leon, Tamaulipas and Veracruz.

See also

*Genus "Cophosaurus", the Greater Earless Lizards.

References

*EMBL genus|genus=Holbrookia
* [http://coloherp.org/geo/species/spehoma.php Colorado Herpetological Society: Lesser Earless Lizard]