Sandstone night lizard


The sandstone night lizard is a species of night lizard. Prior to 2005, it was considered a subspecies of the granite night lizard, Xantusia henshawi. The physical difference is that the sandstone night lizard has lighter coloration.

Range

The sandstone night lizard is extremely limited geographically; it is known only to the Truckhaven Rocks in the Colorado Desert, at Anza-Borrego Desert State Park in eastern San Diego County, California.

Description

The lizard is very secretive using small burrows and sandstone or siltstone for cover. The specific name, gracilis, is derived from Latin meaning "slender", referring to the species' slender habitus.