The Yellow Spotted Lizard is a species of Night Lizard that is native to Mexico and other parts of Central America. They are also known by other names such as the Yellow-Spotted Tropical Night Lizard.
Yellow Spotted Lizard Taxonomy
The Yellow Spotted Lizard belongs to the Xantusiidae family of lizards. The species in this family are known as Night Lizards and are generally small in size, usually ranging from 4-15cm in length.
There are only 3 genera in this family with around 35 different species recognised. There are also a number of extinct species that were classified under this family.
The species in this family can be found in parts of the United States, Central America and in the Caribbean. Most of the species give birth to live young, except for the species in the genus Cricosaura.
The genus that the Yellow Spotted Lizard belongs to is called Lepidophyma. The species in this genus are known as Tropical Night Lizards as they can be found from Central Mexico to Panama.
There are about 20 species in the Lepidophyma genus. While some of the species in this genus are occasionally found in the pet trade, they are nowhere near as common as other lizard species.
The scientific name for the Yellow Spotted Lizard is Lepidophyma flavimaculatum. There are currently 2 recognised subspecies which are Lepidophyma flavimaculatum flavimaculatum and Lepidophyma flavimaculatum ophiophthalmum.
Yellow Spotted Lizard Description
The Yellow Spotted Lizard is a medium sized lizard although it is very large for the family of lizards that it belongs to. They typically grow to a length of around 10 inches including the tail.
The background color of the lizard is dark brown while they have a tan to yellowish colored belly. As its name suggests, the back and sides of the lizard is covered in yellow spots.
The head of the lizard is triangular in shape and they have a long snout with large, smooth scales which almost gives the appearance of a beak.
Natural Habitat and Distribution
The Yellow Spotted Lizard can be found from Central Mexico down into many countries in Central America. In Mexico, they can be found South of Mexico City in the Eastern Regions of the country.
Their range in Mexico is restricted mainly to the South Eastern portion of the country as they are cut off by mountain ranges. This is the same throughout much of their range in Central America.
In Central America, they can be found in countries such as Guatemala, Belize, Honduras, Nicaragua, Costa Rica and Panama. They can be found as far South as Panama City.
It shares part of its range with species such as the Costa Rican Zebra Tarantula, the Curly Hair Tarantula, Blacktail Cribo and the Central American Banded Gecko.
The only country in Central America where the Yellow Spotted Lizard is not found is El Salvador. They are not found here because they are cut off by the mountain ranges in the region.
The Yellow Spotted Lizard is a nocturnal species and will spend most of the day hiding from the heat of the sun. They will hide in cracks and crevices of boulders and under fallen vegetation.
Scientific studies have found that many of these lizards will spend almost their entire lives under the same debris. Researchers have found the same specimens in the exact same place, even years later.
Yellow Spotted Lizards As Pets
As with many species of Lizard, the Yellow Spotted Lizard was once imported into the United States in large numbers to be sold in the pet trade. They were so common that they were available for sale for only a couple of dollars.
These wild caught animals were marketed as a beginner species but unfortunately many of them didn’t survive long in captivity. The animals were stressed and often riddled with parasite’s after being taken from the wild.
At this time, not much was known about their husbandry so they were often kept in inadequate conditions which contributed to their demise. Today, these lizards are rarely seen in captivity and not a lot of information is available about them.
If you want to purchase one of these lizards, it is important to find a reputable breeder and not purchase a wild caught animal. This will also allow you to speak to the breeder and learn about the species-specific requirements.
Yellow Spotted Lizard Enclosure
The Yellow Spotted Lizard is a terrestrial species that can thrive in a wide variety of different enclosures as long as their basic requirements are met. These requirements are temperature, humidity and security.
You can keep your lizard in a bioactive glass enclosure with plenty of foliage, a wooden or PVC enclosure or even a plastic tub or storage container as long as there is plenty of ventilation.
You should aim to offer this lizard a decent amount of space to move around. An enclosure measuring around 3ft x 1ft x 1ft will be loads of room for this species. Excessive height is not necessary as they are a terrestrial lizard.
As these lizards spend their day hiding under rocks and fallen tree trunks, you will need to offer them plenty of foliage so that they feel secure. A clean water bowl must also be present at all times.
Reproduction
The Yellow Spotted Lizard is a rather unique species when it comes to reproduction. While there are populations of males and females, most of these lizards reproduce parthenogenically.
This basically means that the female doesn’t need a male to fertilise the embryo. If a male is not present in the habitat, the female can still give birth to live young.