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ReptileTerrestrialIntermediate
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Yellow-spotted Night Lizard
Lepidophyma flavimaculatum
A highly secretive, nocturnal Central American night lizard featuring distinctive tuberculated skin and striking rows of bright yellow spots, preferring damp, deeply shaded woodland habitats.
Class:Squamata
Order:Squamata
Family:Xantusiidae
Subfamily:Lepidophyminae
Genus:Lepidophyma
Species:Lepidophyma flavimaculatum
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Environment
Terrestrial
Humidity
70 - 90 %
Day temperature
24 - 28 °C
Night temperature
20 - 22 °C
Adult size
15.3 cm
UVB
Low
Species description
Geographical Origin and Habitat: Lepidophyma flavimaculatum is native to Central America, ranging from southern Mexico through Belize, Guatemala, Honduras, Costa Rica, and Panama. It inhabits wet tropical rainforests, micro-habitats like rotting logs, crevices, and caves.
Taxonomy and Genetics: Belongs to the night lizard family Xantusiidae. Some northern populations of this species are known to be parthenogenetic, consisting entirely of females that reproduce without fertilization, while southern populations reproduce sexually.
Behavior and Habits: Strictly nocturnal, secretive, and terrestrial. It spends daylight hours concealed in dark, damp retreats. Due to its cryptic nature, it rarely basks in the open and exhibits low-movement activity, relying on camouflage for safety.
Morphology: Features a lizard-like body but with a flat head and large plates similar to a snake, and rough, bead-like scales. The dorsal color is black or dark brown, contrasted by distinctive rows of yellow spots on its sides. Adult length is about 5 to 6 inches (12-15 cm).
Care, breeding and tankmates
Terrarium Setup: A terrarium measuring at least 30x12x12 inches (80x40x40 cm) is required. Use a humid substrate like coconut coir or peat moss mixed with leaf litter. Provide multiple cork bark slabs, hollow logs, and flat stones to create plenty of dark hiding spots.
Lighting and Heating: Keep daytime temperatures moderate at 24-27°C (75-80°F), with a slight drop at night to around 20°C (68°F). Heating should be provided via a heat mat. Provide low-strength UVB lighting (2.0 or 5.0) on a 12-hour cycle to simulate daylight.
Humidity and Hydration: Maintain high humidity levels between 70-85%. Spray the terrarium daily with clean water. A shallow water dish must always be present, providing drinking water and helping maintain the ambient humidity of the enclosure.
Feeding and Supplementation: Insectivorous. Feed a variety of live gut-loaded insects like crickets, small roaches, and mealworms. Dust the insects with high-quality calcium and vitamin D3 supplements twice a week to avoid Metabolic Bone Disease.
Compatibility: Best housed individually due to territorial behaviors. Keeping multiple males together will result in stress and fighting. Harem groups (one male and multiple females) can sometimes work in large, heavily decorated terrariums.
Health and Common Diseases: Prone to dehydration and dysecdysis (incomplete shedding) if the enclosure is allowed to dry out. Lack of cage hygiene coupled with stagnant wet conditions can lead to respiratory infections and skin blister disease.
Geographic Origin and Distribution
Lepidophyma flavimaculatum is native to Central America, ranging from southern Mexico through Belize, Guatemala, Honduras, Costa Rica, and Panama. It inhabits wet tropical rainforests, micro-habitats like rotting logs, crevices, and caves.
Origin
Central America and Caribbean
Reptile profile
- Diet
- No verified data available
- Life expectancy
- No verified data available
- Adult size
- 15.3 cm
- Lifestyle/Microhabitat
- No verified data available
- Activity cycle
- No verified data available
- Sociality
- No verified data available
- Reproduction
- No verified data available
- Handling tolerance
- No verified data available
- Brumation
- No verified data available
- Molting
- No verified data available
The catalog's scalar value is 15.3 cm. The ReptTraits v1.2 source reports a maximum adult measurement of 15.3 cm for this species, recorded as snout–vent length (SVL). These figures are not interchangeable: the first is the profile's editorial reference, whereas the second is a published maximum under a specific measurement convention; differences among sources can reflect sex, population, life stage and measuring method.
Image gallery
Licensed images linked to the species or, when marked, to the closest representative taxon.
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