Lepidophyma mayae BEZY, 1973

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Higher Taxa	Xantusiidae (Lepidophyminae), Scincoidea, Sauria, Squamata (lizards)
Subspecies
Common Names	G: Maya-Nachtechse E: Mayan Tropical Night Lizard S: Escorpión Nocturno Maya.
Synonym	Lepidophyma mayae BEZY 1973 Lepidophyma mayae — KÖHLER 2000: 105 Lepidophyma mayae— BEZY & CAMARILLO 2002 Lepidophyma mayae — PIANKA & VITT 2003: 208 Lepidophyma mayae — SOLIS et al. 2014
Distribution	Honduras, Guatemala, Belize, S Mexico Type locality: Guatemala, Alta Verapaz, nr. Chinaja, 140 m elevation.
Reproduction	viviparous
Types	Holotype: KU 59554
Diagnosis	DIAGNOSIS (DIAGNOSTIC CHARACTERS). The species differs from L. radula, L. tarascae, L. lineri, L. pajapanense, L. tuxtlae, L. chicoasense, L. lipetzi, and L. reticulatum in having 2 or fewer pretympanics; from L. dontomasi, L. gaigeae, L. radula, and L. tarascae in having 162 or more dorsals; from L. reticulatum, L. micropholis, and L. occulor in having 188 or fewer dorsals; from L. lowei, L. radula, L. smithii, L. tarascae, L. lineri, L. chicoasense, and L. occulor in having 33 or more lateral tubercle rows; from L. sylvaticum in having a wider median prefrontal (RMW2 greater than 1.6); and from L. flavimaculatum in having 33 or more lateral tubercle rows and two or fewer pretympanics (99.6% of all L. flavimaculatum, 100% of Guatemalan specimens (from BEZY & CAMARILLO 2002).
Comment	Not listed for Belize by KÖHLER (2000). Although Lepidophyma mayae can be distinguished from all L. flavimaculatum only by a combination of 2 characters (lateral tubercle rows and pretympanics), where the two species are found in sympatry each of the two characters is nonoverlapping, indicating reproductive isolation. Max. SVL: 75 mm.
Etymology	Named after the Maya, the indigenous people of the region of the type locality.
References	Beolens, Bo; Michael Watkins, and Michael Grayson 2011. The Eponym Dictionary of Reptiles. Johns Hopkins University Press, Baltimore, USA - get paper here Bezy,R.L. 1973. A new species of the genus Lepidophyma (Reptilia: Xantusiidae) from Guatemala. Contrib. Sci. Los Angeles Co. Mus. 239: 1-7. - get paper here Bezy,R.L. & Camarillo, J.L. 2002. SYSTEMATICS OF XANTUSIID LIZARDS OF THE GENUS LEPIDOPHYMA. Contributions in Science (493): 1–41 - get paper here Campbell, J.A. 1998. Amphibians and reptiles of northern Guatemala, the Yucatán, and Belize. Norman: University of Oklahoma Press, xiii + 380 pp. - get paper here Köhler, G. 2000. Reptilien und Amphibien Mittelamerikas, Bd 1: Krokodile, Schildkröten, Echsen. Herpeton Verlag, Offenbach, 158 pp. Köhler, G. 2008. Reptiles of Central America. 2nd Ed. Herpeton-Verlag, 400 pp. Lee, J. C. 2000. A field guide to the amphibians and reptiles of the Maya world. Cornell University Press, Ithaca, Lee, J.C. 1996. The amphibians and reptiles of the Yucatán Peninsula. Comstock, Cornell University Press, Ithaca, 500 pp. McCranie, James R. 2015. A checklist of the amphibians and reptiles of Honduras, with additions, comments on taxonomy, some recent taxonomic decisions, and areas of further studies needed. Zootaxa 3931 (3): 352–386 - get paper here McCranie, James R. 2018. The Lizards, Crocodiles, and Turtles of Honduras. Systematics, Distribution, and Conservation. Bulletin of the Museum of Comparative Zoology, Special Publication Series (2): 1- 666 - get paper here Pianka, E.R. & Vitt, L.J. 2003. Lizards - Windows to the Evolution of Diversity. University of California Press, Berkeley, 347 pp. [review in Copeia 2004: 955] - get paper here Solís, J. M., L. D. Wilson, and J. H. Townsend. 2014. An updated list of the amphibians and reptiles of Honduras, with comments on their nomenclature. Mesoamerican Herpetology 1: 123–144 - get paper here
External links	IUCN Red List - Lepidophyma mayae - Near Threatened, NT National Center for Biotechnology Information Google images

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