Xantusia wigginsi SAVAGE, 1952

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Higher Taxa	Xantusiidae (Xantusiinae), Scincoidea, Sauria, Squamata (lizards)
Subspecies
Common Names	E: Wiggins' Desert Night Lizard S: Nocturna de Wiggins
Synonym	Xantusia vigilis wigginsi SAVAGE 1952 Xantusia vigilis wigginsi — SAVAGE 1963 Xantusia vigilis wigginsi — SMITH & HOLLAND 1971 Xantusia wigginsi — SINCLAIR et al. 2004 Xantusia wigginsi — LEAVITT et al. 2007 Xantusia wigginsi — NOONAN et al. 2013
Distribution	USA (S California), Mexico (Baja California) Type locality: arroyo 9 miles east of Miller'sLanding, Distrito del Norte, Baja California, Mexico.
Reproduction	ovovivparous
Types	Holotype: CAS-SUR 11564
Diagnosis	Diagnosis: A subspecies of X. vigilis intermediate between the typical form and X.v. gilberti. Differs from the other forms as follows: (1) ventrals usually less than 29, 25 (27.4) 29; (2) dorsal pattern of numerous small, discrete spots, never fused to form blotches or lines; (3) tail with dark spots restricted to tips of scales (from SAVAGE 1952).
Comment	Hybridization: X. wigginsi intergrades with X. vigilis gilberti (SAVAGE 1952: 476). Distribution: In Jones & LOVICH 2009:440 the distribution map for Xantusia wigginsi erroneously includes the ranges for X. sherbrookei and X. gilberti. See map in Bezy et al. 2019: 27 (Fig. 10).
Etymology	Named after one of the collectors of the type, Drs. Ira L. Wiggins, H. M. Hill, and A. M. Vollmer.
References	Backlin, Adam R. and Robert N. Fisher. 2011. Geographic Distribution: Xantusia wigginsi (Wiggin's desert night lizard). Herpetological Review 42 (3): 392 - get paper here Bezy, Robert L.; Kit B. Bezy, Kathryn Bolles, and Wade C. Sherbrooke 2019. Night lizards (Xantusia) and their discoverers on the Baja California Peninsula. Sonoran Herpetologist 32 (2): 25-33 - get paper here Bostic, D. L. 1971. Herpetofauna of the Pacific Coast of north central Baja California, Mexico, with a description of a new subspecies of Phyllodactylus xanti. Transactions of the San Diego Society of Natural History, 16:237—263 - get paper here Crother, B. I. (ed.) 2012. Standard Common and Current Scientific Names for North American Amphibians, Turtles, Reptiles, and Crocodilians, Seventh Edition. Herpetological Circular 39: 1-92 Goldberg, Stephen R. and Robert L. Bezy. 2014. Xantusia wigginsi (Wiggins' night lizard) reproduction. Herpetological Review 45 (3): 510-511 - get paper here Hansen, Robert and Jackson D. Shedd 2025. California Amphibians and Reptiles. Princeton University Press, 528 pp. - get paper here Jones, L.L. & Lovich, R.E. 2009. Lizards of the American Southwest. A photographic field guide. Rio Nuevo Publishers, Tucson, AZ, 568 pp. [review in Reptilia 86: 84] - get paper here LEAVITT, DEAN H.; ROBERT L. BEZY, KEITH A. CRANDALL and JACK W. SITES JR 2007. Multi-locus DNA sequence data reveal a history of deep cryptic vicariance and habitat-driven convergence in the desert night lizard Xantusia vigilis species complex (Squamata: Xantusiidae). Molecular Ecology 16: 4455–4481 - get paper here Noonan, Brice P.; Jennifer B. Pramuk, Robert L. Bezy, Elizabeth A. Sinclair, Kevin de Queiroz, Jack W. Sites Jr. 2013. Phylogenetic relationships within the lizard clade Xantusiidae: Using trees and divergence times to address evolutionary questions at multiple levels. Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution, Volume 69, Issue 1, October 2013, Pages 109–122 - get paper here Peralta-García A, Valdez-Villavicencio JH, Fucsko LA, Hollingsworth BD, Johnson JD, Mata-Silva V, Rocha A, DeSantis DL, Porras LW, and Wilson LD. 2023. The herpetofauna of the Baja California Peninsula and its adjacent islands, Mexico: composition, distribution, and conservation status. Amphibian & Reptile Conservation 17(1&2): 57–142 Pilliod, D., Jeffries, M., Arkle, R. and Olson, D. 2024. Climate Futures for Lizards and Snakes in Western North America May Result in New Species Management Issues. Ecol Evol, 14: e70379 - get paper here Savage, J. M. 1963. 'Studies on the Lizard Family Xantusiidae IV. The Genera. Contributions in Science, Los Angeles County Museum (71): 1 - 38 - get paper here Savage, Jay M. 1952. Studies on the lizard family Xantusidae I. The systematic status of the Baja California Night Lizards allied to Xantusia vigilis, with the description of a new subspecies. American Midland Naturalist 48 (2): 467-479 - get paper here Sinclair, Elizabeth A.; Robert L. Bezy; Kathryn Bolles; Jose L. Camarillo R.; Keith A. Crandall and Jack W. Sites, Jr. 2004. Testing Species Boundaries in an Ancient Species Complex with Deep Phylogeographic History: Genus Xantusia (Squamata: Xantusiidae). American Naturalist 164 (3): 396-414 - get paper here Smith, H. M.; Holland, R. L. 1971. Noteworthy snakes and lizards from Baja California. Journal of Herpetology 5 (1-2): 56-59 - get paper here
External links	National Center for Biotechnology Information Google images

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