DESCRIPTION: A small (up to 76 mm or 3″ from snout to vent), gray-brown to orange-brown lizard with pointed, keeled scales and four rows of dark, irregular shaped blotches on the back. The blotches in each row often merge together forming a dark, wavy stripe. A broad, gray mid-dorsal stripe extends from the neck onto the base of the tail. A rust or orange patch is often present in each “armpit” area and a dark bar marks each shoulder. The throat is either plain or marked with a uniform blue-gray mottling, often accompanied by pink flecking. Males have two large, blue patches on the belly. Belly patches are often edged with black. On females the belly patches are faint or lacking. During breeding season females may develop a yellow tint on the belly and orange-red suffusions on the neck and sides. Its uniform throat pattern distinguishes this lizard from the similar looking Plateau Lizard and Southwestern Fence Lizard. Its lack of side-blotches distinguishes it from the Common Side-blotched Lizard and Common Lesser Earless Lizard.

DISTRIBUTION: It ranges across most of the northern Arizona plateau region including the Arizona Strip (land north of the Colorado River). In Arizona it is found at elevations ranging from about 4,000′ to over 8,500′.

Stebbins, R.C. 2003. A Field Guide to Western Reptiles and Amphibians, Third Edition. Houghton Mifflin Company, Boston, MA.