Reptile & Amphibian Forums

.. not an actual LILIPUT lizard, just a very small species..
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This is Sceloporus variabilis. a gravid mature female!
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These lizards are abundant in the habitats they prefer, especially the clay-alkaline oputia deserts and open mesquite scrub-forest of the south Texas coastal slope.. Example:
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Unfortunately for them they do not adjust to civilization the way some other Sceloporus will and housing tracts and other development extirpates them.. Cactus stands and the associated rodent stick-nests are their primary haunts..
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.. here's another shot of that female..
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I noticed while editing these images that she seems to have an ecto-parasite under the arm.. can you see it? Is that a tick?
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Interesting little lizards!
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These images are from Brownsville, Texas, today. Thanks for looking.
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Gus
A. Rentfro
RioBravoReptiles.com
www.riobravoreptiles.com

"Perfectly healthy animals are a minimum requirement.. everything else is just salesmanship" gus

Another great post Gus! Those particular scelops are small! Excellent photography as usual!
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Todd Hughes

Yes that looks like a tic. In areas where I live the alligator lizards and sceloperous are often infested with several dark colored ticks like that under the arms and around the ears. Sometimes I also find the scelops with what must be another kind of tick or mite that is red and smaller. The uta also commonly have the small red ones too.