Mountain Pholiodobolus

About the Mountain Pholiodobolus

Pholidobolus montium, commonly known as the mountain pholiodobolus, cuilán, or miner lizard, is a species of lizard in the family Gymnophthalmidae. It is endemic to the highlands of the northern Ecuadorian and southern Colombian Andes.

Pholidobolus montium is a small, diurnal terrestrial lizard. Adult males reach an average snout-vent length (SVL) of approximately 56 mm, while females are slightly larger, reaching up to 66 mm. They exhibit grey-black iridescent dorsal color patterns, a pale yellow dorsolateral stripe, and a distinctive white-cream lip stripe that extends backward toward the forelimbs.

Unlike many other lizard clades, P. montium completely lacks femoral follicular glands, a physiological trait it shares with only one other member of its genus, Pholidobolus prefrontalis. The species inhabits open shrubby areas, alpine environments, and urbanized regions at high elevations. It is frequently found hiding in natural or man-made burrows, rock piles, stone walls, and agave fence rows, leading to its local name "miner lizard". It is a diurnal species that spends a significant portion of its day foraging and basking to thermoregulate... Wikipedia →