Northern Legless Lizard vs. San Diegan Legless Lizard

Split on genetics in 2013. The two meet in a narrow zone in the southern San Joaquin Valley and the Transverse Ranges; their records touch there. A: Bright yellow to orange-yellow in nearly all adults in the Northern Legless Lizard; duller: pale yellow, creamy white or greyish white in the San Diegan Legless Lizard. B: Silver, olive or beige with a crisp dark line down the back and fine lines along the sides in the Northern Legless Lizard; greyish-brown, drab tan or silver; the line down the back often faint, broken or reduced in the San Diegan Legless Lizard. C: Slightly larger for the size of the head in the Northern Legless Lizard; slightly smaller for the size of the head in the San Diegan Legless Lizard. Scale rows differ on average (24 to 26 at midbody in the Northern, 22 to 24 in the San Diegan), but that needs the animal in hand. Colour overlaps, so range decides where they meet: the Bay Area, Coast Ranges, Central Valley and Sierra foothills (Northern) vs southern California south of the Transverse Ranges (San Diegan). Some Northern Legless Lizards near Monterey Bay are black above.

Photographs via iNaturalist under Creative Commons licences; the photographers are credited on the sheet.

More comparisons

• Bakersfield Legless Lizard vs. Northern Legless Lizard
• Big Spring Legless Lizard vs. Northern Legless Lizard
• Temblor Legless Lizard vs. Northern Legless Lizard
• Bakersfield Legless Lizard vs. San Diegan Legless Lizard
• Big Spring Legless Lizard vs. San Diegan Legless Lizard
• Temblor Legless Lizard vs. San Diegan Legless Lizard

Wildsight identifies the reptiles and amphibians of the United States. Every comparison