Lepidophyma flavimaculatum
Silhouette: Jose Carlos Arenas-Monroy · PhyloPic
In 3 days ~60% in a week ~90%
The yellow-spotted tropical night lizard or yellow-spotted night lizard (Lepidophyma flavimaculatum) is a species of night lizard (family Xantusiidae). The species is distributed from central Mexico, through Central America, south to Panama. It includes two subspecies.
Two subspecies are recognized as being valid, including the nominotypical subspecies. Lepidophyma flavimaculatum flavimaculatum A.H.A.Duméril, 1851 Lepidophyma flavimaculatum ophiophthalmum Taylor, 1955 L. flavimaculatum reproduces parthenogenetically. The female gives birth to live, fully developed young lizards. Before birth the egg cells are not fertilized.
L. flavimaculatum is a secretive, terrestrial and nocturnal lizard of tropical wet and moist forests, at altitudes from sea level to 1,500 m (4,900 ft). Mostly found on the ground, it is occasionally found on tree trunks or beneath bark on standing trees. It feeds on small invertebrates.
The yellow-spotted night lizard is sometimes suggested to be the inspiration for the "yellow-spotted lizards" in the children's novel Holes by Louis Sachar. However, in the making of the movie adaptation... Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Braulio Carrillo National Park | 🇨🇷 Costa Rica | |
| 2 | Pico Bonito National Park | 🇭🇳 Honduras | |
| 3 | Cerro Azul Meámbar National Park | 🇭🇳 Honduras | |
| 4 | Tenorio Volcano National Park | 🇨🇷 Costa Rica | |
| 5 | Arenal Volcano National Park | 🇨🇷 Costa Rica |
No species of the same family or order lives in Tenorio Volcano National Park, so these are its closest relatives here: other reptiles.
Possible
About 20% of wildlife watchers report a Yellow-spotted Night Lizard sighting in Tenorio Volcano National Park on a given day, based on 19 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 16th most-seen of the 38 reptiles we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 60%, and over a week to about 90%, if each day is a fresh chance.
April
In that month about 40% of wildlife watchers report a Yellow-spotted Night Lizard in Tenorio Volcano National Park on a given day, against under 5% in February and September–October, the lowest months. That is one of Tenorio Volcano National Park's driest months, with about 120 mm of rain against 420 mm in December.
Between 9 am and noon
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Yellow-spotted Night Lizard sightings with a recorded time, and about 6 in 10 of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is seen both by day and at night.
4th of 5
Of the 5 parks where we can rate Yellow-spotted Night Lizard sightings, Tenorio Volcano National Park ranks 4th at about 20%. The best odds are in Braulio Carrillo National Park (Costa Rica, about 40%), Pico Bonito National Park (Honduras, about 30%) and Cerro Azul Meámbar National Park (Honduras, about 30%).
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Yellow-spotted Night Lizard is recorded against all the reptiles logged in Tenorio Volcano National Park (19 verified sightings from 2019 to 2026), calibrated against known sighting rates. Figures are rounded to the nearest 10% because citizen-science data supports honest approximations, not decimals, and months with records from fewer than five people show "—". How it works.
