Morphology and distribution of the night lizard Lepidophyma zongolicum (Xantusiidae)

Lepidophyma zongolicum is known from only seven specimens (type series) collected in the Sierra Negra of Puebla, Mexico. Here, we report 18 additional records from the Sierra de Zongolica and Sierra de Atoyac in central Veracruz, Mexico. We built a species distribution model that predicts suitable areas for L. zongolicum in the mountains of central Veracruz southward to eastern Puebla and northern Oaxaca. Morphologically our new material is readily assigned to L. zongolicum, but the specimens exhibit variation in the number of dorsal scales, paravertebral scales, dorsal interwhorls, and tail coloration that is previously undocumented for the species. The morphological variation recorded in the specimens allowed us to establish a better diagnosis for the species. Additionally, the new records corroborated the secretive habits and preferential microhabitats of this enigmatic lizard and helped to infer the species potential distribution, showing the species real distribution is likely more extensive than previously known.