''Ctenoblepharys adspersa'' is a

liolaemid Liolaemidae are a family of iguanian lizards. They were traditionally included in the family Iguanidae as subfamily Liolaeminae, which some more recent authors prefer to delimit in a more restricted way. This family is only found within South Ame ...

lizard Lizard is the common name used for all Squamata, squamate reptiles other than snakes (and to a lesser extent amphisbaenians), encompassing over 7,000 species, ranging across all continents except Antarctica, as well as most Island#Oceanic isla ...

within the

monotypic In biology, a monotypic taxon is a taxonomic group (taxon) that contains only one immediately subordinate taxon. A monotypic species is one that does not include subspecies or smaller, infraspecific taxa. In the case of genera, the term "unisp ...

genus Genus (; : genera ) is a taxonomic rank above species and below family (taxonomy), family as used in the biological classification of extant taxon, living and fossil organisms as well as Virus classification#ICTV classification, viruses. In bino ...

''Ctenoblepharys''. It is endemic to the

arid Aridity is the condition of geographical regions which make up approximately 43% of total global available land area, characterized by low annual precipitation, increased temperatures, and limited water availability.Perez-Aguilar, L. Y., Plata ...

western coast of

Peru Peru, officially the Republic of Peru, is a country in western South America. It is bordered in the north by Ecuador and Colombia, in the east by Brazil, in the southeast by Bolivia, in the south by Chile, and in the south and west by the Pac ...

. It is locally known as ''cabezona''. The species is secretive and arenicolous, meaning that it inhabits sandy areas. It is primarily found along coastal sand dunes and beaches, but also hyper-arid habitats,

ephemeral Ephemerality (from the Greek word , meaning 'lasting only one day') is the concept of things being transitory, existing only briefly. Academically, the term ephemeral constitutionally describes a diverse assortment of things and experiences, fr ...

streambeds, and ''

Tillandsia ''Tillandsia'' is a genus of around 650 species of evergreen, perennial plant, perennial flowering plants in the family (biology), family Bromeliaceae, native to the forests, mountains and deserts of the Neotropical realm, Neotropics, from northe ...

'' groves further inland, as far as the

Andean The Andes ( ), Andes Mountains or Andean Mountain Range (; ) are the longest continental mountain range in the world, forming a continuous highland along the western edge of South America. The range is long and wide (widest between 18°S ...

foothills. Much of its biology and ecology is unknown, though it is known to be

oviparous Oviparous animals are animals that reproduce by depositing fertilized zygotes outside the body (i.e., by laying or spawning) in metabolically independent incubation organs known as eggs, which nurture the embryo into moving offsprings kno ...

(egg-laying) and excavates burrows up to a meter in length. It feeds on a wide variety of insects, the most common being

hymenoptera Hymenoptera is a large order of insects, comprising the sawflies, wasps, bees, and ants. Over 150,000 living species of Hymenoptera have been described, in addition to over 2,000 extinct ones. Many of the species are parasitic. Females typi ...

ns (wasps, ants, etc.), followed by coleopterans (beetles) and insect larvae. Activity levels are greatest in the morning (9–11 AM) and in the afternoon (3–4 PM). Compared to other liolaemids, it has a fairly broad head and large eyes, along with numerous unique skeletal features. Scales are generally small and granular, rather than overlapping. Elongated ciliary scales above the eyes are responsible for its genus name, which is

Greek Greek may refer to: Anything of, from, or related to Greece, a country in Southern Europe: *Greeks, an ethnic group *Greek language, a branch of the Indo-European language family **Proto-Greek language, the assumed last common ancestor of all kno ...

for "eyelash comb". The limbs are fairly slender and the tail is longer than the body. It is a moderately-sized lizard, with a maximum snout-to-vent length (SVL) of 7.5 cm (3 inches), not including the tail. The species is well-

camouflage Camouflage is the use of any combination of materials, coloration, or illumination for concealment, either by making animals or objects hard to see, or by disguising them as something else. Examples include the leopard's spotted coat, the b ...

d on sand: coloration is a series of white speckles on a backdrop of light and dark brown transverse bars. ''Ctenoblepharys adspersa'' is rare and does not appear to be tolerant of human disturbance. Urban development and expansion of resort towns and the

Lima Metropolitan Area The Lima Metropolitan Area (, also known as ''Lima Metropolitana'') is an area formed by the conurbation of the Peruvian provinces of Lima (the nation's capital) and Callao.Lima Metropolitana is formed by the Province of Lima and the Constituti ...

have led to population fragmentation along a large portion of the species' native range. Continued development and habitat loss will lead to further pressure on the species, as will

climate change Present-day climate change includes both global warming—the ongoing increase in Global surface temperature, global average temperature—and its wider effects on Earth's climate system. Climate variability and change, Climate change in ...

. Due to its limited range, fragmented population, and habitat degradation, it has been rated as Vulnerable on the

IUCN Red List The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List of Threatened Species, also known as the IUCN Red List or Red Data Book, founded in 1964, is an inventory of the global conservation status and extinction risk of biological ...

since 2014. It occurs in a few protected areas, including

Lomas de Lachay Lachay National Reserve () is a protected area in the region of Lima Region, Lima, Peru.https://www.gob.pe/institucion/sernanp/informes-publicaciones/1718927-reserva-nacional-de-lachay Lomas de Lachay - SERNANP (in spanish) The reserve is located ...

and Paracas National Reserve.

References

{{Authority control Liolaemidae Lizards of South America Endemic fauna of Peru Reptiles of Peru Reptiles described in 1845 Taxa named by Johann Jakob von Tschudi