title: Lepidophyma gaigeae
text: # Lepidophyma gaigeae
  
  Lepidophyma gaigeae, also known commonly as Gaige's tropical night lizard and la lagartija nocturna de Gaige in Mexican Spanish, is a small species of lizard in the family Xantusiidae. The species is native to eastern Mexico.
  
  ## Etymology
  
  The specific name, gaigeae, is in honor of American herpetologist Helen Beulah Thompson Gaige.
  
  ## Geographic range
  
  L. gaigeae is native to the Sierra Madre Oriental of northern Querétaro state and adjacent northwestern Hidalgo state, between 1,800 and 2,200 m (5,900 and 7,200 ft) elevation.
  
  ## Habitat
  
  The preferred natural habitat of L. gaigeae is rocky areas of forest or shrubland.
  
  ## Reproduction
  
  L. gaigeae is viviparous. Litter size may be as small as one newborn.
  
  