biology

Lepidophyma lowei

Lepidophyma lowei is a biology topic covered in the lgStudy science library. This page brings together a partial reference excerpt, illustrations, worked examples, real-world applications and a short study plan, so you can understand Lepidophyma lowei rather than just read about it. In short: Lepidophyma lowei, also known commonly as Lowe's tropical night lizard and la lagartija nocturna de Lowe in Mexican Spanish, is a species of small lizard in the subfamily Lepidophyminae of the family Xantusiidae. The species is native to Mexico.

Key takeaways

Lepidophyma lowei belongs to biology; place it in that map before memorising details.
Learn the definition first, then one example that makes the definition concrete.
Connect Lepidophyma lowei to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
Reproduce the core statement of Lepidophyma lowei from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

Lepidophyma lowei, also known commonly as Lowe's tropical night lizard and la lagartija nocturna de Lowe in Mexican Spanish, is a species of small lizard in the subfamily Lepidophyminae of the family Xantusiidae. The species is native to Mexico.

Etymology The specific name, lowei, is in honor of American herpetologist Charles Herbert Lowe

Geographic range Lepidophyma lowei is known only from San Bartolomé Zoogocho, in the municipality of San Bartolomé Zoogocho, in the Sierra Madre de Oaxaca, in the northern part of the Mexican state of Oaxaca, at 2,200 m (7,200 ft) elevation.

Habitat The preferred natural habitat of Lepidophyma lowei is forest.

Reproduction Lepidophyma lowei is viviparous. Litter size is four newborns.

References

Further reading Bezy, R.L.; Camarillo, J.L. (1997). "A New Species of Lepidophyma (Sauria: Xantusiidae) from Oaxaca, Mexico". Contributions in Science (465): 1–8. (Lepidophyma lowei, new species). Bezy, R.L.; Camarillo, J.L (2002). "Systematics of Xantusiid Lizards of the Genus Lepidophyma". Contributions in Science (493): 1–41. (Lepidophyma lowei, pp. 21–22, Figure 19). Camarillo, J.L. (1999). "Lepidophyma lowei (Lowe's Tropical Night Lizard). Reproduction". Herpetological Review. 30 (2): 97. Mata-Silva, V.; Johnson, J.D.; Wilson, L.D.; García-Padilla, E. (2015). "The herpetofauna of Oaxaca, Mexico: composition, physiographic distribution, and conservation status". Mesoamerican Herpetology. 2 (1): 6–62.

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with Lepidophyma lowei

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what Lepidophyma lowei claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In biology, the smallest case is usually a single object, a single equation or a single measurement. Check that every symbol or term in your sentence has a meaning in that case.

Example 2 — changing one variable

Take the situation from Example 1 and change exactly one quantity: double it, halve it, or set it to zero. Predict what should happen to Lepidophyma lowei before you calculate. Comparing your prediction with the result is the fastest way to find out whether you understand the idea or only the words.

Example 3 — an exam-style question

Typical questions about Lepidophyma lowei ask you to (a) state it precisely, (b) apply it to given data, and (c) explain a limitation. Practise writing all three answers in under five minutes; the third part is what separates a full-mark answer from an average one.

Applications of Lepidophyma lowei

In research: Lepidophyma lowei appears in biology research whenever the underlying quantities have to be modelled precisely. Papers usually cite it as a starting assumption and then explore where it breaks down.
In technology and industry: Engineering practice reuses Lepidophyma lowei in design rules, simulations and safety margins. Knowing the idea lets you read a specification sheet and understand why the numbers look the way they do.
In the classroom: Lepidophyma lowei is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics Endemic reptiles of Mexico, Fauna of the Sierra Madre de Oaxaca, IUCN Red List data deficient species, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for Lepidophyma lowei outside the textbook — in sport, cooking, traffic, electronics or the sky above you. An example you found yourself is remembered far longer than one you were given.

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How to study Lepidophyma lowei in 20 minutes

Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
Close the page and write down what Lepidophyma lowei means in your own words.
Compare your version with the excerpt and mark what you missed.
Work through the three examples above with pen and paper.
Explain Lepidophyma lowei out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is Lepidophyma lowei in simple terms?

Why does Lepidophyma lowei matter?

Because it connects several biology ideas at once: it gives you a definition you can apply, a quantity you can calculate, and a way to check whether a result is plausible.

How should I study Lepidophyma lowei?

Read the excerpt, restate it from memory, then work through the examples and applications listed on this page. The five-step study plan above takes about twenty minutes.

What does this page cover?

It gives you a compact reference excerpt plus original lgStudy explanations, examples, applications and study material on Lepidophyma lowei.