Occupancy Surveys for the Temblor Legless Lizard (Anniella alexanderae) in the San Joaquin Valley, California 2022 to 2023

This dataset contains the survey effort by U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) biologists sampling for Temblor legless lizards (Anniella alexanderae) in 2022 and 2023, the results of those surveys, and environmental covariates relevant to detection and occupancy of this species. At the time of the species description, little was known about the distribution of the Temblor legless lizard beyond a few localities. Surveys were designed to gather information on the distribution of Temblor legless lizards to help inform a Species Status Assessment by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. Binary values for each year indicate whether Temblor legless lizards were detected under cover boards at a site in that year (1) or were not detected at that site in that year (0). Non-detection of Temblor legless lizards at a site does not indicate with certainty that the species does not occur at a site, only that the species was not detected under cover boards at the time of survey. Survey effort includes the dates of surveys and number of surveys at each site in each year. Covariates relevant to detection of Temblor legless lizards include the substrate temperature and relative humidiity at the time of the survey, the time of day at which the survey was done, and the day of the field season on which the survey was done. Covariates that potentially influence occupancy of lizards include the distance to the nearest ephemeral stream (i.e., wash or arroyo) and the soil texture, including clay content, at the site.