[2] The species is most closely related to Uma notata, the Colorado Desert fringe-toed lizard.

[8] The Coachella Valley fringe-toed lizards are talented as they are able to identify when there is an arthropod present underground, and dig them out of the sand to consume.

[2] The lizard is restricted to habitats with fine, windblown sand deposits in the sandy plains of the Coachella Valley, Riverside County, California.

[4] The Coachella Valley fringe-toed lizard's habitat has been negatively affected in the past 3 decades, due to increases in the human population, urban development, off-roading, and non-native invasive plants.

[11] Low precipitation and frequent droughts reduce the growth of plants and food sources for the Coachella Valley fringe-toed lizard.

The lack of food sources contribute to a species' survival, thus this may be a cause for the decrease in mean reproductive productivity and decline in mean hatchling numbers and population densities.