Sombrero ameiva
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Reptilia
Order: Squamata
Family: Teiidae
Genus: Pholidoscelis
Species:
P. corvinus
Binomial name
Pholidoscelis corvinus
(Cope, 1861)
Synonyms
  • Ameiva corvina Cope, 1861

The Sombrero ameiva (Pholidoscelis corvinus) is a lizard species in the genus Ameiva. It is endemic to Sombrero, a small, uninhabited island in the Lesser Antilles under the jurisdiction of Anguilla.

Description

Adults are melanistic, appearing plain brown to slate black, with a dark green to black ventral surface mottled with light blue.[2] Its tail is sometimes spotted green. Males have brown flecks on the dorsal surface and browner heads. Males grow to 133 mm snout-to-vent length, with females being considerably smaller.

It is superficially similar in coloration and scalation to Pholidoscelis atratus and Pholidoscelis corax, two other melanistic species also found on small, barren islands in the Caribbean. As both islands have similar habitats, this is likely the result of independent adaptation.[3]

Its diet includes the eggs of ground-nesting birds.

Conservation

The Sombrero ameiva is listed as critically endangered on the IUCN Red List due to its limited distribution, an area less than 0.37 km2 (91 acres) in size.[1] A 1999 study estimated between 396 and 461 individuals, including adults and juveniles, based on mark-recapture data.[1] Although there are no permanent human settlements on Sombrero, increased rodent populations such as introduced mice may put pressure on the lizards.[1] Flooding and sea level rise may also threaten the species.[1] The population appears to be thriving, possibly due to its isolation from human activity.[4]

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 Powell, R.; Daltry, J.C. (2017). "Pholidoscelis corvinus". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2017: e.T174139A121640244. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2017-3.RLTS.T174139A121640244.en. Retrieved 12 November 2021.
  2. ↑ Description of the species is given in Malhotra & Thorpe 1999, p. 53.
  3. ↑ The species are compared in Malhotra & Thorpe 1999, p. 54.
  4. ↑ Powell & Henderson 2005, pp. 66–67.
  • Malhotra, Anita; Thorpe, Roger S. (1999), Reptiles & Amphibians of the Eastern Caribbean, Macmillan Education Ltd, pp. 53–54, ISBN 0-333-69141-5
  • Powell, Robert; Henderson, Robert W. (2005), "Conservation Status of Lesser Antillean Reptiles", Iguana, 12 (2): 63–77
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