Inagua Ameiva
Encyclopedia
Ameiva maynardi is commonly known as the Inagua Ameiva, Great Inagua Ameiva, or the Inagua Blue-tailed Lizard is a member of the Teiidae
Teiidae
Teiidae is a family of lizards native to the Americas, generally known as whiptails. The group includes the parthenogenic genera Cnemidophorus and Aspidoscelis, and the non-parthenogenic Tupinambis. It has over 230 member species in ten genera...

 family of lizards. It is endemic to the Bahamas
The Bahamas
The Bahamas , officially the Commonwealth of the Bahamas, is a nation consisting of 29 islands, 661 cays, and 2,387 islets . It is located in the Atlantic Ocean north of Cuba and Hispaniola , northwest of the Turks and Caicos Islands, and southeast of the United States...

 where three subspecies have been described, A.m. maynardi, A.m.uniformis and A.m. parvinaguae.

Description

The Inagua Ameiva are considered quite small compared to other ameiva species. The males measure an average of 72 mm in snout-vent length (SVL) and the females around 70mm.

Habitat

Often encountered in the upper beach zone. Prefers sandy and loamy areas but also found in rocky and sparse vegetative areas.

Distribution

Found only in Inagua
Inagua
Inagua is the southernmost district of the Bahamas comprising the islands of Great Inagua and Little Inagua.Great Inagua is the third largest island in The Bahamas at 596 sq mi and lies about 55 miles from the eastern tip of Cuba. The island is about 55 x 19 miles in extent, the highest point...

, Bahamas. A.m.maynardi is found in the north and west coasts of Great Inagua Island. A.m.parvinaguae is found on Little Inagua. A.m.uniformis is found in the Eastern and Southern portions of Great Inagua Island.

Status and Conservation

Ameiva maynardi is not listed under the IUCN Redlist or Cites, however, due to its limited range the species could well be vulnerable to any major changes. Further research would be needed to confirm whether this species is in the need for further protection.

External links

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