Ugento and Harvey (2011) noted Ameiva ameiva has been a polytypic species and that the nomenclatural history of the species has been chaotic. They reviewed the species and concluded that Ameiva ameiva in Venezuela is composed of four species: A. ameiva (Linnaeus), A. atrigularis Garman, A. praesignis (Baird & Girard), and they describe a new species, A. pantherina. Garman’s Ameiva atrigularis inhabits the forested areas of northcentral and northeastern Venezuela, the Isla de Margarita, the Peninsula de Paria and Trinidad.
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| An Amevia atrigularis from the Arima Valley, Trinidad. JCM |
Garman’s Ameiva atrigularis can be distinguished from other species by a combination of traits including: smooth dorsal head scales; a single frontal; and a frontoparietal and parietal that contact the interparietals. Males reach a maximum body length of 186 mm and total length of 526 mm; females are slightly smaller with a body length of 146 mm and a total length of 420 mm. Ugento and Harvey did not examine Tobago specimens, but note that color photographs suggest the Tobago population is also A. atrigularis.
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| An Ameiva from central Tobago. JCM |
Citation:
Ugento, GN & Harvey, MB. 2011. Revision of Ameiva ameiva Linnaeus (Squamata: Teiidae) in Venezuela: recognition of four species and status of introduced populations in southern Florida, USA. Herpetological Monographs 25:113-170.
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