Sombrero ameiva
Sombrero ameiva | |
---|---|
Scientific 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 | |
|
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
It is superficially similar in coloration and scalation to
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
- ^ . Retrieved 12 November 2021.
- ^ Description of the species is given in Malhotra & Thorpe 1999, p. 53.
- ^ The species are compared in Malhotra & Thorpe 1999, p. 54.
- ^ Powell & Henderson 2005, pp. 66–67.
- Malhotra, Anita; Thorpe, Roger S. (1999), Reptiles & Amphibians of the Eastern Caribbean, ISBN 0-333-69141-5
- Powell, Robert; Henderson, Robert W. (2005), "Conservation Status of Lesser Antillean Reptiles", Iguana, 12 (2): 63–77