Holcosus festivus

Holcosus festivus
Conservation status
Least Concern  (IUCN 3.1) [1]
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Reptilia
Order:	Squamata
Suborder:	Lacertoidea
Family:	Teiidae
Genus:	Holcosus
Species:	H. festivus
Binomial name
Holcosus festivus (Lichtenstein, 1856)
Synonyms [2]
Cnemidophorus festivusLichtenstein, 1856 Ameiva festivus — Bocourt, 1874 Ameiva festiva — Boulenger, 1885 Holcosus festivus — Harvey et al., 2012

Holcosus festivus, commonly known as the Central American whiptail, the Middle American ameiva, and the tiger ameiva, is a species of lizard in the family Teiidae. The species is native to Central America and northern South America. ^[2]

Geographic range

H. festivus is found from southern Mexico to Colombia. ^[2]

Description

H. festivus is brown-colored, with darker browns making a zig-zag pattern down the back. A similar species is Holcosus quadrilineatus . Juveniles have metallic-blue tails. ^[3]

Habitat

H. festivus lives in open habitats. ^[3]

Subspecies

Three subspecies are recognized, including the nominotypical subspecies. ^[2]

• H. f. festivus(Lichtenstein, 1856) – northern Colombia and Panama
• H. f. edwardsii Bocourt, 1873 – Guatemala, Honduras, southern Mexico, and Nicaragua
• H. f. occidentalis Taylor, 1956 – Costa Rica

Nota bene : A taxon author (binomial authority or trinomial authority) in parentheses indicates that the taxon (species or subspecies) was originally described in a different genus (in this case, a genus other than Holcosus).

Etymology

The subspecific name, edwardsii, is in honor of French zoologist Alphonse Milne-Edwards. ^[4]

References

1. Acosta Chaves, V.; Batista, A.; Chaves, G.; Flores-Villela, O.; Ibáñez, R.; Ines Hladki, A.; Jaramillo, C.; Köhler , G.; Lamar, W.; Ramírez Pinilla, M.; Renjifo, J.; Urbina, N. (2017) [errata version of 2015 assessment]. "Holcosus festivus". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species . 2015 e.T197429A115339736. doi: 10.2305/IUCN.UK.2015-4.RLTS.T197429A2482526.en . Retrieved 7 December 2016.
2. Holcosus festivus at the Reptarium.cz Reptile Database.
3. Ameiva festiva, Lizards of Las Cruces Biological Station, Costa Rica.
4. Beolens, Bo; Watkins, Michael; Grayson, Michael (2011). The Eponym Dictionary of Reptiles. Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press. xiii + 296 pp. ISBN   978-1-4214-0135-5. (Ameiva festiva edwardsii, p. 80).

Further reading

• Boulenger GA (1885). Catalogue of the Lizards in the British Museum (Natural History). Second Edition. Volume II ... Teiidæ ... London: Trustees of the British Museum (Natural History). (Taylor and Francis, printers). xiii + 497 pp. + Plates I-XXIV. (Ameiva festiva, p. 347).
• Lichtenstein H (1856). Nomenclator reptilium et amphibiorum musei zoologici Berolinensis: Namenverzeichniss der in der zoologischen Sammlung der Königlichen Universität zu Berlin aufgestellten Arten von Reptilien und Amphibien nach ihren Ordnungen, Familien und Gattungen. Berlin: Königlichen Akademie der Wissenschaften. iv + 48 pp. (Cnemidophorus festivus, new species, p. 13). (in Latin and German).

External links

• Ameiva festiva, Jan Ševčík.
• Central American Whiptailed Lizard, NaturePhotos-CZ.com.
• Ameiva festiva, WildHerps.com.