Pholidoscelis wetmorei

Pholidoscelis wetmorei
Conservation status
Vulnerable  (IUCN 3.1)
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Reptilia
Order:	Squamata
Suborder:	Lacertoidea
Family:	Teiidae
Genus:	Pholidoscelis
Species:	P. wetmorei
Binomial name
Pholidoscelis wetmorei (Stejneger, 1913)
IUCN Red List range map of Pholidoscelis wetmorei, Version 2021-2
Synonyms [1]
Ameiva wetmorei — Stejneger, 1913 Ameiva wetmorei eleanorae — Grant & C. Roosevelt, 1932 Ameiva eleanorae — Grant, 1932 Ameiva wetmorei — Schwartz & Henderson, 1991 Pholidoscelis wetmorei — Goicoechea et al., 2016

Pholidoscelis wetmorei is a species of lizard in the family Teiidae (whiptails). ^[1] The species is endemic to Puerto Rico. Its common names include the Puerto Rican blue-tailed ameiva, Wetmore's ameiva, ^[2] blue-tailed ground lizard, ^[3] and siguana de rabo azul.

Etymology

The specific name, wetmorei, is in honor of American ornithologist Alexander Wetmore. ^[4]

Geographic range and habitat

In Puerto Rico P. wetmorei occurs in the southwestern dry coastal forests and adjacent islets including Caja de Muertos and Isla Magueyes. ^[5]

Similar species

P. wetmorei can be distinguished from P. exsul (Puerto Rican ground lizard) found throughout the Puerto Rican Bank by its much smaller size. It is more abundant and outcompetes P. exsul in the dry forest where their ranges overlap. Juvenile Puerto Rican ground lizards have a similar bright blue tail that is lost with age; the blue tail remains in both adult and juvenile blue-tailed ground lizards.^{[ citation needed ]}

Description

The blue-tailed ground lizard is a moderately sized lizard, with a maximum snout-to-vent length (SVL) of 52.4 mm (2.06 in) for males and 49.9 mm (1.96 in) SVL for females. ^[6] It is black overall with a creamy white to coppery red stomach. There are 7–9 tan or brown stripes extending from the head to the tail. The tail is one of the most distinctive traits of P. wetmorei. It is a bright turquoise blue or green, the color fully encircling the tail.^{[ citation needed ]}

Biology

The blue-tailed ground lizard is xerophilic and diurnal. It is commonly found under rocks and logs, being most active during the heat of the day. The female can carry up to three eggs, and lay at least two clutches of one egg each per year. ^[7] Ground lizards forage for insects and small fruits.^{[ citation needed ]}

Threats

The principal threats to the blue-tailed ground lizard are predation and habitat loss. The species only occurs across the dry forests of southwestern Puerto Rico; accordingly, this habitat specialist requires very hot and dry climates to metabolize food and remain active throughout the day. Introduced mammals including small cats and mongooses affect this animal's populations.^{[ citation needed ]}

References

1. "Pholidoscelis wetmorei ". The Reptile Database. http://reptile-database.reptarium.cz/species?genus=Pholidoscelis&species=wetmorei
2. Joglar R, Rodriguez C, Angeli N (2017). "Pholidoscelis wetmorei (amended version of 2017 assessment)". The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2017. Downloaded on 23 September 2018.
3. "Species Profile for Blue-Tailed Ground lizard (Ameiva wetmorei)". ecos.fws.gov. U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. Retrieved 2018-10-23.
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 wetmorei, p. 283).
5. "Caribbean LCC » Interactive Map". caribbeanlcc.org. Archived from the original on 2014-08-11.
6. Heatwole H, Torres F (1967). "Herpetogeography of Puerto Rico III. Distribution and Geographic Variation of the Ameivas of Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands". Studies Fauna Curaçao and other Caribbean Islands24: 63–111.
7. Henderson RW, Powell R (2009). Natural History of West Indian Reptiles and Amphibians. Gainesville: University Press of Florida.

Further reading

• Goicoechea N, Frost DR, De la Riva I, Pellegrino KCM, Sites J Jr, Rodrigues MT, Padial JM (2016). "Molecular systematics of teioid lizards (Teioidea/Gymnophtalmoidea: Squamata) based on the analysis of 48 loci under tree-alignment and similarity-alignment". Cladistics32 (6): 624–671. (Pholidoscelis wetmorei, new combination).
• Schwartz A, Thomas R (1975). A Check-list of West Indian Amphibians and Reptiles. Carnegie Museum of Natural History Special Publication No. 1. Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania: Carnegie Museum of Natural History. 216 pp. (Ameiva wetmorei, p. 64).
• Stejneger L (1913). "A New Lizard from Porto Rico". Proceedings of the Biological Society of Washington26: 69–71. (Ameiva wetmorei, new species).