Ameiva atrigularis GARMAN, 1887
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Ameiva atrigularis
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| Higher Taxa | Teiidae, Teiinae, Gymnophthalmoidea, Sauria, Squamata (lizards) |
| Subspecies | |
| Common Names | E: Venezuelan Ameiva, Giant Ameiva, Amazon Racerunner S: Mato, azulejo |
| Synonym | Ameiva surinamensis var. atrigularis GARMAN 1887 Ameiva atrigularis — BARBOUR & NOBLE 1915: 460 Ameiva ameiva melanocephala BARBOUR & NOBLE 1915: 465 Ameiva atrigularis — BURT & BURT 1931: 307 Ameiva ameiva ameiva — MARCUZZI 1950: 101 (part.) Ameiva ameiva — ROZE 1964: 237 Ameiva ameiva melahocephala — DONOSO-BARROS (1968: 115; part; in error) Ameiva ameiva melanocephala — PETERS & DONOSO-BARROS 1970: 19 Ameiva ameiva atrigularis — TUCK & HARDY 1973: 241 Ameiva ameiva — MURPHY 1997: 152 Ameiva ameiva — GORZULA & SENARIS 1999: 148 (part.) Ameiva ameiva — RIVAS et al. (2005: 351) Ameiva ameiva — UGUETO & RIVAS 2010: 187 Ameiva atrigularis — UGUETO & HARVEY 2011 |
| Distribution | Venezuela (Distrito Capital, Vargas, Miranda, Sucre, Peninsula de Paria, Isla de Margarita), Trinidad Type locality: Trinidad Type locality: Cumanacoa, Venezuela [melanocephala] |
| Reproduction | oviparous (not imputed, fide Zimin et al. 2022) |
| Types | Lectotype: MCZ 186018, male; designated by UGUETO & HARVEY 2011; paralectotypes: ANSP 19596, USNM 120777, NMW Holotype: MCZ 9993, male [melanocephala] |
| Diagnosis | Diagnosis: A medium-sized Ameiva distinguished from all congeners by the following combination of characters: (1) maximum SVL in males 186 mm; (2) dorsal head scales smooth; (3) frontal single; (4) frontoparietal and parietal plates in contact with interparietals; (5) 17–47 (both sides) scales, usually in single row, between supraoculars and supraciliaries; (6) 10–18 occipitals, usually larger than first dorsal row; (7) 20–40 anterior gulars; (8) middle anterior gulars polygonal or rounded and usually small or moderately enlarged; (9) posterior gulars usually small, less often with medial patch of moderately enlarged posterior gulars; (10) 13–23 posterior gulars between antegular and gular fold; (11) enlarged mesop- tychial scales subequal or larger than largest gulars; (12) postbrachials moderately to dis- tinctly enlarged; (13) 263–361 scales between occiput and rump; (14) 134–179 dorsal scales across midbody; (15) ventrals in 29–34 trans- verse and 10 longitudinal rows; (16) adult male coloration in life uniformly brown in northeast- ern Venezuela, Isla de Margarita, and Trinidad or bicolored (anteriorly brown and posteriorly green) in north-central Venezuela, usually with minute black dorsal reticulations and pale blue or whitish lateral ocelli; (17) throat in adults black or dark gray; (18) no vertebral light stripe and only rarely ocelli present on dorsum; (19) juveniles often with faded dorsal paired black spots, indistinct pale dorsolateral line bordering upper margin of broad black lateral stripe distinct in front of arm; (20) associated with forests or forest clearings [UGUETO & HARVEY 2011]. Additional details (46 characters) are available for collaborators and contributors. Please contact us for details. |
| Comment | Synonymy after UGUETO & HARVEY 2011. Amiva [sic] surinamensis tobaganus COPE 1879: 276 used to be treated as a synonym of A. atrigularis but has been considered as a valid species by more recent authors. Distribution: Esqueda et al. (2001) reported a specimen of A. a. melanocephala (= A. atrigularis) from Sierra de Perijá, Zulia. However, this record was based on a misidentified specimen of A. praesignis. Esqueda et al. (2001) reported another A. a. melanocephala from Puerto Cabello, Carabobo State, which needs to be confirmed. Diet: a large percentage of the diet of this species (10-30%) consists of ants (Lucas et al. 2023). |
| Etymology | Named after Latin ater, black, dark; dark-colored and Latin gularis, related to throat, neck, gullet. [“...The throat and chin are black on all except the young...”]. (from Esteban Lavilla, pers. comm., May 2024) |
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