Griswold's ameiva (''Pholidoscelis griswoldi)'' is a

species A species () is often defined as the largest group of organisms in which any two individuals of the appropriate sexes or mating types can produce fertile offspring, typically by sexual reproduction. It is the basic unit of Taxonomy (biology), ...

lizard Lizard is the common name used for all Squamata, squamate reptiles other than snakes (and to a lesser extent amphisbaenians), encompassing over 7,000 species, ranging across all continents except Antarctica, as well as most Island#Oceanic isla ...

in the

family Family (from ) is a Social group, group of people related either by consanguinity (by recognized birth) or Affinity (law), affinity (by marriage or other relationship). It forms the basis for social order. Ideally, families offer predictabili ...

Teiidae Teiidae is a family of lacertoidean lizards native to the Americas. Members of this family are generally known as whiptails or racerunners; however, tegus also belong to this family. Teiidae is sister to the Gymnophthalmidae, Gymnopthalmidae, and ...

. The species is

endemic Endemism is the state of a species being found only in a single defined geographic location, such as an island, state, nation, country or other defined zone; organisms that are indigenous to a place are not endemic to it if they are also foun ...

Antigua and Barbuda Antigua and Barbuda is a Sovereign state, sovereign archipelagic country composed of Antigua, Barbuda, and List of islands of Antigua and Barbuda, numerous other small islands. Antigua and Barbuda has a total area of 440 km2 (170 sq mi), ...

, where it is found on both islands. It is also known commonly as the Antiguan ameiva and the Antiguan ground lizard.

Etymology

The specific name, ''griswoldi'', is in honor of Dr. Donald W. Griswold who was Director of the Rockefeller West Indian Hookworm Commission. Beolens, Bo; Watkins, Michael; Grayson, Michael (2011). ''The Eponym Dictionary of Reptiles''. Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press. xiii + 296 pp. . (''Ameiva griswoldi'', p. 109).

Geographic range

''P. griswoldi'' is common on Barbuda, and more common on the offshore islands of

Antigua Antigua ( ; ), also known as Waladli or Wadadli by the local population, is an island in the Lesser Antilles. It is one of the Leeward Islands in the Caribbean region and the most populous island of the country of Antigua and Barbuda. Antigua ...

than on that main island.

Habitat

The preferred natural

habitat In ecology, habitat refers to the array of resources, biotic factors that are present in an area, such as to support the survival and reproduction of a particular species. A species' habitat can be seen as the physical manifestation of its ...

of ''P. griswoldi'' is

forest A forest is an ecosystem characterized by a dense ecological community, community of trees. Hundreds of definitions of forest are used throughout the world, incorporating factors such as tree density, tree height, land use, legal standing, ...

, but it is also found in cities.

Description

Populations of ''P. griswoldi'' on Barbuda are dark brown with irregular, cream-colored splotches. The flanks are pale blue-green and tan, with black spots and markings. The ventral surface is gray with black on its chest.

Diet

''P. griswoldi'' preys upon invertebrates, small lizards, and bird eggs, and it will also eat food scraps left by humans.

Reproduction

''P. griswoldi'' is

oviparous Oviparous animals are animals that reproduce by depositing fertilized zygotes outside the body (i.e., by laying or spawning) in metabolically independent incubation organs known as eggs, which nurture the embryo into moving offsprings kno ...

References

* Barbour T (1916). "Additional Notes on West Indian Reptiles and Amphibians". ''Proceedings of the Biological Society of Washington'' 29: 215-220. (''Ameiva griswoldi'', new species, pp. 216–217). * Goicoechea, Noemí; Frost, Darrel R.; De la Riva, Ignacio; Pellegrino, Katia C. M.; Sites, Jack Jr; Rodrigues, Miguel T.; Padial, José M. (2016). "Molecular systematics of teioid lizards (Teioidea/Gymnophthalmoidea: Squamata) based on the analysis of 48 loci under tree-alignment and similarity-alignment". ''Cladistics'' 32 (6): 624-671. (''Pholidoscelis griswoldi'', new combination). * * Schwartz A,

Thomas R Thomas may refer to: People * List of people with given name Thomas * Thomas (name) * Thomas (surname) * Saint Thomas (disambiguation) * Thomas Aquinas (1225–1274) Italian Dominican friar, philosopher, and Doctor of the Church * Thomas t ...

(1975). ''A Check-list of West Indian Amphibians and Reptiles''.

Carnegie Museum of Natural History The Carnegie Museum of Natural History (abbreviated as CMNH) is a natural history museum in the Oakland (Pittsburgh), Oakland neighborhood of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. It was founded by List of people from the Pittsburgh metropolitan area, Pit ...

Special Publication No. 1. Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania: Carnegie Museum of Natural History. 216 pp. (''Ameiva griswoldi'', p. 59). Pholidoscelis Endemic fauna of Antigua and Barbuda Lizards of the Caribbean Reptiles of Antigua and Barbuda Near threatened fauna of North America Reptiles described in 1916 Taxa named by Thomas Barbour {{Teiidae-stub