Griswold's ameiva explained

Griswold's ameiva (Pholidoscelis griswoldi) is a species of lizard in the family Teiidae. The species is endemic to Antigua and Barbuda, where it is found on both islands. It is also known commonly as the Antiguan ameiva and the Antiguan ground lizard.^[1]

Etymology

The specific name, griswoldi, is in honor of Dr. Donald W. Griswold who was Director of the Rockefeller West Indian Hookworm Commission.^[2]

Geographic range

P. griswoldi is common on Barbuda, and more common on the offshore islands of Antigua than on that main island.

Habitat

The preferred natural habitat of P. griswoldi is forest, 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.

See also

• Antigua and Barbuda
• Antiguan racer

Further reading

• 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).

• Book: Malhotra. Anita. species:Anita Malhotra. Thorpe. Roger S.. species:Roger S. Thorpe. Reptiles & Amphibians of the Eastern Caribbean. London and Oxford. Macmillan Education Ltd. 1999. 0-333-69141-5. 68–70.
• 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 griswoldi, p. 59).

Notes and References

1. Web site: The Bigger Picture. Antiguan Racer Conservation Project. 2001. 2007-12-21. https://web.archive.org/web/20080708201002/http://www.antiguanracer.org/html/project/bigger.htm. 2008-07-08. dead.
2. [species:Bo Beolens|Beolens, Bo]