Central American whiptail facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Central American whiptail |
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| Conservation status | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Genus: |
Holcosus
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| Species: |
festivus
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| Synonyms | |
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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.
Geographic range
H. festivus is found from southern Mexico to Colombia.
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.
Habitat
H. festivus lives in open habitats.
Subspecies
Three subspecies are recognized, including the nominotypical subspecies.
- 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.
