Holcosus chaitzami, also known commonly as Chaitzam's ameiva, is a species of lizard in the family Teiidae. The species is native to extreme southern North America and Central America.

Holcosus chaitzami
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Reptilia
Order: Squamata
Family: Teiidae
Genus: Holcosus
Species:
H. chaitzami
Binomial name
Holcosus chaitzami
(Stuart, 1942)
Synonyms[2]

Etymology

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The specific name, chaitzami, is "dedicated to Chaitzam, the mountain lord who dominates the lower Cahabón Valley".[3][4]

Geographic range

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H. chaitzami is found in Guatemala and in the southernmost Mexican state of Chiapas.[2]

Habitat

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The preferred natural habitat of H. chaitzami is forest, at altitudes of 400–700 m (1,300–2,300 ft).[1]

Description

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A small species for its genus, H. chaitzami may attain a snout-to-vent length (SVL) of about 8 cm (3.1 in).[2]

Reproduction

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H. chaitzami is oviparous.[2]

References

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  1. ^ a b Campbell, J.A.; Muñoz-Alonso, A. (2013). "Holcosus chaitzami ". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2013: e.T64247A3134064. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2013-2.RLTS.T64247A3134064.en. Retrieved 18 November 2021.
  2. ^ a b c d Holcosus chaitzami at the Reptarium.cz Reptile Database. Accessed 30 June 2019.
  3. ^ Stuart LC (1942).
  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 chaitzami, p. 51).

Further reading

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  • Harvey MB, Ugueto GN, Gutberlet RL (2012). "Review of Teiid Morphology with a Revised Taxonomy and Phylogeny of the Teiidae (Lepidosauria: Squamata)". Zootaxa 3459: 1–156. (Holcosus chaitzami, new combination).
  • Johnson JD, Mata-Silva V, García-Padilla E, Wilson LD (2015). "The Herpetofauna of Chiapas, Mexico: composition, distribution, and conservation". Mesoamerican Herpetology 2 (3): 272–329.
  • Lee JC (2000). A Field Guide to the Amphibians and Reptiles of the Maya World: The Lowlands of Mexico, Northern Guatemala, and Belize. Ithaca, New York: Comstock Publishing Associates, a Division of Cornell University Press. 416 pp. ISBN 978-0801485879. (Ameiva chaitzami).
  • Stuart LC (1942). "Comments on the undulata Group of Ameiva (Sauria)". Proceedings of the Biological Society of Washington 55: 143–150. (Ameiva chaitzami, new species, pp. 143–145).