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Lizards of Zihuatanejo

SUBORDER​ SAURIA

-Animals (Kingdom Animalia)

-Chordates (Phylum Chordata)

-Vertebrates (Subphylum Vertebrata)

-Reptiles (Class Reptilia)

-​Snakes and Lizards (Order Squamata)

-Lizards (Suborder​ Sauria)

-Whiptails and Tegus (Family Teiidae)

-Whiptails and Ameivas (Subfamily Teiinae)

-Central American Ameivas (Genus Holcosus)

-Rainbow Ameiva (Holcosus undulatus)


The Rainbow Ameiva is a colorful lizard native to Mexico and parts of Central America. It has a wide range of bright and vibrant colors, including shades of red, yellow, green, blue, and orange. Its diet consists of mainly insects and small invertebrates. It is found in various types of habitats, including deserts, open woodlands, and scrublands.

Rainbow Ameiva

Holcosus undulatus

Diet

  • Primarily insectivorous, feeding on ants, termites, beetles, grasshoppers, crickets, caterpillars, flies, spiders, and other small arthropods.

  • Occasionally consumes small lizards, eggs, and fallen fruits.

  • An active daytime hunter that constantly searches leaf litter, fallen logs, and open ground for prey.

Range

  • Found from southern Mexico through Central America to northwestern Costa Rica.

  • In Mexico, it occurs along both the Pacific and Gulf slopes, including Guerrero and the Zihuatanejo region.

  • Typically found from sea level to about 1,500 m (4,900 ft).

Habitat

  • Inhabits tropical dry forests, semi-deciduous forests, thorn scrub, woodland edges, secondary forests, coastal scrub, and agricultural clearings.

  • Prefers warm, sunny areas with abundant leaf litter, fallen logs, rocks, and low vegetation.

  • Most active during the hottest part of the day and quickly retreats into leaf litter or burrows when disturbed.

Size

  • Total length: 20–35 cm (7.9–13.8 in)

  • Snout-to-vent length (SVL): 7–11 cm (2.8–4.3 in)

  • Weight: 15–45 g

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