Ameiva dorsalis, Gray, 1838

Harvey, Michael B., Ugueto, Gabriel N. & Gutberlet, Ronald L., 2012, 3459, Zootaxa 3459, pp. 1-156 : 89-92

Ameiva dorsalis Group

Definition.— The following combination of characters distinguishes the Ameiva dorsalis Group ( Table 6) from other groups of Ameiva : frontal entire, its posterior suture usually contacting third supraocular (except in A. dorsalis ) or aligned with suture between second and third supraoculars; frontal ridge absent; interparietal entire with very rare exceptions; parietal series (including interparietal) composed of five (only three in A. wetmorei ) relatively long plates; narial suture behind nostril and touching it (except in the type of A. wetmorei ); first supralabial usually toothy (except in A. lineolata series); first subocular usually contacting supralabials (except A. chrysolaema and A. taeniura ); intertympanic crease present or absent; pectoral sulcus absent (except A. chrysolaema ); ventral scales in 8–10 longitudinal rows (some A. auberi specimens with 12 longitudinal rows); plate-like antebrachials continuous with or narrowly separated from brachial scales (except A. chrysolaema and A. dorsalis ); combined femoral and abdominal pores 20–48; fifth toe well-developed; supradigital and subdigital lamellae contacting one another, at least on toes 4 and/or 5; generation glands present; tip of snout of adult males red or reddish in most species (except in A. dorsalis , A. lineolata and A. wetmorei ; condition unknown in A. maynardi ); ontogenetic changes in coloration absent or very limited; adults with dorsolateral and vertebral stripes, or only vertebral stripe present and broadening conspicuously on posterior dorsum; flanks without pale ocelli (adult A. exsul and some races of A. chrysolaema have pale spots but without black margins); hemipenis with more distal (11–24) than proximal (0–15) laminae (as many distal as proximal laminae in some specimens of A. chrysolaema ); discontinuous laminae absent (except A. chrysolaema ); asulcate expansion pleat well-developed.

Content.— Ameiva alboguttata Boulenger , A. auberi Cocteau , A. chrysolaema Cope , A. dorsalis Gray , A. exsul Cope , A. lineolata Duméril and Bibron , A. maynardi Garman , A. polops Cope , A. taeniura Cope , A. wetmorei Stejneger.

Distribution.—Greater Antilles from the Bahamas and Cuba to St. Croix in the U. S. Virgin islands.

Remarks.— As currently understood, Ameiva auberi is a polytypic taxon composed of as many as 40 subspecies distributed throughout Cuba and the Bahamas ( Schwartz & Henderson 1991). There is considerable morphological and color variation among these populations, even among our very limited sample. Development of the distinctive tibiotarsal spurs also varies among populations. Among the specimens we examined, tibiotarsal spurs were well developed on specimens of A. auberi from Cuba but present in only one specimen from the Bahamas. Regarding coloration, Schwartz and Henderson (1991) describe the throat as “varying from cream or yellow to solid black, often extending posteriorly onto abdomen for various distances.” There can be little doubt that some of the currently recognized subspecies of A. auberi are distinct evolutionary lineages and their conspecificity should be rigorously tested.

Similarly, Ameiva chrysolaema is a polytypic taxon composed of 16 subspecies distributed throughout Hispaniola and adjacent keys ( Gifford et al. 2004; Schwartz & Henderson 1991). We examined photographs of lizards from different localities within Haiti and the Dominican Republic that show conspicuous variation among localities. Schwartz and Henderson (1991) note similar variation when describing the ventral coloration of A. chrysolaema : “venter whitish, pink, bluish to grayish, very pale orange, rust or even black; throat and/or chest often with a black band; throat white, yellow, orange, dull pinkish gray, grayish orange, dull purplish, often with a black area.” As with A. auberi , A. chrysolaema almost certainly contains more than one species.

Ameiva lineolata Series

Definition.— The following characters distinguish the Ameiva lineolata Series from other Ameiva : first supralabial usually curved; prefrontal usually separated from first supraciliary (vs. in contact); only 2–4 circumorbital scales restricted to posterior border of last supraocular (vs. reaching or extending beyond third); first supratemporal usually contacting parietal (vs. usually separate); intertympanic crease absent; supra and subdigital lamellae on toes in broad contact with postaxial granules restricted to 0–1 scales at phalangeal articulations; scales on dorsal surface of arm enlarged and triangular ( A. lineolata ) or small and triangular ( A. maynardi , A. wetmorei ) (vs. granular).

Content.— A. lineolata , A. maynardi , A. wetmorei .

Remarks.— We include this distinctive series of species in the Ameiva dorsalis Group.

We did not borrow specimens of Ameiva wetmorei , and our coding of this species is based solely on photographs of the holotype posted on the UMMZ website. We assign A. wetmorei to the A. lineolata Series, because it shares several unequivocal synapomorphies with other members. Hower and Hedges (2003) found that A. lineolata and A. maynardi were sister species. However, surprisingly they concluded that A. wetmorei is the sister species of A. exsul . Both species occur together on islands of the Puerto Rican Bank, but they could not be more different from one another morphologically. We note that this conclusion is based on a single tissue sample and can only be verified by collecting additional samples. Additional work is required to resolve the apparently contradictory morphological and molecular evidence.