Holcosus festivus
—
Central American Ameiva
Also known as:
Central American Whiptail, Tiger Ameiva
This species was recently moved into the genus Holcosus; it was formerly known as Ameiva festiva.
Trail from Esquinas Rainforest Lodge, Golfito region, Puntarenas province, Costa Rica—September 26, 2001
These brightly colored ameivas were abundant in the leaf litter, but hard to approach for photography or capturing. The one pictured here is a juvenile, and is the only we managed to catch.
Here is a complete list of the species we found on this GreenTracks trip.
Here is a complete list of the species we found on this GreenTracks trip.
Here's a reasonably large adult basking in a sunny spot. The adults aren't quite as beautiful as the youngsters, but are still fine-looking lizards.
Online references:
- Holcosus festivus account on iNaturalist
Printed references:
- Beletsky, L. 1998. Costa Rica: The Ecotraveller's Wildlife Guide
- Campbell, J. A. 1998. Amphibians and Reptiles of Northern Guatemala, the Yucatán, and Belize
- Hayes, M. P., Pounds, J. A., Timmerman, W. W. 1989. An Annotated List and Guide to the Amphibians and Reptiles of Monteverde, Costa Rica
- Lee, J. C. 1996. The Amphibians and Reptiles of the Yucatán Peninsula
- Lee, J. C. 2000. A Field Guide to the Amphibians and Reptiles of the Maya World
- Leenders, T. 2001. A Guide to Amphibians and Reptiles of Costa Rica
- Savage, J. M. 2002. The Amphibians and Reptiles of Costa Rica
- Savage, J. M., Villa R., J. 1986. Introduction to the Herpetofauna of Costa Rica