| Sombrero Ameiva | |
|---|---|
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Reptilia |
| Order: | Squamata |
| Family: | Teiidae |
| Genus: | Ameiva |
| Species: | A. corvina Cope, 1861 |
| Binomial name | |
| Ameiva corvina |
|
The Sombrero Ameiva (Ameiva corvina) is a lizard species in the genus Ameiva. It is endemic to Sombrero, a small, uninhabited island in the Lesser Antilles under the jurisdiction of Anguilla. The population appears to be thriving, possibly due to its isolation from human activity.[1]
Adults are melanistic, appearing plain brown to slate black, with a dark green to black ventral surface mottled with light blue.[2] Its tail is sometimes speckled green. Males have brown flecks on the dorsal surface and browner heads. Males grow to 133 mm snout-to-vent length, with females being considerably smaller.
Its diet includes the eggs of ground-nesting birds.
It is superficially similar in coloration and scalation to Ameiva atrata and Ameiva corax, two other melanistic species also found on small, barren islands in the Caribbean. As both islands have similar habitats, this is likely the result of independent adaptation.[3]