| Ameiva polops | |
|---|---|
| St. Croix ground lizard on Buck Island | |
| Conservation status | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Reptilia |
| Order: | Squamata |
| Suborder: | Sauria |
| Family: | Teiidae |
| Genus: | Ameiva |
| Species: | A. polops |
| Binomial name | |
| Ameiva polops |
|
The Saint Croix ground lizard (Ameiva polops) is a member of the Teiidae family of lizards.
Contents |
Growing to a size of between 35 and 77mm (excluding the tail), it is noticeable for the pattern of light brown, dark brown and white longitudinal stripes down its back. Below these are a series of narrow brown, black and white vertical stripes, which extend from the sides down to the stomach. The stomach is light grey with bright blue markings, and the rest of the underside is a deep pinkish-red hue. The tail changes from a brown colour near the body to a deeper blue colour near the tip, and has alternating rings of blue and black. It eats virtually any prey items it can find, including amphipods, moths, ants and small hermit crabs.
The lizard is mainly found in beach areas and upland forest. Once indigenous to the island of St. Croix, the lizard is now only native to four islands: Protestant Cay, Green Cay, Ruth Cay (a man-made island, constructed by dredging in the 1960s), and Buck Island, likely due to habitat loss and the introduction of the Indian Mongoose to the island. The Buck Island population had been extinct, but 57 individuals were reintroduced in 2008.[1]
In 1990, ten lizards from the Protestant Cay population were placed on the island to try to save the species. The United States Fish and Wildlife Service listed the St. Croix ground lizard as endangered in 1977 (according to the Endangered Species Act of 1973), and is currently listed as Critically Endangered on the IUCN Red List of Threatened species.