Pholidoscelis wetmorei is a species of lizard in the family Teiidae (whiptails)."Pholidoscelis wetmorei ". The Reptile Database. http://reptile-database.reptarium.cz/species?genus=Pholidoscelis&species=wetmorei The species is endemic to Puerto Rico. Its common names include the Puerto Rican blue-tailed ameiva, Wetmore's ameiva,Joglar R, Rodriguez C, Angeli N (2017). "Pholidoscelis wetmorei (amended version of 2017 assessment)". The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2017. Downloaded on 23 September 2018. blue-tailed ground lizard, and siguana de rabo azul.
Etymology The specific name, wetmorei, is in honor of American ornithologist Alexander Wetmore.Beolens, Bo; Watkins, Michael; Grayson, Michael (2011). The Eponym Dictionary of Reptiles. Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press. xiii + 296 pp. . (Ameiva wetmorei, p. 283).
Geographic range and habitat In Puerto Rico P. wetmorei occurs in the southwestern dry coastal forests and adjacent islets including Caja de Muertos and Isla Magueyes.
Similar species P. wetmorei can be distinguished from P. exsul (Puerto Rican ground lizard), found throughout the Puerto Rican Bank, by its much smaller size. It is more abundant and outcompetes P. exsul in the dry forest where their ranges overlap. Juvenile Puerto Rican ground lizards have a similar bright blue tail that is lost with age; the blue tail remains in both adult and juvenile blue-tailed ground lizards.
Description The blue-tailed ground lizard is a moderately sized lizard, with a maximum snout-to-vent length (SVL) of for males and SVL for females.Heatwole H, Torres F (1967). "Herpetogeography of Puerto Rico III. Distribution and Geographic Variation of the Ameivas of Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands". Studies Fauna Curaçao and other Caribbean Islands 24: 63–111. It is black overall with a creamy white to coppery red stomach. There are 7–9 tan or brown stripes extending from the head to the tail. The tail is one of the most distinctive traits of P. wetmorei. It is a bright turquoise blue or green, the color fully encircling the tail.
Biology The blue-tailed ground lizard is xerophilic and diurnal. It is commonly found under rocks and logs, being most active during the heat of the day. The female can carry up to three eggs, and lay at least two clutches of one egg each per year.Henderson RW, Powell R (2009). Natural History of West Indian Reptiles and Amphibians. Gainesville: University Press of Florida. Ground lizards forage for insects and small fruits.
Threats The principal threats to the blue-tailed ground lizard are predation and habitat loss. The species only occurs across the dry forests of southwestern Puerto Rico; accordingly, this habitat specialist requires very hot and dry climates to metabolize food and remain active throughout the day. Introduced mammals including small cats and mongooses affect this animal's populations.
References
Further reading Goicoechea N, Frost DR, De la Riva I, Pellegrino KCM, Sites J Jr, Rodrigues MT, Padial JM (2016). "Molecular systematics of teioid lizards (Teioidea/Gymnophtalmoidea: Squamata) based on the analysis of 48 loci under tree-alignment and similarity-alignment". Cladistics 32 (6): 624–671. (Pholidoscelis wetmorei, new combination). Schwartz A, Thomas R (1975). A Check-list of West Indian Amphibians and Reptiles. Carnegie Museum of Natural History Special Publication No. 1. Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania: Carnegie Museum of Natural History. 216 pp. (Ameiva wetmorei, p. 64). Stejneger L (1913). "A New Lizard from Porto Rico". Proceedings of the Biological Society of Washington 26: 69–71. (Ameiva wetmorei, new species).