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14 IGUANA  •  VOLUME 11, NUMBER 1  •  MARCH 2004 GIFFORD AND POWELL

The Lower Barahona Peninsula is that portion of the
peninsula south of the Sierra de Baoruco. Because the

region lies in the rainshadow of the mountain range, the
lower elevations get little rain and are characterized by dry
tropical forest. Until recently, four species of Ameiva were
thought to occur in the region: Ameiva chrysolaema, A.
leberi, A. lineolata, and A. taeniura.

Of the four, A. lineolata is the smallest (maximum
known snout-vent length = 59 mm) and the most
xerophilic (tolerant of harsh, dry conditions). This species,
featuring a bright blue tail and feet, has a disjunct range in
similar habitats across the island of Hispaniola. Ameiva tae-
niura is intermediate in size (SVL to 103 mm), the least
drought tolerant, and is restricted largely to the relatively
few and scattered moist microhabitats. Although, at some
sites, one can stand in one place and see individuals of dif-
ferent species, closer observation reveals that A. taeniura
only rarely leaves the cooler, shaded areas where canopy
cover is relatively dense.

In the same study that revealed the habitat association
of A. taeniura, the authors found no significant differences
in microhabitat use by A. chrysolaema and A. leberi, which
are comparable in size (SVL to 160 mm in some popula-
tions). The former species is widely distributed across
Hispaniola, whereas the latter is known only from the
peninsula. They are distinguished in that the back and sides
of A. chrysolaema ficta, the subspecies found in the area, is
distinctly patterned, whereas A. leberi is unicolored.
Because other populations of A. chrysolaema are known to
have unicolored pattern variants and because no ecological
differences were evident, the authors suggested that A.
chrysolaema and A. leberi were, in fact, pattern variations of
a single species. More recent genetic studies have verified
that contention.

One of those studies also determined that A. chryso-
laema from the peninsula was distinctive relative to popu-
lations elsewhere on Hispaniola. This is not surprising,
because the island actually is a composite of two paleois-

S P E C I E S  P R O F I L E

The Ground Lizards (Ameiva)
of the Lower Barahona Peninsula

Matthew E. Gifford1 and Robert Powell2

1Washington University, St. Louis, Missouri
2Avila University, Kansas City, Missouri

Photographs by Robert Powell.

(4) Two persons should be employed to monitor the area
where C. ricordii is present. These persons should be from
the local community and should have an excellent knowl-
edge of the terrain and the target species. They should con-
trol the persecution of iguanas and stop illegal habitat
destruction by surveying the area, advising people regard-
ing harmful practices, and reporting to the appropriate
authorities, as necessary.

(5) The socioeconomic aspect of iguana hunting and con-
sumption in Pedernales should be investigated.

(6) Educational programs must be developed that not only
address the general public, but will serve to open a dialogue
with the target group of persons in Pedernales involved in
iguana persecution.

Reference
Ottenwalder, J.A. 1999. Ricord’s Iguana, Cyclura ricordii, pp. 51–55. In: A.

Alberts (comp. & ed), West Indian Iguanas: Status Survey and
Conservation Action Plan. IUCN/SSC West Indian Iguana Specialist
Group. IUCN, Gland, Switzerland and Cambridge, UK.

Acknowledgments
We thank John Binns and Robert Powell for improvements on
an early draft. We express gratitude to Máximo Aquino,
Subsecretario de Recursos Forestales, Secretaría de Medio,
Ambiente y Recursos Naturales, for logistical support and the
Dominican Armed Forces for the helicopter flight. Special thanks
go to Salvador P. Mella from Pedernales, who accompanied us in
the field and whose knowledge of iguanas was invaluable.



IGUANA  •  VOLUME 11, NUMBER 1  •  MARCH 2004 15SPECIES PROFILE

lands that have become joined only recently, at least by geo-
logical standards. The Barahona Peninsula is part of the
South Island, whereas most of Hispaniola is derived from
the North Island. This, however, raises the additional ques-
tions of where A. chrysolaema originated and how the ances-
tors of today’s lizards colonized the other paleoisland.

Only tentative answers are possible because genetic
data from Haitian populations are missing and currently
unavailable (due to the difficulties and dangers of conduct-
ing fieldwork in Haiti) and data from the Dominican
Republic are inconclusive. Presumably, A. chrysolaema stock
originally became established in the north. Descendants
expanded their range into the lowlands to the south and
east, and some of those migrating to the south apparently
reached the South Island during one of the periods when
sea levels were low and the intervening channel was
exposed. Subsequently isolated by rising sea levels, the
South Island population became distinct from its relatives
to the north.

So, should A. chrysolaema ficta be considered a species
separate from its North Island counterparts? Probably; but
a definitive answer must await the analysis of Haitian mate-
rial. In the interim, however, A. chrysolaema, as currently
defined, probably is best and most accurately referred to as

a “species complex,” a group of closely related species in
which the species boundaries often are poorly defined.

Since both A. lineolata and A. taeniura are found on
both paleoislands, one has to wonder if further research will
show a pattern similar to that which seems to best explain
the situation in the A. chrysolaema complex.

References
Gifford, M.E., R. Powell, and R.L. Gutberlet, Jr. In review. Geographic

variation in mitochondrial DNA haplotypes in a widespread teiid
lizard (Ameiva chrysolaema) on Hispaniola.  Molecular Phylogenetics
and Evolution.

Hower, L.M. and S.B. Hedges. 2003. Molecular phylogeny and bio-
geography of West Indian teiid lizards of the genus Ameiva. Caribbean
Journal of Science 39:298–306.

Schell, P.T., J.S. Parmerlee, Jr., and R. Powell. 1993. Ameiva chryso-
laema. Catalogue of American Amphibians and Reptiles (563):1–6.

Schwartz, A. and R.W. Henderson. 1991. Amphibians and Reptiles of the
West Indies: Descriptions, Distributions, and Natural History. University
of Florida Press, Gainesville.

Schwartz, A. and R.F. Klinikowski. 1966. The Ameiva (Lacertilia:
Teiidae) of Hispaniola. II. Geographic variation in Ameiva chrysolaema
Cope. Bulletin of the Museum of Comparative Zoology 133:425–487.

Sproston, A.L., R.E. Glor, L.M. Hartley, E.J. Censky, R. Powell, and
J.S. Parmerlee, Jr. 1999. Niche differences among three sympatric
species of Ameiva (Reptilia: Teiidae) on Hispaniola. Journal of
Herpetology 33:131–136.

Ameiva taeniura is least drought tolerant and is restricted to rela-
tively moist microhabitats on the peninsula.

Ameiva lineolata, with its distinct stripes and electric blue tail and
feet, is the most drought-tolerant species.

The unicolored phase of Ameiva chrysolaema was until recently
thought to be a distinct species, A. leberi.

Peninsular Ameiva chrysolaema come in two pattern phases; this
phase is characterized by distinct spots and bars.


