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
![Central American Ameiva (Holcosus festivus)](../images/herps/standard/017142_ameiva.jpg)
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.
![Central American Ameiva (Holcosus festivus)](../images/herps/standard/10081046PD.jpg)
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