Gymnophthalmus underwoodi Grant, 1958 (Reptilia: Gymnophthalmidae), a new record for the island of Montserrat

By

Snyder, Sarah J.
Schmidt, Robert E.
Mcmullin, Erin R.
Parker, Bryce F.
Ferus, Hannah Lee

Type

Article

Date of Publication

2017-6-22

Original Publication

Check list : journal of species lists and distribution

Volume

13

Series / Issue

Issue: 3

Pages

2153--5

Subjects

Caribbean , Lesser Antilles , Microteiid , Smooth-scaled Worm Lizard , Underwood’s Spectacled Tegu , West Indies

Contributed by

Pensoft Publishers

Language

English

Published by

[São Paulo, Brazil] Luís Felipe Toledo 2005-

Identifiers

DOI: https://doi.org/10.15560/13.3.2153

 

Abstract

Two species of gymnophthalmids are known to inhabit islands in the West Indies, the unisexual Gymnophthalmus underwoodi Grant, 1958 and the bisexual G. pleii Bocourt, 1881, but neither has been previously recorded on Montserrat. Small microteiid lizards were observed between 2008 and 2016 at 5 locations on Montserrat. Scale counts and mitochondrial 16S rDNA sequences of specimens confirmed them to be G. underwoodi. The widespread distribution of this ninth lizard species on Montserrat suggests that it has gone undetected for some time or has rapidly colonized the island.