Article · Wikipedia archive · Last revised Aug 1, 2026

Bocourt's ameiva

Bocourt's ameiva is a species of lizard in the family Teiidae. The species is native to northwestern South America. It is the only species in the genus Medopheos.

Last revised
Aug 1, 2026
Read time
≈ 2 min
Length
356 w
Citations
7
Source
Bocourt's ameiva
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Reptilia
Order: Squamata
Family: Teiidae
Genus: Medopheos
Harvey, Ugueto & Gutberlet, 2012
Species:
M. edracanthus
Binomial name
Medopheos edracanthus
(Bocourt, 1874)
Synonyms2
  • Ameiva edracantha
    Bocourt, 1870
  • Cnemidophorus armatulus
    Cope, 1875
  • Medopheos edracantha
    (Bocourt, 1870)
  • Verticaria hedracantha [sic]
    (Bocourt, 1870)

Bocourt's ameiva (Medopheos edracanthus) is a species of lizard in the family Teiidae. The species is native to northwestern South America. It is the only species in the genus Medopheos.

Geographic range

M. edracanthus is found in Ecuador and Peru.2

Habitat

M. edracanthus is found in a variety of habitats, including desert, grassland, shrubland, savanna, and forest, at altitudes from sea level to 2,335 m (7,661 ft).1

Behavior

M. edracanthus is terrestrial and diurnal.1

Diet

M. edracanthus preys upon arthropods.1

Reproduction

M. edracanthus is oviparous.2

References

References

Further reading

Further reading

  • Bocourt MF (1874). "Deux notes sur quelques sauriens de l'Amérique tropicale". Annales des Sciences Naturelles, Zoologie et Paléontologie, Cinquième Série 19 (4): 1–5. (Ameiva edracantha, new species, pp. 3–5). (in French).
  • Boulenger GA (1885). Catalogue of the Lizards in the British Museum (Natural History). Second Edition. Volume II. ... Teidæ .... London: Trustees of the British Museum (Natural History). (Taylor and Francis, printers). xiii + 497 pp. + Plates I–XXIV. (Ameiva edracantha, p. 349).
  • Cope ED (1875). "Report on the Reptiles brought by Professor James Orton from the middle and upper Amazon, and western Peru". Journal of the Academy of Natural Sciences of Philadelphia, Second Series 8: 159–183. (Cnemidophorus armatulus, new species, pp. 164–165).
  • Cope ED (1885). "Twelfth Contribution to the Herpetology of Tropical America". Proceedings of the American Philosophical Society 22: 167–194. (Verticaria hedracantha, new combination and altered spelling of specific name, p. 172).
  • Harvey MB, Ugueto GN, Gutberlet RL Jr (2012). "Review of Teiid Morphology with a Revised Taxonomy and Phylogeny of the Teiidae (Lepidosauria: Squamata)". Zootaxa 3459: 1–156. (Medopheos, new genus; M. edracantha, new combination).