Bachia heteropa


Bachia heteropa, commonly known as the LaGuaira bachia, is a species of "microteiid" lizard in the family Gymnophthalmidae. The species is endemic to the Caribbean and South America.

Geographic range

The distribution of B. heteropa includes Grenada, the Grenadines, Trinidad and Tobago, and Venezuela, and Colombia.

Description

B. heteropa can reach a length of snout-to-vent, and its tail may be more than 1.5 times that long. Its limbs are very small relative to its body length. It has four digits on each forelimb, and two digits on each hindlimb. Its body is covered by rows of large, overlapping, hexagonal scales.

Habitat

B. heteropa lives in forests, where it dwells in leaf-litter.

Diet

B. heteropa feeds on arthropods and their larvae.

Subspecies

Five subspecies of Bachia heteropa are recognized as being valid, including the nominotypical subspecies.
Nota bene: A trinomial authority in parentheses indicates that the subspecies was originally described in a genus other than Bachia.

Etymology

The subspecific name, alleni, is in honor of American zoologist Glover Morrill Allen.