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Holcosus undulatus

species of reptile

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Record originEnglish Wikipedia
Text licenseCC BY-SA 4.0
Source revisionAug 3, 2026
Entity authorityQ1749661 ↗
Source-derived summary

Holcosus undulatus, also known commonly as the barred whiptail, the metallic ameiva, and the rainbow ameiva, is a species of lizard in the family Teiidae. The species occurs in Central America from South Mexico to Costa Rica. There are three recognized subspecies.

Description

H. undulatus is brown-coloured, with a series of darker zig-zag bars running down the sides, often with light blue and green markings along the sides and underside. It is similar to the Middle American ameiva (H. festivus).

Habitat

H. undulatus lives in litter in open habitats.

Subspecies

The following three subspecies, including the nominotypical subspecies, are recognized as being valid.

Holcosus undulatus dexter (H.M. Smith & Laufe, 1946)

Holcosus undulatus miadis (Barbour & Loveridge, 1929)

Holcosus undulatus undulatus (Wiegmann, 1834)

Nota bene: A trinomial authority in parentheses indicates that the subspecies was originally described in a genus other than Holcosus.

References

Further reading

Wiegmann AFA (1834). Herpetologia Mexicana, seu descriptio amphibiorum Novae Hispaniae quae itineribus comitis Sack, Ferdinandi Deppe et Chr.

Editorial summary

This brief starts where responsible research should: with the source description of “Holcosus undulatus” as species of reptile. Everything that follows is an evidence route, not borrowed authority.

Editorial reviewA sound reference starting point where classification, measurement and the date of the underlying evidence remain visible. The current lead gives the account dated anchors—1946, 1929, 1834—that can be checked directly. The selected authority fields contribute no independent date. The account is most persuasive where Holcosus, undulatus and species can be independently traced.
Editorial analysis

Why this record matters

The subject matters to the science & nature register because the source frames it as species of reptile. Its deeper value depends on whether names, dates, institutions and citations support that framing.

Evidence profile

The date and method of observation matter as much as the stated conclusion, especially where classification or consensus has changed. The source revision retrieved here is dated Aug 3, 2026. The linked authority identifier is Q1749661. None of the 0 selected statements returned an explicit reference. The first chronological checks are 1946, 1929 and 1834.

Critical limits

A general summary may omit uncertainty, sample limits or methodological disagreement that is explicit in the technical record. The lead is largely declarative, so disagreement and counter-evidence require a deliberate search beyond the opening account. Authority statements aid reconciliation but still require their own references, qualifiers and ranks to be checked.

How to read it

Check terminology, classification and the date of the cited evidence. Scientific names and technical consensus can change while older records retain historical value.

Best used for
  • Current terminology
  • Classification context
  • Finding cited technical literature
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Primary datasets, specimen catalogues, standards bodies and the most recent peer-reviewed literature.

Three-step research path

  1. Establish the record: confirm the title “Holcosus undulatus”, its source revision and the description used here.
  2. Expand the search: follow Holcosus undulatus primary sources, Holcosus undulatus archive and Holcosus research across catalogues and specialist indexes.
  3. Test the account: compare the strongest cited source with the responsible institution’s current record and note any disagreement.

Questions for further research

  1. Which source most directly establishes the central claim about “Holcosus undulatus”?
  2. Which observation, specimen, dataset or publication supports the account?
  3. Is the terminology current, historical or disputed?
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Source & attribution

This entry incorporates text from “Holcosus undulatus” on English Wikipedia. Contributors are listed in the page history. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Selected authority identifiers and statements are retrieved from Wikidata under CC0; their references and qualifiers remain part of the verification path.