Salvator merianae

Pertinent taxonomic references. Duméril & Bibron (1839), Gray (1845), Boulenger (1885), Peters & Donoso-Barros (1970), Müller (1971), Presch (1973), Hoogmoed & Lescure (1975), Vanzolini et al. (1980), Cunha et al. (1985), Ávila-Pires (1995), Colli et al. (1998), Fitzgerald et al. (1999), Harvey et al. (2012).

Distribution and habitat. Salvator merianae is widespread in the central portion of cis-Andean South America, occurring in Brazil, Bolivia, Paraguay, Argentina, and Uruguay (Fig. 9). It is present in Atlantic Forest, Caatinga, Cerrado, Chaco, Pampas, and in enclaves of open vegetation in southern Amazonia. In Brazil it is known also from the states of Pará, Tocantins, Rondônia, Mato Grosso, Mato Grosso do Sul, Goiás, Maranhão, Piauí, Ceará, Paraíba, Pernambuco, Alagoas, Sergipe, Bahia, Minas Gerais, Espírito Santo, Rio de Janeiro, São Paulo, Paraná, Santa Catarina, Rio Grande do Sul, and in the Distrito Federal. Salvator merianae is terrestrial and diurnal, inhabits a number of environments, from open savannas to semidecidual forests, areas of resting, and perianthropic situations, including urban areas, agricultural fields and pastures, where it is found on the ground (Cunha et al. 1985; Vitt 1995; Gainsbury & Colli 2003; Rodrigues 2003; da Silva et al. 2006; Uetanabaro et al. 2007; Vaz-Silva et al. 2007; Costa et al. 2009; Silva Jr et al. 2009; Valdujo et al. 2009; Souza et al. 2010; Couto-Ferreira et al. 2011; Recoder et al. 2011; Silva-Soares et al. 2011; Morais et al. 2012; Ribeiro et al. 2012).