Ameiva, commonly called jungle-runners, is a genus of whiptail lizards that belongs to the family Teiidae.
Member species of the genus Ameiva are found in South America, Central America and the Caribbean (West Indies). Their major habitat in four regions of Brazil include: Caatinga, Cerrado, the Amazonian rain forest, and the Amazonian savanna. [1]Additionally, Ameiva ameiva has been introduced to Florida in the United States.[2]
Nota bene: A binomial authority in parentheses indicates that the species was originally described in a genus other than Ameiva.