Abronia fimbriata (Cope 1884)

Continent: Middle-America
Distribution: NE Guatemala (Northeastern Guatemalan highlands; known with certainty from the cloud forests of the western portion of the Sierra de las Minas, Department of Baja Verapaz, at elevations of 1500 to 2100 m, and from the Sierra de Xucaneb (Montaña Ulpán), Department of Alta Verapaz, at elevations of 1400 m to 2000 m. These localities are in the Quecchian Area and the Sierra de las Minas Sierran Subarea, as defined by Campbell and Vannini (1989).
Type locality: "les forèts de pins de la haute Vera Paz (Guatemala oriental)" (Bocourt, 1878 [1870--1909]), according to Brygoo (1987: 6); restricted to vicinity of Cáquipec, Department of Alta Verapaz, Guatemala by CAMPBELL (on http://www.uta.edu/biology/campbell/guatemala/checklist.html).

Abronia fimbriata is a species of lizard endemic to the mountains of east-central Guatemala, including Sierra de Xucaneb, Sierra de las Minas, Sierra de Chuacús and Sierra de los Cuchumatanes, and is found in the cloud forests at elevations of 1,400–2,100 m. Its extent of occurrence is estimated to be only 1,500 km2, and is considered to be endangered.

It is listed as endangered because of its very limited range within 1,500 km2, and its further decline of habitat will cause the population to fall since it is only found in the cloud forests. It is also traded illegally in the pet trade. The apparent threat to A. fimbriata's habitat is from agriculture and the exportation of ornamental Chamaedaphne calyculata plants to Japan and Europe.

Conservation efforts are being made to save A. fimbriata. It can be found in several protected areas such as Biotopo Universitario Mario Dary Rivera and Reserva de Biosfera Sierra de Las Minas and several private reserves.