This is a video from the YouTube channel of the thetravelholics that I stumbled upon a while ago showing two male A. allisoni fighting.
Notice:
1.The male that had the upper hand turned brown while the losing male remained blue throughout the fight.
2.When the male turned brown some of the skin on the back of his neck remained blue, this is possibly an example of selective color change.
3.Both males had prominent shoulder patches and black patches behind the eyes.
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Miguel Landestoy
Nice, that is a majestic species!
Very interesting what you mention about the selective color chage… I believe that is pretty well studied and interpreted (as stages of mood, agonistic displays, ect) for chamaleons, but what about for anoles, anyone knows about it?
Just a comment to consider: In the metacrosis process, I have noticed that right after when you grab an anole that was roosting at night, like a very bright green Anolis coelestinus, when starts turning brown and then completely, only the limbs from where you are holding (gently pressing) it remain green. Makes me wonder if that allisoni got bitten at that spot by its opponent at some point during the battle.
Note the photo (if I succeed inserting it into comment) where this Anolis singularis that was initially plain pale greenish-gray before disturbed at night, turned to this carnivalesque chromatism, specially with that somewhat symetrical, star-shaped blue eyering.
Pretty fun video BTW, very encouraging and inspiring to attempt the same with other species in our grounds.
K.ra
I wondered the same thing too when I first saw the video. I also think it may have something to do with pressure being applied to an area of scales that forces them to remain colored.
Similar things have happened to me several times, in fact here is a quote from a comment I posted previoiusly:m”Whenever I noose an Anolis grahami in the light phase and the animal subsequently becomes stressed and changes color the scales under the noose always retain a blue green coloration. The same thing happens whenever you hold one of these anoles in the light or dark phase, the area of scales under your fingers always remains blue green and does not change color with the rest of the animal if the pressure is released. Anolis grahami is also able to selectively change the color of parts of its body as shown here, and a more unusual example although strangely the colour split is always from top to bottom as opposed to right to left as in A. carolinensis.”
Regarding the singularis, I think that may be one of the most beautiful anoles I have ever seen; I think you should read this post; that lizard is probably a blue singularis or aliniger; have you ever seen any like it?
Also are there any other anole species that you have seen selectively change color?
Daniel Scantlebury
It’s not uncommon to find sleeping aliniger that with predominately blueish tones, throughout their range. Keep in mind the blue animal in the other post is clearly emaciated and sick, and the animal in the flicker page is showing stress coloration.
The animal posted Miguel posted here was all around odd, from an area that’s been poorly explored, and I’m not sure what to make of it. Other specimens from that site were more typically patterned with mottled-moss tones. They’re called singularis for a reason – definitely not an easy anole to assemble an appreciable series of.
But on the subjects of color change and island-matching, there seems to be a polymorphism in the NE Dominican Republic where male A. chlorocyanus occasionally (I’ve found 3 in coastal localities) have blue or purple heads, similar to A. allisoni.
K.ra
Thanks for the info! What about the other lizard in the post, the one with the brown ocelli? is that pattern also common/present in singularis ?
Regarding the blue headed chorocyanus :Do they look like these (1, 2)?
If not do you have a picture you could post?, I would love to see one!
Daniel Scantlebury
I don’t have pictures of the blue headed chloros I’ve found, but they look similar to your first one.
I think my opinion of the brown-ocelli animal is going to be controversial, but it looks like A. coelestinus to me, with some sort of affliction. Maybe developmental, maybe stress, probably not a new species.
If it is a “new species” it’s another green anole living in close proximity to A. aliniger, A. coelestinus, and A. singularis, in an area that has been frequented by collectors and camera-happy bird watchers- where are photos of other individuals? How many sympatric green anoles can the Bahoruccos support?
Jackson Shedd
Could those black shoulder patches serve a similar function to the “side-blotches” in Uta?
Marc Tollis
Note that the brown winner has a regenerated tail as well.
Caleb S.
Well, when A. Carolinensis males fight, the loser usually turns brown and sulks off, while the winner turns green and puffs up.