from the pages of Floridensis:
ANOLIS CAROLINENSIS, 15
MARCH 2018
Anolis carolinensis, the Carolina green anole;
Collier county, Florida (15 March 2018).
In Collier county, Florida, many of the Carolina green anoles sport a fairly grayish dewlap, that fold of skin under the lower jaw. Typically, the dewlap for this species is pinkish. Some consider these regionally-focused “gray-dewlapped” green anoles to be a distinct subspecies (Anolis carolinensis seminolus) separated from the rest of the Carolina green anoles, but I’m not sure there’s much data to back up an actual subspecies distinction. Seem to me to simply be a phenotypic variation in that particular stretch of south Florida. I also find more-standard pink-dewlapped Carolina greens cohabitating in the same areas. Regardless of subspecies designations, I do love coming across these fantastic variants in Collier county.
Want to read more about gray-dewlapped A. carolinensis? Check out previous Anole Annals post (this one, which links to two others).
Rolly Polly Anole
Pluto isn’t a planet because it shares its orbit with other heavenly bodies, it hasn’t cleared its neighborhood yet; like Earth has.
I think the same logic should apply here, graylapped green anoles shouldn’t be considered a subspecies until they have cleared their neighborhood and become the only genetic variant around.