Tag: mainland

#DidYouAnole – Anolis transversalis

On May 6, 2021

Photo: dhfischer, iNaturalist

We talked about a lot of Ecuadorean anoles last year and this week we’re revisiting South America.

Transverse anoles, Anolis transversalis, are arboreal lizards that can be found in the Eastern Amazon in Ecuador, Peru, Colombia, Brazil, Bolivia and Southern Venezuela.

These anoles are dramatically sexually dimorphic, so much so that the males were initially described as another species, A. buckleyi (O’Shaughnessy, 1880). The females have a larger banding pattern, sometimes with spots in between and are also different in colouring. The females of this species have dewlaps that are different from the males as well, being smaller and with large vertical banding. Male Transverse anoles have smaller, faint banding overlaid with spots and a larger bright yellow-green dewlap with a pattern of spots (sometimes) and small faint lateral stripes.

Photo: Fernando Ayala-Varela, iNaturalist

Photo: Santiago R Ron, BioWeb

Their differences have been noted in previous post on here as well, the differences in their dewlaps.

The average SVL of male Transverse anoles is 88mm, and females is 86mm. They actively defend their territory from other anoles.

#DidYouAnole – Anolis maculiventris

By Chelsea Connor

On November 12, 2020

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Some people think that the anoles with brown colouring and patterns are too drab or boring but honestly I appreciate their ability to blend in almost seamlessly to their habitats. The Blotchbelly Anole is another one of those, usually brown, sometimes with light patterning or a tan line down its back.

The males have a unique burnt sienna coloured dewlap, while the females of this species have no dewlap. Blotchbelly anoles appear to be twig anoles and they inhabit lowland forests in Ecuador and Colombia.

The anole gets its name due to the spotting (but not blotches) on its belly. Female Blotchbelly Anoles may be slightly larger than the males with a recorded length of 124-140 mm (Arteaga 2013), and the males at 120-129 mm.

#DidYouAnole? – Anolis lyra

By Chelsea Connor

On November 5, 2020

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Photo by Andreas Kay, Flickr

Found from northwestern Ecuador to central Colombia, Anolis lyra is a trunk anole that gets its name (Lyre Anole) from the lyre shape on the back of its head.

Photo by Danny Rosero, iNaturalist

As it is sympatric with several other Ecuadorean anoles, it helps that this one has distinct features, like the marking on its head and its very distinct dewlap that is red in males with a dark central spot, and grey-white in females (also with the spot). They have an SVL of about 77mm (males) and 73mm (females).

Photo by Fabio Cianferoni, iNaturalist

The Lyre Anole is near threatened and affected by habitat loss from deforestation.

#DidYouAnole – Anolis dracula

By Chelsea Connor

On October 15, 2020

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Adult male, male, female and subadult male

Hey y’all!! Happy Halloween month!

I found a really cool anole, that I know you will all enjoy.

This week we are looking at Anolis dracula, which sadly didn’t get its specific epithet from the vampire, but from the reserve where it was found.

Dracula Anole (top) and Equatorial Anole (bottom). Images from Yánez-Muñoz et al. (2018)

Anolis dracula can be found at ~2200m in the Andes in Ecuador and Southern Colombia, and is very similar in appearance to the Equatorial Anole. It can only be distinguished from Equatorial Anoles, that inhabit the same range, by closer examination of the skull or hemipene, or by genetic analysis. They have a snout-to-vent length of about 70-82mm. Female Dracula Anoles can also have a dewlap smaller than that of the male.

Dewlaps of A) Adult male Dracula Anole, B) Female, C) Subadult female, and D) Male Equatorial Anole. Images from Yánez-Muñoz et al. (2018)

They are also active on the ground, and were caught in pitfall traps as noted in Yánez-Muñoz et al. (2018), where the species is described.

#DidYouAnole – Anolis lososi

By Chelsea Connor

On October 8, 2020

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Hey! Hope everyone has been having a good month so far!

As we all know it is October, my favourite time of year, and I am trying to bring you anoles that can fit the season. For now, here’s an anole whose female has an orange and black dewlap, the official unofficial colours of Halloween.

Anolis lososi is an Ecuadorean anole that tends to be found in open areas of forest.

The anoles are usually about 55-60 mm (SVL) and have bands on their tails and limbs. Their colouring is grey to green, sometimes brown, and resembles lichen. The females have yellow-orange dewlaps with black spots, while males have white, unpatterned dewlaps.

The limbs of this anole are short and it has been found sleeping on twigs and ferns from 2 to 8m off the ground.

Because this anole was recently found and described, there’s not a lot of information about it. Yet!

Journal of Natural History, 2017. doi:10.1080/00222933.2017.1391343

#DidYouAnole – Anolis gracilipes

By Chelsea Connor

On September 24, 2020

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Lizard, Norops or Anolis gracilipes? | Andreas Kay | Flickr

Photo by Andreas Kay, Flickr

Hey all!

Here’s a bit of lizard joy for you today!
HUGE shoutout and credit to The Amphibians and Reptiles of Mindo by Arteaga et al. because I can’t find any natural history info about this anole anywhere but in this book. If you can get it, you should! Because of current events they can’t do their normal herping tours (Tropical Herping) and could use the support. Their photography is amazing and you can get calendars, posters and pocket field guides!

NOW ON TO THE ANOLE.

Charm Anole (Anolis gracilipes) · iNaturalist

Photo by Andreas Kay, iNaturalist

Anolis gracilipes, the Charm Anole, certainly is a charming little anole.
It’s been classified as a twig ecomorph, a group of small anoles whose bodies are adapted for narrow surfaces like, you guessed it, twigs. This little lizard can get up to 172-181 mm for males and 169-191 mm for females.

This anole has a brown colouring on its back, with triangular markings and green on its throat, down to its chest.

Photo by Jorge Britos, iNaturalist

Charm anoles can be found in Ecuador and Colombia, where they are common, but may depend on (unfortunately declining) forest canopies.

Photo by Edison Ocaña

Charm anoles are ambush predators and sometimes can be found at ground level.

#DidYouAnole – Anolis gemmosus

By Chelsea Connor

On September 17, 2020

In All Posts

Hello and welcome back!

Sorry I missed last week but I’m here to make it up to you with another impressively coloured anole.

This week is Anolis gemmosus, the Gem Anole.

The Gem anole is another Ecuadorean anole where they are common in the cloud forests.
Female gem anoles have no dewlap, are mainly green in colour and typically have a tan stripe or chevron pattern down their back.

Gem Anole (Anolis gemmosus) · iNaturalist

Photo by Andreas Kay

Males typically have spotting all over or in the form of stripes down their tails and bodies and their dewlaps are large starting with blue closer to their necks, shifting to green then yellow-green. They also have white stripes across the dewlap. The largest recorded Gem anole was 66mm (SVL) and they may be quite long-lived.

Anolis gemmosus | O'Shaughnessy's Anole (Anolis gemmosus), m… | Flickr

Photo courtesy of James A. Christensen

Their pattern makes them very cryptic and difficult to spot, and since they prefer to perch in foliage, it helps them as ambush predators.

Gem anoles don’t bask intentionally (Arteaga et al, 2013). How does that work?? Well they just happen to get filtered sunlight where they choose to hangout and wait for their prey. They don’t look for perches in direct sunlight to bask. They do appear to pick perches to sleep in however, that get exposed to sunlight when the sun rises so they can quickly reach activity temperatures.

Photo by Diana Troya