Anolis carolinensis (left) and A. porcatus (right), introduced to Tenerife, Canary Islands. [Left photo by G. Frías García; Right photo extracted from Neotropico Foundation].

Female green anole (Anolis carolinensis) photographed in June 2016 in Golf Las Americas (28°03 ̍43.5 ̎N, 16°43 ̍06.3 ̎N), in Tenerife island (Canary Islands, Spain) [left picture; uploaded to Facebook by: G. Frías García].; Right photo extracted from Neotropico Foundation].

In August 2013, a Cuban green anole (A. porcatus) was collected and given to insular authorities in the same locality [right picture; extracted from Fundación Neotropico]. According to this foundation, a small reproductive population of the Cuban green anole was established there at that time for some years. No precise data exist on the individual abundance or distribution of any of these species even though they could become invasive at some point and impact the natural ecosystems of these highly biodiverse islands. There is a lack of information on how these species have arrived to Tenerife, although they might be related to the commerce of plants to the islands, which are mainly imported to create tropical-looking gardens in touristic areas. According to the Invasive Species Database of the Canary Islands, other species of anoles such as A. sagrei, A. allogus and A. equestris have been reported at least once in the Canary Islands, all of them in Tenerife. 

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