Reproductive Biology of Introduced Green Anoles in Hawaii

Anolis carolinensis on Kauai. Photo by Jonathan Losos.

Green anoles (A. carolinensis) have been introduced to a number of Pacific islands, including Hawaii. In a recent paper in Current Herpetology (published by the Herpetological Society of Japan), Goldberg and Kraus examine the reproductive cycle of Hawaiian green anoles and find it very similar to what occurs in their native range.

Here’s the abstract of the paper:

Reproduction was studied in an invasive population of Anolis carolinensis in the Hawaiian Islands, USA. Timing of events in the reproductive cycle was similar between A. carolinensis populations in Hawaii and native populations of the species in the southeastern United States. In Hawaii, males of A. carolinensisundergo a prolonged period of spermiogenesis (sperm formation) starting in November (n=1) and December (n=1) and continuing into August. Gravid A. carolinensis females in Hawaii (n=40) produce one egg in continuous succession from March into August. Reproductive activity in A. carolinensis in Hawaii ceased prior to the colder, wetter, winter months.

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Jonathan Losos

Professor of Biology and Director of the Living Earth Collaborative at Washington University in Saint Louis. I've spent my entire professional career studying anoles and have discovered that the more I learn about anoles, the more I realize I don't know.

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