Forget Brexit, It’s BrAnolis: An Anole Makes the Cover of the British Ecological Society’s Bulletin Magazine, But What Species Is It?

A Costa Rican anole graces the cover of the March 2018 issue of the British Ecological Society’s magazine ‘The Bulletin’. But what species is it? Photo by Roberto García Roa.

When you think of hotbeds of Anolis research, the United Kingdom probably isn’t the place that immediately springs to mind. And unsurprisingly – there are no dewlaps decorating the tree trunks of Wytham Woods. Of course, there is a strong tradition of anole research on this side of the pond including Roger Thorpe and Anita Malhotra at Bangor University and Katharina Wollenberg-Valero at the University of Hull (there’s undoubtedly more, past and present, of which I’m not aware; sorry if I’ve left you out!). Still, we’re unlikely to be hosting a spin-off Anolis Symposium (Anolis SympX?) any time soon and anoles certainly don’t dominate British Ecological Society (BES) meetings like they do SICB or Evolution. So, needless to say, when the March issue of the BES’s members’ publication The Bulletin thunked through my mail slot a few weeks ago, I was surprised to see one of this blog’s titular reptiles staring back at me. Though maybe I shouldn’t have been surprised. After all, we know that an anole loves a good cover shot. A quick delve into the magazine revealed that the photo was taken by Roberto García Roa from the University of Valencia and that Roberto won the Up Close and Personal category in the BES’s photography competition for his ‘mid-shed’ shot.

Roberto García Roa’s award winning anole photo.

My question for the Anole Annals readership is this: can anyone identify the species? The photo was taken in Costa Rica, but there’s no more information than that. Any thoughts?

Editor’s Note July 3, 2018: Robert Garcia Roa has provided this photo, which reveals that the species is <i>Anolis cristatellus</i>, an invasive species in Costa Rica.

• Author
• Recent Posts

Adam Algar

Associate Professor at Lakehead University in Thunder Bay, Ontario, Canada. My research focuses on niche limits and dynamics across scales, from individual organisms to the globe. Mostly lizards.

Latest posts by Adam Algar (see all)

• With Apologies to Elizabeth Barrett Browning and Everyone Who Loves Anoles - October 6, 2021
• Forget Brexit, It’s BrAnolis: An Anole Makes the Cover of the British Ecological Society’s Bulletin Magazine, But What Species Is It? - April 12, 2018
• The Contronymic Effect of Behaviour on Evolution: Does Behaviour Promote or Retard Evolutionary Change? - November 22, 2017