Tag: grass-bush

#DidYouAnole – Anolis alutaceus

On April 15, 2021

Anolis alutaceus [image] | EurekAlert! Science News

Photo: Luke Mahler

Hey there!

I’m really into these tiny anoles now, and I promise we will venture next week, but for right now. I would like to talk about Anolis alutaceus.

Anolis alutaceus, also known as the Blue-eyed grass-bush anole or Monte Verde anole, is a forest-dwelling Cuban anole that can also be found on Isla de Juventud. It is one of the anoles in the alutaceus series of 14 closely related Cuban grass-bush anoles.

Photo by Yasel Alfonso, iNaturalist

They have a sizable pale yellow dewlap, and tan brown bodies with a lateral striping running from shoulder to vent, as well as diamond patterning on their backs. Monte Verde anoles have a SVL of around 37.5mm. They can be found close to the ground on the skinny surfaces their body plans are suited for, and like many of the other anoles in their ecomorph, they move mostly by jumping.

Photo by Alex Alfil, iNaturalist

#DidYouAnole – Anolis pulchellus

By Chelsea Connor

On April 8, 2021

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Photo: Steve Silvestrini, iNaturalist

Hello again!

I thought we’d continue with very small anoles and so I picked another grass-bush anole! Anolis pulchellus, also known as the Puerto Rican bush anole or the Sharp-mouthed lizard (locally).

This anole is from Puerto Rico, but is also found on the islands of Culebra, Vieques, and a majority of the Virgin Islands. The Sharp-mouthed lizard is one of the most common lizards in Puerto Rico. They have an average SVL of 35-43 mm and are yellow-brown in colour with a lateral tan stripe from its mouth to the base of its tail. The dewlaps of the males are purple at the neck, fading into crimson.

Photo: Alex Gunderson, Twitter

It has been reported to show aquatic tendencies, jumping into nearby water when approached and swimming to safety. They are also able to sit on the surface of the water without penetrating it, and when submerged, they have a silvery appearance due to a thin layer of air surrounding its body, much like Anolis aquaticus.

In another unexpected move from this tiny anole, it has also been found engaging in carnivory. Carnivory tends to be common in anoles, but usually in the ones larger than the grass-bush ecomorph, think Crested Anoles, and they eat lizards smaller themselves. Here you can find a report of a Sharp-mouth lizard consuming a Big-scaled Dwarf gecko.

Photo: Kevin de Queiroz, Jonathan Losos

Evidence also suggests that Sharp-mouthed anoles may be hybridising with another, very similar grass anole found in Puerto Rico, Anolis krugi. Check out the post (and paper) on this here.

#DidYouAnole – Anolis olssoni

By Chelsea Connor

On April 1, 2021

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Photo: Pedro Genaro Rodriguez, iNaturalist

Hi! It’s been brought to my attention that I haven’t done a small anole in a while. Today’s anole is a grass-bush anole, Anolis olssoni, also known as the Desert Grass or Monte Cristi anole.

This anole is native to Hispaniola (Haiti and the Dominican Republic). There are eightsubspecies of the Desert Grass anole found in different locations on the island.

Photo: Pedro Genaro Rodriguez, iNaturalist

Like other grass-bush anoles, Anolis olssoni has a slender body and a very long tail, as well as brown colouring and lateral striping. Grass-bush anoles tend to move by hopping and have long hindlimbs. For this ecomorph, the SVL ranges from 33-51 mm, with the Desert Grass anole somewhere around 39-50 mm, depending on the subspecies.

Subspecies vary from each other by colour, either being darker or paler, as well as by scale pattern. Lighter-coloured Desert Grass anole subspecies are found in xeric areas, while darker-coloured subspecies are found in more mesic areas. The dewlap of this species is a rusty orange with yellow scales.

Photo: Francis Reyes, iNaturalist