''Anolis ernestwilliamsi'', also known commonly as the Carrot Rock anole, Carrot Rock's anole, and Ernest's anole, is a

species In biology, a species is the basic unit of classification and a taxonomic rank of an organism, as well as a unit of biodiversity. A species is often defined as the largest group of organisms in which any two individuals of the appropriate s ...

lizard Lizards are a widespread group of squamate reptiles, with over 7,000 species, ranging across all continents except Antarctica, as well as most oceanic island chains. The group is paraphyletic since it excludes the snakes and Amphisbaenia alt ...

in the

family Family (from la, familia) is a Social group, group of people related either by consanguinity (by recognized birth) or Affinity (law), affinity (by marriage or other relationship). The purpose of the family is to maintain the well-being of its ...

Dactyloidae Dactyloidae are a family of lizards commonly known as anoles () and native to warmer parts of the Americas, ranging from southeastern United States to Paraguay. Instead of treating it as a family, some authorities prefer to treat it as a subfami ...

. The species is

endemic Endemism is the state of a species being found in a single defined geographic location, such as an island, state, nation, country or other defined zone; organisms that are indigenous to a place are not endemic to it if they are also found elsew ...

to the

British Virgin Islands ) , anthem = "God Save the King" , song_type = Territorial song , song = "Oh, Beautiful Virgin Islands" , image_map = File:British Virgin Islands on the globe (Americas centered).svg , map_caption = , mapsize = 290px , image_map2 = Brit ...

. www.reptile-database.org.

Etymology

The specific name, ''ernestwilliamsi'', is in honor of American herpetologist

Ernest Edward Williams Ernest Edward Williams (January 7, 1914 – September 1, 1998) was an American herpetologist. He coined the term ''ecomorph'' based on his research on anoles. Taxa named in honor of Ernest E. Williams The following species are named in honor of ...

. Beolens, Bo; Watkins, Michael; Grayson, Michael (2011). ''The Eponym Dictionary of Reptiles''. Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press. xiii + 296 pp. . (''Anolis ernestwilliamsi'', p. 85).

Geographic range

''A. ernestwilliamsi'' is known only from Carrot Rock, which is an islet south of

Peter Island Peter Island is a 720 hectare (1,779 acre) private island located in the British Virgin Islands (BVI). It is about 5 miles (8 km) south-west (195 degrees true) from Road Town, Tortola. The island was named after Pieter Adriensen (nicknamed "T ...

, in the British Virgin Islands.

Habitat

The preferred natural

habitat In ecology, the term habitat summarises the array of resources, physical and biotic factors that are present in an area, such as to support the survival and reproduction of a particular species. A species habitat can be seen as the physical ...

of ''A. ernestwilliamsi'' is

shrubland Shrubland, scrubland, scrub, brush, or bush is a plant community characterized by vegetation dominated by shrubs, often also including grasses, herbs, and geophytes. Shrubland may either occur naturally or be the result of human activity. It m ...

, at above sea level.

Behavior

''A. ernestwilliamsi'' is

terrestrial Terrestrial refers to things related to land or the planet Earth. Terrestrial may also refer to: * Terrestrial animal, an animal that lives on land opposed to living in water, or sometimes an animal that lives on or near the ground, as opposed to ...

and saxicolous (rock dwelling).

Reproduction

''A. ernestwilliamsi'' is

oviparous Oviparous animals are animals that lay their eggs, with little or no other embryonic development within the mother. This is the reproductive method of most fish, amphibians, most reptiles, and all pterosaurs, dinosaurs (including birds), and ...

Taxonomy

''A. ernestwilliamsi'' is a member of the ''

Anolis cristatellus ''Anolis cristatellus'' is a small species of anole, belonging to the Dactyloidae family of reptiles, which is native to Puerto Rico and the U.S. and British Virgin Islands, with introduced populations in locations around the Caribbean. The ma ...

species group In biology, a species complex is a group of closely related organisms that are so similar in appearance and other features that the boundaries between them are often unclear. The taxa in the complex may be able to hybridize readily with each oth ...

References

* Brandley MC, de Queiroz K (2004). "Phylogeny, ecomorphological evolution, and historical biogeography of the ''Anolis cristatellus'' series". ''Herpetological Monographs'' 18 (1): 90–126. * Lazell JD Jr (1983). "Biogeography of the Herpetofauna of the British Virgin Islands, with Description of a New Anole (Sauria: Iguanidae)". pp. 99–117. ''In'': Rhodin AGJ, Miyata K (editors) (1983). ''Advances in Herpetology and Evolutionary Biology: Essays in Honor of Ernest E. Williams''. Cambridge, Massachusetts: Museum of Comparative Zoology. xix + 725 pp. . (''Anolis ernestwilliamsi'', new species, pp. 102–103, Figure 2, 106–107, Figure 3). * Nicholson KE, Crother BI, Guyer C, Savage JM (2012). "It is time for a new classification of anoles (Squamata: Dactyloidae)". ''Zootaxa'' 3477: 1–108. (''Ctenonotus ernestwilliamsi'', new combination, p. 88). * Schwartz A, Henderson RW (1991). ''Amphibians and Reptiles of the West Indies: Descriptions, Distributions, and Natural History''. Gainesville: University of Florida Press. 720 pp. . (''Anolis ernestwilliamsi'', p. 258). Anoles Reptiles described in 1983 Endemic fauna of the British Virgin Islands {{lizard-stub