Anolis luciae, also known
commonly as the St. Lucia anole or Saint Lucian 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 ...
of
anole lizard in the
family
Family (from la, familia) is a group of people related either by consanguinity (by recognized birth) or affinity (by marriage or other relationship). The purpose of the family is to maintain the well-being of its members and of society. Idea ...
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 subfam ...
. 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 else ...
to
Saint Lucia, an island-nation in the Caribbean
Lesser Antilles
The Lesser Antilles ( es, link=no, Antillas Menores; french: link=no, Petites Antilles; pap, Antias Menor; nl, Kleine Antillen) are a group of islands in the Caribbean Sea. Most of them are part of a long, partially volcanic island arc bet ...
.
Etymology
The
specific name, ''luciae'', refers to the island of Saint Lucia.
[Beolens, Bo; Watkins, Michael; Grayson, Michael (2011). ''The Eponym Dictionary of Reptiles''. Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press. xiii + 296 pp. . (''Anolis luciae'', p. 162).]
Geographic range
''A. luciae'' is widespread on Saint Lucia and its offshore islets.
[
]
Description
The coloration and markings of ''A. luciae'' vary. Its dorsal
Dorsal (from Latin ''dorsum'' ‘back’) may refer to:
* Dorsal (anatomy), an anatomical term of location referring to the back or upper side of an organism or parts of an organism
* Dorsal, positioned on top of an aircraft's fuselage
* Dorsal c ...
ground color ranges from brown in drier habitats to bright green in wetter areas. Some populations have blue coloration on the sides, and the ventral surface may be white or yellowish. The area around the eye may be white, blue, or green. Males may be patternless or have reticulations or chevron patterns on the dorsal surface. Females are duller than males, and may have a mid-dorsal stripe or dark chevron markings.[
]
Reproduction
''A. luciae'' is oviparous.[
]
Invasive species
''A. luciae'' co-exists on Saint Lucia with two introduced anole species: '' A. extremus'' and '' A. wattsi''. ''A. luciae'' appears to be resisting competition, and the two invasive species are restricted to areas around the capital, Castries.[Malhotra, Anita; Thorpe, Roger S. (1999). ''Reptiles & Amphibians of the Eastern Caribbean''. Oxford, England: ]Macmillan Education
Macmillan Education is a publisher of English Language teaching and school curriculum materials. The company is based in London and operates in over 40 countries worldwide.
History
In 2011 Macmillan Publishers Ltd was fined GBP 11.3 million by t ...
. 144 pp. (''Anolis luciae'', p. 93).
See also
*List of Anolis lizards
The large lizard genus ''Anolis ''contains around 436 accepted anole () species, which have been considered in a number of subgroups, or clades such as ''carolinensis'' and ''isolepis''.
''Nota bene'': In the following list, a taxon authority in ...
References
Further reading
* Garman S (1887). "On West Indian Reptiles. Iguanidæ". ''Bulletin of the Essex Institute'' 19: 25–50. (''Anolis luciæ'', new species, pp. 44–46).
* Schwartz A, Henderson RW (1991). ''Amphibians and Reptiles of the West Indies: Descriptions, Distributions, and Natural History''. Gainesville, Florida: University of Florida Press. 720 pp. . (''Anolis luciae'', p. 292).
*Schwartz A, Thomas R
Thomas may refer to:
People
* List of people with given name Thomas
* Thomas (name)
* Thomas (surname)
* Saint Thomas (disambiguation)
* Thomas Aquinas (1225–1274) Italian Dominican friar, philosopher, and Doctor of the Church
* Thomas the A ...
(1975). ''A Check-list of West Indian Amphibians and Reptiles''. Carnegie Museum of Natural History
The Carnegie Museum of Natural History (abbreviated as CMNH) is a natural history museum in the Oakland neighborhood of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. It was founded by Pittsburgh-based industrialist Andrew Carnegie in 1896.
Housing some 22 million ...
Special publication No. 1. Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania: Carnegie Museum of Natural History. 216 pp. (''Anolis luciae'', pp. 89–90).
Anoles
Lizards of the Caribbean
Reptiles of Saint Lucia
Endemic fauna of Saint Lucia
Reptiles described in 1887
Taxa named by Samuel Garman
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