Anolis lineatus
Species of lizard
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Anolis lineatus, the Curaçao striped anole or striped anole, is a species of lizard in the family Dactyloidae. It is native to Curaçao and Aruba of the Netherlands Antilles, but has also been introduced to Klein Curaçao.[1] It is generally common (at least on Curaçao),[3] and is particularly common in densely vegetated gardens in the capital Willemstad.[4]
_displaying_dewlap.jpg)
| Striped anole | |
|---|---|
| |
 | |
| Male displaying dewlap above, individual on tree below | |
Scientific classification  | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Reptilia |
| Order: | Squamata |
| Suborder: | Iguania |
| Family: | Dactyloidae |
| Genus: | Anolis |
| Species: | A. lineatus |
| Binomial name | |
| Anolis lineatus Daudin, 1802 | |
| Synonyms[2] | |
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Taxonomy
Anolis lineatus was first formally described in 1802 by the French zoologist François Marie Daudin with no type locality given as the description was from a specimen deposited in the Natural History Museum in Paris and Daudan said it was from "l'Amerique meridionale peut-être même dans les Îles Antilles".[5] This species is a member of the A. chrysolepis species group.[6] of the anole family, the Dactyloidae.[7]
Description
Anolis lineatus has males that reach about 7–7.5 cm (2.8–3.0 in) in snout-to-vent length and the females about 6 cm (2.4 in).[4] It is overall light brownish with a dark-edged pale lateral stripe on each side, and typically several light bars on the body and tail.[4] It has an orange-yellow dewlap with a blackish spot; the dewlap is significantly larger in males than in females.[4] It is the only known species of anole where the dewlap is asymmetrically coloured, being deeper orange on one side and yellower on the other.[6][8] In almost three-quarter of all individuals the left side is the most yellow.[8] The colour difference between the two sides is indistinct in only a minority of the females.[6][8]
Distribution and habitat
Anolis lineatus is found on the islands of Aruba and Curaçao which are constituent island countries within the Kingdom of the Netherlands, in the southern Caribbean Sea.[1] It can often be seen on rocks, the walls of buildings or tree trunks; at various heights but often relatively close to the ground.[6]
