Anolis cuvieri
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Anolis cuvieri | |
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Scientific classification | |
Domain: | Eukaryota |
Kingdom: | Animalia |
Phylum: | Chordata |
Class: | Reptilia |
Order: | Squamata |
Suborder: | Iguania |
Family: | Dactyloidae |
Genus: | Anolis |
Species: | A. cuvieri
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Binomial name | |
Anolis cuvieri | |
Synonyms[4][5] | |
Anolis cuvieri (Vernacular Spanish: lagarto verde,[5][6] lagarto chipojo;[7] Vernacular English: Puerto Rican giant anole,[5][6][8] Cuvier's anole,[5][9] green giant anole.)[5] is a species of lizard in the family Dactyloidae. The species is endemic to Puerto Rico,[10] and is common in the Toro Negro State Forest.[11]
Etymology
The specific name, cuvieri, is in honor of French naturalist Georges Cuvier.[12]
Description
A. cuvieri is a relatively large (for an anole) lizard with a mean snout–vent length (SVL) of up to 132 mm (5.2 in). It has a large, robust skull and long hind legs, as well as a serrated ridge of raised scales along its back. Like most anoles, this species has large flattened disks under the second and third phalanges of each toe which enable it to adhere to vertical surfaces. This species is predominantly green in body coloration with some individuals displaying faint light green stripes on the sides and dorsal surface.[citation needed]
In some specimens, particularly large adult males, the head is heavily blotched with sky blue coloration which suffuses onto the nape. This coloration may extend onto the neck area or even onto the dorsal surface running the length of the spine. In females where the blue coloration is present it is only as a sky blue tint on the head which does not extend onto the neck.[citation needed]
In both males and females the orbital area is either bright yellow or vibrant yellow-green. Both male and female
Habitat
A. cuvieri belongs to a group of anoles known as crown giants, these are large species which inhabit the uppermost
Diet
Like all anoles, A. cuvieri is primarily
Behaviour
Both sexes of A. cuvieri are extremely territorial and aggressive. Males, however, are particularly aggressive not only towards other males but also towards any organism or object that the anole perceives to be a
Threat and conservation
A. cuvieri is currently under threat in Puerto Rico due to the effects of past
Gallery
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Anolis cuvieri consuming a beetle
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Hind legs of A. cuvieri
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Rare brown morph Puerto Rican giant anole
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A. cuvieri looking
See also
- List of amphibians and reptiles of Puerto Rico
- Fauna of Puerto Rico
- List of endemic fauna of Puerto Rico
References
- IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2020: e.T74994846A75171526. https://www.iucnredlist.org/species/74994846/75171526. Downloaded on 29 March 2021.
- ^ Anolis cuvieri - Classifications: Cuvier's Anole. Encyclopedia of Life. Retrieved 31 August 2013.
- ^ Anolis cuvieri Merrem, 1820. Archived March 12, 2009, at the Wayback Machine ITIS (Integrated Taxonomic Information System). Taxonomic Serial No.: 173888. Retrieved 31 August 2013.
- ^ Taxonomic Serial No.: 564554. ITIS. Retrieved 31 August 2013.
- ^ a b c d e Anolis cuvieri MERREM, 1820. The Reptile Database. (www.reptile-database.org) Retrieved 1 September 2013.
- ^ a b Volume 1: Land Cover, Vertebrate Species Distributions, and Land Stewardship. William A. Gould, Caryl Alarcón, Brick Fevold, Michael E. Jiménez, Sebastián Martinuzzi, Gary Potts, Maya Quiñones, Mariano Solórzano, and Eduardo Ventosa. The Puerto Rico Gap Analysis Project. (Publication Number: IITF-GTR-39) USDA. Forest Service. International Institute of Tropical Forestry. March 2008. Page 86. Retrieved 18 August 2013.
- ^ 2002 Wildlife Facts: Giant Anole. El Yunque National Forest. Retrieved 31 August 2013.
- ^ Integrated Taxonomic Information System (ITIS)
- ^ Anolis cuvieri - Names: 4 Common Names. Encyclopedia of Life. Retrieved 1 September 2013.
- ^ Anolis cuvieri. Retrieved 31 August 2013.
- ^ Bosques de Puerto Rico: Bosque Estatal de Toro Negro. Archived August 7, 2015, at the Wayback Machine Hojas de Nuestro Ambiente. July 2008. [Publication/Issue: P-030] Puerto Rico Department of Natural and Environmental Resources. Retrieved 31 August 2013.
- ISBN 978-1-4214-0135-5. (Anolis cuvieri, p. 63).
Further reading
- Boulenger GA (1885). Catalogue of the Lizards in the British Museum (Natural History). Second Edition. Volume II. Iguanidæ ... London: Trustees of the British Museum (Natural History). (Taylor and Francis, printers). xiii + 497 pp. + Plates I-XXIV. (Anolis cuvieri, pp. 23–24).
- Merrem B (1820). Versuch eines Systems der Amphibien: Tentamen Systematis Amphibiorum. Marburg: J.C. Krieger. xv + 191 pp. + one plate. (Anolis cuvieri, new species, p. 45). (in German and Latin).
- Schwartz A, Thomas R (1975). A Check-list of West Indian Amphibians and Reptiles. Carnegie Museum of Natural History Special Publication No. 1. Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania: Carnegie Museum of Natural History. 216 pp. (Anolis cuvieri, p. 76).
External links
- Anolis cuvieri. Puerto Rico Gap Analysis.