// Workers AI · dad joke modeWhat did the Barbados anole say? "I'm a lizard to scale.
| Barbados anole | |
|---|---|
 | |
| A male Barbados anole, Andromeda Botanical Gardens, Barbados | |
Scientific classification  | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Reptilia |
| Order: | Squamata |
| Suborder: | Iguania |
| Family: | Anolidae |
| Genus: | Anolis |
| Species: | A. extremus |
| Binomial name | |
| Anolis extremus Garman, 1887 | |
| Synonyms[2] | |
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The Barbados anole (Anolis extremus) is a species of lizard belonging to the family Dactyloidae, the anoles. This species was formerly restricted to Barbados but it has been introduced elsewhere around the Caribbean Sea.
Taxonomy
[edit]The Barbados anole was first formally described as Anolis roquet var extremus, a variety of the Martinique anole, in 1887 by the American zoologist Samuel Garman with its type locality given as Bridgetown, Barbados. This species is a member of the Anolis roquet species complex[2] of the anole family, the Dactyloidae.[3]
Description
[edit]The Barbados anole is a relatively large, tree-dwelling anole, the males can have a snout-vent length of 85 mm (3.3 in). The background colour is mossy green with dark brown or black markings and occasionally light spots, mostly in the anterior half of the body. The anterior half of the body sometimes also shows a lavender or grey tint and the head may be blue grey or lavender. There is a dark ring around the eye in males and the flap on the throat is yellow or orange. The females and smaller and reach a snout-vent length of 60 mm (2.4 in). The colours are less intense and they may have stripes along the back.[4]
Distribution and habitat
[edit]The Barbados anole was formerly endemic to Barbados, where it is the only species of native anole.[5] It has been introduced to Bermuda, Saint Lucia, Trinidad and Tobago, Florida and Venezuela but it does not appear to have established sustained populations in Florida or Trinidad and Tobago.[6] On Barbados, it is found throughout the island in all habitats except grassland, where it is invasive it tends to be found near human habitation and to avoid native habitats.[1]
Biology
[edit]The Barbados anole is oviparous and each female lays and buries one or two eggs in a shallow nest in the soil. This is an omnivorous species and has been seen to eat invertebrates and the occasional fruit. The Barbados anole is an ambush predator which scans for prey on the ground or in the undergrowth from a position on tree trunks, branches and bushes.[4]
See also
[edit]References
[edit]- 1 2 Daltry, J.C.; Dewynter, M.; Powell, R.; et al. (2020). "Anolis extremus". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2020 e.T203883A2771991. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2020-3.RLTS.T203883A2771991.en. Retrieved 14 July 2025.
- 1 2 Anolis extremus at the Reptarium.cz Reptile Database. Accessed 14 July 2025.
- ↑ Kristen A. Nicholson; Brian I. Crother; Craig Guyer; Jay M. Savage (10 September 2012). "It is time for a new classification of anoles (Squamata: Dactyloidae)" (PDF). Zootaxa. 3477: 1–108. doi:10.11646/zootaxa.3477.1.1. Retrieved 19 May 2013.
- 1 2 "Anolis extremus". Global invasive species database. Invasive Species Specialist Group. Retrieved 14 July 2025.
- ↑ Midtgaard, Rune. "Reptiles of Barbados". RepFocus - A Survey of the Reptiles of the World. Retrieved 14 July 2025.
- ↑ A. Hailey (2013). "Anolis extremus (Barbados anole)". CABI Compendium. doi:10.1079/cabicompendium.112276.
External links
[edit]
Media related to Anolis extremus at Wikimedia Commons- Anolis extremus at the Encyclopedia of Life
- Anolis extremus at the Reptile Database
