Anolis garmani

Anolis garmani
At Strawberry Hill, Jamaica
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Reptilia
Order: Squamata
Suborder: Iguania
Family: Anolidae
Genus: Anolis
Species:
A. garmani
Binomial name
Anolis garmani
Synonyms[2]

Anolis garmani, also known commonly as the Jamaican giant anole, the Jamaican anole, and the Jamaica giant anole, is a species of lizard in the family Dactyloidae. The species is endemic to Jamaica, but has been introduced to Florida.

Taxonomy

Illustration by Hans Sloane, identified by later authors as being of Anolis garmani.

According to Anthony Russell and Aaron Bauer, the taxonomic history of Anolis garmani can be traced back to 1725, when Hans Sloane published a work in which he spoke of and illustrated a large greenish-grey lizard with a short dorsal crest.[3][4] In 1743, Mark Catesby published a figure of an anole under the name Lacerta viridis jamaicensis that has been identified as a member of Anolis garmani by later authors, and there is evidence suggesting that it was off this figure that Carl Linnaeus based his 1758 description of Lacerta bullaris on, which would make that name the most senior synonym for the species. Leonhard Stejneger was the first to use the name Anolis garmani for the species, doing so in his 1899 description of it.[3] The specific name, garmani, is in honor of American herpetologist Samuel Garman.[3][5]

Distribution and habitat

The Jamaican giant anole is native to Jamaica. It has been introduced into Florida. There are recent records from Grand Cayman, but it is unclear if it has become established there.[6] The preferred natural habitat of A. garmani is forest, at altitudes from sea level to 1,300 m (4,300 ft), but it is also found on large trees in gardens.[1]

Description

Showing dewlap

The Jamaican giant anole is by far the largest species in the Norops group, with adult males having a snout–vent length (SVL) of 10–13.1 cm (3.9–5.2 in) and females 8–9.5 cm (3.1–3.7 in).[7] Adults are generally 20–30 cm (7.9–11.8 in) in total length, including tail,[8] with a maximum reported total length of 36.8 cm (14 in).[9]

Although generally green, it turns dark brown at night.[9] The male has an orange-centered yellow dewlap, which is small and dusky in the female.[8]

Behavior

A. garmani is arboreal.[1]

Diet

Juvenile in Jamaica

A. garmani preys upon invertebrates and small anoles, and it also eats fruits.[1]

Reproduction

A. garmani is oviparous.[1][2]

See also

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 Hedges, S.B.; Mahler, D.L.; Wilson, B.S. (2019). "Anolis garmani ". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2019 e.T203884A2772001. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2019-2.RLTS.T203884A2772001.en. Retrieved 18 November 2021.
  2. 1 2 3 Species Anolis garmani at The Reptile Database www.reptile-database.org.
  3. 1 2 3 Russell, Anthony P.; Bauer, Aaron M. (1991). Price, Andrew H. (ed.). Anolis garmani. Catalogue of American Amphibians and Reptiles. Vol. 513. Society for the Study of Amphibians and Reptiles. doi:10.15781/T2NK3695W. Retrieved 19 May 2026 – via University of Texas.
  4. ↑ Sloane, Hans (1725). A voyage to the islands Madera, Barbados, Nieves, S. Christophers and Jamaica. Vol. 2. London. pp. 333 & Tab. 273. Retrieved 19 May 2026 – via Internet Archive.
  5. ↑ Beolens, Bo; Watkins, Michael; Grayson, Michael (2011). The Eponym Dictionary of Reptiles. Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press. xiii + 296 pp. ISBN 978-1-4214-0135-5. (Anolis garmani, p. 98).
  6. ↑ Lever, Christopher (2003). Naturalized Reptiles and Amphibians of the World. Oxford, England: Oxford University Press. 344 pp. ISBN 0 19 850771 2. (Anolis garmani, p. 47).
  7. ↑ Nicholson, Kirsten A.; Crother, Brian I.; Guyer, Craig; Savage, Jay M. (10 September 2012). "It is time for a new classification of anoles (Squamata: Dactyloidae)". Zootaxa. 3477: 1–108. doi:10.11646/zootaxa.3477.1.1.
  8. 1 2 Conant, Roger; Collins, Joseph T. (1998). A Field Guide to the Reptiles and Amphibians of Eastern and Central North America (3 ed.). Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. pp. 212–213. ISBN 978-0-395-90452-7.
  9. 1 2 Badger, David (2006). Lizards: A Natural History of Some Uncommon Creatures – Extraordinary Chameleons, Iguanas, Geckos, & More. Stillwater, Minnesota: Voyageur Press. p. 100. ISBN 978-0-7603-2579-7.

Further reading

  • Schwartz A, Henderson RW (1991). Amphibians and Reptiles of the West Indies: Descriptions, Distributions, and Natural History. Gainesville: University of Florida Press. 720 pp. ISBN 978-0813010496. (Anolis garmani, p. 267).
  • 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 garmani, p. 83).
  • Stejneger L (1899). "A New Name for the Great Crested Anolis of Jamaica". American Naturalist 33: 601–602. (Anolis garmani, new name, p. 602).
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