Pantheranolis
| Pantheranolis | ||||||||||||
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Male specimen of Pantheranolis ( Anolis sabanus ) |
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| Scientific name | ||||||||||||
| Anolis sabanus | ||||||||||||
| Garman , 1887 |
The pantheranolis ( Anolis sabanus ) is an endemic lizard of the genus Anolis on the Caribbean island of Saba . The species was described in 1887 by the herpetologist Samuel Garman .
description
The pantheranolis is a very small lizard, adult females usually reach a length of 23 to 25 mm without a tail. The males can become significantly larger, some specimens grow up to 72 mm. The species also shows a pronounced sexual dimorphism in terms of color : males are colored pale gray to brownish on the back, the ventral coloration varies from a pale green-yellowish tone to gray. As with all males of the genus Anolis, Anolis sabanus also has a throat pouch that is pale yellow with green or orange spots. Characteristic are the irregular, black spots on the back of the animals, which gave the species its German name Pantheranolis. The females are generally less conspicuous in their coloring, with significantly less pronounced spots. In addition, some of the females have a vague stripe that runs down the middle of the back.
Occurrence
The distribution area of the panther anole is limited to the small Caribbean island of Saba, one of the special communities in the Netherlands . Here, however, the lizards are often found and can be found in every terrestrial habitat on the island and at all altitudes. In the settlements on the island, too, the species can regularly be spotted sunbathing on stones or on house walls. In the forests of Saba, the lizards often stay on trees.
In April 2015 a specimen of Anolis sabanus was first found outside of Saba on the neighboring island of Sint Eustatius . The adult male was discovered and captured by local and Dutch researchers in the port of Oranjestad next to some shipping containers. It is believed that the animal was accidentally brought into St. Eustatius in a fishing boat or container delivery, which takes place regularly between the two islands. Since no further individuals of the species were found, the establishment of a reproductive population on St. Eustatius is considered unlikely in the near future.
nutrition
The panther anole feeds on small insects in the wild ; in captivity, the animals also accept fruit pulp or yoghurt .
There is also an eyewitness report by the American researchers Robert Powell and Adam Watkins from 2014, which describes a case of cannibalism in Anolis sabanus . In this case, a juvenile specimen was hunted and shot by an adult male of its own species.
Reproduction
The females of the species lay a single egg with a soft shell every five to seven days. The young animals hatch after about 35 to 45 days at suitable temperatures. In juvenile animals, the sex cannot yet be determined with absolute certainty. If the young are born in captivity, advisors recommend that the animals be raised separately.
Terrariums
The keeping of the panther anole in the terrarium is described as quite unproblematic. The species needs temperatures between 24 ° C and 27 ° C, even at night the temperature should not drop below 20 ° C. The animals need various climbing opportunities and can only be kept in pairs due to the territorial behavior of both male and female specimens . The minimum size of the terrarium is given as 50 × 40 × 60 cm.
Phylogeny
Within the very species-rich genus Anolis , Anolis sabanus belongs to the subgenus Ctenonotus (which is regarded by some taxonomists as an independent genus). According to the genetic data, it is closely related to Anolis marmoratus from the island of Guadeloupe and various species of neighboring islands in the Leeward Islands , which were previously mostly placed as subspecies of Anolis marmoratus . Together with other species from the northern Lesser Antilles, they form the " bimaculatus species group".
literature
- Anita Malhotra, Roger S. Thorpe: Reptiles & Amphibians of the Eastern Caribbean . Macmillan Education, 1999, ISBN 0-333-69141-5 , pp. 61 .
Web links
Individual evidence
- ↑ a b Saban Anole. In: dcnanature.org. Dutch Caribbean Nature Alliance, accessed August 1, 2018 .
- ^ Anna Rojer: Biological Inventory of Saba . Ed .: Carmabi Foundation. Curaçao November 1997, p. 36 .
- ↑ Wendy Jesse, Hannah Madden: First Ever Recorded Introduction of Endemic Saban Anole (Anolis sabanus). In: anoleannals.org. June 2, 2016, accessed August 1, 2018 .
- ↑ a b keeping of Anolis sabanus. In: saumfinger.de. Retrieved August 1, 2018 .
- ^ Robert Powell, Adam Watkins: First Report of Cannibalism in the Saba Anole (Anolis sabanus), with a Review of Cannibalism in West Indian Anoles. In: anoleannals.org. 2014, accessed August 1, 2018 .
- ↑ Axel Fläschendräger, Leo Wijffels: Anolis . Nature and Animals, 2009, ISBN 978-3-931587-04-8 , pp. 208 .
- ↑ Christopher J. Schneider, Jonathan B. Losos, Kevin de Queiroz (2001): Evolutionary Relationships of the Anolis bimaculatus Group from the Northern Lesser Antilles. Journal of Herpetobgy 35 (1): 1-12.
- ↑ Poe, Steven; Nieto-Montes, de Oca; Torres-Carvajal, Omar; de Queiroz, Kevin; Velasco, Julian A .; Truett, Brad; Gray, Levi N .; Ryan, Mason J .; Koehler, Gunther; Ayala-Varela, Fernando; Latella, Ian (2017): A Phylogenetic, Biogeographic, and Taxonomic study of all Extant Species of Anolis (Squamata; Iguanidae). Systematic Biology 66 (5): 663-697. doi: 10.1093 / sysbio / syx029