Published March 5, 2022. Updated December 22, 2023. Open access. | Gallery ❯ |
Parrot Anole (Anolis chloris)
Reptiles of Ecuador | Sauria | Anolidae | Anolis chloris
English common name: Parrot Anole, Boulenger’s Green Anole.
Spanish common names: Anolis loro, anolis verde de Boulenger.
Recognition: ♂♂ 19.4 cmMaximum distance from the snout to the tip of the tail. Snout–vent length=6.2 cm. ♀♀ 18.2 cmMaximum distance from the snout to the tip of the tail. Snout–vent length=5.8 cm..1,2 Anoles are easily distinguishable from other lizards by their diurnal habits, extensible dewlap in males, expanded digital pads, and granular scales on the dorsum and belly.3 The Parrot Anole (Anolis chloris) can be differentiated from other co-occurring green Anolis by its small size, blue iris, dorsum lacking bands, and its entirely whitish dewlap.2–5 In the Chocó rainforest of Ecuador, the most similar anoles in coloration are A. purpurescens and A. parvauritus, both of which are larger in body size and have different dewlap color in both males and females (dewlap absent in females of A. chloris).2
Figure 1: Individuals of Anolis chloris: Reserva Ecológica Mache-Chindul, Esmeraldas province, Ecuador (); Canandé Reserve, Esmeraldas province, Ecuador (); Morromico Reserve, Chocó department, Colombia (). j=juvenile.
Natural history: A locally frequent anole that is often overlooked due to its arboreal habits.1 Parrot Anoles are diurnal and perch 4–50 m above the ground (mean perch height ~3 m)6 and only descends to the ground when chased by a predator or when chasing prey.1–7 Members of this species prefer to perch on large vertical trunks (particularly those devoid of mosses, lianas, or epiphytes),1,8 as well as on thick branches and coconut palm trunks.9 Parrot Anoles inhabit semi-open environments, including the border of evergreen lowland and foothill forests, in the middle of pastures,1 plantations,10 or along rivers and roads.1,11 They also perch on palm fronds, banana leaves,1 or on railings or wooden walls of rural human constructions.1,10 These lizards bask during the less sunny hours of the day such as in the early morning or late in the afternoon.1,6 During the hottest hours is when individuals are most active, moving through their territory and foraging.1,8 It is also when males perform the majority of their dewlap displays for territorial defense or for courtship.1,8 At night, they roost on the tips of leaves or on thin branches at heights between 90 cm and 10 m above the ground.1 The diet is composed primarily of insects of the order Hemiptera, Hymenoptera, and Orthoptera, but also include mollusks, isopods, insect larvae, spiders, and seeds.1,9 There is a record of a Masked Tityra (Tityra semifasciata) preying upon an individual of this species.1 As a defense mechanism, Parrot Anoles usually run vertically or horizontally along their perch1,12 and jump to different branches or trees. For this reason, these lizards prefer trunks devoid of epiphytes that can hinder their escape. If persecuted to the ground, they can hide in the leaf-litter or among the roots of the same or a nearby tree.1
Conservation: Least Concern Believed to be safe from extinction given current circumstances..13 Anolis chloris is listed in this category given its wide distribution over areas that have not been heavily affected by deforestation and its presence in several protected areas in Panama, Colombia and Ecuador. Therefore, the species is considered to be facing no major immediate extinction threats. The most important threat for the long-term survival of some populations is large-scale deforestation caused by the expansion of the agricultural frontier.13
Distribution: Anolis chloris is distributed throughout the Chocoan lowlands and adjacent Andean foothills from eastern Panama, through western Colombia, to Cotopaxi province in Ecuador (Fig. 2).
Figure 2: Distribution of Anolis chloris in Ecuador. The star corresponds to the type locality: Paramba, Imbabura province. See Appendix 1 for a complete list of the presence localities included in the map.
Etymology: The generic name Anolis is thought to have originated from Cariban languages, specifically from the word anoli, which is the name Arawak peoples may have used to refer to this group of lizards.14 The specific epithet chloris comes from the Greek word chloros (=green) and refers to the bright green coloration in this anole.
See it in the wild: Parrot Anoles are easy to observe during daylight hours given their preference to bask on large trunks without epiphytic vegetation in open areas or in coconut palms near the coast. They may also be found at night sleeping on palm leaves. In Ecuador, the localities having the greatest number of recent observations are Canandé Reserve and the outskirts of the town Puerto Quito.
Acknowledgments: Special thanks to Pablo Montoya for his assistance in the field and for helping photograph some of the specimens pictured in this account. Thanks to Lina Parra for helping compile information used in this account.
Author: Jose VieiraaAffiliation: Tropical Herping (TH), Quito, Ecuador.,bAffiliation: ExSitu, Quito, Ecuador.
Editor: Alejandro ArteagacAffiliation: Khamai Foundation, Quito, Ecuador.
Photographers: Jose VieiraaAffiliation: Tropical Herping (TH), Quito, Ecuador.,bAffiliation: ExSitu, Quito, Ecuador. and Sebastián Di DoménicodAffiliation: Keeping Nature, Bogotá, Colombia.
How to cite? Vieira J (2022) Parrot Anole (Anolis chloris). In: Arteaga A, Bustamante L, Vieira J (Eds) Reptiles of Ecuador: Life in the middle of the world. Available from: www.reptilesofecuador.com. DOI: 10.47051/QSMJ5695
Literature cited:
- Field notes, Reptiles of Ecuador book project.
- Williams EE, Rand H, Rand AS, O’Hara RJ (1995) A computer approach to the comparision and identification of species in difficult taxonomic groups. Breviora 502: 1–47.
- Peters JA, Donoso-Barros R (1970) Catalogue of the Neotropical Squamata: part II, lizards and amphisbaenians. Bulletin of the United States National Museum, Washington, D.C., 293 pp.
- Cortés Gómez AM, Valencia Aguilar A, Torres Domínguez DM, García Calderón LM, Villaquirán Martínez DF, Cáceres Franco AP, Castro Herrera F (2010) Guía de los anfibios y reptiles. Área en conservación de la microcuenca Quebrada Pericos. Corporación Autónoma Regional del Valle del Cauca, Santiago de Cali, 37 pp.
- MECN (2010) Serie herpetofauna del Ecuador: El Chocó esmeraldeño. Museo Ecuatoriano de Ciencias Naturales, Quito, 232 pp.
- Miyata KI (2013) Studies on the ecology and population biology of little known Ecuadorian anoles. Bulletin of the Museum of Comparative Zoology 161: 45–78.
- Velasco JA, Herrel A (2007) Ecomorphology of Anolis lizards of the Chocó region in Colombia and comparisons with Greater Antillean ecomorphs. Biological Journal of the Linnean Society 92: 29–39. DOI: 10.1111/j.1095-8312.2007.00885.x
- Rengifo JT, Castro Herrera F, Purroy Iraizos FJ (2015) Habitat use and ecomorphology relation of an assemblage of Anolis (Lacertilia: Dactyloidae) in the Chocoan natural region from Colombia. Acta Zoológica Mexicana 31: 159–172.
- Boada Viteri EA (2015) Ecología de una comunidad de lagartijas del género Anolis (Iguanidae: Dactyloinae) de un bosque pie-montano del Ecuador occidental. BSc thesis, Quito, Pontificia Universidad Católica del Ecuador, 111 pp.
- Mosquera JTR, Perea JA, Sanclemente CSA (2007) Guía de las 50 especies de fauna silvestre más comunes en la Cabecera Municipal de Quibdó y sus alrededores. Universidad Tecnológica del Chocó, Quibdó, 188 pp.
- Rengifo-Palacios MY, Rengifo JT, Serna JE (2021) Diversidad de Anolis (Lacertilia: Dactyloidae) en bosque pluvial tropical, del Chocó-Colombia. Revista Colombiana de Ciencia Animal-RECIA 13: e729. DOI: 10.24188/recia.v13.n1.2021.729
- Fitch HS, Echelle AF, Echelle AA (1976) Field observations on rare or little known mainland anoles. The University of Kansas Science Bulletin 5: 91–128. DOI: 10.5962/bhl.part.24957
- Batista A, Bolívar W, Velasco J, Castañeda MR (2020) Anolis chloris. The IUCN Red List of threatened species. Available from: www.iucnredlist.org. DOI: 10.2305/IUCN.UK.2020-3.RLTS.T203084A2760028.en
- Allsopp R (1996) Dictionary of Caribbean English Usage. Oxford University Press, Oxford, 776 pp.
Appendix 1: Locality data used to create the distribution map of Anolis chloris in Ecuador (Fig. 2). Go to the section on symbols and abbreviations for a list of acronyms used. Asterisk (*) indicates type locality.
| Country | Province | Locality | Source |
| Colombia | Nariño | Chucunez | Calderón et al. 2023 |
| Colombia | Nariño | CORPOICA | Pinto-Erazo et al. 2020 |
| Colombia | Nariño | Dirección General Marítima (DIMAR) | Pinto-Erazo et al. 2020 |
| Colombia | Nariño | Estación Mar Agrícola | Pinto-Erazo et al. 2020 |
| Colombia | Nariño | Junín, 4 km NE of | iNaturalist; photo examined |
| Colombia | Nariño | Reserva Natural El Pangán | Photo by Carlos Luna |
| Colombia | Nariño | Universidad Nacional de Colombia, Sede Nariño | Pinto-Erazo et al. 2020 |
| Ecuador | Carchi | Chinambí | Photo by Andreas Kay |
| Ecuador | Carchi | El Goaltal | iNaturalist; photo examined |
| Ecuador | Carchi | La Primavera | Reptiles of Ecuador book database |
| Ecuador | Carchi | Peñas Blancas | Reptiles of Ecuador book database |
| Ecuador | Carchi | Tobar Donoso, 1.8 km SW of | iNaturalist; photo examined |
| Ecuador | Cotopaxi | Bosque Privado El Jardín de los Sueños | Photo by Christophe Pellet |
| Ecuador | Cotopaxi | Yakusinchi | Photo by Jane Sloan |
| Ecuador | Esmeraldas | Bilsa | Reptiles of Ecuador book database |
| Ecuador | Esmeraldas | Bosque Protector La Chiquita | Online multimedia |
| Ecuador | Esmeraldas | Cabeceras de Bilsa | Almendariz & Carr 2007 |
| Ecuador | Esmeraldas | Cachabi | UMMZ 58911; VertNet |
| Ecuador | Esmeraldas | Caimito | Reptiles of Ecuador book database |
| Ecuador | Esmeraldas | Charco Vicente | Morales 2004 |
| Ecuador | Esmeraldas | Estero Chipa | Vázquez et al. 2005 |
| Ecuador | Esmeraldas | Finca de Carlos Vásquez | Photo by Carlos Vásquez |
| Ecuador | Esmeraldas | Hacienda Equinox | USNM 234599; VertNet |
| Ecuador | Esmeraldas | Hotel Flor de Mompiche | iNaturalist; photo examined |
| Ecuador | Esmeraldas | La Mayronga | Reptiles of Ecuador book database |
| Ecuador | Esmeraldas | Lote Salvadores | This work; Fig. 1 |
| Ecuador | Esmeraldas | Pichiyacu | Torres-Carvajal et al. 2019 |
| Ecuador | Esmeraldas | Quigüe | iNaturalist; photo examined |
| Ecuador | Esmeraldas | Reserva Biológica Canandé | Narváez et al. 2019 |
| Ecuador | Esmeraldas | Reserva Ecológica Mache-Chindul | This work; Fig. 1 |
| Ecuador | Esmeraldas | Río Baboso | iNaturalist; photo examined |
| Ecuador | Esmeraldas | San Lorenzo | USNM 234598; VertNet |
| Ecuador | Esmeraldas | San Mateo | MCZ 57020; VertNet |
| Ecuador | Esmeraldas | San Miguel | MCZ 153169; VertNet |
| Ecuador | Esmeraldas | Tesoro Escondido | Reptiles of Ecuador book database |
| Ecuador | Esmeraldas | Tundaloma Lodge | Reptiles of Ecuador book database |
| Ecuador | Esmeraldas | Verdecanandé | Reptiles of Ecuador book database |
| Ecuador | Imbabura | Cachaco | Photo by Andrea Narváez |
| Ecuador | Imbabura | Lita | Reptiles of Ecuador book database |
| Ecuador | Imbabura | Paramba* | Boulenger 1898 |
| Ecuador | Imbabura | Túmbez | UMMZ 58913; VertNet |
| Ecuador | Los Ríos | Centro Científico Río Palenque | MCZ 147001; VertNet |
| Ecuador | Pichincha | Alluriquín | MHNG 2463.041; collection database |
| Ecuador | Pichincha | El Chalpi-Saguangal | Yánez-Muñoz et al. 2009 |
| Ecuador | Pichincha | ENDESA | MHNG 2521.058 |
| Ecuador | Pichincha | Finca Turística Mapacacao | iNaturalist; photo examined |
| Ecuador | Pichincha | Hostería Isla del Colibrí | iNaturalist; photo examined |
| Ecuador | Pichincha | Hostería Selva Virgen | Reptiles of Ecuador book database |
| Ecuador | Pichincha | Hotel Zaracay | MCZ 144315; VertNet |
| Ecuador | Pichincha | Los Bancos | iNaturalist; photo examined |
| Ecuador | Pichincha | Mashpi, 1 km S of | iNaturalist; photo examined |
| Ecuador | Pichincha | Milpe Bird Sanctuary | Reptiles of Ecuador book database |
| Ecuador | Pichincha | Monterreal Rainforest Ecolodge | Photo by José Schreckinger |
| Ecuador | Pichincha | Mouth of Río Yambi | USNM 234603; VertNet |
| Ecuador | Pichincha | Nanegal Grande | USNM 234601; VertNet |
| Ecuador | Pichincha | Pacto, 2 km NE of | USNM 234602; VertNet |
| Ecuador | Pichincha | Pedro Vicente Maldonado | iNaturalist; photo examined |
| Ecuador | Pichincha | Puerto Quito | MCZ 164413; VertNet |
| Ecuador | Pichincha | Rancho Suamox | Photo by Rafael Ferro |
| Ecuador | Pichincha | Río Caoni | USNM 234604; VertNet |
| Ecuador | Pichincha | Santa Marianita | iNaturalist; photo examined |
| Ecuador | Santo Domingo de los Tsáchilas | La Florida | MHNG 2463.038; collection database |
| Ecuador | Santo Domingo de los Tsáchilas | Otongachi Reserve | Boada Viteri 2015 |
| Ecuador | Santo Domingo de los Tsáchilas | Río Baba, 19 km S of Santo Domingo | UIMNH 65976; VertNet |
| Ecuador | Santo Domingo de los Tsáchilas | Santo Domingo de Los Colorados | USNM 234600; VertNet |
| Ecuador | Santo Domingo de los Tsáchilas | Santo Domingo, 13 km S of | MCZ 146998; VertNet |
| Ecuador | Santo Domingo de los Tsáchilas | Santo Domingo, 41 km S of | MCZ 146999; VertNet |
| Ecuador | Santo Domingo de los Tsáchilas | Santo Domingo, 5 km SE of | USNM 285813; VertNet |
| Ecuador | Santo Domingo de los Tsáchilas | Santo Domingo, 8 km S of | Field notes of Steve Poe |
| Ecuador | Santo Domingo de los Tsáchilas | Santuario de Aves Río Silanche | iNaturalist; photo examined |
| Ecuador | Santo Domingo de los Tsáchilas | Valle Hermoso | iNaturalist; photo examined |