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DOI10.47051/CMJH5765 Published April 26, 2022. Open access.

Gallery ❯

Charm Anole (Anolis gracilipes)

Reptiles of Ecuador | Sauria | Anolidae | Anolis gracilipes

English common name: Charm Anole.

Spanish common name: Anolis encantador.

Recognition: ♂♂ 18.5 cmMaximum distance from the snout to the tip of the tail. Snout–vent length=5.8 cm. ♀♀ 19.1 cmMaximum distance from the snout to the tip of the tail. Snout–vent length=6.1 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 Charm Anole (Anolis gracilipes) can be distinguished from the other species of Anolis with which it co-occurs based on coloration and dewlap pattern.⁴ The dorsum is dark-brown with silver to bronze inverted chevrons, the flanks are greenish, and there is a yellow-green mark under the eye and on the upper lip; females may have a pale vertebral stripe with black edges.^5,6 The dewlap is bright orange with rows of greenish scales.⁴ Two Chocoan anoles similar to A. gracilipes in dewlap coloration are A. fraseri and A. binotatus. Anolis fraseri is larger in body size and has an elevated dorsal crest.^4,7 Anolis binotatus has a white ventrolateral stripe and an orange-red (instead of saffron yellow) dewlap.

Figure 1: Individuals of Anolis gracilipes from Milpe Bird Sanctuary, Pichincha province (); Canandé Reserve, Esmeraldas province (); and Mache-Chindul Ecological Reserve, Esmeraldas province (); Ecuador. j=juvenile.

Natural history: CommonRecorded weekly in densities above five individuals per locality.. Anolis gracilipes is a diurnal lizard that inhabits old-growth to moderately disturbed evergreen forests,^4,8 as well as human-modified environments such as clearings, forest remnants along streams, and rural gardens.^2,9 Charm Anoles are included in the “grass-bush” anole ecomorph because they primarily use the undergrowth and herbaceous forest strata 0–2.5 m above the ground, and because they have a small body (~5 cm snout-vent-length), long-tail (>1.5–2 SVL), and long legs (>0.75 SVL).^9,10 They generally use perches around 1.5 cm in diameter,⁹ but may also forage on the forest floor.^2,4 These lizards are primarily active during sunny or cloudy days when the ambient temperature is 18.7–25.4 °C.⁹ At night, they roost on twigs, stems, ferns, or fragile leaves 20–205 cm above the ground and usually near their daytime perches.^2,4 This behavior allows them to detect potential predators by sensing the vibration on the perch, to which they respond by jumping and disappearing into the dark.² Charm Anoles rely primarily on their camouflage to avoid predation, but they can also jump to the ground and swiftly run away.² There is an unpublished photographic record of a Cloud-forest Pygmy-Owl (Glaucidium nubicola) preying upon an individual of this species.² Anolis gracilipes is a primarily insectivorous predator. Individuals feed mainly on insects of the order Hemiptera, Hymenoptera, Orthoptera, and Coleoptera, but also include mollusks, isopods, insect larvae, spiders, and seeds in their diet.⁹ Anoles in general lay clutches of one egg at a time,^11,12 but the clutch size and nesting sites of A. gracilipes are not known.

Conservation: Least Concern Believed to be safe from extinction given current circumstances..¹³ Anolis gracilipes is listed in this category given its wide distribution, presence in protected areas, and presumed large stable populations.¹³ Therefore, the species is considered to be facing no major immediate extinction threats. However, in the Pacific lowlands of northwestern Ecuador, much (~56%)¹⁴ of the species’ habitat has been lost due to deforestation caused by rural-urban development and the expansion of the agricultural frontier.^15,16 For this reason, A. gracilipes may qualify for a threatened category at the national level if the threat of habitat loss in western Ecuador is not addressed.

Distribution: Anolis gracilipes occurs in the Chocoan lowlands and adjacent Andean foothills from western Colombia to Cotopaxi province in west-central Ecuador. This species has been recorded at elevations between 9 and 1162 m (Fig. 2).

Figure 2: Distribution of Anolis gracilipes 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.¹⁷ The specific epithet gracilipes, which comes from the Latin words gracilis (meaning “slender”) and pedis (meaning “foot”),¹⁸ refers to the feebly dilated digits of this anole.⁵

See it in the wild: Charm Anoles are usually found in closed-canopy situations rather than in open or semi-open areas. In Ecuador, the best localities to find lizards of this species are Otongachi Reserve, Bilsa Biological Reserve, and Milpe Bird Sanctuary. These lizards can be seen perching on leaves and small twigs along forest trails during the night.

Authors: Angie Tovar-Ortiz^aAffiliation: Universidad de los Andes, Bogotá, Colombia. and Alejandro Arteaga^bAffiliation: Biodiversity Field Lab, Khamai Foundation, Quito, Ecuador.

Photographer: Jose Vieira^cAffiliation: Tropical Herping (TH), Quito, Ecuador.^,dAffiliation: ExSitu, Quito, Ecuador.

How to cite? Tovar-Ortiz A, Arteaga A (2022) Charm Anole (Anolis gracilipes). In: Arteaga A, Bustamante L, Vieira J, Guayasamin JM (Eds) Reptiles of Ecuador: Life in the middle of the world. Available from: www.reptilesofecuador.com. DOI: 10.47051/CMJH5765

Literature cited:

1. 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.
2. Field notes, Reptiles of Ecuador book project.
3. 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.
4. Arteaga A, Bustamante L, Guayasamin JM (2013) The amphibians and reptiles of Mindo. Universidad Tecnológica Indoamérica, Quito, 257 pp.
5. Boulenger GA (1898) An account of the reptiles and batrachians collected by Mr. Rosenberg in western Ecuador. Proceedings of the Zoological Society of London 9: 107–126.
6. Yánez-Muñoz M, Meza-Ramos P, Ramírez S, Reyes-Puig J, Oyagata L (2009) Anfibios y reptiles del Distrito Metropolitano de Quito (DMQ). In: Yánez-Muñoz MH, Moreno-Cárdenas PA, Mena-Valenzuela P (Eds) Guía de campo de los pequeños vertebrados del Distrito Metropolitano de Quito (DMQ). Museo Ecuatoriano de Ciencias Naturales (MECN), Quito, 9–52.
7. Ayala-Varela F, Valverde S, Poe S, Narváez AE, Yánez- Muñoz MH, Torres-Carvajal O (2021) A new giant anole (Squamata: Iguanidae: Dactyloinae) from southwestern Ecuador. Zootaxa 4991: 295–317. DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.4991.2.4
8. Ortega-Andrade HM, Bermingham J, Aulestia C, Paucar C (2010) Herpetofauna of the Bilsa Biological Station, province of Esmeraldas, Ecuador. Check List 6: 119–154. DOI: 10.15560/6.1.119
9. 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.
10. Moreno-Arias R, Velasco JA, Urbina Cardona J, Cárdenas-Arévalo G, Medina Rangel G, Gutiérrez Cárdenas P, Olaya-Rodriguez M, Noguera-Urbano E (2021) Atlas de la biodiversidad de Colombia. Anolis. Instituto de Investigación de Recursos Biológicos Alexander von Humboldt, Bogotá, 72 pp.
11. Blackburn D (1999) Viviparity and oviparity: evolution and reproductive strategies. In: Knobil E, Neill JD (Eds) Encyclopedia of Reproduction. Academic Press, London, 994–1003.
12. Ayala-Varela F (2004) Revisión taxonómica y de variación geográfica de las especies de Anolis (Sauria: Polychrotidae) del Oriente Ecuatoriano. BSc thesis, Pontificia Universidad Católica del Ecuador, 204 pp.
13. Cisneros-Heredia DF, Castañeda MR, Bolívar W, Velasco J (2020) Anolis gracilipes. The IUCN red list of threatened species. Available from: www.iucnredlist.org. DOI: 10.2305/IUCN.UK.2020-3.RLTS.T44577372A44577381.en
14. MAE (2012) Línea base de deforestación del Ecuador continental. Ministerio del Ambiente del Ecuador, Quito, 30 pp.
15. 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.
16. Cisneros-Heredia DF (2006) Distribution and ecology of the western Ecuador frog Leptodactylus labrosus (Amphibia: Anura: Leptodactylidae). Zoological Research 27: 234–255.
17. Allsopp R (1996) Dictionary of Caribbean English Usage. Oxford University Press, Oxford, 776 pp.
18. Brown RW (1956) Composition of scientific words. Smithsonian Books, Washington D.C., 882 pp.

Appendix 1: Locality data used to create the distribution map of Anolis gracilipes 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	Reserva Natural El Pangán	iNaturalist
Ecuador	Carchi	Casa Riva	iNaturalist
Ecuador	Carchi	Chical, 10 km W of	iNaturalist
Ecuador	Carchi	Chical, 5 km W of	iNaturalist
Ecuador	Carchi	Chinambí	This work
Ecuador	Carchi	Parte alta del Río Baboso	DHMECN 14898
Ecuador	Carchi	Río Mira	MCZ 70223
Ecuador	Carchi	Río Pailón	DHMECN 14222
Ecuador	Carchi	Río San Juán	DHMECN 6698
Ecuador	Carchi	Sendero Awá	Yanez-Muñoz 2009
Ecuador	Cotopaxi	El Jardín de los Sueños	Photo by Christophe Pellet
Ecuador	Cotopaxi	Guasaganda	Arteaga et al. 2013
Ecuador	Cotopaxi	Guasaganda, 4.4 km NW of	iNaturalist
Ecuador	Cotopaxi	Vía Pucayacu–Sigchos	Arteaga et al. 2013
Ecuador	Esmeraldas	Alto Tambo	Arteaga et al. 2013
Ecuador	Esmeraldas	Ambientes cercanos terminal del OCP	Valencia & Garzón 2011
Ecuador	Esmeraldas	Bilsa Biological Station	Ortega-Andrade et al. 2010
Ecuador	Esmeraldas	Bosque Integral Otokiki	Arteaga et al. 2013
Ecuador	Esmeraldas	Cabeceras de Bilsa	Almendariz & Carr 2007
Ecuador	Esmeraldas	Cachabi	Arteaga et al. 2013
Ecuador	Esmeraldas	Canandé Biological Reserve	DHMECN 2919
Ecuador	Esmeraldas	Chipa	Vázquez et al. 2005
Ecuador	Esmeraldas	Cresta San Francisco	Arteaga et al. 2013
Ecuador	Esmeraldas	Cupa	Arteaga et al. 2013
Ecuador	Esmeraldas	Durango	Arteaga et al. 2013
Ecuador	Esmeraldas	Itapoa Reserve	This work
Ecuador	Esmeraldas	La Pedorrera	Arteaga et al. 2013
Ecuador	Esmeraldas	La Tola	Arteaga et al. 2013
Ecuador	Esmeraldas	Laguna de Cube	Arteaga et al. 2013
Ecuador	Esmeraldas	Las Mareas	iNaturalist
Ecuador	Esmeraldas	Lote Rosero	This work
Ecuador	Esmeraldas	Lote Salvadores	This work
Ecuador	Esmeraldas	Mompiche	iNaturalist
Ecuador	Esmeraldas	Monte Saíno	Arteaga et al. 2013
Ecuador	Esmeraldas	Playa de Oro	iNaturalist
Ecuador	Esmeraldas	Quinindé	MCZ 176922
Ecuador	Esmeraldas	Tundaloma Lodge	This work
Ecuador	Imbabura	Bosque Protector Los Cedros	Los Cedros Reserve 2022
Ecuador	Imbabura	Cielo Verde, 4 km NW of	iNaturalist
Ecuador	Imbabura	Lita	USNM 287909
Ecuador	Imbabura	Paramba*	Boulenger 1898
Ecuador	Imbabura	Reserva 7 Cascadas	Arteaga et al. 2013
Ecuador	Los Ríos	Centro Científico Río Palenque	Miyata 1976
Ecuador	Los Ríos	Santa María del Toachi, 4 km E of	iNaturalist
Ecuador	Pichincha	Alluriquín	MCZ 176921
Ecuador	Pichincha	Alto Río Toachi	USNM 234689
Ecuador	Pichincha	El Abrazo del Árbol	Arteaga et al. 2013
Ecuador	Pichincha	Granja Las Palmeras	iNaturalist
Ecuador	Pichincha	Hostería Selva Virgen	This work
Ecuador	Pichincha	Kapari Lodge (stream)	This work
Ecuador	Pichincha	Las Palmas	MCZ 127696
Ecuador	Pichincha	Mashpi lodge	This work
Ecuador	Pichincha	Milpe Bird Sanctuary	Arteaga et al. 2013
Ecuador	Pichincha	Mindo, 28 km W of	Arteaga et al. 2013
Ecuador	Pichincha	Nanegal, 2 km N of	GBIF
Ecuador	Pichincha	Nuevo Mundo	DHMECN 1574
Ecuador	Pichincha	Puerto Quito	Arteaga et al. 2013
Ecuador	Pichincha	Río Blanco	USNM 234692
Ecuador	Pichincha	Río Caoni	Arteaga et al. 2013
Ecuador	Pichincha	San Miguel de los Bancos	Arteaga et al. 2013
Ecuador	Pichincha	Tanti	Arteaga et al. 2013
Ecuador	Santo Domingo de los Tsáchilas	Centinela	USNM 285678
Ecuador	Santo Domingo de los Tsáchilas	El Esfuerzo, 2 km E of	MCZ 171862
Ecuador	Santo Domingo de los Tsáchilas	Finca Gloria	Arteaga et al. 2013
Ecuador	Santo Domingo de los Tsáchilas	Hacienda Espinosa	CAS 13271
Ecuador	Santo Domingo de los Tsáchilas	Joe Ramsey farm	USNM 234687
Ecuador	Santo Domingo de los Tsáchilas	La Concordia, 8 km SE of	USNM 234688
Ecuador	Santo Domingo de los Tsáchilas	La Florida	MCZ 175915
Ecuador	Santo Domingo de los Tsáchilas	La Florida, 5 km W of	Arteaga et al. 2013
Ecuador	Santo Domingo de los Tsáchilas	Reserva Otongachi	This work
Ecuador	Santo Domingo de los Tsáchilas	Río Baba	UIMNH 66141
Ecuador	Santo Domingo de los Tsáchilas	Santo Domingo de los Colorados	ICN 3993
Ecuador	Santo Domingo de los Tsáchilas	Santo Domingo de los Colorados, 5 km W of	USNM 234686
Ecuador	Santo Domingo de los Tsáchilas	Santo Domingo de los Colorados, 9 km N of	KU 298420
Ecuador	Santo Domingo de los Tsáchilas	Tinalandia	MCZ 144301
Ecuador	Santo Domingo de los Tsáchilas	Valencia	DHMECN 16954

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