Lyre Anole (Anolis lyra)

Reptiles of Ecuador | Sauria | Anolidae | Anolis lyra

English common name: Lyre Anole.

Spanish common name: Anolis cabeza de lira.

Recognition: ♂♂ 20.5 cmMaximum distance from the snout to the tip of the tail. Snout–vent length=7.7 cm. ♀♀ 17.8 cmMaximum distance from the snout to the tip of the tail. Snout–vent length=7.3 cm..^1–3 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. The Lyre Anole (Anolis lyra) can be differentiated from all other co-occurring anoles by having a small dewlap with a dark central spot, and a lyre-shaped symbol in the occipital region.^1,4 In males, the dewlap is orange-red. In females, it is dingy white (Fig. 1). During the daytime, Lyre Anoles have a variegated brownish coloration that resembles tree bark; at night, sleeping individuals assume a whitish coloration.

Figure showing variation among individuals of Anolis lyra

Figure 1: Individuals of Anolis lyra from Ecuador: Cerro de Hayas, Guayas province (); Kapari Lodge, Pichincha province ().

Natural history: Anolis lyra is a frequently encountered diurnal lizard that inhabits old-growth to moderately disturbed rainforests.^2,5 This species also occurs in semi-open human-modified habitats such as plantations,⁴ roadside vegetation and border of pastures.² During the day, Lyre Anoles dwell on leaf-litter or on shrubs,⁶ but generally prefer tree trunks up to 10 m above the ground.^1–7 Thus, they are aptly included in the “floor-trunk” anole ecomorph.⁸ The average perch diameter is around 19 cm.⁷ Individuals have been seen active during the early afternoon, perched on shrubs lit by filtered sun.⁷ At night, they roost on flimsy branches, leaves, and twigs at 0.8–15 m above the ground.² Anolis lyra is an insectivorous species. Its diet includes primarily caterpillars, crickets, and grasshoppers, but also butterflies, moths,⁹ dragonflies, centipedes, and plant matter.⁷ When grabbed by a predator, these lizards can shed the tail, which remains wiggling on the ground.² Anolis lyra is an oviparous species,¹⁰ but the clutch size and nesting sites are not known.

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Conservation: Least Concern Believed to be safe from extinction given current circumstances..¹¹ Anolis lyra 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 Colombia and Ecuador.¹¹ 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.

Distribution: Anolis lyra is distributed throughout the Chocoan lowlands of western Colombia and northwestern Ecuador (Fig. 2).

Figure 2: Distribution of Anolis lyra in Ecuador. The star corresponds to the type locality: Finca Victoria, Pichincha 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.¹² The specific epithet lyra is a Greek word and refers to the lyre-shaped marking on the back of the head.¹

See it in the wild: Lyre Anoles are easily located in forested areas throughout the species’ area of distribution. They can be spotted at night along forest borders or trails while they sleep on leaves and twigs. Anolis lyra is particularly common in Canandé Reserve and Río Silanche Wildlife Sanctuary.

Author: Alejandro Arteaga^aAffiliation: Khamai Foundation, Quito, Ecuador.

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

How to cite? Arteaga A (2023) Lyre Anole (Anolis lyra). 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/CLWX8078

Literature cited:

Poe S, Velasco J, Miyata K, Williams EE (2009) Descriptions of two nomen nudum species of Anolis lizard from Northwestern South America. Breviora 516: 1–16.
Field notes, Reptiles of Ecuador book project.
Ayala-Varela F, Carvajal-Campos A (2022) Anolis lyra. In: Torres-Carvajal O, Pazmiño-Otamendi G, Ayala-Varela F, Salazar-Valenzuela D (Eds) Reptiles del Ecuador. Museo de Zoología, Pontificia Universidad Católica del Ecuador. Available from: https://bioweb.bio
Arteaga A, Bustamante L, Guayasamin JM (2013) The amphibians and reptiles of Mindo. Universidad Tecnológica Indoamérica, Quito, 257 pp.
Cruz-García K, Cisneros-Heredia DF, Sánchez-Nivicela JC, Amador L (2020) New records of four reptile species (Lepidosauria, Squamata) from the province of Guayas, southwestern Ecuador. Check List 16: 765–772. DOI: 10.15560/16.3.1765
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
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.
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.
Photo by Felipe Campos.
Uetz P, Freed P, Hošek J (2021) The reptile database. Available from: www.reptile-database.org
Velasco J, Castañeda MR, Bolívar W (2020) Anolis lyra. The IUCN Red List of threatened species. Available from: www.iucnredlist.org. DOI: 10.2305/IUCN.UK.2020-3.RLTS.T44577452A44577457.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 lyra 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	Universidad Nacional de Colombia, Sede Nariño	Pinto-Erazo et al. 2020
Colombia	Valle del Cauca	Timbiquí	iNaturalist; photo examined
Ecuador	Bolívar	Río Verde	Arteaga et al. 2013
Ecuador	Cañar	El Chorro	Reptiles of Ecuador book database
Ecuador	Cañar	Hidroeléctrica Ocaña	MZUA.RE.0195; examined
Ecuador	Carchi	Chinambí	Photo by Andreas Kay
Ecuador	Carchi	Comunidad El Baboso	iNaturalist; photo examined
Ecuador	Carchi	Destacamento Militar Tobar Donoso	Yánez-Muñoz et al. 2009
Ecuador	Carchi	Río San Juán	Yánez-Muñoz et al. 2009
Ecuador	Chimborazo	Cumandá	Photo by Eduardo Zavala
Ecuador	Cotopaxi	Bosque Privado El Jardín de los Sueños	Pellet 2017
Ecuador	El Oro	Cascadas de Manuel	Yánez-Muñoz et al. 2014
Ecuador	El Oro	Playas de Daucay	iNaturalist; photo examined
Ecuador	El Oro	Reserva Biológica Buenaventura	Reptiles of Ecuador book database
Ecuador	El Oro	Yacuviña	iNaturalist; photo examined
Ecuador	Esmeraldas	Alto Tambo	Arteaga et al. 2013
Ecuador	Esmeraldas	Bilsa	Ortega-Andrade et al. 2010
Ecuador	Esmeraldas	Bosque Protector La Perla	Photo by Paul Hamilton
Ecuador	Esmeraldas	Cabeceras de Bilsa	Almendariz & Carr 2007
Ecuador	Esmeraldas	Caimito	Reptiles of Ecuador book database
Ecuador	Esmeraldas	Canandé Biological Reserve	Reptiles of Ecuador book database
Ecuador	Esmeraldas	Cerro Zapayo	iNaturalist; photo examined
Ecuador	Esmeraldas	Cresta San Francisco	Arteaga et al. 2013
Ecuador	Esmeraldas	Durango	Photo by Morley Read
Ecuador	Esmeraldas	El Rancho	iNaturalist; photo examined
Ecuador	Esmeraldas	Finca de Carlos Vásquez	Photo by Carlos Vásquez
Ecuador	Esmeraldas	Gualpi	Reptiles of Ecuador book database
Ecuador	Esmeraldas	La Concordia–Pedro Vicente Maldonado	Reptiles of Ecuador book database
Ecuador	Esmeraldas	La Concordia, Cayapas	iNaturalist; photo examined
Ecuador	Esmeraldas	Laguna de Cube	Arteaga et al. 2013
Ecuador	Esmeraldas	Lote Salvadores	Reptiles of Ecuador book database
Ecuador	Esmeraldas	Mayronga, Lagarto	Arteaga et al. 2013
Ecuador	Esmeraldas	Mompiche	Photo by Alberto Edwin
Ecuador	Esmeraldas	Playa de Oro	iNaturalist; photo examined
Ecuador	Esmeraldas	Quinindé, 18 km E of	iNaturalist; photo examined
Ecuador	Esmeraldas	Río Achiote	Reptiles of Ecuador book database
Ecuador	Esmeraldas	Río Hoja Blanca	Reptiles of Ecuador book database
Ecuador	Esmeraldas	Salto del Bravo	Arteaga et al. 2013
Ecuador	Esmeraldas	San Lorenzo, 5 km S of	Online multimedia
Ecuador	Esmeraldas	San Miguel de Cayapas	QCAZ 2224; Ayala-Varela & Carvajal-Campos 2022
Ecuador	Esmeraldas	Tundaloma Lodge	Reptiles of Ecuador book database
Ecuador	Guayas	Cerro de Hayas	Cruz-García et al. 2020
Ecuador	Guayas	Rancho Alemán	QCAZ 18218; Ayala-Varela & Carvajal-Campos 2022
Ecuador	Imbabura	Lita, 5 km E of	Arteaga et al. 2013
Ecuador	Los Ríos	Buena Fé	Poe et al. 2009
Ecuador	Los Ríos	Centro Científico Río Palenque	Poe et al. 2009
Ecuador	Los Ríos	Hacienda Cerro Chico	Reptiles of Ecuador book database
Ecuador	Manabí	Finca El Silencio	iNaturalist; photo examined
Ecuador	Manabí	Reserva Jama Coaque	Lynch et al. 2016
Ecuador	Manabí	Three Forests Trail	Photo by Paul Maier
Ecuador	Pichincha	Cascadas de Mindo	Reptiles of Ecuador book database
Ecuador	Pichincha	Cascadas El Naranjal	iNaturalist; photo examined
Ecuador	Pichincha	Finca Victoria*	Poe et al. 2009
Ecuador	Pichincha	Hostería Selva Virgen	Reptiles of Ecuador book database
Ecuador	Pichincha	Kapari Lodge	Reptiles of Ecuador book database
Ecuador	Pichincha	La Belle Vue Lodge	iNaturalist; photo examined
Ecuador	Pichincha	Pedro Vicente Maldonado	QCAZ 4088; Ayala-Varela & Carvajal-Campos 2022
Ecuador	Pichincha	Pedro Vicente Maldonado, 10 km W of	QCAZ 9743; Ayala-Varela & Carvajal-Campos 2022
Ecuador	Pichincha	Puerto Quito	Poe et al. 2009
Ecuador	Pichincha	Reserva Mashpi Shungo	Reptiles of Ecuador book database
Ecuador	Pichincha	Reserva Natural Mangaloma	Photo by Andreas Kay
Ecuador	Pichincha	Río Silanche Bird Sanctuary	Reptiles of Ecuador book database
Ecuador	Santo Domingo de los Tsáchilas	Centro de Interpretación Otongachi	Boada Viteri 2015
Ecuador	Santo Domingo de los Tsáchilas	Finca Tinalandia	Poe et al. 2009
Ecuador	Santo Domingo de los Tsáchilas	Puente del Río Baba	QCAZ 14165; Ayala-Varela & Carvajal-Campos 2022
Ecuador	Santo Domingo de los Tsáchilas	Santo Domingo de los Colorados	Poe et al. 2009