Blotchbelly Anole (Anolis maculiventris)

Reptiles of Ecuador | Sauria | Anolidae | Anolis maculiventris

English common name: Blotchbelly Anole.

Spanish common name: Anolis ventripunteado, anolis de vientre blanco.

Recognition: ♂♂ 12.9 cmMaximum distance from the snout to the tip of the tail. Snout–vent length=4.6 cm. ♀♀ 13.1 cmMaximum distance from the snout to the tip of the tail. Snout–vent length=4.9 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 Blotchbelly Anole (Anolis maculiventris) can be identified from other co-occurring anoles based on its small size, uniformly brownish dorsal coloration, and its red dewlap with rows of white scales.³ Under stress, the dorsal coloration can turn much darker, especially on the back and head.¹ Females usually have a pale cream vertebral stripe (Fig. 1) and no dewlap.¹ In western Ecuador, the only other brown anole having a red dewlap is A. sagrei, but this introduced species has so far been recorded only in the vicinity of Guayaquil.

Figure showing variation among individuals of Anolis maculiventris

Figure 1: Individuals of Anolis maculiventris: Tundaloma Lodge, Esmeraldas province, Ecuador (); Morromico Lodge, Chocó department, Colombia (); Canandé Reserve, Esmeraldas province, Ecuador (). j=juvenile.

Natural history: Anolis maculiventris is usually the most common anole in the areas where it occurs. Although it inhabits old-growth rainforests,³ it is more abundant in semi-open human-modified habitats such as regrowth forests, planted forests, crops, roadside vegetation, and border of pastures.^2,4 Blotchbelly Anoles are included in the “grass-bush” anole ecomorph⁵ because they primarily use the undergrowth and herbaceous forest strata. During cloudy and sunny days, they perch, bask, and forage primarily on the base of tree trunks or on low branches,⁶ but also dwell on stems, twigs, leaves, and palm fronds.^2,7 The average perch diameter is around 6 mm, much thinner than that used by other co-ocurring anoles.⁴ At night, they roost on flimsy branches, leaves, ferns, and twigs at 0.7–3 m above the ground.² Anolis maculiventris is an insectivorous species. In Ecuador, the diet of a sampled population consisted primarily of crickets, grasshoppers, and spiders, but also included beetles, caterpillars, and centipedes.⁴ In Colombia, a studied population consumed mostly ants and beetles.⁶ When grabbed by a predator, these lizards can shed the tail, which remains wiggling on the ground.² The snake Imantodes cenchoa is often found feeding on A. maculiventris.² This species is oviparous,⁸ but the clutch size and nesting sites are not known.

Reader support helps us keep the Reptiles of Ecuador book 100% free.

Conservation: Least Concern Believed to be safe from extinction given current circumstances..⁹ Anolis maculiventris is listed in this category because it is widely distributed, especially over areas that have not been heavily affected by deforestation, like the Colombian Pacific coast.¹⁰ The species appears to have stable populations, occurs in protected areas, and thrives in some human-modified environments. Therefore, A. maculiventris is considered to be facing no major immediate extinction threats.

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

Figure 2: Distribution of Anolis maculiventris 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.¹¹ The specific epithet maculiventris comes from the Latin macula (=spot) and venter (=belly),¹² and refers to the spotted abdomen.

See it in the wild: Blotchbelly 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 maculiventris is particularly common in Canandé Reserve and Hostería Tinalandia.

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) Blotchbelly Anole (Anolis maculiventris). 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/CDOF9590

Literature cited:

Ayala SC, Williams EE (1988) New or problematic Anolis from Colombia. 6. Two fuscoauratoid anoles from the Pacific lowlands, A. maculiventris Boulenger, 1898 and A. medemi, a new species from Gorgona Island. Breviora 490: 1–16.
Field notes, Reptiles of Ecuador book project.
Arteaga A, Bustamante L, Guayasamin JM (2013) The amphibians and reptiles of Mindo. Universidad Tecnológica Indoamérica, Quito, 257 pp.
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.
Pinilla-Renteria E, Rengifo-Mosquera JT, Salas Londoño J (2015) Dimorphism, habitat use and diet for Anolis maculiventris (Lacertilia: Dactyloidae), in tropical rainforest in Chocó, Colombia. Acta Biológica Colombiana 20: 89–100. DOI: 10.15446/abc
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
Uetz P, Freed P, Hošek J (2021) The reptile database. Available from: www.reptile-database.org.
Velasco J, Castañeda MR, Bolívar W (2020) Anolis maculiventris. The IUCN Red List of threatened species. Available from: www.iucnredlist.org. DOI: 10.2305/IUCN.UK.2020-3.RLTS.T44577194A44577197.en
Hansen MC, Potapov PV, Moore R, Hancher M, Turubanova SA, Tyukavina A, Thau D, Stehman SV, Goetz SJ, Loveland TR, Kommareddy A, Egorov A, Chini L, Justice CO, Townshend JRG (2013) High-resolution global maps of 21st-century forest cover change. Science 342: 850–853. DOI: 10.1126/science.1244693
Allsopp R (1996) Dictionary of Caribbean English Usage. Oxford University Press, Oxford, 776 pp.
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 maculiventris 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	Altaquer	ICN 8397; Calderon, Lynch, Raz, Agudelo 2023
Colombia	Nariño	El Palmichal	Pinto-Erazo et al. 2020
Colombia	Nariño	Estación Mar Agrícola	Pinto-Erazo et al. 2020
Colombia	Nariño	La Espriella	MLS 1755; Cárdenas Hincapié & Lozano Bernal 2022
Colombia	Nariño	La Guayacana	Ayala & Williams 1988
Colombia	Nariño	Reserva Natural La Planada, environs of	Online multimedia
Colombia	Nariño	Tangareal del Mira	Ayala & Williams 1988
Colombia	Nariño	Tumaco	iNaturalist; photo examined
Colombia	Nariño	Universidad Nacional de Colombia, Sede Nariño	Pinto-Erazo et al. 2020
Ecuador	Carchi	Cabaña en Río Blanco	iNaturalist; photo examined
Ecuador	Carchi	Chical	Ayala-Varela et al. 2015
Ecuador	Carchi	Chinambí	Reptiles of Ecuador book database
Ecuador	Carchi	Maldonado, 1 km N of	iNaturalist; photo examined
Ecuador	Carchi	Peñas Blancas	Reptiles of Ecuador book database
Ecuador	Carchi	San Pablo river	Reptiles of Ecuador book database
Ecuador	Carchi	Sendero Awa	Yanez-Muñoz 2009
Ecuador	Carchi	Tobar Donoso	Yanez-Muñoz 2009
Ecuador	Cotopaxi	Chorrera Sapanal	Arteaga et al. 2013
Ecuador	Cotopaxi	El Jardín de los Sueños	Pellet 2017
Ecuador	Cotopaxi	Finca de la familia Tapia	Arteaga et al. 2013
Ecuador	Cotopaxi	Finca Yakusinchi	Photo by Jane Sloan
Ecuador	Esmeraldas	Alto Tambo	Arteaga et al. 2013
Ecuador	Esmeraldas	Bilsa Biological Reserve	Ortega-Andrade et al. 2010
Ecuador	Esmeraldas	Bloque Sirúa	iNaturalist; photo examined
Ecuador	Esmeraldas	Bosque Protector La Chiquita	Ayala & Williams 1988
Ecuador	Esmeraldas	Bosque Protector La Perla	iNaturalist; photo examined
Ecuador	Esmeraldas	Cachabi	Ayala & Williams 1988
Ecuador	Esmeraldas	Canandé Biological Reserve	Narváez et al. 2019
Ecuador	Esmeraldas	Durango	Arteaga et al. 2013
Ecuador	Esmeraldas	Finca de Carlos Vásquez	Photo by Carlos Vásquez
Ecuador	Esmeraldas	Gualpi	Reptiles of Ecuador book database
Ecuador	Esmeraldas	La Concordia	iNaturalist; photo examined
Ecuador	Esmeraldas	La Tola	Arteaga et al. 2013
Ecuador	Esmeraldas	Lagarto	Arteaga et al. 2013
Ecuador	Esmeraldas	Lote Quijano	Yanez-Muñoz 2005
Ecuador	Esmeraldas	Lote Rosero	Reptiles of Ecuador book database
Ecuador	Esmeraldas	Lote Ventanas	Yánez-Muñoz 2005
Ecuador	Esmeraldas	Maldonado	Arteaga et al. 2013
Ecuador	Esmeraldas	Monte Saíno	Arteaga et al. 2013
Ecuador	Esmeraldas	Pichiyacu	Arteaga et al. 2013
Ecuador	Esmeraldas	Río Cachabi	Ayala & Williams 1988
Ecuador	Esmeraldas	Río Onzole	Arteaga et al. 2013
Ecuador	Esmeraldas	Salto del Bravo	Arteaga et al. 2013
Ecuador	Esmeraldas	San Lorenzo	Ayala & Williams 1988
Ecuador	Esmeraldas	Tundaloma Lodge	Reptiles of Ecuador book database
Ecuador	Imbabura	Lita	Ayala & Williams 1988
Ecuador	Imbabura	Paramba*	Boulenger 1898
Ecuador	Imbabura	Siete Cascadas	Reptiles of Ecuador book database
Ecuador	Manabí	Cerro Pata de Pájaro	Reptiles of Ecuador book database
Ecuador	Pichincha	El Abrazo del Árbol	Reptiles of Ecuador book database
Ecuador	Pichincha	Escalera	iNaturalist; photo examined
Ecuador	Pichincha	Hacienda La Hesperia	Brouwer 2018
Ecuador	Pichincha	Las Tolas	Carrera et al. 2009
Ecuador	Pichincha	Maquipucuna Reserve	Photo by Arthur Moris
Ecuador	Pichincha	Mashpi Reserve	Reptiles of Ecuador book database
Ecuador	Pichincha	Milpe Bird Sanctuary	Reptiles of Ecuador book database
Ecuador	Pichincha	Nanegal, 2 km N of	iNaturalist; photo examined
Ecuador	Pichincha	Nanegalito	iNaturalist; photo examined
Ecuador	Pichincha	Pedro Vicente Maldonado, 10 km W of	QCAZ 9751; Ayala-Varela & Carvajal-Campos 2022.
Ecuador	Pichincha	Río Saloya	iNaturalist; photo examined
Ecuador	Santo Domingo de los Tsáchilas	Bosque Integral Otongachi	Boada Viteri 2015
Ecuador	Santo Domingo de los Tsáchilas	El Esfuerzo	UIMNH 65969; not examined
Ecuador	Santo Domingo de los Tsáchilas	Hostería Tinalandia	Reptiles of Ecuador book database
Ecuador	Santo Domingo de los Tsáchilas	Santo Domingo de los Colorados	Arteaga et al. 2013