DOI10.47051/PVXS7284

Published June 24, 2023. Updated November 6, 2023. Open access.

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Quimbaya Anole (Anolis quimbaya)

Reptiles of Ecuador | Sauria | Anolidae | Anolis quimbaya

English common names: Quimbaya Anole.

Spanish common names: Anolis quimbaya.

Recognition: ♂♂ 18.3 cmMaximum distance from the snout to the tip of the tail. Snout–vent length=8.3 cm. ♀♀ 19.0 cmMaximum distance from the snout to the tip of the tail. Snout–vent length=8.6 cm..1 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.2,3 The Quimbaya Anole (Anolis quimbaya) belongs to the phenacosaur group of anoles, which are characterized by having large smooth head scales, short limbs, short and prehensile tail, and chameleon-like movements.4–7 This species differs from other members of the group by having a discontinuous nuchal crest, granular dorsal scales surrounding heterogeneous flat scales, and a unique coloration.1,8 The dorsum is usually bright green and sometimes grayish; the ventral surfaces are yellowish green. Under stress, the coloration can change to dark green.1,9 The dewlap in males of A. quimbaya from Ecuador is dark brown with lemon green scales (Fig. 1) whereas males from Colombia have an orange dewlap with rows of green scales.8 The tail has 6–9 dark brown transverse bands alternating with light blue (proximally) and light brown (distally) bands.1,10 Anolis vanzolinii and A. orcesi differ from A. quimbaya in dewlap coloration.4,5 The dewlap of A. vanzolinii is pale blue in the center and orange-yellow on the periphery, with rows of white granules.8,9 The dewlap of A. orcesi is uniformly orange, yellow, or lime green.9

Figure showing variation among individuals of Anolis quimbaya

Figure 1: Individuals of Anolis quimbaya from Chilma Bajo, Carchi province, Ecuador.

Natural history: Anolis quimbaya inhabits high elevation ecosystems where other anoles are not known to occur.8 This includes high elevation evergreen forests, forest edges, and semi-open areas such as highland shrublands, shrubby páramos, and pastures with living fences.8,9 Anolis quimbaya is included in the “twig” anole guild11,12 because it exhibits very slow movements and prefers to use small branches and narrow surfaces such as twigs.8 Quimbaya Anoles are diurnal, exhibit active thermoregulation, and use the undergrowth and herbaceous forest strata at 0.3–4 m above the ground.1,9 At night, they sleep with their head up on vines and twigs at 2.5–5 m above the ground.1 Phenacosaur anoles in general are foragers rather than sit-and-wait predators6,13 and their diet is insectivorous,14 but the specific prey items consumed by A. quimbaya are not known. Anti-predatory strategies include camouflage, moving to the other side of the branch, dropping off the perch, fleeing in dense vegetation, and shedding the tail.9

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Conservation: Least Concern Believed to be safe from extinction given current circumstances.. Anolis quimbaya is a recently described species; therefore, its conservation status has not yet been formally evaluated by the IUCN. Here, it is proposed to be included in the Least Concern category mainly on the basis of the species’ wide distribution, presence in protected areas, presumed large and stable populations, and adaptability to human-modified environments.8 However, fragmentation and loss of natural vegetation in high elevation ecosystems can negatively impact the reproductive dynamics of some populations.8

Distribution: Anolis quimbaya is widely distributed throughout the western and central cordilleras in the Colombian Andes as well as in the extreme northwestern slopes of the Andes in Ecuador. In the latter country, the species has been recorded at elevations between 2095 and 2462 m, but in Colombia the species reaches 3100 m in elevation (Fig. 2).

Distribution of Anolis quimbaya in Ecuador

Figure 2: Distribution of Anolis quimbaya in Ecuador. 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. The specific epithet quimbaya honors the extinct indigenous ethnic group called the Quimbaya who inhabited the central cordillera of Colombia, where the species is mainly distributed.8

See it in the wild: In Ecuador, Quimbaya Anoles are easy to find in the immediate surroundings of the town Chilma Bajo. These lizards can be spotted almost every night by scanning low shrubs along dirt roads, where they will be roosting on small twigs and branches.

Special thanks to Davis Blair for symbolically adopting the Quimbaya Anole and helping bring the Reptiles of Ecuador book project to life.

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Authors: Angie Tovar-OrtizaAffiliation: Universidad de los Andes, Bogotá, Colombia. and Alejandro ArteagabAffiliation: Khamai Foundation, Quito, Ecuador.

Photographer: Jose VieiracAffiliation: Tropical Herping (TH), Quito, Ecuador.,dAffiliation: ExSitu, Quito, Ecuador.

How to cite? Tovar-Ortiz A, Arteaga A (2023) Quimbaya Anole (Anolis quimbaya). 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/PVXS7284

Literature cited:

  1. Torres-Carvajal O, Ayala F, Carvajal-Campos A (2010) Reptilia, Squamata, Iguanidae, Anolis heterodermus Duméril, 1851: distribution extension, first record for Ecuador and notes on color variation. Check List 6: 189–190. DOI: 10.15560/6.1.189
  2. 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.
  3. Castañeda MR, de Queiroz K (2013) Phylogeny of the Dactyloa clade of Anolis lizards: new insights from combining morphological and molecular data. Bulletin of the Museum of Comparative Zoology 160: 345–398. DOI: 10.3099/0027-4100-160.7.345
  4. Lazell JD (1969) The genus Phenacosaurus (Sauria, Iguanidae). Breviora 325: 1–24.
  5. Williams EE, Orcés GV, Matheus JA, Bleiweiss R (1996) A new giant phenacosaur from Ecuador. Breviora 505: 1–32.
  6. Dunn ER (1944) The lizard genus Phenacosaurus. Caldasia 3: 57–62.
  7. 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.
  8. Moreno-Arias RA, Méndez-Galeano MA, Beltrán I, Vargas-Ramírez M (2023) Revealing anole diversity in the highlands of the Northern Andes: New and resurrected species of the Anolis heterodermus species group. Vertebrate Zoology 73: 161–188. DOI: 10.3897/vz.73.e94265
  9. Field notes, Reptiles of Ecuador book project.
  10. Duméril AMC, Duméril AHA (1851) Catalogue méthodique de la collection des reptiles. Muséum National d’Histoire Haturelle, Paris, 224 pp.
  11. 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.
  12. Nicholson KE, Crother BI, Guyer C, Savage JM (2012) It is time for a new classification of anoles (Squamata: Dactyloidae). Zootaxa 3477: 1–108. DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.3477.1.1
  13. Kästle W (1965) Zur Ethologie des Andes-Anolis (Phenacosaurus richteri). Zeitschrift fur Tierpsychologie 22: 751–769.
  14. Osorno-Mesa H, Osorno-Mesa E (1946) Anotaciones sobre lagartos del género Phenacosaurus. Caldasia 17: 123–130.

Appendix 1: Locality data used to create the distribution map of Anolis quimbaya in Ecuador (Fig. 2). Go to the section on symbols and abbreviations for a list of acronyms used.

CountryProvinceLocalitySource
ColombiaCaquetáFinca San IsidroiNaturalist
ColombiaCaucaLa VegaiNaturalist
ColombiaCaucaSanto DomingoiNaturalist
ColombiaCaucaUsendaiNaturalist
ColombiaNariñoReserva Natural MorariNaturalist
ColombiaNariñoRío PastoiNaturalist
EcuadorCarchiAlto GualpiDHMECN 13216
EcuadorCarchiCañón de El MorániNaturalist
EcuadorCarchiChilma BajoTorres-Carvajal et al. 2010
EcuadorCarchiMaldonado, 18 km SE ofTorres-Carvajal et al. 2010
EcuadorCarchiNear Tres Marias waterfallTorres-Carvajal et al. 2010