Anolis aeneus
System : Terrestrial
Kingdom
Phylum
Class
Order
Family
Animalia
Chordata
Reptilia
Squamata
Polychrotidae
- General
- Distribution
- Impact
- Management
- Bibliography
- Contact
Common name
bronze anole (English)
Synonym
Anolis gentilis , Garman, 1887
Anolis roquet , var. Cinereus Garman, 1887
Anolis aeneus , Schwartz & Henderson, 1991
Anolis aeneus , Nicholson et al., 2005
Anolis roquet , var. Cinereus Garman, 1887
Anolis aeneus , Schwartz & Henderson, 1991
Anolis aeneus , Nicholson et al., 2005
Similar species
Anolis trinitatis, Anolis wattsi
Summary
The bronze anole, Anolis aeneus is native to the Lesser Antilles and has been introduced and established on Trinidad since the early 1800's. Despite this, the negative ecological and economic effects of A. aeneus are not well known. It is regarded as 'invasive' on Trinidad in the broader sense of being able to expand its range and become abundant.
Species Description
Anolis aeneus is a moderate sized anole which is grey or greyish brown and sometimes speckled; with males growing up to 77 mm long from snout to vent (Gorman et al., 1978; Hailey et al., 2009).
Notes
Introduced populations of Anolis aeneus on Trinidad were only recognised as a separate species from the also introduced St. Vincent's bush anole (see A. trinitatis) in the 1950's (Kenny and Quesnel, 1959; in Hailey et al., 2009). Other introduced anole lizards on Trinidad include Watt's anole (see A. wattsi) and the Barbados anole (see A. extremus) the presence of which has not been reported since 1982 (Hailey et al., 2009).
Habitat Description
Anolis aeneus can occupy a wide range of habitats including open areas (Hailey et al., 2009), with substrates of mainly bushes and walls (White & Hailey, 2006).
Pathway
Anolis aeneus is capable of being dispersed unintentionally with the transport of people or commodities with its arrival on Trinidad thought to be linked to the large migration of French plantation owners to the then Spanish colony of Trinidad following the Cedula of Population in 1783 (Hailey et al., 2009).
Principal source:
Compiler: IUCN SSC Invasive Species Specialist Group (ISSG) with support from the Overseas Territories Environmental Programme (OTEP) project XOT603, a joint project with the Cayman Islands Government - Department of Environment
Review:
Publication date: 2010-06-29
Recommended citation: Global Invasive Species Database (2024) Species profile: Anolis aeneus. Downloaded from http://www.iucngisd.org/gisd/species.php?sc=1674 on 19-04-2024.
General Impacts
Little is known about the negative ecological or economical impacts that Anolis aeneus may have (Hailey et al., 2009). A. aeneus is known to be able to hybridise with other similar Anolis spp. such as the introduced A. trinitatis on Trinidad (Gorman et al., 1971). However, while this and competition was once thought to have contributed to the decline of A. trinitatis it is now hypothesised that this is due to the requirement for well-vegetated habitat and the increase of urban development (Hailey et al., 2009).
