Caribbean Journal of Science, Vol. 31, No. 1-2, 65-72, 1995 Copyright 1995 College of Arts and Sciences University of Puerto Rico, Mayaguez A New Species of Anolis (Sauria: Iguanidae) from Eastern Cuba l 2 A LBERTO R. ESTRADA AND S. BLAIR H EDGES 1 lnstituto de Investigaciones Forestalls, Apartado 5152, La Habana 5, C.P. 10500, Cuba ‘Department of Biology, 208 Mueller Laboratory, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, Pennsylvania 16802, USA ABSTRACT. – Anolis alayoni is described from upland localities in eastern Cuba. It is a cryptic species, and the fourth member of the twig ecomorph of Cuban Anolis. Morphological data suggest that its closest relative is the partly sympatric species A. angusticeps. The largest amniote genus, Anolis (>300 National Museum of Natural History, sp.), is represented in Cuba by more than Smithsonian Institution), and CARE (A. R. 50 species (Estrada and Garrido, 1991; Gar- Estrada Collection). rido and Hedges, 1992; Hass et al., 1993). One of the most unusual groups of this Anolis alayoni sp. nov. widespread genus on Cuba is the angusti- (Fig. 1A) ceps group, of which there are three spe- Holotype. —MNHNCU 2746, an adult cies: Anolis angusticeps, A. guazuma, and A. male from La Fangosa, Yateras, Guanta- paternus (Williams, 1976; Burnell and namo Prov., Cuba, collected by Alberto R. Hedges, 1990). All three are members of Estrada on 22 June 1990. the twig ecomorph (Williams, 1983), char- Paratypes. —(29) CARE 60800, male, same acterized by a cryptic morphology (resem- collecting data as holotype; MCZ R178768 bling a twig) and behavior. (male) and CARE 60721 (female), between Anolis angusticeps has been the focus of Cayo Fortuna and Riito, Yateras, Guanta attention of several previous studies. Har- namo Prov., 11 March 1989, collected by dy (1966) studied variation in the Cuban A. R. Estrada; MCZ R178769, CARE 60801, and Bahama Islands populations, and de- female, Arroyon, San Antonio del Sur, scribed A. angusticeps paternus from Isla de Guantanamo Prov., 22 June 1990, collected la Juventud. Schwartz and Thomas (1968) by A. R. Estrada; CARE 60872, female, Cayo examined variation in A. angusticeps in more Fortuna, Yateras, Guantanamo Prov., 16 detail, including in their analysis speci- March 1987, collected by Antonio Perez- mens from eastern Cuba. Later, Garrido Asso; CARE 60759, 60819, females, Piedra (1975) analyzed variation in western pop- la Vela, Yateras, Guantanamo Prov., 22 ulations and treated A. paternus as a distinct March 1989, collected by A. R. Estrada and species. Finally, Garrido (1983) described A. Perez-Asso; CARE 60299, female, Far- A. guazuma from Pico Turquino in Santiago allones de la Italiana, Levisa, Mayari, Hol- de Cuba province. In this paper, we de- guin Prov., 18 September 1987, collected scribe a fourth Cuban twig anole from lo- by A. R. Estrada and Orlando H. Garrido; calities in two eastern provinces of Cuba: CARE 60327 female, Cayo Guan, Mea, Hol- Holguin and Guantanamo. guin Prov., 3 October 1987, collected by A. In the account below, the following ab- R. Estrada; CARE 60797, 60799 females, Es- breviations are used: MNHNCU (Museo pana Chiquita, Sierra de Canasta, El Sal- National de Historia Natural de Cuba), vador, Guantanamo Prov., 20 June 1990, CZACC (Colecciones Zoologicas, Instituto collected by A. R. Estrada; CARE 60186, de Ecologia y Sistematica, Academia de male, Arroyo Culebra de Hacha, Mea, Hol- Ciencias de Cuba), USNM (United States guin Prov., 21 September 1986, collected 66 A. R. ESTRADA AND S. BLAIR HEDGES FIG. 1. (A) Anolis alayoni (El Molino, Guantinamo Prov.), and (B) A. angusticeps (9 km W Trinidad, Sancti Spiritus Prov.). by A. R. Estrada; MNHNCU 31, male, 3 km Prov.. 20 September 1980. collected by Noel E La Melba, Mea, Holguin Prov., 23 Sep- Gonz~lez; CZACC 7302 (old number IZ tember 1987, collected by Carlos Pefia and 4220), male, Arroyo Blanco, Baracoa, Guan- Orlando H. Garrido; MNHNCU 2762, fe- tiinamo Prov., 27 May 1974, collected by male, Sumidero del Rio Cuzco, El Salvador, O. H. Garrido; CZAZZ 9778 (old number Guant&amo Prov., 16 June 1990, collected IZ5272), male, Sabanilla, Baracoa, Guan- by Alfonso Silva Lee; USNM 335020, El tiinamo Prov., May 1978, collected by An- Molino (ca. 7 km W Palenque), Yateras, filoquio Suirez; CZACC 7325, female, La Guantinamo Prov., 21 June 1990, collected Florida, Baracoa, Guanttinamo Prov., 14 by S. Blair Hedges; MNHNCU 51,70, males, September 1965, collected by O. H. Garri- La Poa, Sabanilla, Baracoa, Guant5namo do; CZACC 7326, 7332, female and male, Prov., between November 1986 and March Base de Monte Iberia, Baracoa, Guant6na- 1987, collected by O. H. Garrido; MNHNCU mo Prov., 9-10 March 1972, collected by 1607, male, Yumuri, Maisi, Guantzinamo Jorge de la Cruz and Luis F. de Armas; Prov., 27 July 1989, collected by Riberto CZACC 7377, male, Base de Monte Iberia, Arencibia; CZAZZ 7400, (old number IZ Baracoa, Guanttinamo Prov., 9 March 1972, 6267), male, Yumuri, Mais!, Guant&amo collected by O. H. Garrido; CZACC 7264 NEW CUBAN ANOLIS 67 (old number IZ 5941), male, Gran Tierra, less keeled, smallest anteriorly; nostril cir- Maisi, Guantanamo Prov., 10 May 1972, cular; nasal scale separated from rostral by collector unknown; CZACC 7266 (old 2-3 (modally two; two in holotype) irreg- number IZ 5929), male, Nibujon, Baracoa, ularly shaped scales; supraorbital semicir- Guantanamo Prov., Lorenzo Zayas; CZACC cles large, convex, rugose laterally, sepa- 7329-30, female and male, 9 km S from Ase- rated by 1-2 (modally one; one in holo- rrio. type) rows of scales of small size; canthal Diagnosis. —A small species (2 SVL 42.2 ridge with five scales well-defined, second mm males; 36.6 mm females) of Anolis with canthal longest, diminishing in size ante- short limbs, long snout, short semiprehen- riorly; supraorbital ridge well-defined in sile tail, and enlarged scales on dorsal sur- both sexes; frontal ridge well-defined, con- face of head. Anolis alayoni is a member of fluent anteriorly; 10-29 loreal scales (mod- the angusticeps species group of Anolis, ally 24; 22 in holotype); temporal scales which includes A. angusticeps, A. guazuma, small; interparietal about 1.4 times as long and A. paternus. as wide, separated from supraorbital sem- From A. guazuma, it can be distinguished icircles by one scale or in contact (one in by a tail longer than SVL (shorter in gua- holotype); 8-13 scales around the inter- zuma), 1-2 scales between supraorbital parietal (modally 11; 10 in holotype); ear semicircles (modally 0 in guazuma), keeled opening small, elliptical or subcircular, be- head scales (smooth in guazuma), well-de- hind mouth commisure; 5-9 (modally 7; 7 veloped yellow dewlap (small and whitish in holotype) scales between second can- in guazuma), and other scale and pattern thals; 3-5 (modally four; five in holotype) features. From A. paternus, it can be distin- scales between nasal scales; suboculars di- guished by smooth ventral scales (keeled rectly in contact with supralabials, ante- in paternus) and larger body size. riorly grading into loreals; 6-10 (modally From its closest relative, A. angusticeps, it eight; eight in holotype) supralabial scales; can be distinguished by large size of the mental large, divided, in contact with 4-6 males (X SVL = 42.2 mm in alayoni; 39.9 small, granular postmarital scales (modally mm in angusticeps) and the color of the four; five in holotype). dewlap: dark yellow in alayoni, pale orange Trunk with dorsal scales small, granular; or peach in angusticeps. Scale characters two middorsal rows larger, 25-35 scales in which can distinguish most A. alayoni from 0.5 cm on middorsal region (modally 28; most A. angusticeps are: modally 11 (8-12) 26 in holotype); ventral scales larger than scales around the interparietal in males, 10 dorsals, smooth, rounded, arranged in (9-13) in females of alayoni (modally 13 transverse rows, 18–28 scales in 0.5 cm on [11-16] in males, bimodally 13 and 14 [12- midventral region (bimodally 20 and 22; 15] in females of angusticeps); modally two 22 in holotype); dewlap large (Fig. 2), pres- [2-3] scales between naris and rostrum in ent in both sexes, but vestigial in females; alayoni (modally three [2-3] in angusticeps), scales large and arranged in rows, larger modally four (3-5) scales between nares in than throat scales; limbs short, tibial length alayoni (modally five [3–6] in angusticeps), shorter than femoral length, quotient of modally 15 (13–16) lamellae under phalan- humeral length/tibial length 0.74- 1.0 (0.88 ges II and III of fourth toe in alayoni (mod- in holotype); 13–16 (15 in holotype) la- ally 13 [12-20] in angusticeps), modally four mellae under phalanges II and III of fourth (2-6) postmarital scales in alayoni (modally toe; scales of supracarpal smooth; scales of six [4-7] in males, four [4-6] in females of hind limbs smooth, keeled on supratarsals; angusticeps), bimodally 20 and 22 (18-28) tail laterally compressed, broader at the middorsal scales in alayoni (bimodally 35 base. and 37 [26-37] in angusticeps). In combi- Coloration in life pale grayish-brown (in nation, these color, measurement and light phase), with black and brown lin- modal scale differences clearly distinguish chenate markings; 4-5 brown or black all specimens of alayoni and angusticeps. crossbands or blotches with “X” form on Description .—Head narrow and elongate; middorsal line; 5–7 more distinct brown head scales enlarged, hexagonal, more or bands on tail, alternating with gray bands; 68 A. R. ESTRADA AND S. BLAIR HEDGES TABLE 1. Measurements of Anolis alayoni and A. angusticeps. Snout-vent length (SVL); head length (HL); head width (HW); jaw length (JL); interorbital distance (IO); naris-snout distance (NS); snout-orbit distance (SO); internarial distance (IN); interparietal scale length (IPL); interparietal scale width (IPE); ear opening vertical diameter (EVD); ear opening horizontal diameter (EHD); humeral length (HUL); tibial length (TL); femoral length (FL); tail length (TAL); axilla-groin distance (AG); mean (1); standard deviation (SD); minimum- maximum (m-M); sample size (n).