Another Anolis lizard introduced to Trinidad

Anolis cristatellus (Photo by Kester Dass)

As of 2018, there have been eight species of Anolis lizards reported for Trinidad and Tobago (Murphy et al. 2018). Most of these (6/8) have been introduced from other Caribbean islands. It is uncertain as to exactly how these non-native Anolis lizards came into the country. A recent report by Auguste et al. 2018 now adds a ninth Anolis lizard to the country: Anolis cristatellus, the Puerto Rican Crested Anole. Given the recent spread of other introduced Anolis lizards across Trinidad and Tobago, it will be important to keep track of the distribution of the Puerto Rican Crested Anole as it has the potential to compete with and displace native Anolis species.

Auguste, RJ, Dass K, Baldeo, D. 2018. Discovery of the Puerto Rican Crested Anole, Anolis cristatellus Dumeril and Bibron, on Trinidad. Caribbean Herpetology 63: 1-2. DOI: 10.311611/ch63

Murphy, J.C., Downie, J.R., Smith, J.M., Livingstone, S.R., Mohammed, R.S., Auguste, R.J., Lehtinen, R.M., Eyre, M., Sewlal, J.N., Noriega, N., Casper, G.S., Anton, T., Thomas, R.A., Rutherford, M.G., Braswell, A.L., and Jowers, M.J. 2018. A field guide to the amphibians and reptiles of Trinidad and Tobago.  Trinidad and Tobago Field Naturalists’ Club. 336 pp.