Figure 1: Two species of Anolis from eastern Ecuador. Anolis podocarpus sp. n.: holotype male (A, B, QCAZ 10126), female (C, D, QCAZ 10127), female (E, QCAZ 10129), juvenile (F, QCAZ 6200); Anolis fitchi: male (G, QCAZ 8770), female (H, QCAZ 9707). Photographs by L.A. Coloma (male of Anolis fitchi), F. Ayala-Varela (juvenile of Anolis podocarpus sp. n. and female of Anolis fitchi) and S.R. Ron (male and females of Anolis podocarpus sp. n.).

Ayala-Varela FP, Omar TC - Zookeys (2010)

Bottom Line: We describe a new species of Anolis from the southeastern slopes of the Andes of Ecuador, province of Zamora-Chinchipe, Parque Nacional Podocarpus.It belongs to (1) the aequatorialis species-group by being of moderate to large size with narrow toe lamellae, and (2) the eulaemus sub-group by having a typical Anolis digit, in which the distal lamellae of phalanx II distinctly overlap the proximal scales of phalanx I.The new species is most similar morphologically to Anolis fitchi but differs from it mainly by having a dewlap with longitudinal rows of 2-5 granular, minute scales separated by naked skin (longitudinal rows of one or two keeled, large scales separated by naked skin in Anolis fitchi) and a vertically shorter dewlap (longer dewlap in Anolis fitchi).

Affiliation: Escuela de Biología, Pontificia Universidad Católica del Ecuador, Avenida 12 de Octubre y Roca, Apartado 17-01-2184, Quito, Ecuador.

Abstract: We describe a new species of Anolis from the southeastern slopes of the Andes of Ecuador, province of Zamora-Chinchipe, Parque Nacional Podocarpus. It belongs to (1) the aequatorialis species-group by being of moderate to large size with narrow toe lamellae, and (2) the eulaemus sub-group by having a typical Anolis digit, in which the distal lamellae of phalanx II distinctly overlap the proximal scales of phalanx I. The new species is most similar morphologically to Anolis fitchi but differs from it mainly by having a dewlap with longitudinal rows of 2-5 granular, minute scales separated by naked skin (longitudinal rows of one or two keeled, large scales separated by naked skin in Anolis fitchi) and a vertically shorter dewlap (longer dewlap in Anolis fitchi).