New Species of Small Green Anole Discovered in Cuba

Read all about it in Caribbean Herpetology, freely available online. Here’s the Abstract:

Green anoles of the Anolis carolinensis group are divided into the carolinensis and isolepis subgroups according to a consensus of molecular phylogenies. Species in the Anolis isolepis subgroup (A. altitudinalis, A. isolepis, A. oporinus, and A. toldo) are endemic to Cuba and the highest diversity is concentrated in forested areas of eastern Cuba. Here, we describe a new species of this subgroup from western Cuba based on genetic and morphological differences from other species. Our phylogenetic analysis, based on DNA sequences, includes all of the known species and suggests that the new species is more closely related to A. altitudinalis, A. oporinus, and A. toldo than to the widespread A. isolepis. In addition, we provide a new hypothesis on the taxonomic status of A. incredulus and recommend that it no longer be considered as a species in the A. carolinensis group. Due to the lack of a diagnosis, and poor condition, of the only available specimen, we consider A. incredulus as a species inquirenda. New morphological and genetic data of recently collected specimens of A. oporinus and A. toldo will provide complementary information about these species known from one or a few specimens.

And here are some similar Cuban species:

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Jonathan Losos

Professor of Biology and Director of the Living Earth Collaborative at Washington University in Saint Louis. I've spent my entire professional career studying anoles and have discovered that the more I learn about anoles, the more I realize I don't know.

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