Anolis pogus

Not to be confused with western bearded anole.

Anolis pogus
Conservation status
Near Threatened  (IUCN 3.1) [1]
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Reptilia
Order:	Squamata
Suborder:	Iguania
Family:	Dactyloidae
Genus:	Anolis
Species:	A. pogus
Binomial name
Anolis pogus Lazell, 1972
Synonyms [2]
Anolis wattsi pogus Lazell, 1972 Ctenonotus pogus (Lazell, 1972)

Anolis pogus, the St. Martin anole, Anguilla Bank bush anole or bearded anole, is a species of lizard belonging to the family Dactyloidae, the anoles. This lizard is restricted to the Caribbean island of Saint Martin, located in the Lesser Antilles. Its range used to include Anguilla, but it is now extirpated there. It may also have occurred on Saint Barthélemy. ^{[1] [2]}

Taxonomy

Anolis pogus was first formally described in 1972 by the American zoologist James "Skip" Lazell with its type locality the Columbier Valley in Collectivity of Saint Martin on the island of Saint Martin. ^[2] This species is in the A. bimaculatus species complex of the genus Anolis which is classified in the family Dactyloidae. Previously described as a subspecies of A. wattsi , it was elevated to species level in 1990. ^[2]

Etymology

Anolis pogus has the specific name pogus, after Pogo the Possum, a cartoon character, as Lazell wanted to show that scientific named did not really have to be meaningful. ^[3]

Description

Anolis pogus has a white throat flap in males which are marked with dark green vertical bars across the back. The females have no flank stripe. The scales below the eye are blue, brick red or white. The largest males in the type series were 50 mm (2.0 in) while the largest females were 42 mm (1.7 in). ^[4]

Distribution and habitat

Anolis pogus is now restricted to the island of Saint Martin which is divided into the Collectivity of Saint Martin and the Dutch constituent country of Sint Maarten, it was last recorded in Anguilla in 1922, it may also have been present on Saint Barthélemy. On Saint Martin this species is abundant in the vegetated uplands, however, it can be found over the whole of the island. ^[1]

References

1. Powell, R.; Dewynter, M.; Daltry, J.C. & Mahler, D.L. (2020). "Anolis pogus". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species . 2020: e.T177907A18967630. doi: 10.2305/IUCN.UK.2020-3.RLTS.T177907A18967630.en . Retrieved 20 November 2021.
2. Anolis pogus at the Reptarium.cz Reptile Database. Accessed 11 November 2021.
3. Jonathan Losos (26 July 2013). "The Incomplete Guide To The Wildlife Of Saint Martin". Anole Annals.
4. Lazell, James D. (1972). "The Anoles (Sauria, Iguanidae) of the Lesser Antilles". Bulletin of the Museum of Comparative Zoology at Harvard College. 143. The Museum: 1–115.

• Malhotra, Anita; Thorpe, Roger S. (1999). Reptiles & Amphibians of the Eastern Caribbean. Macmillan Education Ltd. pp. 57–59. ISBN   0-333-69141-5..

External links

• Anolis pogus at the Encyclopedia of Life