Anolis callainus Köhler & Hedges, 2020

Nomenclature and Taxonomic Classification

Anolis callainus, commonly called the Dominican green anole, Northern Hispaniolan green anole, or Hispaniolan green anole, is a species of lizard belonging to the family Dactyloidae.

Native Distribution

This species is endemic to the Dominican Republic, where it occurs across the entire eastern half of the country.

Introduced Range

It has also been introduced to Suriname and southern Florida.

Previous Taxonomic Placement

A. callainus was previously considered to be the same species as the Tiburon green anole (A. chlorocyanus).

2020 Taxonomic Revision

In a 2020 study, researchers restricted the name A. chlorocyanus to the population found in western Haiti, and redescribed the eastern Dominican Republic population as the new species A. callainus.

Comparison to North American Green Anole

It is very similar to the North American green anole (Anolis carolinensis), but differs in that male A. callainus have a light blue throat flap instead of a red one.

Coloration

Females and juveniles may have darker green stripes running along the sides of their bodies, while males are often a solid bright green color.