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Notes on the natural history of the little-known Ecuadorian horned anole, Anolis proboscis

Abstract:

Until very recently, the horned anole of Ecuador, Anolis proboscis, was known from only six male specimens, the last collected in 1966. The species was rediscovered in 2005 and in subsequent years additional specimens have been collected in the general vicinity of the type locality. These include several females, which lack the conspicuous rostral appendage seen in males. Despite rediscovery, the natural history of this enigmatic anole remains almost completely unknown. We conducted an ecological and behavioral study of this species near Mindo, Ecuador. Anolis proboscis is an extremely slow-moving and cryptic species that often occurs high in the trees. The rostral horn notwithstanding, A. proboscis is indistinguishable from Greater Antillean anoles of the “twig” ecomorph class in morphology, ecology, and behavior. The possession of a horn only by males suggests a role in sexual selection. We found …