Polychrus marmoratus or many-colored bush anole[2] is a species of bush anole. It is also commonly referred to as the monkey lizard due to its slow movement.[3] The lizard has many predators, including spiders and primates.[4]

Polychrus marmoratus
Polychrus marmoratus in Guyana
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Reptilia
Order: Squamata
Suborder: Iguania
Family: Polychrotidae
Genus: Polychrus
Species:
P. marmoratus
Binomial name
Polychrus marmoratus
Linnaeus, 1758

Description edit

Polychrus marmoratus weighs 101.19 grams.[5] The lizard is 30 to 50 centimeters long. It has a blunt snout with large and smooth scales on the dorsal surface of the head.[6] The scales on the flank and skin are smaller. The lizard is commonly brown or olive-grey. Blue or black spots may be present on the head. The neck is bluish, while the ventral region is whitish. Five or six "V-shaped bands" are present on the back.

The lizard hunts insects and spiders using an ambush method.[7][8] It will also feed on flowers and seeds.[9] The lizard inhabits semi-deciduous forests.

Distribution edit

The species is present in Guyana, Brazil, Peru, and Ecuador.[10] The species has also been sighted in Trinidad and Tobago, Venezuela, and Florida.

References edit

  1. ^ Caicedo, J., Gutiérrez-Cárdenas, P., Rivas, G., Perez, P., Avila-Pires, T.C.S., Aparicio, J., Moravec, J. & Murphy, J. (2019). "Polychrus marmoratus". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2019. Retrieved 17 May 2019.{{cite journal}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  2. ^ "ITIS Standard Report Page: Polychrus marmoratus". Interagency Taxonomic Information System (ITIS). Retrieved 2019-04-20.
  3. ^ "Polychrus marmoratus". The Reptile Database. Retrieved 2019-04-20.
  4. ^ Koski DA, Koski AP (2017). "Polychrus marmoratus (Common Monkey Lizard): Predation". Herpetological Review. 48 (1): 200.
  5. ^ "Polychrus marmoratus (Linnaeus 1758)". Encyclopedia of Life. Retrieved 2019-04-20.
  6. ^ Avila-Pires TC (1995). "Lizards of brazilian amazonia (Reptilia: Squamata)". Zoologische Verhandelingen. 299 (1): 1–706.
  7. ^ Hosein I (2015). "Polychrus marmoratus (Multi-coloured Tree Lizard)" (PDF). uwi.edu.
  8. ^ "Common Bush-Anole (Polychrus marmoratus)".
  9. ^ "Common Bush-Anole (Polychrus marmoratus)".
  10. ^ Torres-Carvajal O, Koch C, Venegas PJ, Poe S (2017-06-01). "Phylogeny and diversity of neotropical monkey lizards (Iguanidae: Polychrus Cuvier, 1817)". PLOS ONE. 12 (6): e0178139. Bibcode:2017PLoSO..1278139T. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0178139. PMC 5453479. PMID 28570575.