Anolis microtus COPE, 1871
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Anolis microtus
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| Higher Taxa | Anolidae, Iguania, Sauria, Squamata (lizards) |
| Subspecies | |
| Common Names | E: Tiny Anole |
| Synonym | Anolis microtus COPE 1871: 214 Anolis microtus — BOULENGER 1885: 62 Anolis microtus — SLEVIN 1942: 464 Anolis microtus — PETERS & OREJAS-MIRANDA 1970: 60 Dactyloa microtus — GUYER & SAVAGE 1986 Dactyloa microtus — KÖHLER 2000: 59 Dactyloa microtus — NICHOLSON et al. 2012 Dactyloa microtus — NICHOLSON et al. 2018 |
| Distribution | Costa Rica, Panama Type locality: San José, Costa Rica. |
| Reproduction | oviparous |
| Types | Holotype: USNM 31282, female |
| Diagnosis | Diagnosis: A large species (maximum SVL 111 mm) of the genus Dactyloa (sensu Nicholson et al. 2012) that is most similar in external morphology to the other members of this genus found in western Panama (D. casildae, D. frenata, D. ginaelisae, D. ibanezi, D. insignis, and D. kunayalae). Dactyloa microtus can readily be distinguished from these six species by its color pattern described below and shown in Figs. 2, 7, 16, and 18T–U. It further differs from all mentioned species except D. ginaelisae by its low numbers of horizontal loreal rows (4 or fewer in D. microtus vs. 5 or more) and total loreal scales (26 or fewer in D. microtus vs. 39 or more), and by its low number of scales around midbody (106 or fewer in D. microtus vs. 110 or more). Moreover, D. microtus differs from D. casildae, D. frenata, and D. ibanezi in having short legs (tip of fourth toe of adpressed hind limb reaching at most to tympanum in D. microtus vs. beyond eye; shank length/SVL = 0.183 or less in D. microtus vs. 0.25 or more). Among the short-legged species of Dactyloa in western Panama, D. microtus further differs from D. insignis in having fewer subdigital lamellae under the fourth toe (47 or fewer in D. microtus vs. 52 or more) as well as under the fourth finger (37 or fewer in D. microtus vs. 40), and from D. kunayalae in having more subdigital lamellae under the fourth toe (44 or more in D. microtus vs. 35 or fewer) as well as under the fourth finger (32 or more in D. ginaelisae vs. 25 or fewer). Dactyloa microtus is very similar to D. ginaelisae, from which it differs in having shorter legs (tip of fourth toe of adpressed hind limb reaching to a point between shoulder and tympanum in D. microtus vs. to a point between tympanum and eye in D. ginaelisae; shank length/SVL = 0.183 or less in D. microtus vs. 0.19 or more) and by its less conspicuous and clear-cut coloration pattern between eye and shoulder (light postsupralabial and dark postorbital stripe oriented rather ventrally and losing their conspicuousness around ear in D. microtus vs. a prominent light stripe extending from supralabials posteriorly above or across the ear before bending down towards shoulder, delineating a dark preaxillary blotch above and posteriorly, and paralleled above by a dark postorbital stripe with darker borders that extends at least to a level above the preaxillary blotch in D. ginaelisae). For more characters that might help to distinguish these two very similar species, see remarks section in the species account of D. ginaelisae [LOTZKAT et al. 2013]. |
| Comment | Synonymy partly after PETERS & OREJAS-MIRANDA 1970 Species group: Dactyloa latifrons species group (NICHOLSON et al. 2012). |
| Etymology | Named after Greek mikrotos (μικρότης), smallness; littleness, meanness, pettiness. [?]. |
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