Anolis altae DUNN, 1930
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Anolis altae
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| Higher Taxa | Anolidae, Iguania, Sauria, Squamata (lizards) |
| Subspecies | |
| Common Names | E: High Anole |
| Synonym | Anolis altae DUNN 1930: 22 Anolis achilles TAYLOR 1956: 153 Anolis altae — PETERS & DONOSO-BARROS 1970: 47 Anolis achilles — PETERS & DONOSO-BARROS 1970: 47 Norops altae — GUYER & SAVAGE 1986 Norops altae — KÖHLER 2000: 59 Norops altae — NICHOLSON 2002 Norops altae — NICHOLSON et al. 2012 Norops altae — NICHOLSON et al. 2018 |
| Distribution | Costa Rica, elevation 1500-2230 m Type locality: Finca Acosta, Volcán Barba, Costa Rica, 7000 ft. elevation [= in the Cantón de Santa Barbara, Provincia de Heredia, at 2,133 m elevation on the southwestern slope of Volcán Barba on main road from Alajuela to Varablanca via the Desengaño pass]. achilles: Costa Rica; Type locality: La Palma, Provincia San José, Costa Rica. |
| Reproduction | oviparous |
| Types | Holotype: MCZ 29385 Holotype: KU 40634 [achilles] |
| Diagnosis | Diagnosis: A medium-sized species (SVL in largest specimen 50.2 mm) of the genus Anolis (sensu Poe, 2004) that differs from all Lower Central American anoles except Anolis carpenteri, Anolis fortunensis, Anolis fuscoauratus, Anolis gruuo, Anolis kemptoni, Anolis pseudokemptoni in that it is short-legged (longest toe of adpressed hind leg reaches only to tympanum), usually has a single elongated prenasal scale, smooth to slightly keeled ventral scales, and a slender habitus, often delicate. Anolis altae differs from the species in this cluster listed above by the following characteristics: bilobate hemipenis (unilobate in A. carpenteri, A. fortunensis, A. fuscoauratus, A. kemptoni); body reddish- to greyish-brown in life (greenish in A. carpenteri); male dewlap more or less uniformly reddishorange (posterior portion of greenish-beige, anterior portion reddish-orange in A. fortunensis, posterior portion rose pink, anterior portion burnt orange, small cream-colored basal blotch in some populations in A. kemptoni, posterior portion vinaceus, anterior portion orange, anterodorsal corner cream color in A. pseudokemptoni); tail without contrasting banding (such banding present in A. gruuo); a small dirty white dewlap in females (a small orange dewlap in females in A. pseudokemptoni); ratio tail length: SVL 1.81–2.30 (1.73–1.74 in A. gruuo); ratio HL : HW 1.50–1.82, mean 1.66 (1.68–1.98, mean 1.81, in A. kemptoni, 1.82–1.86, mean 1.85, in A. pseudokemptoni); maximum SVL 50.2 mm (57 mm in A. kemptoni, 55 mm in A. pseudokemptoni); total number of loreal scales 24–58 (75–88 in A. pseudokemptoni); SPL 5–8, mean 6.8 (7–9, mean 8.3, in A. gruuo). For variation in selected morphometric and scalation characters of A. altae see Table 1. The dewlap scalation of an adult male specimen (SMF 85555) of A. altae from 3 km on road north of Vara Blanca, Province of Heredia, was recorded as follows: eight horizontal gorgetal-sternal rows with 24–27 scales per row on basal portion, rows breaking up into scattered scales towards tip; about 50 scales in marginal series, modal number of anterior marginal pairs 2; about 35 apicogorgetals, about 20 apicosternals. Coloration in life of an adult male specimen (SMF 86917) of A. altae from near Coliblanco (eastern slope of Volcán Irazú, 1,630 m, Province of Cartago) was recorded as follows: Dorsal ground color Sayal Brown (223C of Smithe 1981) with a Raw Umber (123) interorbital bar and a dirty white longitudinal lateral stripe along body; dorsal surfaces of hind limbs and tail with ill-defined Verona Brown (223) crossbands; ventral surface of body dirty white; dewlap uniform Chrome Orange (16); iris Orange Rufous (132C). Coloration in life of an adult female specimen (SMF 86918) from the same locality was recorded as follows: Dorsal ground color Buff (124); ventral surface of body Surphur Yellow (57), paler toward center; iris Orange Rufous (132C). Coloration in life of another adult female specimen (SMF 86922) from near Zapote at bridge of Rio Tapesco (western slope of Volcán Porvenir, 1,680 m, Province of Alajuela) was recorded as follows: iris Mahogany Red (123B); a small dirty white dewlap present. |
| Comment | According to KÖHLER 2009, no characteristics, except geographic location, are known to separate females of A. altae and A. monteverde, but male dewlap coloration and particularly hemipenis morphology readily separates these two otherwise cryptic species. Species group: Norops auratus Species Group (fide Nicholson et al. 2012) |
| Etymology | Maybe named after the high altitude at which it was found. Dunn does not comment on the etymology. |
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