Anolis bicaorum (KÖHLER, 1996)
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Anolis bicaorum
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| Higher Taxa | Anolidae, Iguania, Sauria, Squamata (lizards) |
| Subspecies | |
| Common Names | E: Bay Islands Anole |
| Synonym | Norops bicaorum KÖHLER 1996 Norops bicaorum — KÖHLER 2000: 62 Norops bicaorum — NICHOLSON 2002 Anolis bicaorum — KÖHLER et al. 2007 Norops bicaorum — NICHOLSON et al. 2012 Norops bicaorum — MCCRANIE 2015 Norops bicaorum — NICHOLSON et al. 2018 |
| Distribution | Honduras (Islas de la Bahia/Utila/Roatán) Type locality: Honduras, Islas de la Bahia, Isla de Utila, on the trail to Rock Harbour, about 3 km north of the town of Utila (16°6.34'N; 86°53.94'W). |
| Reproduction | oviparous |
| Types | Holotype: SMF 77100; paratypes: ZFMK 63553 - 554, UNAH (Tegucigalpa, Honduras), UF, IRSNB. |
| Diagnosis | Norops bicaorum differs from its close relative, Norops lemurinus COPE 1861 by a much larger dewlap size, a different dewlap color, and more longitudinal rows of loreal scales. Definition and diagnosis: A medium-sized (snout-vent length 75 mm in largest specimen), long-legged Norops, having transverse processes on some autotomous caudal vertebrae. The large dewlap of N. bicaorum is more or less double in size compared with that of N. lemurinus. Additionally, in N. bicaorum the skin of the dewlap is heavily dark pigmented (bright red without dark pigment in N. lemurinus) with oblique rows of white unpigmented scales (with dark pigmented scales in N. lemurinus). Thus the dewlap of N. bicaorum is blackish with a red margin and oblique rows of bright white scales in gross appearance, whereas the dewlap of N. lenturinus is bright red with oblique rows of darker scales. The dewlap of adult female N. bicaorum is only slightly indicated but the skin in that area is like that of males heavily dark pigmented with the scales being unpigmented (unpigmented skin with dark pigmented scales in throat/gular region in female N. lemurinus). Furthermore, N. bicaorum has more longitudinal rows of loreal scales (8-10; x = 8.9 vs, 5-8; x = 6.9) than N. lemurinus (Table 1). From all other species of Norops except of lemurinus it differs by the combination of the following characters: (1) maximum snout-vent length 75 mm; (2) tail length/snout-vent length ratio 2.0-2.3; (3) longest toe of adpressed hind limb reaches mid-eye or beyond; (4) ventrals strongly keeled and larger than dorsals; (5) lateral scales homogenous; (6) 1-3 scales at narrowest point between supraorbital semicircles; (7) 2-5 scales between interparie-tal and supraorbital semicircles; (8) usually one scale separating suboculars from supralabials; (9) one scale between nasal and rostral; (10) 6-8 supralabials to below center of eye; (11) two median dorsal scale rows slightly enlarged; (12) no enlarged postanals; (13) body color brownish; (14) dewlap blackish with a red margin and oblique rows of bright white scales (from Köhler 1996). |
| Comment | Species group: Norops auratus Species Group (fide Nicholson et al. 2012) Abundance: only known from the type locality (Meiri et al. 2017). |
| Etymology | Named after the Bay Island Conservation Association (BICA) who are doing a great work for the protection of the wildlife and the resources of the Islas de la Bahia. |
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