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Issue: Vol. 5752 No. 4: 29 Jan. 2026
Type: Article
Published: 2026-01-29
DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.5752.4.4
Page range: 516-530
Abstract views: 113
PDF downloaded: 3

Mythic lizard rediscovered: redescription of Anolis laevis Cope 1876 (Squamata: Anolidae) from recent collections in Peru

Facultad de Medicina Veterinaria y Agronomía; Universidad UTE; Av. Mariscal Sucre s/n y Mariana de Jesús; Quito 170147; Ecuador; Fundación Great Leaf; calle de las Azucenas N 47-60 y Av. Eloy Alfaro; Quito; Ecuador; Unidad de Investigación; Instituto Nacional de Biodiversidad (INABIO); Quito; Pichincha; Ecuador
Rainforest Partnership; 4005 Guadalupe St.; Austin; Texas 78751; USA; Instituto Peruano de Herpetología (IPH); Augusto Salazar Bondy 136; Urb. Higuereta; Surco; Lima; Perú
Rainforest Partnership; 4005 Guadalupe St.; Austin; Texas 78751; USA; Instituto Peruano de Herpetología (IPH); Augusto Salazar Bondy 136; Urb. Higuereta; Surco; Lima; Perú
Department of Biology and Museum of Southwestern Biology; University of New Mexico; Albuquerque; NM; 87131; USA
Reptilia Anolis laevis Dactyloa clade females Peru proboscis rediscovery

Abstract

Anolis laevis Cope 1876, a poorly known South American anole characterized by an unusual rudimentary rostral appendage, had not been observed since its original description 150 years ago. Here, we report the rediscovery of A. laevis within approximately 50 to 100 km of its type locality in eastern Peru, including two adult males and, for the first time, adult females. Morphological analyses confirm pronounced sexual dimorphism, with females lacking the proboscis. This trait parallels the condition seen in other species of Anolis with a proboscis and may represent evolutionary convergence of the appendage in different lineages. We provide a detailed redescription of A. laevis, highlighting diagnostic morphological traits that distinguish it from other proboscid and morphologically similar South American Anolis species. Unusual traits of A. laevis include large head scales including few loreal rows, a distinct dorsal crest, presence of a dewlap in both sexes, and sexually dimorphic dewlap coloration. Our findings contribute to clarifying the taxonomy and morphological variation of poorly known anoles.

 

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How to Cite

Ayala-Varela, F., Venegas, P.J., García-Ayachi, L.A. & Poe, S. (2026) Mythic lizard rediscovered: redescription of Anolis laevis Cope 1876 (Squamata: Anolidae) from recent collections in Peru. Zootaxa, 5752 (4), 516–530. https://doi.org/10.11646/zootaxa.5752.4.4