Lizards of the Caribbean (IMAGE)

University of California - Davis

Lizards of the Caribbean

Caption

This image shows pairs of Anolis species from different Greater Antillean islands that have independently evolved matching morphologies. Anoles diversifying on four islands repeatedly colonized the same adaptive peaks on a shared evolutionary landscape, resulting not just in convergence among a few species pairs, such as those shown here, but in the convergence of entire island anole faunas. From left to right, the top row depicts giant tree crown specialists Anolis cuvieri (Puerto Rico; photo by J. Losos) and A. garmani (Jamaica); second row depicts the twig specialists A. garridoi (Cuba) and A. occultus (Puerto Rico); third row depicts trunk and ground specialists A. cybotes (Hispaniola; photo by B. Falk) and A. lineatopus (Jamaica); fourth row depicts grass specialists A. alumina (Hispaniola; photo by M. Landestoy) and A. alutaceus (Cuba). Images not otherwise marked are by L. Mahler.

Credit

Luke Mahler, UC Davis.

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