Appearance
"A. gundlachi" is a medium-sized, sexually dimorphic lizard. Adult males have a snout-to-vent length of 68 mm and females have a snout-to-vent length of 45 mm. Adult body weight is three to seven grams. The body is a brown or olive-brown color with brown spots randomly along its length. This species also has a yellow-brown dewlap and blue eyes. Males have crested tails.Naming
The specific name, "gundlachi", is in honor of German-Cuban zoologist Juan Gundlach.Distribution
"A. gundlachi" is native to Puerto Rico and is found in the inner rainforests of the Luquillo mountains in northeastern Puerto Rico.Status
The IUCN red list classifies "A. gundlachi" as a species of least concern. Threats include climate change and severe weather events, which has been altering the habitat of "A. gundlachi" over the past 35 years. Reduction in arthropod species in Puerto Rican forests threatens their predators.Behavior
The escape behavior of "A. gundlachi" is affected by temperature, sex, and perch type. It flees at greater distance from the threat at lower temperatures. In addition, females use vertical perches, which are safer, and have greater approach distances than males. Vertical perches are safer because they are taller and allow the lizard to escape above the reach of predators on the ground, as well as let the lizard climb more quickly. Adult males tend to escape by running long distances, greater than 40 cm, down a perch toward the ground or up a branch or tree trunk, while juveniles tend to escape by running shorter distances, less than 25 cm, usually down toward the ground to take advantage of their brown body color to hide amongst the leaf litter.Adult males are more often found on large tree trunks, fallen logs, and large branches, which provide more safety than vertical perches. Juvenile "A. gundlachi" are found more frequently on narrow surfaces. Adult males perch on higher and broader perches than juveniles, as well as tend to walk more and jump less as a method of locomotion. Adult males tend to spend more time performing display behaviors to other "A. gundlachi" than juveniles. Adult males also scan the territory below their perch in a face-down survey posture more frequently than juveniles.This species is also known for signaling other lizards through a modulated head bob display, with varying bobbing amplitudes and patterns based on an individual's distance from other lizards.
Habitat
The lizard lives at altitudes between 244 and 1,158 m. "A. gundlachi" is a trunk-ground lizard, meaning it mainly lives and perches on the lower regions of large tree trunks. In fact, it rarely climbs higher than 5 m from the ground. Preference for wide, woody vegetation helps the lizard remain hidden from predators, allows for better locomotion, and aids in scanning more area of its territory.Reproduction
"A. gundlachi" is an oviparous lizard, meaning offspring hatch out of an egg after being laid by the mother.Food
"A. gundlachi" is mainly an insectivore, eating large insects and arthropods. However, this lizard is known to have powerful jaws and has been observed to eat other anoles, small frogs, and snails. Other prey includes ants, sowbugs, and mayflies.Predators
Predators of "A. gundlachi" include the Puerto Rican boa, the common coqui, and the Puerto Rican lizard cuckoo.The presence of these predators makes their defense mechanisms essential to their survival.
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