Use of Habitat by the Semiaquatic Lizard, Norops Aquaticus (Notes) (Report‪)‬

Anoline lizards (Polychrotidae) occur throughout Central America, the Amazon Basin in northern South America, and the West Indies. Most of the almost 400 species are terrestrial and arboreal, with each species using a specific structural habitat from among those available (Schoener and Schoener, 1971a, 1971 b; Moermond, 1979a, 1979b). For terrestrial anoles occupying Caribbean Islands, similarity in structural use ofhabitats is coincident with similarities in morphology and behavior (Moermond, 1979b; Williams, 1983; Losos, 1990). A small number of species (10) are semiaquatic; they occur near and readily enter water (Leal et al., 2002), and they often use a greater range of structural habitats than other anoles (Meyer, 1968; Campbell, 1973; Vitt et al., 1995; Birt et al., 2001). Morphological convergence does not exist among semiaquatic species (Leal et al., 2002). Norops aquaticus is a semiaquatic anole from lowland and premontane slopes of southwestern Costa Rica and northwestern Panama (Savage, 2002). It is restricted to stream courses and will readily enter water to flee pursuers (goodman, 1971; Mairquez et al., 2005). We undertook a study of use of habitats by N. aquaticus, focusing on the influence of characteristics of rivers on characteristics of perching sites.