THE CENTER FOR NORTH AMERICAN HERPETOLOGY

Reptilia    Squamata (part-other lizards)    Anolidae  

Jamaican Giant Anole
Anolis garmani Stejneger, 1899
AH-NOH-lis — GAR-man-eye

SSAR 9th Edition Comments:
 Native to Jamaica. It was introduced via the pet trade prior to 1975 and is established in Miami, Miami-Dade County, Florida (Wilson and Porras, 1983, University of Kansas Special Publication : 1–89; Krysko, 2019, Anolis garmani. Pages 377–379 in Krysko et al. (Editors). Amphibians and Reptiles of Florida. University Press of Florida, Gainesville, Florida). Use of the subgeneric name follows Poe et al. (2017, Systematic Biology 66: 663–697). (Krysko, Kenneth and Travis W. Taggart. 2025. Established Exotic Species. Pages 64-87 in Kirsten E. Nicholson (Editor), Scientific and Standard English Names of Amphibians and Reptiles of North America North of Mexico, with Comments Regarding Confidence in Our Understanding, 9th Edition. Society for the Study of Amphibians and Reptiles, Lawrence, Kansas. 87 pp.)

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Occurrences:; 575 Total; 405 Museum; 170 Other
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Province/State Distribution:
United States: Florida

Taxonomic Etymology:
Named for a herpetologist.
Anolis — Possibly derived from a Caribbean (Taíno or Carib) word for lizards, standardized into Linnaean Latin.
garmani — Patronym honoring Samuel Garman (1843–1927), American zoologist and ichthyologist.

First instance(s) of published English names:
Edwards Anolis (Anolis edwardsii: Gray, John E. 1830. A synopsis of the species of the class reptilia. Pages 1-110 in The Animal Kingdom Arranged in Conformity with its Organization by the Baron Cuvier, member of teh Institute of France, with Additional Descriptions of all the Species Hitherto Named, and of many not before noticed. Ninth Volume. Whittaker, Treacher, and Company, London, England. pp.);

Taxon Links:

  
Catalog of American Amphibians and Reptiles
  
The Reptile Database
  
NatureServe
  
iNaturalist
  
GenBank
  
USGS - Nonindigenous Aquatic Species Database

Selected References:
1899 Stejneger, Leonhard H. A new name for the great crested Anolis of Jamaica. American Naturalist 33(391):601-602
1983 Wilson, Larry D. and Louis Porras. The ecological impact of man on the South Florida herpetofauna. University of Kansas Special Publication (9):1-89
1986 Guyer, Craig and Jay M. Savage Cladistic relationships among anoles (Sauria: Iguanidae). Systematic Zoology 35(4):509-531
1989 Cannatella, David C. and Kevin de Queiroz. Phylogenetic systematics of the Anoles: Is a new taxonomy warranted? Systematic Zoology 38(1):57-69
1991 Russell, Anthony P. and Bauer, Aaron M. Anolis garmani. Catalogue of American Amphibians and Reptiles (513):1-3
2017 Poe, Steven, A., Adrián Nieto-montes de Oca, Omar Torres-carvajal, Kevin De Queiroz, Julián A. Velasco, Brad Truett, Levi N. Gray, Mason J. Ryan, Gunther Köhler, Fernando Ayala-varela, and Ian Latella. A phylogenetic, biogeographic, and taxonomic study of all extant species of Anolis (Squamata; Iguanidae). Systematic Biology 66(5):663–697
2019 Krysko, Kenneth L., Kevin M. Enge, and Paul E. Moler (Editor) Amphibians and Reptiles of Florida. University Press of Florida, Gainesville, Florida. 728pp.

THE CENTER FOR NORTH AMERICAN HERPETOLOGY — Accessed: Monday 27 July 2026 16:40 CT