MORPHOLOGICAL-CHARACTERISTICS OF THE LIZARD ANOLIS-CAROLINENSIS FROM SOUTH-CAROLINA

We report morphometric data for 721 Anolis carolinensis from a pine-oa k community near Aiken, South Carolina. We recorded an adult male:fema le ratio of 1.18:1. Far our sample, a sexual dimorphism of larger male s was reflected in snout-vent length (SVL) and body mass, with an aver age 10% bias for SVL and 30% for mass. Proportioned to respective SVL, tail length, head length, and head width tended to be larger in males . However, reduced major axis analyses indicated that these sex-biased dimorphisms were isometric, primarily reflecting the same male-larger scale relationship, and not disproportionate sexual dimorphic morphol ogies. The percent frequency of regenerated tails was unusually low (8 %) and similar for both sexes. Coefficients of body condition indicate d that lizards were heaviest during the post-breeding season (August-N ovember) and lightest during the breeding season (April-July). Compari son of data from our population in South Carolina to those from other conspecific populations and anoline species suggests that (1) the inte rsexual difference in SVL increases with latitude, (2) the SVL/tail le ngth ratio of A. carolinensis is intermediate between anoline ''jumper s'' and ''runners'', indicating a generalist at locomotion, and (3) at present, the sexual selection hypothesis, in contrast to the competit ion avoidance hypothesis or the female fecundity hypothesis, best expl ains the sexual size dimorphism observed in a northern latitude popula tion of A. carolinensis.