Journal of Threatened
Taxa | www.threatenedtaxa.org | 26 June 2026 | 18(6): 29093–29097
ISSN 0974-7907 (Online) | ISSN 0974-7893 (Print)
https://doi.org/10.11609/jott.10174.18.6.29093-29097
#10174 | Received 23 September 2025 | Final received 17 March 2026|
Finally accepted 11 May 2026
Mating behavior of the Oaxacan
Oak Anole Anolis quercorum (Squamata: Sauria: Anolidae) on a shade
coffee plantation in Sierra Madre del Sur of Oaxaca, Mexico
Jesús García Grajales
1, Alejandra Buenrostro Silva 2, Gibran
Aldair Amador Larios 3,
Diana Andrea Nieves Rocha 4
& Ixil Pineda Ibarra 5
1,2 Universidad del Mar. Km. 2.5 Carretera Federal Puerto Escondido – Sola de Vega, Puerto
Escondido, Oaxaca 71980, México.
3,4,5 División de Estudios
de Posgrado. Universidad del Mar. Km. 2.5 Carretera Federal Puerto Escondido – Sola de Vega, Puerto
Escondido, Oaxaca 71980, México.
1 archosaurio@yahoo.com.mx
(corresponding author), 2 sba_1575@yahoo.com.mx, 3 gaal2807@gmail.com,
4 diananievesro17@gmail.com, 5
ixilpib@gmail.com
Editor: S.R. Ganesh, Kalinga Foundation, Agumbe, India.
Date of publication: 26
June 2026 (online & print)
Citation: Grajales, J.G., A.B. Silva, G.A.A. Larios, D.A.N. Rocha
& I.P. Ibarra (2026). Mating behavior of
the Oaxacan Oak Anole Anolis quercorum (Squamata:
Sauria: Anolidae) on a
shade coffee plantation in Sierra Madre del Sur of Oaxaca, Mexico. Journal of Threatened Taxa 18(6): 29093–29097. https://doi.org/10.11609/jott.10174.18.6.29093-29097
Copyright: © Grajales et al. 2026. Creative Commons Attribution 4.0
International License. JoTT allows unrestricted use,
reproduction, and distribution of this article in any medium by providing
adequate credit to the author(s) and the source of publication.
Funding: None.
Competing interests: The authors declare no competing interests.
Author details: Jesús García Grajales is a researcher whose work primarily are focused on the Wildlife Management and Diversity in Oaxaca, Mexico. Alejandra Buenrostro Silva is a researcher whose work primarily are focused on Conservation Medicine and Wildlife Management in Oaxaca, Mexico. Gibrán Aldair Amador Larios is a veterinarian who recently completed his master’s degree in wildlife management in Mexico. Diana Andrea Nieves Rocha is an ecologist who recently completed his master’s degree in wildlife management in Mexico. Ixil Pineda Ibarra is a biologist who recently completed his master’s degree in wildlife management in Mexico.
Author contribution: JGG and GAAL contributes to data collection. Study conception, preparation, data collection and review were performed by JGG, ABS, GAAL, DANR and IPI. The first draft of the manuscript was written by JGG and all authors contributed to refining and revising the manuscript.
Acknowledgments: We are thankful to Cooperativa Cafetal de Altura de San Juan Lachao for the logistics and facilities provided. Universidad del Mar provided the CUP: 2IR2404 for research activities. JGG and ABS are grateful to Sistema Nacional de Investigadoras e Investigadores (SNII) of SECIHTI for its recognition and support. GAAL, DANR and IPI thank the SECIHTI for the scholarship for the postgraduate studies.
Abstract: Courtship and mating events in
Mexican Anolis species have been reported mainly in captive conditions.
Herein, we report a field observation of the mating behaviour
of A. quercorum on a coffee plant, in the
Sierra Madre del Sur, Oaxaca. Neck biting by the male, positioning on the
female, head waving, copulation/intromission, as well as dislodging and retreat
behaviours were observed in the wild. The mating
duration was 25 minutes, which is within the reported period in the related A.
punctatus. Future studies should improve and build on courting and mating
observations to clarify if the observation duration reported here is part of
the typical behavioural repertoire of A. quercorum.
Keywords: Anoles, behavioral signals,
courtship, hemipenis, mating observation,
reproductive.
Resumen: El cortejo
y apareamiento en las especies de Anolis no ha sido
reportada, excepto en experimentos de laboratorio. Aquí, reportamos una observación de campo del comportamiento
de apareamiento de A. quercorum
sobre una planta de café, en la Sierra Madre del Sur, Oaxaca, México. La duración del apareamiento fue de 25 minutos, lo cual se encuentra dentro del intervalo de tiempo reportado en otras especies
como A. punctatus. Es
importante reconocer que los futuros estudios
incluyan más observaciones de cortejo y apareamiento para esclarecer si la observación reportada aquí es parte del repertorio
típico de A. quercorum.
Introduction
Under natural conditions,
courtship and mating of anole lizards are rare to observe and document because
most species usually mate perched on trees (Ribeiro et al. 2011;
Oliveira & Moraes 2021). Particularly, this genus
displays a variety of actions performed by males and females prior to
copulation (Carpenter 1978). For example, diverse array of visual displays such
as head bobbing, pushups, tail lifting, throat dewlap extension, and changing colour are performed by adult male anoles during nuptial
season (Losos 2009; Driessens
et al. 2014; Steffen & Guyer 2014; Beltrán et al.
2016), though these visual displays are also exhibited during territorial
interactions (Losos 2009; Reedy et al. 2017; Horr 2019).
To date, studies on the ecology
and life history of Anolis species have mainly focused on Caribbean
islands (e.g., Losos 1996; Gianissi
et al. 1997; Howard et al. 1999; Creer et al. 2001),
and the North American mainland (e.g., Guyer 1988 a,b; Vitt et al. 1995). In
Mexico, ecological studies of anoles are scarce compared to their diversity
(e.g., Ramírez-Bautista et al. 2002), and most studies have been focused on
taxonomy and systematics (e.g., Guyer & Savage 1986; Campbell et al. 1989;
Nieto-Montes de Oca 1994, 1996; Köhler et al. 2014,
2019; Gray et al. 2016). Among Mexican anoles, behavioural
data about mating duration has not been reported; however, information on these
events is also of special interest because mating duration can differ among
breeding events within a single anole species (Losos
2009) or in response to the presence of a predator or an observer (Beltrán et al. 2016). Most of the knowledge associated with
reproductive events of anoles comes from laboratory experiments or captive
animals (e.g., Stamps 1975; Lima & Souza 2006; Pandav
et al. 2007, 2010; Driessens et al. 2014).
Some information has been
documented for Anolis quercorum. For example,
Ramírez-Bautista et al. (2002) conducted observations in laboratory conditions
on egg development, size and volume, and relative clutch mass, and reproductive
condition. However, the complete description of the duration of courtship and
mating events in this species in the wild remains unknown. Herein, we report a
field observation of mating behavior of A. quercorum
on a coffee plant, in the Sierra Madre del Sur, Oaxaca, Mexico.
Materials
and Methods
We observed the reproductive
event of the Oaxacan Oak Anole Anolis quercorum
while assessing the biodiversity in a shade-grown coffee in Las Nieves farm,
located in the municipality of San Juan Lachao (16.193o
N, 97.058o W; elevation 1,450 m), in the state of Oaxaca, Mexico.
The observation occurred in Finca Cafetalera
Las Nieves of the Sierra Sur de Oaxaca; this is a
ranch with rustic shade plantations that grow under the canopy of humid
mountain forests. The climate in this region is subhumid
temperate with annual air temperatures ranging from 12–20 °C and annual
precipitation ranging from 1,000–3,500 mm (De Santis
et al. 2018).
To avoid interfering with the
displayed behavioural signals, we remained silent and
at least 2 m from the individual during the entire reproductive event. Digital
images and video were obtained using an iPhone (XR Model, 12 MP resolution) and
a digital camera (Canon Eos Rebel) with a telephoto lens (Canon EF 70–300 mm).
We recorded the start and end time of the event, as well as notes on the
deployment of behaviours.
Observations
On 15 June 2024, at 1248 h we
observed a female A. quercorum perched
horizontally on top of the leaves of a coffee plant (Coffea
arabica, Image 1A) at approximately 95 cm from the ground. She was
constantly moving her head laterally to the left, and then returning it to its
initial position. Five minutes later (1252 h), from a nearby tree, a male
jumped over the female’s dorsum and immediately positioned himself on her body
and started biting the back of the neck (Image 1B). Because the male was
outside our initial range of vision, we were unable to obtain information on
the entirety of the displays exhibited by the male prior to mating or on the behaviours that triggered the observed mating position.
During the next 10 minutes, the
male remained in the same position, taking quick bites over the back and side
of the neck (Image 1C). Both right extremities (front and back) of the male
were propped on the trunk, giving him support. At 1303 h, the male began to
shift his hip to the left side of the female with the intention of joining the cloacas, while she began to raise the base of the tail
(Image 1D).
Assuming his position, the male
was most likely inserting its right hemipenes into
the female (13.04 h). Both individuals remained almost immobile during the
entire mating event (1304–1312 h), suggesting insertion of the hemipenis and insemination (copulatory phase), except for
subtle movement of the female’s head. During that time, the male stopped biting
the female (Image 1E). After about eight minutes, the female became agitated
and displayed side movements of the body and head to the left, apparently
trying to disengage herself from the male. A few seconds later, both
individuals moved separately for a short distance, then the male jumped to the
nearest leaves, and the female stayed in the same location (Image 1F), thus
ending the mating event at 1313 h.
After disengaging, the male
returned to the same tree from which he jumped at the beginning of the event.
Both individuals remained immobile (1313–1337 h) until the end of the
observation period. During the mating event, both the anoles remained in the
same constant body colour without any change.
Discussion
Our present report is the first
mating event
observation of these anoles horizontally on coffee plant leaves
in Mexico, as there are no such earlier reports. According to literature, the behaviour and positioning as well as the chosen substrate,
of the mating individuals varied among anole species (Losos
2009; Oliveira & Moraes 2021). Silva-Neto et al. (2019) reported courtship behaviour
of the Spotted Amazonian Green Anole Dactyloa
philopunctata taking place on the vertical trunk
of an introduced tree species (Syzygium
cumini) in the central Brazilian Amazonian.
Oliveira & Moraes (2021) reported a courtship
event on a vertical tree of Southern Amazonia, Brazil. During our observations,
we did not record evasion by the female, but we documented nape biting by the
male on the female. In a similar way, Silva-Neto et
al. (2019) and Oliveira & Moraes (2021) reported
these aggressive behaviours prior to the hemipenial insertion (copulatory phase). Unfortunately, we
were unable to observe the nuptial display behaviour
of the male (head bobbing, push-ups, and extending dewlaps) prior to mating,
because it was not sighted until it approached the female.
We did not observe a colour change during this mating event. In fact, Silva-Neto et al. (2019) also did not report colour
change during mating in D. philopunctata.
Although Olivera & Moraes (2021) hypothesized
that the colour change in males of Anolis may
be result of combined effect of its excitement during copulation and
insemination that progressively intensifies during mating. However, this
hypothesis must be evaluated in greater detail in future studies.
Due to the potential exposure of
the breeding pair to greater predation risk, mating events of anole species
range from 10 minutes (Losos 2009; Beltrán et al. 2016) to up to 64 minutes (Alfonso et al.
2014). Here, the mating duration was 25 minutes, which is within the reported
duration for other similar species such as A. punctatus (Silva-Neto et al. 2019; Moraes &
Oliveira 2021). This study broadens our knowledge on mating behaviour
in another anole species. Future studies should improve documenting the
courting and mating observations to clarify if the mating duration reported
here is part of the typical behavioural repertoire of
A. quercorum.
For
image - - click here for full PDF
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