Abstract

ABSTRACT. Allometry for sexual size dimorphism (SSD) occurs when the degree of SSD varies with overall body size and is common in animals, including lizards. Previous reviews of allometry for SSD showed ‘Iguanid’ lizards to be comprised of mostly malelarger species which showed weak and statistically non-significant allometry for SSD. Beta-anoles (or Norops) are better suited for analysis, however, because they show extensive, up-to-date phylogenetic support, and presumably share certain ecological and life history traits. Here, I use phylogenetically independent contrasts of log male and log female size to assess allometry for SSD in 23 species of mainland anoles. The species of Norops measured here showed mixed-bias SSD (i.e., both male-larger and female-larger species) and the degree of SSD varied considerably. The slope of MA regression (and its 95% confidence interval) indicated that Norops showed isometry and did not exhibit allometry consistent with Rensch's Rule. Moreover, a pairwise t-test of ind...

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