ANOLIS LINEATOPUS — RAND 



measured, and their stomachs removed and placed in alcohoL vSiibse- 

 ((uently the contents were removed and examined. Some food items 

 were found intact but many were represented by a scatterin^i; of more. 

 resistant parts. A count of the minimum number of prey individuals 

 present was recorded. 



A covmt of prey items is perhaps the best count to indicate food 

 preferences since each capture is weighted equally. It has the dis- 

 advantage of ignoring the significant fact that one large insect may 

 supply more food than several small ones. Table 2, whicli shows the 

 prey by size, makes some correction for this. 



Table 2. — Relation between prey size and lizard size (first fij^ure in each entry 

 is number of prey individuals; figure in parentheses is number of stomachs) 



Casual observations add dragon flies, Diptera, termites, small 

 snails, and small frogs to the list of prey found in stomachs. 



The variety of major types of invertebrates present in appreciable 

 numbers demonstrates that A. lineatopus is not a specialist in any 

 particular taxon. The only lizards known to specialize in this manner 

 are those, like Moloch, that feed on ants, though some, like the Cnemi- 

 dophorous in parts of Texas, which eat largely termites (Milstead, 

 1957), may be facultative specialists. 



In addition to animals, a few bits of vegetation, a small stone, and a 

 piece of shed lizard skin, probably its own, were found in stomachs. 

 The vegetable material and the stone may have been taken by the 

 lizard along with an insect but the following two incidents suggest 

 other ways in which nonliving material may be taken. 



Once, 1 observed a small male run two feet to a dead insect being 

 canied jerkily by ants. After a minute or so of watching, he picked 

 up the insect, shook off the ants, and ate it. 



On another occasion, about one foot from a young adult male, I 

 observed the green base of a hibiscus flower (a cylinder 2% cm long 

 and 1 cm wide) fall to the ground. The male jumped down to the 

 ground, grabbed and then released the flower except for a small 

 piece that he chewed for some minutes. 



