Growth Ecology of a Tropical Lizard, Basiliscus basiliscus

Linear growth in the tropical lizard Basiliscus basiliscus fits the von Bertalanffy growth model of the form: GR = a / bSVL (SVL = snout—vent length). Analysis of covariance was used to compare data from 2 sites in Costa Rica, wet and dry seasons, and several years. Initial growth rates were between 0.3 and 0.4 mm/day for both sexes, but asymptotic sizes were much larger in ♂ ♂ (212—238 mm SVL versus 167—176). Female growth rates were sensitive to seasonal and annual differences in rainfall, varying inversely with reproductive activity. Male growth differed between sites, perhaps in response to different social milieux. Asymptotic size was highest at the site with more large, dominant ♂ ♂. The basilisk results suggest a novel reproductive strategy including facultative responses to both social and environmental cues.