Anoles!

[RecycledAgain]

May I pose a favor of you Gasteriaphile? I ask this for myself and other plant laymen on this forum.

Would it be an imposition to ask for common plant names along with the Family and species. I ask, because in the beginning I would have had to look up (Ficus pumila/ Creeping fig) or (Selaginella kraussiana/Trailing Selaginella) I use both in my Dart Tanks.

I will be looking up the common name of (Ardisia elliptica) now ...lol

Dan

[harrywitmore]

Ardisia elliptica - Shoebutton ardisia. But, I have to say as a plant person that I just don't like common names. Most of the plants I like myself have no common name. So, I never post Epipremnum aureum as 'Golden Pothos'. But, as I said I'm a plant nut.

[gasteriaphile]

Thanks for your feedback Dan. I am not quite as strict as our friend in not using common names, but I am a botanist by education and training and I tend to forget that others are not quite as sanguine as I about "precision". I also agree that not all plants have common names, the Ardisia being a case in point. On the plant label that accompanied the plant (bought at Home Depot by the way), it said "Angel Plant". That sort of common name is what gives common names a bad name I suspect that "Ardisia" is pretty useful; I ran into it at a real plant store later and that was the name they used.

But I probably should have just said "Prayer Plant" instead of Maranta leuconeura! But since I had the idea of using the botanical for the ardisia I just decided to be consistent. The common names for selaginella are equally obscure and unhelpful in my opinion. And if one wishes to denote a particular species of selaginella it is even worse.

Ficus pumila? Well yes, dwarf climbing fig is pretty accurate.

But thanks for your input and at least I know folks are looking at my work which is good in and of itself.

Breck

[RecycledAgain]

I'm always interested in a new or different idea never fear. I live in Central Florida and we are inundated with the Anoles. They are fun to watch, they even seem to know what a ff cup is now. I take my old ff cultures and set them out at the pond , the anoles just come outta the wood work now.

Dan

[Chu'Wuti]

Even worse, "common" names are not common worldwide. Hence, the use of "pothos"--as Epipremnum aureum is known in the U.S.--may be meaningless and make the plant impossible to find in, for example, Canada (I ran into this exact problem on another forum recently). The use of "devil's ivy," another "common" name for E. aureum, makes some people believe it is an ivy, while others believe pothos is a philodendron.

Using a botanical name helps prevent such confusion, and it helps people ensure that they are purchasing/using a plant that is not harmful to any herps in an enclosure.

Staying with the pothos example, if it is thought to be an ivy or a philodendron, one would not want to include it in vivarium with herps. However, knowing that it is an Epipremnum, one can learn that it is not harmful to herps.

Finally, if a botanical name is posted, one can easily copy, paste, and google that name and learn all of the common names as well as detailed care & environmental info, whereas the use of a "common" name (that isn't common after all) may simply drive someone crazy as they try to figure out what the other person is talking about.

In sum, I vote for continued use of botanical names, with inclusion of known common names when possible for nonbotanists (either by training or in an amateur sense).

Finally, those of you who rely on common names need to consider the country of the person posting when seeking a plant in your local area by a common name, so go armed with the botanical name as a backup plan.

[RecycledAgain]

First and foremost, I believe my Innocent request of Gasteriaphile has turned this into full fledged Hijacking of this thread.
I think its time we return this thread to Gasteriaphile's Anoles.

I'll post this question in the Viv plants section ... I think we can make an interesting go of this discussion... lol

Dan

Our apologies Gasteriaphile

[gasteriaphile]

Dear Dan AND Chu' - let's all settle down! LOL. I suspect that Chu' is simply a very thorough fellow in his thinking and communicating and is not trying to "do" anything viz. you Dan. What Chu' wrote is very valid and I enjoyed reading it. It is indeed good to remember that the Internet is international. That said, I also take what Dan has said to heart and I will indeed include common names when they are fairly...well...common. That is, not just "made up names" created by some grower just so customers don't have to deal with a botanical name. That's just silly and does no one any good.

Now, by all means! let's do get back to my anoles! or rather my setup awaiting anoles. It was below the freezing mark this a.m. and I cannot order any anoles yet, or even, for that matter, some tropical plants I want to try out (incl. some coffee plants [note common name HA!] and the botanical for everyone who likes them, Coffea arabica).

What are everyone's thoughts and opinions on UVB light vs. calcium Vitamin D supplements in the food? As far as I am concerned the jury is still out on that question. I got an email today from an anole correspondent who reported that the pre-eminent anole herpetoculturist in America does not use UVB lights, now does a woman author who wrote the book on Day Geckoes.
Thanks, Breck

[RecycledAgain]

ahhem .. lol .. Chu' is no fellow ...lol / Chu' and I have no problems ..By hijacking I'm saying we were stealing your thread or changing the point of your original post; so I moved it to the plant section.

[beckdg]

Originally Posted by gasteriaphile

What are everyone's thoughts and opinions on UVB light vs. calcium Vitamin D supplements in the food? As far as I am concerned the jury is still out on that question. I got an email today from an anole correspondent who reported that the pre-eminent anole herpetoculturist in America does not use UVB lights, now does a woman author who wrote the book on Day Geckoes.
Thanks, Breck

well i'd say if they are comfy advising you on how exactly to treat an anole who gets no uvb from a bulb and that's what you really want to do... it's true the jury's still out, and many disagree on this... i believe YOU (not everyone) can accomplish a good life for anoles without one considering you're willing to put the work in others would not OBVIOUSLY! one of the reasons i say no is because there really is NO substitute for sunlight, but a uv bulb is a step in the right direction. imo any animal that benefits from sunlight needs it and there are more things to consider than just physical health... heck take humans for instance... winter months can be a real bummer... mostly attributed to lack of sunlight... hormones change, lifestyle changes, mentality changes, mood and emotional well-being can be substantially lowered and people who get less sunlight are way more prone to suicide... now i know that doesn't necessarily relate directly to herps, but i'm sure there is something that SHOULD be considered we might not (as a species) know about quite yet... i think the closer to nature we can get the healthier and happier any animal will be... i could be completely wrong and i'm ok with that, but to err on the side of caution and make it easier on me and the little guys, i PERSONALLY would make sure they had a source of uvb... i am sorry i did not pose both sides of the argument... i should have, i know, but i still stand my ground, they should have whatever benefits they can get in captive care ESPECIALLY cause it is still debated.

[gasteriaphile]

Hi there. Well one thing to keep in mind re: seasonal affect disorder in folks vs. UVB "deprivation" in anoles, is... that my vivarium is not dark! It is illuminated by 200 watts of compact fluorescents (see attached image). So they are not going to be S.A.D. just because they do not have UVB.

I am definitely a "neat freak" and I just cannot add UVB bulb to the existing setup without making it look really tacky. The image attached shows the tank as it is this morning (4-17-09) but doesn't show the whole setup; so I am also attaching an image that shows the compact fluorescent fixture in relation to the tank's top.

Now, IF someone would manufacture a lamp fixture that is long enough to accommodate these new UVB fluorescents so that they don't stick out from the fixture AND narrow enough so that they don't take up 8-9" of top space, then I could see doing it.

As it is, I am hoping to go the route of adding Repti-Cal for the Vit. D thing.

Breck