The specific name, carpenteri, is in honor of American herpetologist Charles Congden Carpenter.

[4] A. carpenteri is a small, green lizard with an orange dewlap and smooth ventral scales.

[citation needed] Carpenter's anole prefers relatively open habitat in the lowland interface between land and watercourses, and is adapted for climbing on lichen-covered rocks, tree trunks, and shrubs.

[1] In Costa Rica it is found in Amistad Caribe, Huetar Norte, Cordillera Volcanica Central, Guanacaste, Tortuguero.

[5] The type locality is Río Reventazón, Turrialba, Cartago Province, Costa Rica.