The Italian wall lizard (Podarcis sicula) as a bioindicator of oil field activity

Abstract The role of the Western Whip snake Coluber viridißavus was demonstrated as a definitive host for Sarcocystis podarcicolubris sp. nov. of the Italian Wall lizard Podarcis sicula and the Tyrrhenian Wall lizard Podarcis tiliquerta. Sporocysts (9.58 x 6.94 μm) of S. podarcicolubris from a naturally infected snake C. viridißavus were fed to a Sarcocystis free lizard P. sicula and via arthropods Musca domestica to another Sarcocystis free lizard P. tiliquerta. About 3-4 months later sarcocysts could be detected in both lizards. The cysts measured 90-130 μm × 450-550 μm. The cyst wall had 2.5-3 μm long villus like protrusions. The sausage-shaped bradyzoites measured circa 7.7 × 2 μm. Refeeding of the experimentally infected lizards to the snake led to a renewed shedding of sporocysts after a prepatency of 12 -15 days.

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Fluctuating Asymmetry, Physiological Performance, and Stress in Island Populations of the Italian Wall Lizard (Podarcis sicula)

Journal of Herpetology ◽

10.1670/07-1202.1 ◽

2008 ◽

Vol 42 (2) ◽

pp. 369-377 ◽

Cited By ~ 8

Author(s):

Bart Vervust ◽

Stefan Van Dongen ◽

Irena Grbac ◽

Raoul Van Damme

Keyword(s):

Fluctuating Asymmetry ◽

Podarcis Sicula ◽

Physiological Performance ◽

Island Populations ◽

Italian Wall Lizard

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Learning from others: an invasive lizard uses social information from both conspecifics and heterospecifics

Biology Letters ◽

10.1098/rsbl.2018.0532 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 14 (10) ◽

pp. 20180532 ◽

Cited By ~ 7

Author(s):

Isabel Damas-Moreira ◽

Daniel Oliveira ◽

Joana L. Santos ◽

Julia L. Riley ◽

D. James Harris ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Invasive Species ◽

Social Learning ◽

Social Information ◽

Podarcis Sicula ◽

Learning From Others ◽

Foraging Task ◽

Italian Wall Lizard ◽

Podarcis Bocagei

Species that are able to solve novel problems through social learning from either a conspecific or a heterospecific may gain a significant advantage in new environments. We tested the ability of a highly successful invasive species, the Italian wall lizard Podarcis sicula , to solve a novel foraging task when social information was available from both a conspecific and an unfamiliar heterospecific ( Podarcis bocagei ). We found that Italian wall lizards that had access to social information made fewer errors, regardless of whether the demonstrator was a conspecific or a heterospecific, compared to Italian wall lizards that individually learnt the same task. We suggest that social learning could be a previously underappreciated, advantageous mechanism facilitating invasions.

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Seismic Activity in the Permian Basin Area of West Texas and Southeastern New Mexico, 1975–79

Seismological Research Letters ◽

10.1785/gssrl.58.2.63 ◽

1987 ◽

Vol 58 (2) ◽

pp. 63-70 ◽

Cited By ~ 7

Author(s):

G. R. Keller ◽

A. M. Rogers ◽

C. D. Orr

Keyword(s):

New Mexico ◽

Seismic Activity ◽

Oil Field ◽

Permian Basin ◽

Gas Field ◽

West Texas ◽

Field Activity ◽

Complex Relationships ◽

Basin Area ◽

Swarm Activity

Abstract A seismic network of 12 self-contained, radio-telemetered seismograph systems was operated in the Kermit, Texas area for a period of 46 months. The main object of this study was to improve our understanding of the seismicity of this region where the first events were observed in 1964 and the first feit event occurred in 1966. Over 1300 events were located during this study, and the hypocenters displayed complex relationships with known geologie structures and oll field activity. Swarm activity was prominent, particularly in the southwest portion of the network. Most of the large events occurred near Kermit, Texas in the vicinity of the Keystone oil field and surprisingly few smaller events occurred in this area. The greatest concentrations of events (none feit), showed a strong spatial correlation with the War-Wink gas field.

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