scholarly journals Patterns of variations in dorsal colouration of the Italian wall lizard Podarcis siculus

Biology Open ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 10 (10) ◽  
Author(s):  
Federico Storniolo ◽  
Marco A. L. Zuffi ◽  
Alan J. Coladonato ◽  
Loris Di Vozzo ◽  
Gianni Giglio ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Seasonal Variations ◽  
Great Variability ◽  
Model Species ◽  
Field Of Study ◽  
Excellent Model ◽  
Trade Offs ◽  
Animal Colouration ◽  
Podarcis Siculus ◽  
Italian Wall Lizard

ABSTRACT Research on animal colouration has grown exponentially in the last decade thanks to multidisciplinary approaches. Most studies are focused on trade-offs between communication and mimicry, which represent the two main constraints and drivers of the evolution of body colourations. Reptiles are excellent model species for investigating this field of study and lizards in particular show great variability of body colourations and their functions. We studied the lizard Podarcis siculus, analysing the variations of dorsal colour of three populations and obtained clear patterns of seasonal and ontogenetical variation of dorsal colour. According to baseline colour, males were greener and brighter than females, although no difference in saturation was recorded. According to seasonal variations, analyses showed that both sexes significantly vary in colour over the year: males reached higher peaks of hue and saturation later than females during spring, while females showed higher peaks of brightness and reached earlier similarly to hue and saturation. Ontogenetic variations were recorded only in males, which become greener, less bright and saturated with growing size. Therefore, our results suggest the occurrence of two opposing strategies in colour expression between sexes: males’ dorsal colouration plays a major role in communication, while females are more crypsis-oriented.

Four Cases of Complete Melanistic Italian Wall Lizard [Podarcis siculus (Rafinesque-Schmaltz, 1810)] in Southern Italy and Sicily Island

2016 ◽  
Vol 24 (1) ◽  
pp. 63
Author(s):  
Vincenzo Reina ◽  
Filippo Spadola ◽  
Manuel Morici ◽  
Paola Sgroi ◽  
Antonino Marcianò
Keyword(s):  
Southern Italy ◽  
Podarcis Siculus ◽  
Italian Wall Lizard

scholarly journals Biological responses in pesticide exposed lizards (Podarcis siculus)

Ecotoxicology ◽  
2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Giulia Simbula ◽  
Ginevra Moltedo ◽  
Barbara Catalano ◽  
Giacomo Martuccio ◽  
Claudia Sebbio ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Oxidative Stress ◽  
Central Italy ◽  
Parasitic Infection ◽  
Biotransformation Enzymes ◽  
Biological Responses ◽  
Podarcis Siculus ◽  
Parasite Infections ◽  
Italian Wall Lizard ◽  
Detoxification Process ◽  
Accurate Quantification

AbstractThe release of contaminants as herbicides, fungicides and insecticides into the environment has been listed as one of the six major contributors to the global decline of reptiles. Although reptiles may face severe risk from contaminants due to their ecology and physiology, they are currently less studied than other vertebrate groups. In the present work, we investigated if and how different types of field treatment (conventional and organic) affected the health status of Italian wall lizard (Podarcis siculus) individuals in central Italy. We chose a multi-biomarker approach that evaluated the biological responses of lizards to the treatment by means of AChE activity in the nervous system, biotransformation enzymes activities and oxidative stress in the liver, micronuclei frequency measured in the erythrocytes, and rate of intestinal parasitic infection. Our findings showed evidence of effects of treatment in conventional areas and between sexes with significant oxidative stress due to hydroxyl radicals, that caused DNA damage. No difference of intestinal parasite infections was found among treatments. Podarcis siculus seems to be a good bioindicator in ecotoxicological studies and potentially in risk assessment of pesticides, although further analyses in laboratory and in the field are needed to achieve more accurate quantification of specific pesticide effects in relation to known exposure history and to understand if other mechanisms were involved in the toxicity and detoxification process of pesticides for this species.

scholarly journals Invasive lizard has fewer parasites than native congener

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Beatriz Tomé ◽  
D. James Harris ◽  
Ana Perera ◽  
Isabel Damas-Moreira
Keyword(s):  
18S Rrna ◽  
Blood Parasites ◽  
Average Intensity ◽  
Invasive Potential ◽  
Lizard Species ◽  
High Prevalence ◽  
Podarcis Siculus ◽  
Species Establishment ◽  
Low Levels ◽  
Italian Wall Lizard

AbstractInvasive species can carry parasites to introduced locations, which may be key to understand the success or failure of species establishment and the invasive potential of introduced species. We compared the prevalence and infection levels of haemogregarine blood parasites between two sympatric congeneric species in Lisbon, Portugal: the invasive Italian wall lizard (Podarcis siculus) and the native green Iberian wall lizard (Podarcis virescens). The two species had significant differences in their infection levels: while P. virescens had high prevalence of infection (69.0%), only one individual of P. siculus was infected (3.7%), and while P. virescens exhibited an average intensity of 1.36%, the infected P. siculus individual had an infection rate of only 0.04%. Genetic analyses of 18S rRNA identified two different haemogregarine haplotypes in P. virescens. Due to the low levels of infection, we were not able to amplify parasite DNA from the infected P. siculus individual, although it was morphologically similar to those found in P. virescens. Since other studies also reported low levels of parasites in P. siculus, we hypothesize that this general lack of parasites could be one of the factors contributing to its competitive advantage over native lizard species and introduction success.

scholarly journals First Record of the Northern Italian Wall Lizard (Podarcis siculus campestris) in Missouri

2015 ◽  
Vol 22 (1) ◽  
pp. 43-45
Author(s):  
Jeffrey T. Briggler ◽  
Rhonda L. Rimer ◽  
Guntram Deichsel
Keyword(s):  
First Record ◽  
Podarcis Siculus ◽  
Italian Wall Lizard

scholarly journals Linking behavioural syndromes and cognition: a behavioural ecology perspective

2012 ◽  
Vol 367 (1603) ◽  
pp. 2762-2772 ◽  
Author(s):  
Andrew Sih ◽  
Marco Del Giudice
Keyword(s):  
Decision Making ◽  
Individual Differences ◽  
Behavioural Ecology ◽  
Risk Sensitivity ◽  
Model Species ◽  
Behavioural Syndromes ◽  
Trade Offs ◽  
Behavioural Types ◽  
Cognitive Speed ◽  
Speed Accuracy

With the exception of a few model species, individual differences in cognition remain relatively unstudied in non-human animals. One intriguing possibility is that variation in cognition is functionally related to variation in personality. Here, we review some examples and present hypotheses on relationships between personality (or behavioural syndromes) and individual differences in cognitive style. Our hypotheses are based largely on a connection between fast–slow behavioural types (BTs; e.g. boldness, aggressiveness, exploration tendency) and cognitive speed–accuracy trade-offs. We also discuss connections between BTs, cognition and ecologically important aspects of decision-making, including sampling, impulsivity, risk sensitivity and choosiness. Finally, we introduce the notion of cognition syndromes, and apply ideas from theories on adaptive behavioural syndromes to generate predictions on cognition syndromes.

scholarly journals First records of the Italian wall lizard, Podarcis siculus (Rafinesque-Schmaltz, 1810) (Squamata: Lacertidae) in Albania

2016 ◽  
Vol 40 ◽  
pp. 814-817 ◽  
Author(s):  
Edvárd MIZSEI ◽  
Marcel UHRIN ◽  
Daniel JABLONSKI ◽  
Márton SZABOLCS
Keyword(s):  
Podarcis Siculus ◽  
Italian Wall Lizard

scholarly journals Spotlight on islands: on the origin and diversification of an ancient lineage of the Italian wall lizard Podarcis siculus in the western Pontine Islands

2018 ◽  
Vol 8 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Gabriele Senczuk ◽  
Katja Havenstein ◽  
Valentina Milana ◽  
Chiara Ripa ◽  
Emanuela De Simone ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Ancient Lineage ◽  
Podarcis Siculus ◽  
Pontine Islands ◽  
Italian Wall Lizard

Seasonal variations of basal cortisol and high stress response to captivity in Octodon degus, a mammalian model species

2014 ◽  
Vol 197 ◽  
pp. 65-72 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rene Quispe ◽  
Camila P. Villavicencio ◽  
Elizabeth Addis ◽  
John C. Wingfield ◽  
Rodrigo A. Vasquez
Keyword(s):  
Stress Response ◽  
Seasonal Variations ◽  
High Stress ◽  
Model Species ◽  
Octodon Degus ◽  
Basal Cortisol

scholarly journals Eaten or beaten? Severe population decline of the invasive lizard Podarcis siculus (Rafinesque-Schmaltz, 1810) after an eradication project in Athens, Greece

Herpetozoa ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 32 ◽  
pp. 165-169
Author(s):  
Chloe Adamopoulou ◽  
Panayiotis Pafilis
Keyword(s):  
Invasive Species ◽  
Short Communication ◽  
Population Decline ◽  
Mitigation Measures ◽  
Vegetation Growth ◽  
Native Communities ◽  
Stray Cats ◽  
Podarcis Siculus ◽  
Italian Wall Lizard ◽  
Established Population

Invasive species have been recognised as an important hazard to native communities. Amongst the mitigation measures that have been proposed to confront biological invasions, eradication projects are certainly the most drastic. In this short communication, a successful eradication project against a recently established population of the Italian wall lizard (Podarcissiculus) in Athens, Greece, is reported. To this aim, the Hellenic Herpetological Society received unforeseen aid from stray cats and, possibly, from the Οcellated skink (Chalcidesocellatus) and vegetation growth. Within three years, the initial thriving P.siculus population has shrunk to very few individuals.

Occurrence of lizards in agricultural land and implications for conservation

2021 ◽  
pp. 77-84
Author(s):  
Marta Biaggini
Keyword(s):  
Agricultural Land ◽  
Agricultural Landscapes ◽  
Land Uses ◽  
Chemical Application ◽  
Lack Of Information ◽  
Arthropod Fauna ◽  
Podarcis Siculus ◽  
Fauna Composition ◽  
Cereal Fields ◽  
Italian Wall Lizard

Agriculture intensification is among one of the major threats affecting terrestrial reptiles worldwide. There is however a lack of information available on the ecology of these vertebrates in agricultural landscapes. Basic information like the pattern of occurrence in cultivated fields is key to assess the probability of an animal being affected by threats driven by agricultural managing. Focussing on the Italian wall lizard (Podarcis siculus), we performed a field study to assess in detail its distribution and abundance in two cultivations, vineyards and cereal fields. Lizard distribution and abundance significantly varied among land uses, regardless of the arthropod fauna composition and diversity (analysed in the same fields), and the management activities. In the cereal fields, lizards were present exclusively along the field margins while in the vineyards they also occurred in the inner portions of the cultivated areas, even if they were more abundant next to the borders. The widespread presence of lizards in the vineyards suggest that P. siculus can likely adapt to such cultivated areas. This partly lowers the effect of habitat loss due to vineyard planting but exposes animals to the risks related to management activities, including mechanical practices and chemical application. In contrast, the presence of sowed lands, as extremely simplified habitats, results primarily in a definitive loss of habitat for lizards that are unable to settle within them, while the exposure to threats driven by management is less direct than in vineyards.

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