DIET OF EIGHT SPECIES OF LIZARDS FROM GRANITE GAP, HIDALGO COUNTY, NEW MEXICO

Granite Gap is a desert scrub habitat located in the Chihuahuan Desert in southwestern New Mexico about 200 km from the Texas border. In May 2016, we collected specimens of eight lizard species, six of which range into Texas: Callisaurus draconoides, Cophosaurus texanus, Uta stansburiana, Urosaurus ornatus, Gambelia wislizenii, and Aspidoscelis sonorae (a parthenogenetic species), plus two species not found in Texas: Sceloporus clarkii and Aspidoscelis tigris. We analyzed stomach contents of the preserved lizards and computed diet breadth and overlap for each. All lizard species consumed arthropods only. Considering the entire sample, there was a significant correlation between lizard snout-vent length (SVL) and total volume of arthropods consumed, and between lizard SVL and mean volume per prey item, but not between lizard SVL and number of arthropods consumed. This suggests larger lizards did not consume more arthropods than smaller lizards, but they did consume larger ones. Overall, A. sonorae was the most specialized lizard species at Granite Gap whereas C. texanus seemed to be the most generalized owing to its high numeric and high volumetric diet breadth. The dietary overlap data suggest there were two groups of lizards at Granite Gap: one that consumes a large number and volume of termites (Callisaurus, Cophosaurus, and the two species of Aspidoscelis) and the other that consumes a large number and volume of ants (Uta, Urosaurus, small Sceloporus) plus cicadas when lizard size is large enough to consume them (large Sceloporus and Gambelia).

PRIMER REGISTRO DE MORTALIDAD INCIDENTAL DE Uta stansburiana EN UN PARQUE EÓLICO EN MÉXICO

Se reporta el hallazgo de dos especímenes de Uta stansburiana en un parque eólico localizado en el poblado de La Rumorosa, Baja California. La mortalidad se asoció a causas indirectas como el atropellamiento en caminos de acceso y al ahogamiento en los sistemas de registros y alcantarillas. Los especímenes fueron encontrados en el periodo de agosto de 2015 a agosto de 2016 durante las actividades de búsqueda de cadáveres del programa de monitoreo de mortalidad de vida silvestre. Estos hallazgos constituyen los primeros registros de mortalidad de herpetofauna en un parque eólico en México.

Molecular survey of coccidian infections of the side-blotched lizard Uta stansburiana on San Benito Oeste Island, Mexico

Blood parasites are found in many vertebrates, but the research on blood parasites of lizards is still at its onset. We analyzed blood samples from side-blotched lizards Uta stansburiana from San Benito Oeste Island, Mexico, to test for the presence of hemoparasites. We found a high prevalence (23 out of 27 samples) of a blood parasite of the genus Lankesterella (Coccidia, Eimeriorina, Lankesterellidae) according to phylogenetic analyses of the parasite 18S rRNA gene. Similar parasites (97–99% similarity) have recently been described for Uta stansburiana from California. The parasite 18S rRNA gene showed high variability, both within San Benito and compared to California. The next closest matches of the parasite DNA with 97–98% similarity included a range of different genera (Lankesterella, Schellackia, Eimeria, Isospora and Caryospora). A high uncertainty in the deeper branches of the phylogenetic trees, and many missing links in genetic network analysis, were in line with previous suggestions that the coccidians are an understudied group with large knowledge gaps in terms of their diversity and taxonomy. Further studies are needed to resolve the evolutionary relationships within the Eimeriorina.