Age structure and body size of a critically endangered species, Acanthodactylus harranensis (Squamata: Lacertidae) and its demography

Abstract

Within reptiles, lizards cover less area across the globe than snakes do. One out of every seven known species of lizards in the world is found only in its type locality. Acanthodactylus harranensis Baran, Kumlutaş, Lanza, Sindaco, Ilgaz, Avcı & Crucitti, 2005, is one of these species. It is an endemic lizard species in Turkey with a very small area of occupancy and is listed in the critically endangered category (CR) by the IUCN. Here we document the age structure and body size of A. harranensis using skeletochronological methods for the first time and aim to point out current problems and contribute to an understanding of its demography. The mean age of males was found to be significantly higher than that of females. The maximum life span was 10 years in males while it was 9 years in females. The 8-year-old age group contained a higher number of individuals than any other age group. The mean snout-vent length of specimens was not significantly different between the sexes. As in many other lizards, A. harranensis exhibits a low-level male-biased sexual dimorphism. Acanthodactylus harranensis also displayed a considerably bigger body size than other studied lacertids from Şanlıurfa province. The data presented in this study may contribute to future conservation efforts for this endangered species.

Age and growth in two populations of Danford’s lizard, Anatololacerta danfordi (Günther, 1876), from the eastern Mediterranean

“…Skeletochronology, which is used to estimate individual age by counting growth rings, also known as lines of arrested growth (LAGs), from the cross-sections of long bone tissue, is the most expedient way as it shortens the time of the study and does not require any animals to be sacrificed (Castanet and Smirina, 1990). In addition to this, skeletochronology has yielded successful results in previous studies on lizards such as Acanthodactylus boskianus (Üzüm et al, 2014), Acanthodactylus harranensis (Beşer et al, 2019), Anatololacerta anatolica (Yakın and Tok, 2015), Apathya cappadocica (Gül et al, 2015a), Darevskia rudis (Gül et al, 2014), Dinarolacerta mosorensis (Kolarov et al, 2010), Eremias argus (Kim et al, 2010), Lacerta agilis (Guarino et al, 2010), Phoenicolacerta laevis (Üzüm et al, 2018), Podarcis lilfordi (Rotger et al, 2016), and Podarcis tauricus (Eroğlu et al, 2017). We tested the correlation of the age structure and some morphological characteristics of the two A. danfordi populations.…”

Body size and age structure of Lacerta agilis LINNAEUS, 1758 (Reptilia: Lacertidae) from two different populations in Turkey

“…Age at sexual maturity was determined by considering the distance between the two adjoining LAGs. The proportion of endosteal resorption (the bone remodeling process that might have reabsorbed part of the entire LAGs = ER) was assessed by comparing the diameters of eroded marrow cavities with the diameters of non-eroded marrow cavities [22].…”

Note on the Endemic Status of Harran Fringe-fingered Lizard, Acanthodactylus harranensis Baran, Kumlutaş, Lanza, Sindaco, Ilgaz, Avcı, & Crucitti, 2005

“…Suriye içerisinde kalan bölge yeterince araştırılmamıştır. Bilinen populasyonu oldukça yaşlı bireylerden oluşan türün (Beşer et al, 2019), dağılış sahasının tam olarak belirlenmesi için özellikle Suriye'nin kuzeyi başta olmak üzere Türkiye-Suriye sınırı boyunca daha kapsamlı arazi çalışması yapılması gerekmektedir. Bölgenin güvenlik durumu şu aşamada buna imkan tanımamaktadır.…”