Blue tales of a blue‐tailed lizard: ecological correlates of tail autotomy in <i>Micrablepharus atticolus</i> (Squamata, Gymnophthalmidae) in a Neotropical savannah

Sousa, Heitor Campos de; Costa, Bernardo Miglio; Morais, Carlos José S.; Pantoja, Davi Lima; Queiroz, Tânia A. de; Vieira, Cecília Rodrigues; Colli, Guarino R.

doi:10.1111/jzo.12335

Cited by 10 publications

(8 citation statements)

References 88 publications

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“…Adults were much more likely to have autotomised tails than juveniles, which is similar to results in teiid species (Casas et al 2016) but differs from Liolaemus (Kelt et al 2002). Few studies have been conducted on tail autotomy in gymnophthalmids but a project on Micrabelpharus atticolus found that they had a low rate of autotomy (33%), which increased with age and was not dependent on sex (Sousa et al 2016). Zani (1996) examined seven gymnophthalmid species and found autotomy rates 0-46%.…”

Section: Age Structure and Individuals Over Timesupporting

confidence: 57%

Population biology of the unusual thermoconforming lizards of the Andes Mountains of Peru (Squamata: Gymnophthalmidae)

et al. 2021

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Montane animals require different adaptations than lowland species because of more severe conditions. Proctoporus lizards of the Andes Mountains experience cold temperatures year-round, which may affect their activity. Two species of this poorly known genus, P. unsaacae and P. sucullucu, have similar morphology and ecology, but had never been studied in detail. The purpose of this project was to compare the population biology of the two species and to ascertain whether they were more likely to share ecological similarities with phylogenetic relatives or with other unrelated lizards of the Andes. We established two permanent plots in the Sacred Valley of the Incas in Cusco region, Peru, and examined the thermal ecology, movement, sex ratio, longevity, population sizes, growth patterns, reproduction and other factors over a period of 4 years. Proctoporus unsaacae and P. sucullucu were similar in most aspects of their ecology except that P. sucullcu was larger, had smaller population sizes, and fewer recaptures. Both species live exclusively under rocks and are strict thermoconformers who do not actively thermoregulate their body temperatures by basking, as other high Andean lizards do. The two species have reverse sexual dimorphism with P. unsaacae having larger females and P. sucullcu having larger males. The species are highly philopatric with average movement of less than 7 m in a lifetime. Both appear to be relatively long-lived with an individual P. unsaacae living longer than 2 years 8 months. At both sites, populations age structures had few juveniles and we detected a declining population of P. unsaacae in Urubamba. This project lays the groundwork for more in-depth studies of the ecology of both species and their high-elevation habitats. Resumen Los animales montanos requieren adaptaciones diferentes que las especies de las tierras bajas debido a condiciones m as severas. Las lagartijas Proctoporus de la Cordillera de los Andes est an sujetas a temperaturas fr ıas durante todo el año, lo que puede afectar su actividad. Dos especies de este g enero poco conocido, P. unsaacae y P. sucullucu, tienen una morfolog ıa y una ecolog ıa similares, pero nunca se hab ıan estudiado en detalle. El objetivo de este proyecto fue comparar la biolog ıa poblacional de las dos especies y determinar si era m as probable que compartieran similitudes ecol ogicas con parientes filogen eticos o con otros lagartijas de los Andes no emparentados. Establecimos dos parcelas permanentes en el Valle Sagrado de los Incas en la regi on de Cusco, Per u, y examinamos la ecolog ıa t ermica, el movimiento, la proporci on de sexos, la longevidad, el tamaño de la poblaci on, los patrones de crecimiento, la reproducci on y otros factores durante un per ıodo de 4 años. Proctoporus unsaacae y P. sucullucu fueron similares en la mayor ıa de los aspectos de su ecolog ıa, excepto que P. sucullcu era m as grande, ten ıa poblaciones m as pequeñas y menos recapturas. Ambas especies viven exclusivamente bajo piedras y son termoconformadores estrictos qu...

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Section: Age Structure and Individuals Over Timesupporting

confidence: 57%

Population biology of the unusual thermoconforming lizards of the Andes Mountains of Peru (Squamata: Gymnophthalmidae)

et al. 2021

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“…On low friction substrates, the axial system of locomotion predominates, but the limbs become increasingly involved as substrate friction increases and with increasing speed [33]. Micrablepharus atticolus has a long and bright blue tail that, in open environments, contributes to divert attention from visually oriented predators to a non-vital part of the body at the time of an attack, which may be associated with higher rates of autotomy in more open environments [35].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Tail loss in Micrablepharus atticolus does not affect the body condition, suggesting that the energetic costs of autotomy are low or that individuals compensate for the tail loss by increasing the foraging rate [35]. Consequently, autotomy may not impair locomotor performance by reducing energy reserves [36].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Locomotor performance is an essential determinant of fitness because its reduction can undermine survival, reproductive success [37,38], foraging [39,40], and social dominance [41]. Since environmental variation affects autotomy rates in M. atticolus but these do not affect survival [35], studying the effect of autotomy on the locomotor performance of lizards inhabiting different environments can contribute to the understanding of possible compensatory mechanisms.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Effects of Caudal Autotomy on the Locomotor Performance of Micrablepharus Atticolus (Squamata, Gymnophthalmidae)

Silva¹,

Caetano²,

Campelo³

et al. 2021

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Caudal autotomy is a dramatic adaptation used by many lizard species to evade predators. Most studies to date indicate that caudal autotomy impairs lizard locomotor performance. Surprisingly, some species bearing the longest tails show negligible impacts of caudal autotomy on sprint speed. Part of this variation has been attributed to lineage effects. For the first time, we model the effects of caudal autotomy on the locomotor performance of a gymnophthalmid lizard, Micrablepharus atticolus, characterized by a long and bright blue tail. To improve model accuracy, we incorporated the effects of several covariates. We found that body temperature, pregnancy, mass, collection site, and the length of the regenerated portion of the tail were the most important predictors of locomotor performance in Micrablepharus atticolus. However, sprint speed was unaffected by tail loss. Apparently, the long tail of M. atticolus is more useful when using undulation amidst the leaf litter and not when using quadrupedal locomotion on a flat surface. Our findings highlight the intricate relationships among physiological, morphological, and behavioral traits. We suggest that future studies about the impacts of caudal autotomy among long-tailed lizards should consider the role of different microhabitats/substrates on locomotor performance, using laboratory conditions that closely mimic their natural environments.

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“…On low friction substrates, the axial system of locomotion predominates, but the limbs become increasingly involved as substrate friction increases and with increasing speed [37]. Micrablepharus atticolus and M. maximiliani have a long and bright blue tail that contributes to divert attention from visually oriented predators to a non-vital part of the body at the time of an attack, which may be associated with higher rates of autotomy in more open environments [39].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Effects of Caudal Autotomy on the Locomotor Performance of Micrablepharus Atticolus (Squamata, Gymnophthalmidae)

et al. 2021

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Caudal autotomy is a striking adaptation used by many lizard species to evade predators. Most studies to date indicate that caudal autotomy impairs lizard locomotor performance. Surprisingly, some species bearing the longest tails show negligible impacts of caudal autotomy on sprint speed. Part of this variation has been attributed to lineage effects. For the first time, we model the effects of caudal autotomy on the locomotor performance of a gymnophthalmid lizard, Micrablepharus atticolus, which has a long and bright blue tail. To improve model accuracy, we incorporated the effects of several covariates. We found that body temperature, pregnancy, mass, collection site, and the length of the regenerated portion of the tail were the most important predictors of locomotor performance. However, sprint speed was unaffected by tail loss. Apparently, the long tail of M. atticolus is more useful when using undulation amidst the leaf litter and not when using quadrupedal locomotion on a flat surface. Our findings highlight the intricate relationships among physiological, morphological, and behavioral traits. We suggest that future studies about the impacts of caudal autotomy among long-tailed lizards should consider the role of different microhabitats/substrates on locomotor performance, using laboratory conditions that closely mimic their natural environments.

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Blue tales of a blue‐tailed lizard: ecological correlates of tail autotomy in Micrablepharus atticolus (Squamata, Gymnophthalmidae) in a Neotropical savannah

Cited by 10 publications

References 88 publications

Population biology of the unusual thermoconforming lizards of the Andes Mountains of Peru (Squamata: Gymnophthalmidae)

Population biology of the unusual thermoconforming lizards of the Andes Mountains of Peru (Squamata: Gymnophthalmidae)

Effects of Caudal Autotomy on the Locomotor Performance of Micrablepharus Atticolus (Squamata, Gymnophthalmidae)

Effects of Caudal Autotomy on the Locomotor Performance of Micrablepharus Atticolus (Squamata, Gymnophthalmidae)

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