Sources of Colour Pattern Variation in Mediterranean Psammodromus Algirus

Abstract

Colour pattern and its relation to sex, size and season were investigated in three coastal populations of Psammodromus algirus from NE Spain. Eight pattern variables, as well as body size and reproductive parameters, were recorded for 430 specimens. Results show that yellow head pattern was present in both males and females and depended on body size and locality. Furthermore, its seasonal variation was associated with reproductive activity in males. Orange infralabials appear almost exclusively in adult males. Blue ocelli constitute a potential size signal in intraspeci c interactions, especially in males. The attainment of sexual maturity modi ed tail colour (antipredatory) and dorsolateral stripes (cryptic). Bright spots on hindlimbs varied between sites. Colour pattern is interpreted as a trade-off between different selective pressures including crypsis and intraspeci c interactions. Most pattern variation is due to body size differences and only secondarily to sexual dimorphism. A hypothesis invoking differences in social system is proposed to explain the striking differences between these populations and those from Central Spain.

Escape tactics of two syntopic forms of the Lacerta perspicillata complex with different colour patterns

“…In fact, during the transects many static chabanaudi were almost invisible at long distances as expected for a bird attacking on open, vertical surfaces, including trunks (see also Schleich et al 1996). On the other hand, the striped pattern of lizards has also been considered cryptic if related to vegetated situations ( Van der Winden et al 1995;Arnold 1999;Carretero 2002). However, almost no pellegrini lizards were seen in association with plant cover, but were seen restricted to rocks.…”

Diet and daily activity patterns of the lacertid lizardPsammodromus algirus(Sauria: Lacertidae) in a semi-arid Mediterranean region

“…On the contrary, studies on diet and activity patterns of the large psammodromus in North Africa are still scarce with only two studies carried out in coastal areas (Arab and Doumandji 2003;Rouag et al 2007), despite the facts that broadly distributed lacertid populations should show geographic variation in their diet and activity patterns according to climatic conditions (Carretero 2004;Zamora-Camacho et al 2013 In order to analyze the diet patterns of this lizard, a relatively small but representative number of adult specimens (21 specimens: n May = 8, n June = 13) were noosed or caught by hand. The criterion used to identify adults was having a snout-to-vent length (SVL) greater than the minimum size at sexual maturity (55.0 mm) (Carretero 2002). It is noteworthy that a relatively low sample size was due to the dense vegetation constitution of our study area.…”

“…Thus, collecting more individuals would have been hard to achieve. Each individual was sexed from its outer secondary sexual characteristics following Carretero (2002) and Díaz, Alonso-Gómez, and Delgado (1994), where orange infralabials occur almost exclusively in adult males, the latter also show more ocelli and a blue area on their body sides compared to adult females, also, femoral pores among males are larger and more numerous. In addition, the SVL of every individual was measured to the nearest 0.1 mm using a digital caliper.…”

Phylogeography of Psammodromus algirus (Lacertidae) revisited: systematic implications

“…Currently available data do, however, suggest that highly divergent colour patterns in Psammodromus algirus are found in central Spain and in three northeastern populations (Carretero, 2002). If such (or other) phenotipic differences were consistent on a broader geographical scale, the eastern lineage of P. algirus might represent a separate species.…”