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Die Verbreitung der Reptilien im Stadtgebiet von Halle/Saale (Sachsen-Anhalt) wird beschrieben. Dazu gibt es einen großen Fundus historischer Daten. Die aktuellen Daten von 1963-2006 wurden in Verbreitungskarten dargestellt und durch Angaben zur Habitatnutzung, zur Phänologie und zur Gefährdung ergänzt. Gegenwärtig kommen drei autochthone Reptilienarten in der Stadt Halle vor, wovon die Zauneidechse (Lacerta agilis) die häufigste ist. Ringelnatter (Natrix natrix) und Blindschleiche (Anguis fragilis) sind dagegen seltener. Die Waldeidechse (Zootoca vivipara) gilt seit den 1970er Jahren als verschollen. Die Herkunft der neuerdings beobachteten Mauereidechse (Podarcis muralis) ist unbekannt. Die xerothermophilen Zauneidechsen leben an sonnenexponierten Habitaten vorwiegend im nördlichen Saaletal von Halle, wo sie in den Porphyrkuppen nördlich und südlich der Saale und im Saaletal selbst und auf der angrenzenden Hochfläche am Südwestrand der Dölauer Heide stellenweise sehr große Populationen aufbauen. Die Blindschleiche zeigte in der Stadt Halle deutlich eine enge Bindung an mäßig feuchte Waldhabitate und deren Randlagen. Sie kommt fast ausschließlich im Nordwesten der Stadt in der Dölauer Heide vor. Eine kleine Population lebt im Stadtzentrum im Botanischen Garten. Historische Daten legen nahe, dass die Ringelnatter etwa seit den 1940er Jahren aus der Saaleaue im Norden und im Süden in das Stadtgebiet eingewandert ist. Als Bewohner der Feuchtgebiete lebt sie im Bereich von Gewässern in den Randzonen im Norden (Dölauer Heide, dem Brandberggebiet und den Mötzlicher Teichen). Hier wurden auch regelmäßig Gelege und Jungtiere nachgewiesen. Im Osten der Stadt gelangen nur Einzelnachweise bei Kanena, bei Osendorf und bei der Reidemündung bei Döllnitz. Der Botanische Garten, mitten im Siedlungsgebiet liegend, bietet zeitweise einzelnen Ringelnattern Unterschlupf. Der Getraudenfriedhof im Norden der Stadt scheint dagegen ein dauerhaftes Vorkommen zu beherbergen (jährlich Funde von Jungtieren). Für alle drei Reptilienarten ist das Zurückdrängen der Tiere auf periphere Saum- und Restflächen typisch. Die intensive Landnutzung und die gestiegene Zahl verwildeter Katzen gefährden die Bestände. Hohe Schutzprioritäten besitzen strukturreiche Trockenbiotope, Waldrandlagen und urbane Hinterlassenschaften wie Schotterhalden, Bahndämme und Abbaugebiete von Erdstoffen.

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One of the greatest current threats to biodiversity is climate change. However, understanding of organismal responses to fluctuations in temperature and water availability is currently lacking, especially during fundamental life-history stages such as reproduction. To further explore how temperature and water availability impact maternal physiology and reproductive output, we used the viviparous form of the European common lizard (Zootoca vivipara) in a two-by-two factorial design manipulating both hydric and thermal conditions, for the first time. We collected blood samples and morphological measurements during early pregnancy and post-parturition to investigate how water availability, temperature and a combination of the two influence maternal phenology, morphology, physiology and reproductive output. We observed that dehydration during gestation negatively affects maternal physiological condition (lower mass gain, higher tail reserve mobilization) but has little effect on reproductive output. These effects are mainly additive to temperature regimes, with a proportional increase in maternal costs in warmer environments. Our study demonstrates the importance of considering combined effects of water and temperature when investigating organismal responses to climate changes, especially during periods crucial for species survival such as reproduction

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Thermoregulation is critical for ectotherms as it allows them to maintain their body temperature close to an optimum for ecological performance. Thermoregulation includes a range of behaviors that aim at regulating body temperature within a range centered around the thermal preference. Thermal preference is typically measured in a thermal gradient in fully-hydrated and post-absorptive animals. Short-term effects of the hydric environment on thermal preferences in such set-ups have been rarely quantified in dry-skinned ectotherms, despite accumulating evidence that dehydration might trade-off with behavioral thermoregulation. Using experiments performed under controlled conditions in climatic chambers, we demonstrate that thermal preferences of a ground-dwelling, actively foraging lizard (Zootoca vivipara) are weakly decreased by a daily restriction in free-standing water availability (less than 0.5°C contrast). The influence of air humidity during the day on thermal preferences depends on time of the day and sex of the lizard, and is generally weaker than those of of free-standing water (less than 1°C contrast). This shows that short-term dehydration can influence, albeit weakly, thermal preferences under some circumstances in this species. Environmental humidity conditions are important methodological factors to consider in the analysis of thermal preferences.

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Wall lizards of the genus Podarcis (Sauria, Lacertidae) are the predominant reptile group in southern Europe, including 24 recognized species. Mitochondrial DNA data have shown that, with the exception of P. muralis, the Podarcis species distributed in the Balkan peninsula form a species group that is further sub-divided into two subgroups: the one of “P. tauricus” consisting of P. tauricus, P. milensis, P. gaigeae, and P. melisellensis, and the other of “P. erhardii” comprising P. erhardii, P. levendis, P. cretensis, and P. peloponnesiacus. In an attempt to explore the Balkan Podarcis phylogenomic relationships, assess the levels of genetic structure and to re-evaluate the number of extant species, we employed phylogenomic and admixture approaches on ddRADseq (double digested Restriction site Associated DNA sequencing) genomic data. With this efficient Next Generation Sequencing approach, we were able to obtain a large number of genomic loci randomly distributed throughout the genome and use them to resolve the previously obscure phylogenetic relationships among the different Podarcis species distributed in the Balkans. The obtained phylogenomic relationships support the monophyly of both aforementioned subgroups and revealed several divergent lineages within each subgroup, stressing the need for taxonomic re-evaluation of Podarcis’ species in Balkans. The phylogenomic trees and the species delimitation analyses confirmed all recently recognized species (P. levendis, P. cretensis, and P. ionicus) and showed the presence of at least two more species, one in P. erhardii and the other in P. peloponnesiacus.

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Background.The Central Black-Earth region is an extensive territory with vari-ous physiographic conditions where the distribution and morphology of the steppe-runner are studied rather incompletely. And in particular, when carrying out this re-search our goal was to specify the habitat of the steppe-runner within the Central Black-Earth region and to study the features of external morphology of this species. Materials and methods. The research was conducted during field seasons of 2007–2017 in the territory of two regions of the Central Black-Earth region – Belgo-rod region and Voronezh region. For studying of external morphological features 28 individuals of the steppe-runner from two localities of Voronezh region were used. In the analysis of variability of proportions of a body and a pholidosis 17 signs were considered. The statistical analysis was carried out by means of the Statistica 10.0 program. Results and conclusions. As a result of the conducted research it has been estab-lished that the distribution of the steppe-runner within the Central Black-Earth re-gion coincides with sands of pine-forest terraces of the rivers. The northern border of the species’ habitat in the explored territory passes across Belgorod and Voronezh regions between 50 and 52° n.l. In the analysis of the quantitative and qualitative signs of the steppe-runner was found out that males authentically differ from fe-males in the tail length and the body-tail length ratio. When comparing with east and southern populations, the steppe-runners studied by us have rather smaller sizes of the tail and a smaller number of femoral pores.

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Im Nordwesten von Leipzig wurden von 2006 bis August 2013 insgesamt 116 Beobachtungsdaten der vier hier gegenwärtig bodenständigen und einer allochthonen Reptilienarten gesammelt und ausgewertet. Dominierende Art ist mit 58 Nachweisen die Zauneidechse, gefolgt von Ringelnatter (40), Waldeidechse (9), Blindschleiche (8) und der eingeschleppten Mauereidechse mit nur einem Nachweis. Einen relativ hohen Anteil an den Nachweisen haben Totfunde, wovon ganz besonders die Ringelnatter betroffen ist, bei der über 50 % der Nachweise Totfunde sind.

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Lizard toe fringes are composed of laterally projecting elongated scales and have arisen independently at least 26 times in seven families of lizards. Four different fringe types are identified: triangular, projectional, conical and rectangular. To determine if variation in fringe morphology can be attributed to environmental differences, each independent evolution of a fringe type is identified; correlation of substrate types with evolutionarily independent fringe morphologies are thrn studied. Variation in fringe morphology shows a strong association with substrate type: triangular, projectional and conical fringes with windblown sand; and rectangular fringes with watcr. Some aspects of fringe morphology may result from differences in functional requirements, and others may have no adaptive significance. This example of convergent evolution points out difficulties inherent to comparative studies of adaptation and underscores the value of broad comparative surveys which provide an alternative to ad hor adaptive explanations of similarity.

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We studied 237 samples of Zootoca vivipara from two region of Occidental Carpathians (64 samples from Semenic Mounrtains and 173 samples from Bihor Mountains). We analyzed characteristics of the pholydosys, chromatic and biometric characteristics. After we calculated the ratio of each investigated character and the variation quotient. Besides the existences of a special inter- population variability, we noticed the existence of a large intra-population variability. According to almost all the investigated characteristics in the analyzed Zootoca vivipara populations are heterogeneous or little heterogeneous.

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Die Herpetofauna des ehemaligen Kiessandtagebaus der Schönauer Lachen in Leipzig wird beschrieben. Dazu gibt es einen großen Fundus historischer und aktueller Daten, der in der Diskussion ausgewertet wird. Für das Untersuchungsgebiet sind insgesamt 11 Amphibien- und 4 Reptilienarten bekannt, von denen 7 Amphibien- und 3 Reptilienarten in den letzten drei Jahren nachgewiesen werden konnten. Hinzu kommt die Vermutung auf ein aktuelles Vorkommen von Lissotriton vulgaris. Von den aktuell nachgewiesenen Arten treten nur Pelophylax „esculentus“ und P. ridibundus in größeren Populationsstärken auf. Die übrigen Amphibien- und Reptilienarten scheinen nur Teilbereiche zu besiedeln und in kleineren Populationen aufzutreten; darunter die für das Stadtgebiet als „selten“ (Grosse & Tschierschke 2011) eingestuften Arten Bufo viridis und Hyla arborea. Das abundanzschwache Auftreten ökologisch anspruchsvollerer Amphibienarten ist vermutlich im Wesentlichen auf das geringe Angebot an herpetologisch wertvollen Strukturen und Biotopen zurückzuführen. Insbesondere unter der Berücksichtigung der abundanzschwachen Vorkommen von B. viridis und H. arborea sollten Maßnahmen zur Habitatverbesserung getroffen werden, um die Populationen auf Dauer erhalten zu können. Eine Habitatoptimierung würde weiterhin die (herpetologische) Bedeutung des geplanten LSG Schönauer Lachen für den Biotopverbund der Stadt Leipzig stärken und eine deutliche Aufwertung der Trittsteinfunktion zwischen dem nördlichen Auenwald (und Kleewinkel) und den Kulkwitzer Lachen darstellen. Die Aufwertung der Trittsteinfunktion wäre insbesondere für die Leipziger H. arborea- und Bombina bombina-Populationen von hoher Bedeutung.

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The Japanese grass lizard, Takydromus tachydromoides, is a species endemic to Japan. While several studies have investigated the reproductive ecology of T. tachydromoides, the embryogenesis of this species has not been reported in detail. In the current study, we observed the external morphological characteristics of 247 embryo specimens that developed under a constant temperature (28°C) throughout the duration from oviposition to hatching. We identified 17 consecutive developmental stages for the postovipositional developmental process of this species based on the staging criteria that have been widely used for the description of embryogenesis of lizards. The youngest embryos on the day of oviposition corresponded to stage 26, which is a relatively early period in pharyngula stages, and juveniles hatched at stage 42, approximately 30 days after oviposition. The entire developmental sequence of key morphological features was shared with other species of Lacertidae, except for the timing of the beginning of the first body pigmentation. This is the first description of the complete sequence of postovipositional developmental stages for the oviparous species of Lacertidae, providing valuable information for further evolutionary developmental studies.

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The use of roads and the mortality by traffi c collision were assessed for three lizard species ( Lacerta bilineata, Podarcis sicula, Podarcis muralis) in a hilly area of central Italy. Roads were chosen to include two different habitats and two different traffi c levels, resulting in four categories. For both habitats, the density of lizards using roads was signifi cantly higher at lower traffi c levels; the density of road killing was signifi cantly higher on roads at low traffi c too. Among the three species, the mortality of Lacerta bilineata was higher on low traffi c roads crossing pasture with shrubs.

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One of the main functions of physiological color change is thermoregulation.This change occurs much more rapidly than morphological color change, but the underlying mechanism remains poorly understood. Here, we studied the thermal dependence and molecular basis of physiological color change inlizards using Takydromus septentrionalis (Lacertidae) as the model system. Body color was thermally sensitive, becoming increasingly light as body temperatures deviated from the level (~30 °C) preferred by this species. We identified 3,389 differentially expressed genes (DEGs) between lizards at 24 °C and 30 °C, and 1,097 DEGs between lizards at 36 °C and 30 °C. Temperature affected the cAMP signal pathway, motor proteins, cytoskeleton, and the expression of genes related to melanocyte-stimulating hormone (MSH) and melanocyte-concentrating hormone (MCH). Our data suggest that the role of physiological color change in thermoregulation is achieved in T. septentrionalisby altering the arrangement of pigments and thus the amount of solar radiation absorbed and reflected. G protein-coupling system inhibits adenylate cyclase activity to transform ATP into cAMP and thereby causes rapid pigment aggregation. MCH deactivates the G proteins and thereby initiates pigment dispersion. This mechanism differs from that reported for teleost fish where MCH activates the G proteins and thereby causes pigment aggregation.

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The invasive snake Hemorrhois hippocrepis colonized the island of Ibiza (Balearic Islands) in 2003 as stowaways inside trunks of olive trees imported for gardening. It has quickly spread since 2010, posing a threat to the island’s only remaining endemic vertebrate, the Ibiza wall lizard Podarcis pityusensis. We map the yearly expansion rate of the snake and estimate via transect surveys how severely it affects the distribution and abundance of the endemic lizard. As well, we surveyed nine of 30 small lizard populations on islets surrounding Ibiza that have been isolated since the Last Glacial Maximum. Snakes had invaded 49% of Ibiza’s land area by 2018, and censuses show a critical contrast in lizard abundance between areas with and without snakes; almost all censuses in areas without snakes show lizard presence whereas nearly all censuses in areas with H. hippocrepis lack lizard sightings. Moreover, at least one subspecies previously thriving on one of the offshore islets has become extinct, and there have been several snakes recorded swimming between Ibiza and the surrounding islets. Therefore, lizard populations have been dramatically reduced or have vanished within the range of the snake, and our results quantitatively support upgrading this species’ threat level for extinction. This study can inform to programs to manage invasive snake populations and to conservation actions to recover the endemic lizard.

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The range of superspecific complex of rock lizards Darevskia (caucasica) (D. alpina, D. c. caucasica, D. c. vedeni- ca, D. daghestanica) includes the Main Caucasian ridge and its spurs on the southern and northern macroslopes within heights from 500 m to 3200 m above sea level. A fragment of the mitochondrial cytochrome b gene (1096 bp) was analyzed in 48 specimens of these lizards. Specimens were collected in 23 localities. We have found 39 unique haplotypes. The minimum genetic diversity was found in D. c. vedenica, maximum in D. c. caucasica. All taxa of the complex, except for D. c. vedenica, demonstrate genetic heterogeneity. Four clades can be distinguished on the dendrogram of phylogenetic relationships. They correspond to D. alpina, D. c. caucasica, D. c. vedenica, D. dagh- estanica. D. c. caucasica forms two distinct haplogroups. On the phylogenetic tree, the sample of D. c. vedenica formed an independent clade close to D. c. caucasica. The Darevskia (caucasica) complex is polyphyletic accord- ing to the analysis of the mitochondrial marker. Nucleotide sequences of D. alpina formed a single clade with Darevskia (saxicola) complex representatives and combined with the sequences of D. brauneri into subclade. On the example of the population of D. daghestanica, found in a forest biotope without rocky outcrops and genetically not differing from individuals from the adjacent territory, the ability of rocky lizards to master biotopes unusual for them in a short period of time was demonstrated. This example demonstrates the ability of rock lizards to adapt to unusual biotopes in a short period of time. Genetic distance between D. c. vedenica and D. c. caucasica is com- parable to the distance between D. c. caucasica and D. daghestanica. We assume the existence of an independent form of D. caucasica ssp. inhabiting South Ossetia and adjacent territories.

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may change their phenotype along the altitudinal gradient being adapted to the local conditions. Consequently, elevational gradients constitute a good model to examine geographic variation offering a natural experiment for carrying out research in evolutionary ecology. In this thesis, I carry out different approaches to study two lizard species along two elevational gradients in the Mediterranean region.On the one hand,I studythe Atlas day gecko Quedenfeldtia trachyblepharusin the High Atlas of Morocco. On the otherhand, I studythe large Psammodromus Psammodromus algirusin Sierra Nevadaof Spain. In the first chapter I study the Atlas day gecko trophic ecology.It is hypothesized that increased competition should reduce niche breadth. However, there are scarce field tests on this hypothesis. TheAtlas day geckofaces fewer competitors as altitude increases, and thereby, we predict that this species should increase niche breadth and relevant fitness parameters with altitude.We tested this prediction by analysingthe isotopic signature of carbon (δ13C) and nitrogen (δ15N). Our results reveal that specimens from higher altitudes showed higher values for both carbon (δ13C) and nitrogen (δ15N) isotopes, had better body condition and a greater isotopic breadth when compared to specimens from lower altitudes. Altitudinal variation in carbon values was not explained by variation in isotopic concentration in the baseline of the trophic chain. Therefore, resultssupport the prediction that relaxed interspecific competition favours increased trophic niche breadth. These results also suggest that global warming may represent an important threat for this species, as it may provoke the ascent in altitude of competitors, with negative consequences for the conservation of this endemism. In the second chapter, I study the variation in probability and intensity of infestationof blood-sucking mites parasitizingthe Atlas day gecko depending on host body condition, sex, and elevation.Parasitism is one of the main selective forces in nature,strongly affecting host fitness. Still, knowledge is incomplete concerning how variation in probability and intensity of infestationdepends on body condition, sex or geographic variables. I found that mite prevalence was58.75% and probability of infestation decreased with hostbody condition.However, parasitism intensity tended to increase with body condition. The parasite load ranged from 0 to 16 mites per individual, with a mean intensity of 3.0 ± 0.37 (SE) in infested geckos.Prevalence was higher in males (2/3 parasitized) than in females (1/2 parasitized), but intensitydid not significantly differ with sex. Neither prevalence nor intensity varied with elevation. In conclusion, geckos in better body condition harboured heavier parasite loads, but animals with the highest body condition were not infested. These findings suggest that animals with goodbody condition may tolerate heavier mite infestations, but only animals with the highest body condition may resist infestation.In the third chapterIanalysehow lifespan and other life-history traits of the lizard large Psammodromus Psammodromus algirusvary along a 2,200 m elevational gradient in Sierra Nevada.Lifespan is one of the main components of life history. Shorter lifespans can be expected in marginal habitats. However, in the case of ectotherms, lifespan typically increases with altitude, even though temperature –one of the main factors to determine ectotherms’ life history–declines with elevation. This pattern can be explained by the fact that a shorter activity time favours survival. Populations at intermediate altitudes, corresponding to the optimal habitat for this species, had the shortest lifespans, while populations inhabiting marginal habitats (at both low and at high altitudes) lived longest. Therefore, this lizard did not follow the typical pattern of ectotherms, as it also lived longer at the lower limit of its distribution, nor did it show a longer lifespanin areas with optimal habitats. These results might be explained by a complex combination of different gradients along the mountain, namely that activity time decreases with altitude whereas food availability increases. This could explain why lifespan wasmaximum at both high (limited activity time) and low (limited food availability) altitudes, resulting in similar lifespans in areas with contrasting environmental conditions. This studyalso indicated that reproductive investment and body condition increase with elevation, suggesting that alpine populations are locally adapted. In the fourth chapterIinvestigate the role of life-history traits such as age, sex, body size, body condition, and tail autotomy (i.e self-amputation) in shaping telomere length of six populations of the large Psammodromus in Sierra Nevada. The timing of organisms’ senescence is developmentally programmed but also shaped by the interaction between environmental inputs and life-history traits. In ectotherms, ageing dynamics are still poorly understood despite their particularities concerning thermoregulation, regeneration capacity, or growth trajectory. Our cross-sectional study shows that older lizards have longer telomeres, which might be linked to a higher expression of telomerase across their life or caused by the selective disappearance of individuals with shorter telomeres. Variation in telomere across elevation was explained by age structure of lizards, thus altitude had no effect on the telomere length of lizards. In contrastto our predictions, telomere length was unaffected by tail autotomy, and was sex-independent, but positively correlated with body condition. Regarding the lack of impacts of elevation on telomeres of lizards, our results suggest that life-history traits such as age and body condition can be major drivers of telomere dynamics for this lizard, whereas environmental conditions apparently had scarce or no effects on their telomeres. Our findings emphasize the relevance of understanding species’ life histories and habitat characteristics for fully disentangling the causes and consequences of lifespan trajectory in ectotherms.

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Se reporta el primer registro conocido de depredación por parte de un ejemplar de garza imperial (Ardea purpurea) sobre ejemplares adultos de lagartija colilarga (Psammodromus algirus), en el Paraje Natural Desembocadura del río Guadalhorce (Sur de España). Además, se compara la abundancia conocida para la lagartija en diferentes hábitats forestales con la abun-dancia estimada en un hábitat costero asociado a un humedal salobre.

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During geographical expansion of a species individual colonizers have to confront different ecological challenges, and the capacity of the species to broaden its range may depend on the total amount of adaptive genetic variation supplied by evolution. Weset out to test whether the distribution of loci under selection along a contrasting environmental gradient can be turned into a model that accurately predicts a species’ range. If positive, this may shed light on the genetic source of adaptive limits that shape range boundaries. We sampled five populations of the western Mediterranean lizard Psammodromus algirus that inhabit a noticeable environmental gradient of temperature and precipitation. We used 21 SNPs putatively under selection tocorrelate the genotypes of 95 individuals with environmental variation among their populations, using 1x1 km2 grid cells assampling units. By extrapolating the resulting model to all possible combinations of alleles, we inferred the locations that were the oretically suitable for the species. The inferred distribution range overlapped to a large extent with the realized range ofthe species, including an accurate prediction of internal gaps and range borders. Our results suggest an adaptability threshold determined by the amount of genetic variation available that would be required to warrant adaptation beyond a certain limitof environmental variation. These results support the idea that the expansion of a species’ range may be ultimately linked to the arising of new variants under selection.

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This paper analyses the literature published in the last 17 years regarding records of albinism, axanthism, erythrism, leucism, melanism, nigrism or piebaldism, among other chromatic anomalies in Iberian herps.Whereas hipomelanistic disorders showed to be more widespread, melanism cases had a high occurrence pattern in the northern side of the Iberian Peninsula.We suggest that thermal melanism could be an adaptive advantage for ectotherms. Notwithstanding this, we also discuss the possible negative effect of the color aberrations taking into account differences in pre-dation pressure.

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Islands are compelling natural laboratories for studying evolutionary processes. Nevertheless, the existence of general rules underlying morphological evolution on islands remains an unresolved issue. In this study, we investigated the insular phenotypic variability of the Italian wall lizard (Podarcis siculus) on a large geographical scale, in order to assess the putative existence of an island effect on three morphological head traits: shape, size and degree of sexual dimorphism. A geometric morphometric analysis was performed on 30 island and 24 mainland populations, involving a total of 992 specimens, and we analysed differences in both mean trait values and variances (disparity). We found increased shape disparity in insular lizards with respect to mainland ones. On the other hand, both size disparity and mean head dimensions of males decreased on islands, leading to a reduction in sexual dimorphism. Our results provide evidence for a multidirectional morphological diversification on islands concerning head shape of both sexes, while directional and canalizing selection likely occurred for head size, but only in males. Our findings improve our knowledge on the effect of insularity in Podarcis siculus, and highlight the need for an exstensive sampling scheme and a multi-trait methodological approach.

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The aimof this study was to determine the spatial use of the main biophysical elements present in the agro-silvo-pastoral system (trees and shrubs, fallen trunks and branches, rocky outcrops and pilesof stones/walls) by three lizard speciess: Acanthodactylus erythrurus, Podarcis virescensand Psammodromus algirus. However, A. erythruruswas not found in the ten plots studied. For the remaining two species, the hypothesis tests showed that there are differences in the number of individuals when comparing the fiveplots with grazing with the five plots without grazing,within the montado landscape. Where there are rocky outcrops, P. virescens predominates (especially in grazing areas), while Ps. algirusmainly occurs in areas without grazing. At the same time, there are also differences in the elements used as a perch and as a refuge between the two lizards. This type of work helps the creation of management plans by farmers and owners / decision makers, towardsan efficient conservation of reptiles.

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Between 5.5 and 7.0 m.y. B.P. the formation of the Strait of Gibraltar allowed water from the Atlantic Ocean to fill the basin now known as the Mediterranean Sea. This event divided the amphibian and reptile fauna then inhabiting southern Spain and northern Morocco into allopatric and, presumably, conspecific faunas. Because the strait has continued from its formation to the present as a geographic barrier to the exchange of terrestrial vertebrates between Africa and Europe, this region and its native herpetofauna provide a natural laboratory in which various tenets of current biogeographic theory may be evaluated. Electrophoretically obtained allozymic data allowed an empirical biogeographic analysis of the trans-Gibraltar herpetofauna. Estimates of accumulated genetic distance (Nei`s D) varied from 0.0 to 0.6 between Spanish and Moroccan populations of 17 conspecific taxa. Further examination of these genetic data demonstrated that the rate of migration between these two continental populations was greater than or less than the estimated rate of mutation. European and African populations of several taxa traditionally presumed to be homogeneous were shown to be genically heterogeneous. Analysis of the distribution of alleles within and between continental populations suggests that the ability to maintain genetic continuity across the marine barrier varies from species to species. No demonstrable correlation was found between degree of habitat specificity and frequency of occurrence of individuals, and the genic differentiation demonstrated by Spanish populations of each taxon.

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Circum‐Sicilian and Maltese herpetofauna includes 22 species occurring with steady populations, andsome of them (Pelophylax bedriagae, Trachemys scripta, Chamaeleo chamaeleon, Hemorrhois algirus and perhapsTelescopus fallax) were introduced during the last two centuries, while for other 7 at least one introduction withinthe study islands was documented during the same span of time; furthermore, temporary occurrences were alsodetected for other 16 species (3 amphibians and 13 reptiles), some of which (Hyla sp., Graptemys pseudogeo‐graphica, Centrochelys sulcata, Pantherophis guttatus and Lampropeltis getula) have not been previously recordedfor these islands. Accidental or intentional introductions have gradually increased in recent decades and have asignificant influence in shaping these herpetofunal assemblages. On the contrary, extinction seems to be less fre‐quent and involved especially amphibians. The updated faunal inventory for 65 islands includes several new recordsand the results of the first herpetological investigations on the islets Faraglione di terra di Cala Fico, Colombaia,Vittoria Garcia (circum‐Sicilian), Pigeon Rock and Cheirolopus Rock (Maltese).

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We studied the food habits of the Italian wall lizard, Podarcis sicula, that was introduced to Long Island, New York in 1966. We recovered 436 prey items from 96 lizards. There was no significant relationship between the percentage of lizards without prey items and date of capture. On average, females had significantly more prey items per lizard, lower overall prey diversity and lower prey evenness, than did males. This suggests important dif- ferences in foraging habits between the sexes. We found remarkably high similarity between prey species diversity for the Long Island and two of four European populations. There was no correlation between prey size and either head width or snout-vent length of the lizards.

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In the present study we use an unprecedented database of 5,535 distributional records to infer the diversity, ecological preferences and spatial distribution of the 60 species of terrestrial reptiles of the United Arab Emirates (UAE), and use the 57 native species to test the effectiveness of the protected areas’ network in conserving this unique vertebrate fauna. We infer a time-calibrated phylogeny with 146 species of squamates and 15 genes including all UAE terrestrial reptile species to determine the phylogenetic diversity (PD) and evolutionary distinctiveness (ED) of the native species and to compare it with the distribution of the hotspots of native species richness. The results of this study indicate that the sampling effort is remarkable, covering 75% of the country’s territory representing nearly the entire climatic space of the UAE defined by the mean annual temperature and the total annual precipitation, as well as the multivariate climatic space defined by a principal component analysis (PCA). Species richness is highest in the northeast of the country, in a transitional area from sandy desert to the mountainous terrain of the Hajar Mountains. The highest PD of a single square cell of 10 arc-minutes grid is of 2,430 million years (my) of accumulated evolutionary history and the strong correlation between PD and species richness suggests that the raw number of species is a good surrogate to quantify the evolutionary history (i.e., PD). The species with the highest values of ED are those in families represented by only one species in the UAE. Finally, the assessment of the UAE protected areas shows that, despite their relevance in protecting the terrestrial reptiles, they do not offer adequate protection for some threatened species. Therefore, a reassessment of some of the protected areas or the creation of species specific conservation action plans are recommended in order to ensure the preservation of the unique diversity of UAE terrestrial reptiles.

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Underground hiding places are important shelters for many species. After surveying 427 burrows made by wolf spiders Geolycosa vultuosa in Carei Plain in north-western Romania, in 10 of them we identified individuals of Podarcis tauricus. Lizards use the lycosid burrows as retreat sites, but they seem to be limited to those already abandoned by spiders. Nevertheless, these might represent valuable alternative refuges from harsh environmental conditions or predators.

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Based on genetic and morphological evidence, Senczuk et al. (2019) formally raised the Podarcis populations from the Western Pontine Islands, previously classified as several subspecies of P. siculus, to species rank, i.e. Podarcis latastei (Bedriaga, 1879). This taxonomic change was not accepted in the checklist of the European herpetofauna by Speybroeck et al. (2020), recently published on Amphibia-Reptilia. In this note we respond to the reasons given by Speybroeck and colleagues and support the validity of Podarcis latastei as an endemic Italian species.

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The persistence of colour polymorphism (CP) within a given population is generally associated with the coexistence of alternative reproductive strategies, each one involving specific trade-offs among behavioural, morphological, physiological, and other life histories. Common wall lizard (Podarcis muralis), is a medium-sized diurnal lizard, showing CP in three main colours (yellow, white, and red) on throat and belly, and a morph-specific pattern for both immunocompetence and seasonal variation of T levels. Yellow males show low stamina with high plasma T levels at the beginning of the season, while white males show high stamina with a higher plasma T levels at the end of the season. We hypothesised the presence of two strategies: a risky one, characterised by high aggressiveness played by yellow-morph, and a conservative one by white morph with low aggressiveness. Thus, we tested the aggressive response to conspecifics of yellow and white morphs using a mirror inserted into their cage, mimicking an intrusion of a stranger in their territories, throughout the breeding season (from April to July, 117 trials). We considered three types of aggressive response, with different levels of aggressiveness: (i) bite against the image reflected in the mirror, (ii) seconds spent by the individuals into the half mirrored cage, and (iii) number of times the lizard entered the half mirrored cage. We also considered the number of tongue flicking as explorative behaviour variable. All lizards were tested after a period of acclimatisation to the captivity conditions. Results demonstrate that yellow males showed a higher aggressive response in the early season and a decrease aggressive response towards the end, whereas white males showed an opposite pattern.

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Identifying areas in which protected and threatened species occur represents the first step in establishing a proper management plan. The aim of the present paper is to present our preliminary observations on the herpetofauna and its habitats from the Northern Go¬mani Mountains together with arguments in favor of urgently designating it an oficial and legal strictly protected area. In the target area we have identified 12 species of amphibians (Salamandra salamandra, Triturus cristatus, Lissotriton vulgaris, Lissotriton montandoni, Mesotriton alpestris, Bombina variegate, Bufo bufo, Bufo viridis, Rana dalmatina, Rana temporaria, Pelophylax ridibundus and Pelophylax kl. esculentus) and 6 species of reptiles (Anguis fragilis, Lacerta agilis, Lacerta viridis, Zootoca vivipara, Natrix natrix and Vipera berus). Since all these species are protected by the national and European legislation, we strongly recommend that the are be urgently protected.

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In western Maramures county we encountered 13 species of amphibians (Salamandra salamandra, Triturus montandoni, Triturus cristatus, Triturus vulgaris, Bombina bombina, Bombina variegata, Pelobates fuscus, Bufo bufo, Bufo viridis Hyla arborea, Rana ridibunda, Rana dalmatina, Rana temporaria), 7 species of reptile (Lacerta agilis, Lacerta viridis, Zootoca vivipara, Anguis fragilis, Elaphe longissima, Coronella austriaca, Natrix, natrix), as well as hybrids between Bombina bombina and Bombina variegata and also populations of Rana esculenta. The hybrids between the 2 species of Bombina are present at the same altitude as in the rest of western Romania in general. In this region are present plain species as well as species prone to higher areas. The Carpathian newt descends to a more reduced altitude then in general in Romania, but comparable to those at which it was noticed in the Oas region.

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The island of Lefkada is a popular and easily accessible tourist destination; nevertheless, there is no comprehensive checklist of its interesting herpetofauna. Indeed, most records are old, scattered in different papers, and lacking precise locality data. In order to summarize the knowledge on the herpetofauna of the island, we critically reviewed literature, we looked for reliable records in the web and we carried out a field survey in May 2019. The herpetofauna of Lefkada amounts to 28 species (six amphibians and 22 reptiles). The occurrence of Testudo graeca on the island is considered unlikely, while an additional species, Testudo marginata, is here reported based on web sources. Among the species recorded on the island, 25 have been recently confirmed, two of them (Rana dalmatina and Anguis graeca) over a century. For three species (Lissotriton graecus, Chelonia mydas, and Podarcis tauricus) the last records date back to over 30 years ago.

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Many wild animals are exposed to road kills in the world. Amphibians and reptiles which live near the roads are the most endangered groups among vertebrates related to the road kills. However, there are only few studies about the road kills of amphibians and reptiles in Turkey. We recorded 23 individuals (6 amphibian individuals belonging to 2 species and 17 reptile individuals belonging to 9 species) exposed to road kills on the E87 highway on June 18-22, 2016 in Kırklareli province while we found 134 individuals (114 amphibian individuals belonging to 3 species and 20 reptile individuals belonging to 8 species) killed on the Enez-Ipsala highway on June 22-25, 2016 in Edirne province. The individuals killed more often belonged to Pelophylax ridibundus and Bufotes variabilis in the Edirne while the species more affected by road kills were Pelophylax ridibundus, Lacerta trilineata, Dolichophis caspius and Testudo graeca in Kırklareli. The results of this short-term study show that there is a need for long-term studies to show that amphibians and reptiles exposed to road kills are very common.

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It is a fact that the amphibians and reptiles respond to unfavourable weather conditions by searching an underground refuge to survive during winter. The current literature has shown that some species of reptilians and amphibians may become active before their known end of hibernation periods, especially in lowland areas. In the present study, it has been detected that the changing weather conditions in a highland area in Gümüshane, Turkey can cause similar effects on Lacerta media, Bufo bufo and Rana macrocnemis that share the same habitats. One of the reasons of the early activities of some reptilian and amphibian species before their known end of hibernation periods may be the high sensitivity of these species to the changing temperature conditions. Effects of global warming on reptilians and amphibians obvious, and some members of these animals can even be active during winter. This conclusion brings into mind that L. media, B. bufo and R. macrocnemis can continue to be active at highland areas as long as air temperature values allow them.

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Relatively little is known about the ecology of lizards in Iran. This paper serves as a brief introduction to five representative biotopes and their associated lizard species living syntopically, based largely on my own observations. The selected localities are found in 1) Masjed Soleyman, foothills of the Zagros Mountains, Khuzestan; 2) Kupal dunes, on the Mesopotamian Plain, Khuzestan; 3) Shah ‘Abbas Caravanserai, Dasht-e Kavir, on the Central Plateau; 4) an abandoned village in Sistan, ruined buildings and loose loess substrate; 5) Hyrcanian Forest, northern slopes of lower Alborz Mountains and the Gorgan region. The biotopes are characterized briefly and the concept of syntopy is discussed.

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The National University of Mongolia, the Mongolian State University of Education, the University of Nebraska, and the University of Kansas conducted four collaborative expeditions between 2010 and 2014, resulting in accounts for all species of lacertid and agamid, except Phrynocephalus kulagini. These expeditions resulted in a range extension for Eremias arguta and the collection of specimens and tissues across 134 unique localities. In this paper we summarize the species of the Agamidae (Paralaudakia stoliczkana, Ph. hispidus, Ph. helioscopus, and Ph. versicolor) and Lacertidae (E. argus, E. arguta, E. dzungarica, E. multiocellata, E. przewalskii, and E. vermiculata) that were collected during these four expeditions. Further, we provide a summary of all species within these two families in Mongolia. Finally, we discuss issues of Wallacean and Linnaean shortfalls for the herpetofauna of the Mongolian Gobi Desert, and provide future directions for studies of community assemblages and population genetics of reptile species in the region.

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Home ranges in animals can be estimated by different methods like minimum convexpolygons, characteristic hulls or kernels while correlative ecological niche models(ENMs) are commonly employed for forecasting species’ranges. However, ENMscan also model the distribution of individuals if environmental very high spatial reso-lution data are available. Indeed, remote sensing (RS) can provide images with pixelsizes of few centimetres. Here, we modelled the distribution of individual lizards(Podarcis bocagei) combining aerial-like photographs recorded with a compact cam-era and a matrix of temperature/humidity data-loggers to obtain several environmen-tal layers with very high spatial resolution. We recorded lizards’positions in a20920 m mesocosm with a high precision GPS device (~10 cm of error), multipletimes per day throughout the whole period of daily activity. We built an orthophotomap (pixels of 20 cm2) from camera pictures, a digital surface model, and a land-cover supervised classification map. We recreated climate-like variables by combin-ing data-logger data. For each individual, we calculated the distance to males andfemales, excluding the focal lizard. We computed individual realized niche modelswith Bioclim, GAM, GLM, Maxent and random forest. Models attained a very highevaluation score in most cases. The most contributing variables were related tomicroclimate (isothermality, minimum temperature and humidity) and distance toconspecifics. Our very high spatial resolution models provided robust information onhow space is used by each lizard. Correlative models can identify the most suitableareas inside the home range, similar to core areas estimated from kernel algorithms,but allowed better statistical inference. Overall, RS tools generated high-quality envi-ronmental data, and when combined with ENMs, improved the robustness of the pre-dictions on spatial patterns of small terrestrial animals.

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Aim Invasive species are one of the main causes of biodiversity loss world-wide. As introduced populations increasein abundance and geographical range, so does the potential for negative impacts on native communities. As such, there is aneed to better understand the processes driving range expansion as species become established in recipient landscapes. Weinvestigated the potential for population growth and range expansion of introduced populations of a non-native lizard (Podarcismuralis), considering multi-scale factors influencing growth and spatial spread. Location England, UK Methods We collatedrecords ofP. muralispresence through field surveys and a citizen science campaign. We used presence-only models to predictclimate suitability at a national scale (5km resolution), and fine-scale habitat suitability at the local scale (2m resolution). Wethen integrated local models into an individual-based modelling platform to simulate population dynamics and forecast rangeexpansion for 10 populations in heterogeneous landscapes. Results National-scale models indicated climate suitability restrictedto the southern parts of the UK, limited by a latitudinal cline in overwintering conditions. Patterns of population growthand range expansion were related to differences in local landscape configuration and heterogeneity. Growth curves suggestpopulations could be in the early stages of exponential growth. However, annual rates of range expansion are predicted to below (5-16 m). Conclusions We conclude that extensive nationwide range expansion through secondary introduction is likely to berestricted by currently unsuitable climate beyond southern regions of the UK. However, exponential growth of local populationsin habitats providing transport pathways is likely to increase opportunities for regional expansion. The broad habitat niche of P. muralis, coupled with configuration of habitat patches in the landscape, allows populations to increase locally with minimal dispersal.

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In the studied area we encountered 14 species of amphibians (Salamandra salamandra, Triturus vulgaris, Triturus cristatus, Triturus dobrogicus, Bombina bombina, Bombina variegata, Pelobates fuscus, Hyla arborea, Bufo bufo, Bufo viridis, Rana ridibunda, Rana lessonae, Rana dalmatina, Rana arvalis) and 9 species of reptiles (Emys orbicularis, Lacerta agilis, Lacerta viridis, Zootoca vivipara, Anguis fragilis, Natrix natrix, Coronella austriaca, Elaphe longissima and Vipera berus). Hybrids between Triturus cristatus and Triturus dobrogicus, Bombina bombina and Bombina variegata and Rana kl. esculenta are also present in this region. The herpetofauna of this reservation from the inferior course of the Tur River stands out through the glacier relicts that live here, in the woody swamps from the plains (R. arvalis, Z. vivipara and V. berus). Population of Salamandra salamandra and Bombina variegata can be found here at altitudes of no more than 140 m. In this reservation, all the three forms of the Rana green complex that live in Romania are present. The most important sectors of the reservation, from what the herpetofauna is concerned, are the afforested areas. These shelter most of the species and the biggest population of the protected species. The results of our study show the necessity to include into the reservation the forests from Livada.

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The leukocyte profile has the potential to be a reliable method to measure health conditions and stress in wild animals, but limitations occur because current knowledge on reference intervals is largely incomplete, especially because data come from studies on captive animals involving few individuals from single populations. Here we propose a general framework for achieving reliable leukocyte reference intervals, encompassing a set of internal and external factors, potentially affecting the leukogram. To do so, we present a systematic survey of the hematology of the common wall lizard, Podarcis muralis, involving 794 lizards from 54 populations over the whole geographic range of the species in Italy. Reference intervals for white blood cell (WBC) and leukocyte differential count were obtained by using linear mixed models in a Bayesian framework. The application of the procedure clearly showed that both internal (sex and size) and external (latitude and season) factors are a source of variation of leukocyte profile. Furthermore, the leukogram of common wall lizard has a strong variability among populations, which accounts for more than 50% of the whole variation. Consequently, some common assumptions used in studies on captive individuals are no longer supported in wild populations, namely, i) any group of individuals is a representative sample, ii) any population is representative of all others, iii) geographic clines do not occur over the species range, and iv) seasonal variation has limited effects. We encourage researchers aimed at the definition of leukocyte reference intervals for wild populations of reptiles to involve a large number of populations over a wide geographic range in ad hoc statistical models to disentangle local and geographic effects on leukocyte profile variation.

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In the researched area we identified 14 amphibian species: (Salamandra salamndra, Triturus vulgaris, Triturus cristatus, Triturus alpestris, Triturus montandoni, Bombina bombina, Bombina variegata, Bufo bufo, Bufo viridis, Pelobates fuscus, Hyla arborea, Rana ridibunda, Rana dalmatina, Rana temporaria) and 8 reptilian species (Lacerta agilis, Lacerta viridis, Zootoca vivipara, Anguis fragilis, Natrix natrix, Elaphe longissima, Coronella austriaca, Vipera berus). Within the region we identified species quoted (Cog_lniceanu et al 2000) to have the lowest altitudinal limit of their spreading area at much higher altitudes. The species Triturus montandoni was identified at 320 m altitude at Agârcia and Doamna. Most of the amphibian and reptilian species are not endangered in the researched area.

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Three related and morphologically similar small Psammodromus species (P. hispanicus complex) occur in the Iberian Peninsula and Mediterranean France, Psammodromus hispanicus, Psammodromus occidentalis, and Psammodromus edwarsianus. Despite recent works, overall ranges of the species remain partially uncertain, in particular for Westernmost part of Iberia and South-western France. Here we include data from 15 additional specimens that were sequenced for part of the mitochon-drial gene Cytochrome b to allow comparison with published data. We provide genetic confirma-tion that P. edwarsianus is the species of the complex occurring in France, and that P. occidentalis occurs on coastal and inland Portugal. Within P. occidentalis notable diversity occurs for this marker, which warrants further investigation. Some areas, particularly southern Portugal, still need assessment to clarify the distribution of these mostly cryptic species across the region.

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We studied the composition and the geographic spreading of the herpethofauna from Tasnad Hills, between the years 2000 and 2003. In this region, we have identified 12 Amphibian species (Triturus vulgaris, Triturus cristatus, Triturus dobrogicus, Bombina bombina, Bombina variegata, Bufo bufo, Bufo viridis, Hyla arborea, Pelobates fuscus, Rana ridibunda, Rana dalmatina and Rana arvalis), 8 Reptile species (Emys orbicularis, Lacerta viridis, Lacerta agilis, Zootoca vivipara, Anguis fragilis, Natrix natrix, Coronella austriaca, Vipera berus) and 3 species of hybrids between some amphibian species (Triturus cristatus X Triturus dobrogicus, , Bombina bombina X Bombina variegata and Rana Kl. esculenta). We also found numerous Zootoca vivipara populations in the swamps from the plain region, the species being well represented at altitudes of about 150 m. What is also important to mention is the fact that we found Triturus dobrogicus, hybrids between this species and Triturus cristatus, or the first ever discovery of Vipera berus in Tasnad Hills, at about 200 m altitude.

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Spermatogenesis is an extraordinarily complex process, regulated by several factors, which leads to the differentiation of spermatogonia into spermatozoa. Among vertebrates, several reports have been focused on the lizard Podarcis sicula, a seasonal breeder and a good model for the study of reproductive processes. The goal of this review is to resume all the available data about systemic and above all local control factors involved in the control of P. sicula testicular activity. During the seasonal reproductive cycle, the variation of the expression levels of these factors determines significant variations that induce the activation or blocking of spermatogenesis. The data supplied in this review, in addition to analyze the current literature regarding the main actors of Podarcis sicula spermatogenesis, will hopefully provide a basic model that can be used for further studies on the intratesticular interaction between molecular factors that control spermatogenesis.

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Dans ce (ravail nous faisons une synthese de quelques données que nous avons obtenu sur la distribution et I`écologie de I`herpétofaune portugaise. Naus faisons aussi référence à la fréquence de capture de ces animaux pendan! les différents mois de I`année et à leur occurrence dans les principales montagnes du pays.

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In the year 1971., five pairs of italian wall lizard Podarcis siculus were translocated from Pod Kopište island to Pod Mrčaru island. After 36 years, scientists discovered that the P. siculus population competitively excluded the dalmatian wall lizard P. melisellensis on Pod Mrčaru island. Further comparative studies of P. siculus populations on two islands, Pod Kopište and Pod Mrčaru, have shown noticeable variations between two populations on the physiological, morphological and behavioural level. Evidence on higher sociability on Pod Mrčaru island, demonstrated a need for further studies, including behavioral comparisons and heritability testing. This work is focused on one behavioral trait, sociability. This work is part of HRZZ project Genraliz, which aims at answering questions regarding rapid adaptive evolution. Four groups of juvenile individuals are tested. The first group consists of juveniles whose parents originated from Pod Kopište island, while the second group consists of juveniles whose parents originated from Pod Mrčaru island. The third and fourth group include hybrids whose parents from both islands were reciprocally crossed. Preceding tests done on the parental generation showed that males from Pod Mrčaru island exhibit higher sociability behavior than females from both islands, and males from Pod Kopište island. The results of this study haven`t shown any significant differences in sociability between the four tested groups. Future studies should include juvenile and adult comparisons, as well as genom-wide sequencing and transcriptome studies.

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Coevolution is the process of reciprocal evolutionary change between interacting species. This process is thought tobe a major driver of biological diversification and has been linked to speciation. Coordinatedevolution between nuclear and organelle genomes can occur by reciprocal changes in the functional constraints of interacting proteins, and even playing an important role in speciation. In this master`s thesis, we used target-capture sequencing data from 122 individuals from two different mitochondrial lineages to test the compensatory evolution hypothesis by comparing the phylogenetic trees of three diferent types of genes: mtDNA, nuclear genes interacting with mitochondrias (oxphos genes) or random nuclear genes. Our results showed the two different mitochondrial lineages. Tajima`s D test also showed mitochondria to be under strong purifying selection. However, differences were not observed between the oxphos and the nuclear genes. More studies should be carried out to confirm or not the compensatory evolution hypothesisin this lizard specieswith the data produced in this study.

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Bei einer Auswertung der Daten des Arten- und Fundpunktkatasters Schleswig-Holstein und einer ergänzenden Literaturrecherche wurden 35 Angaben zum Vorkommen der Zauneidechse auf der Insel Sylt recherciert, die aus dem Zeitraum von 1700 bis 2015 stammen. Als gesichert werden Fundortangaben aus insgesamt zehn Gebieten eingestuft. Diese befinden sich auf den Nehrungshaken und auch der Geest. Aus dem Zeitraum von 2000 bis 2015 liegen nur noch vier Nachweise aus zwei Gebieten vor, sodass sich ein massiver Bestandsrückgang der Art abzeichnet. Von den als gesichert angesehenen Nachweisen lassen 27 Angaben grobe Rückschlüsse auf die besiedelten Lebensräume zu. Demnach entfallen 21 Angaben auf Dünenlebensräume der Nehrungshaken und sechs auf Geestheiden und –kliffs. Auf der Insel besiedelt die Zauneidechse offenbar bevorzugt Weißdünen und Strandhaferbewuchs.

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We examined how reproductive state affectedshifts in behavior of adult female Podarcis siculatowardchemical cues from a natural snake predator (Coronellaaustriaca). The oviparous P. siculalizards do not experi-ence a major physical burden during reproduction, butgravid females substantially increase duration of bask-ing. Therefore, gravid lizards are likely to experience agreater risk of mortality because they are exposed to pre-dators for longer periods. Both gravid and non-gravid fe-males shifted patterns of locomotion when confrontedwith snake chemical cues, but the change was notablylarger when females were non-gravid. When non-gravid,lizards responded to predator scent by increasing thenumber of stand-ups and starts, while such a responsewas not observed when females were gravid. By con-trast, gravid lizards clearly reduced the time spent bask-ing in the presence of predator scent, whereas no changein basking behavior was observed when females werenon-gravid. Thus, females exhibit differential behavioralresponses to predator scents that is dependent on repro-ductive state.

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Almost all species of Amphibians and Reptiles of Central Italy occur in the Tolfa mountains (Civitavecchia, Latium). This is one of the most interesting areas in the whole of Italy as far as the herpetofauna is concerned. It lies not far from Rome and its conservation state is satisfactory; both these facts have favoured and enabled some experimental studies of eco-ethology on such mountains since 1964. The A. describes the species and subspecies of Amphibians and Reptiles recorded in this area, adding some information on their chorology, biology, taxonomy, history and zoogeograph.

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Adaptive behavior is shaped by the type and intensity of selection pressures coming from the environment, such as predation risk and resource availability, and can be modulated by individual`s neuroendocrine profile involving steroid hormones and the brain-stem monoaminergic circuits projecting to forebrain structures. Boldness when faced with a predator and exploration/activity when confronted with a new environment reflect the degree of cautiousness and/or “risk-taking” of an individual. In this study we have explored to which extent two populations of Podarcis siculus occupying different ecological niches: mainland (ML) and an islet (ISL) differ in the level of cautiousness and whether these differences are paralleled by differences in their monoaminergic profiles. Boldness was tested in the field as antipredator behavior, while novel space and object explorations were tested in a laboratory setting in an open field apparatus. Finally, serotonin, dopamine, noradrenaline (NA) and adrenaline (ADR) concentrations were measured in whole brain samples by ELISA. Lizards from ML population spent significantly more time hiding after a predator encounter in the field, displayed lower intensity of novel space exploration in a laboratory setting, and contained significantly higher whole-brain concentrations of NA and ADR than their ISL counterparts. Parallelism between the level of risk-taking behavior and concentrations of neurotransmitters mediating alertness and reaction to stress suggests that the differing environmental factors on ML and ISL may have shaped the degree of cautiousness in the residing lizard populations by affecting the activity of NA/ADR neural circuits.

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The author describes his observations on Podarcis lilfordi on Mallorca. Podarcis lilfordi gigliolii was found in great numbers on the island Dragonera, west of Mallorca. The melanistic P. l. jordansi was found in the port of Colònia de Sant Jordi in Mallorca. There it inhabits a small remaining part of the former small island ‘Frailes’, that is now connected to the main island.

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Die Insel Kythira ist Teil des südägäischen Inselbogens, der sich vor mehreren Millionen von jahren bildete und von der Peloponnes-Halbinsel über Kreta, Karpathos und Rhodos nach Anatolien erstreckt. In seiner Pflanzen- und Tierwelt hat Kythira viel mit dem Peloponnes gemeinsam. Bislang wurden etwa sechzehn Amphibien- und Reptilienarten von der Insel beschrieben, die sich durch ihren Wasserreichtum, besonders im Norden, auszeichnet. Die vorliegende Arbeit trägt die verstreute Information zur Herpetofauna von Kythira zusammen und erweitert sie durch eigene Beobachtungen.

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Während eines Aufenthaltes in einem ehemaligen Gutshof aus dem 18. Jahrhundert, ca. 20 km nordwestlich von Siena, Ende August 2019 konnte ich die dort siedelnden Podarcis muralis nigriventris und P. siculus campestris beobachten. Podarcis muralis war ubiquitär mit einer Präferenz der Höhe (Mauern aller Art, Eichenstämme, Hecken) zu beobachten, während sich P. siculus bodennah (Rasenflächen, Parkplätze, Böschungen) auf Stein- und Holzstrukturen aufhielt und allenfalls kniehohe Mauern besetzte. Bevorzugt setzte P. siculus Kot auf isolierten Steinstrukturen ab. In Analogie zu den experimentellen Untersuchungen an P. melliselensis von BAECKENS et al. (2019) könnte dieses Verhalten der innerartlichen Kommunikation dienen.

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The Dalmatian wall lizard Podarcis melisellensis and the Italian wall lizard P. siculus inhabit the Adriatic coastal region of Croatia, representing the most abundant members of the regional herpetofauna. Because of strong interspecific competition they are sympatric on the mainland and larger islands, while sympatry is usually absent on smaller islands. The robust and aggressive P. siculus colonized the East Adriatic coast and numerous islands, where it replaced autochthonous P. melisellensis by competitive exclusion. In our work we question possible framework of their distribution on Eastern Adriatic islands.

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In Österreich besiedelt die Zauneidechse mit Ausnahme der hochalpinen Lagen die Großlandschaften aller Bundesländer. Die Art kommt in Höhenlagen zwischen 115 und 1.700 m vor, Verbreitungsschwerpunkte finden sich in tieferen Lagen unter 500 m. Das Verbreitungsgebiet stößt im westlichen Österreich an seine südliche Arealgrenze, ansonsten schließen die österreichischen Bestände an Vorkommen in den Nachbarländern an. Die Zauneidechse stellt neben der Wald- oder Bergeidechse (Zootoca vivipara) die in Österreich häufigste und am weitesten verbreitete Eidechsenart dar. Trotz ihrer weiten Verbreitung und der Tatsache, dass die Zauneidechse vielerorts die häufigste Reptilienart darstellt, lassen sich gebietsweise starke Rückgänge der Bestände beobachten.

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Species can occupy different realised niches when sharing the space with other congeneric species or when living in allopatry. Ecological niche models are powerful tools to analyse species niches and their changes over time and space. Analysing how species’ realised niches shift is paramount in ecology. Here, we examine the ecological realised niche of three species of wall lizards in six study areas: three areas where each species occurs alone; and three areas where they occur together in pairs. We compared the species’ realised niches and how they vary depending on species’ coexistence, by quantifying niche overlap between pairs of species or populations with the R package ecospat. For this, we considered three environmental variables (temperature, humidity, and wind speed) recorded at each lizard re-sighting location. Realised niches were very similar when comparing syntopic species occurring in the same study area. However, realised niches differed when comparing conspecific populations across areas. In each of the three areas of syntopy, the less abundant species shift its realised niche. Our study demonstrates that sympatry may shift species’ realised niche.

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Italian Wall Lizard (Podarcis siculus) is known from scattered locations in the United States, including Orcas Island, Washington, where a population went unreported for about a decade, but was confirmed in 2017. On 19 June 2019, a single adult female P. siculus was caught in an industrial area along the northern arm of the Fraser River in Vancouver, British Columbia; this represents the first record of this species on the loose in Canada. No other P. siculus were sighted in the Vancouver area. We assume this Canadian P. siculus was a lone stow-away and had not deposited eggs. We could not determine how it entered the province.

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Aim Invasive species are one of the main causes of biodiversity loss world-wide. As introduced populations increasein abundance and geographical range, so does the potential for negative impacts on native communities. As such, there is aneed to better understand the processes driving range expansion as species become established in recipient landscapes. Weinvestigated the potential for population growth and range expansion of introduced populations of a non-native lizard (Podarcismuralis), considering multi-scale factors influencing growth and spatial spread. Location England, UK Methods We collatedrecords ofP. muralispresence through field surveys and a citizen science campaign. We used presence-only models to predictclimate suitability at a national scale (5km resolution), and fine-scale habitat suitability at the local scale (2m resolution). Wethen integrated local models into an individual-based modelling platform to simulate population dynamics and forecast rangeexpansion for 10 populations in heterogeneous landscapes. Results National-scale models indicated climate suitability restrictedto the southern parts of the UK, limited by a latitudinal cline in overwintering conditions. Patterns of population growthand range expansion were related to differences in local landscape configuration and heterogeneity. Growth curves suggestpopulations could be in the early stages of exponential growth. However, annual rates of range expansion are predicted to below (5-16 m). Conclusions We conclude that extensive nationwide range expansion through secondary introduction is likely to berestricted by currently unsuitable climate beyond southern regions of the UK. However, exponential growth of local populationsin habitats providing transport pathways is likely to increase opportunities for regional expansion. The broad habitat niche of P. muralis, coupled with configuration of habitat patches in the landscape, allows populations to increase locally with minimal dispersal.

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´Should I stay or should I go?`is a fundamental question facing any candidate foremigration, as emigrating without outside information has major costs. Most studies onthis topic have concentrated on risk-reducing strategies (e.g. exploration) developed afterleaving the natal habitat. The idea that information might be acquired before leaving hasnot been investigated. Immigrants carrying information about their origins could providesuch information to potential emigrants in their initial habitat. We manipulated thedensity of common lizard (Lacerta vivipara) populations, to investigate whetherimmigrants originating from these populations transmitted such information to thepopulation they joined. Emigration of the residents of this new population clearlydepended on the origin of the immigrant. Immigrants are therefore a source ofinformation, in this case about surrounding population densities, and may have a majoreffect on dispersal and species persistence in a fragmented habitat.

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In dit artikel worden gegevens over de verspreiding op uurhokbasis van de in Limburg aangetroffen amfibieën en reptielen kort samengevat.