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Die landgebundenen Wirbeltiere des festländischen Iberiens (Süßwasserfische, Amphibien, Reptilien mit Ausnahme der Meeresschildkröten, Säugetiere mit Ausnahme der Chiroptera, Pinnipedia und Cetacea) bilden, wie im einzelnen gezeigt wird, in ihrer Gesamtheit eine besondere faunistische Einheit: ungefähr die Hälfte der Formen (Spezies oder Subspezies) ist endemisch; das gilt für 73 % der echten Süßwasserfische, 47 % der Amphibien, 36 % der Reptilien und 53 % der Säugetiere. Die geographische Isolierung durch die Pyrenäen und das Mittelmeer ist gewiß die Hauptursache für die Entwicklung einer so eigenartigen Fauna, aber auch andere Faktoren (die sehr verschiedenen Klimate und Biotope innerhalb Iberiens, der im Vergleich mit anderen Gebieten Europas geringere Einfluß der Vereisungen usw. haben sicher ebenfalls eine sehr wichtige Rolle gespielt. Acanthodactylus erythrurus erythrurus, Algyroides hidalgoi, Algyroides marchi marchi, Algyroides marchi niethammeri, Lacerta agilis agilis, Lacerta hispanica hispanica, Lacerta hispanica bocagei, Lacerta hispanica vaucheri, Lacerta lepida lepida, Lacerta lepida nevadensis, Lacerta monticola monticola, Lacerta monticola cantabrica, Lacerta monticola cyreni, Lacerta schreiberi, Lacerta viridis viridis, Lacerta vivipara, Psammodromus algirus algirus, Psammodromus hispanicus hispanicus, Psammodromus hispanicus edwardsianus.

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Geographical variation in scalation traits of the Iberian green lizard Lacerta schreiberi was studied measuring 27 morphometric and pholidotic traits in 533 lizards from 12 populations. The results show a little morphological differentiation between the populations of the mountains of Central System and the Atlantic side of the Iberian peninsula. The reduced width of the occipital plate of Central System lizards appears as the most remarkable difference between this population and the other populations analysed. This differentiation is consistent with the presence of two groups of mitochondria DNA haplotypes in each of these geographic areas. Nevertheless, the differences detected were too insufficient to consider a modification of the taxonomic status of Lacerta schreiberi.

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The last catalogue of the Reptile collection of the Museu Bocage dates back to 1972. The collections were lost in a fire 25 years ago, so it was necessary to analyse the effort of various donors, who offered the Museum a new collection. The evaluation of the sampling effort is important to gather information (on quantity and origin) and the various samples of the species of lacertid lizards present in the Museum and enables an operational and practical visual imaged of that information. The obtained results prove that the study of the sampling effort using ordinary kriging method is robust and accurate on identifying gaps (under or no sampled areas) and a helpful tool to fulfil them. Although beginning to the representative of the Portuguese fauna, the lacertid collection of the Museu Bocage needs major improvements given that it still does not illustrate the actual distribution of lacertid lizards in Portugal. In order to stand for modern standards, when complementing the existing collection we must take into account not only the information provided by the analysis but also conservationist concerns (not killing animals) and the establishment of co-partnerships with congener institutions as well. Nowadays Museums have the duty, more than ever, to keep their collections well housed, cared for and accessible to the scientific community.

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Algyroides fitzingeri, Algyroides marchi, Algyroides moreoticus, Algyroides nigropunctatus, Lacerta agilis, Lacerta lepida, Lacerta princeps, Lacerta schreiberi, Lacerta strigata, Lacerta trilineata, Lacerta viridis, Lacerta andreanszkyi, Lacerta armeniaca, Lacerta bedriagae, Lacerta brandtii, Lacerta cappadocica, Lacerta caucasica, Lacerta chlorogaster, Lacerta cyanura, Lacerta danfordi, Lacerta derjugini, Lacerta dugesii, Lacerta fraasii, Lacerta graeca, Lacerta horvathi, Lacerta jayakari, Lacerta laevis, Lacerta monticola, Lacerta mosorensis, Lacerta oxycephala, Lacerta parva, Lacerta perspicillata, Lacerta praticola, Lacerta rudis, Lacerta saxicola, Lacerta vivipara, Gallotia atlantica, Gallotia galloti, Gallotia simonyi, Podarcis erhardii, Podarcis filfolensis, Podarcis hispanica, Podarcis lilfordi, Podarcis melisellensis, Podarcis milensis, Podarcis muralis, Podarcis peloponnesiaca, Podarcis pityusensis, Podarcis sicula, Podarcis taurica, Podarcis tiliguerta, Podarcis wagleriana, Psammodromus algirus, Psammodromus blanci, Psammodromus hispanicus, Psammodromus microdactylus.

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The ability to shed (autotomize) all or part of the tail, usually in response to predator attack, and often to subsequently regenerate it is widespread in lizards and amphisbaenians and also occurs in a few snakes and in the tuatara. Most species possess a sophisticated intravertebral autotomy mechanism which seems to be primitive in the Squamata. This appears to have been independently lost in members of many groups, but some agamids and snakes have regained the ability to shed their tails by a simpler intervertebral means and a -number of agamids have also redeveloped tail regeneration as well. Breakable tails are used to evade capture in two main ways: by enabling reptiles to break away from predators that have grasped them by the tail and by providing a distraction which deflects the attention of the attacker away from the vulnerable head and body. It is argued that loss of caudal autotomy has occurred when the costs of tail shedding outweigh its benefits. Likely costs include the expense of regrowing the tail and the loss of a variety of possible tail functions that may cause partial incapacitation, at least until the tail regenerates. Benefits of autotomy are liable to be low if predation is rare, if the animal is able to protect itself effectively in other ways, if it is too slow to evade further pursuit after the tail is shed, or if the tail is small or unpalatable and consequently not likely to distract a predator. Benefit variation may well be greater than cost variation and therefore more important in initiating the loss of autotomy mechanisms. Many taxa that do not shed the tail appear to conform to the above interpretation, but in some cases, such as the Platynota, Agamidae and Chamaeleonidae, lack of intravertebral autotomy may reflect the history of these groups rather than being a direct result of present ecological pressures. The distribution of intervertebral autotomy in the Agamidae suggests that it may have evolved only in rather special circumstances where tail fragility is advantageous even in the absence of the ability to regenerate. Restriction ot autotomy planes to the tail-base, so that the whole organ is lost, a condition found in a number of relatively slow-moving geckoes, is interpreted as a means of ensuring that enough of the tail is shed to distract a predator from further pursuit. The stimulus necessary to induce autotomy can vary rapidly in individual lizards and at least some of these changes probably maximize the effectiveness of the tail-shedding mechanism. Differences in the readiness with which all or part of the tail is shed exist between species and are likely to reflect the balance of costs and benefits in particular cases. Variations in incidence of broken tails between species and populations may be due to such differences in fragility but many other factors may play a part, including the age structure of samples, incidence of unsuccessful attacks by predators and ability to evade predators after autotomy. There is a clear tendency for climbing lizards, especially those living on rock surfaces, to have higher incidences of broken tails than ground-dwelling species, perhaps because the tail is usually less important in locomotion in the first group. Many lizards possess conspicuously coloured tails and tail movements that seem likely to help distract attention from the head and body. Conspicuous tail colouring is more frequent and often better developed in young animals, which tend to be more vulnerable than adults, and in active species from open habitats where crypsis may not always be very effective. Conspicuous tails usually have contrasting light and dark areas in nocturnal forms but are often a single bright colour in diurnal ones, probably reflecting the visual capacities of their respective predators. The predominance of blue tails in day-active species may be because this colour is striking close to but not very arresting at a distance, so it may not attract predators from far away while still drawing their attention at close quarters.

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Twenty-four species of lacertid lizards were examined at 31 sites in western Yogoslavia, Greece and Iberia. Comparative observations were made on over 4500 individual lizards, noting such features as times of activitiy, hunting methods, diet, micro- and macrohabitat, refuges used and body temperature. These data are used as a basis for assessing resource partition in related sympatric species, for find out whether different systematic groups have characteristic types of niche, and for comparing cumminity structures in the peninsulas of southern Europa. Acanthodactylus erythrurus, Algyroides marchi, Algyroides moreoticus, Algyroides nigropunctatus, Lacerta agilis, Lacerta graeca, Lacerta horvathi, Lacerta lepida, Lacerta monticola, Lacerta oxycephala, Lacerta mosorensis, Lacerta schreiberi, Lacerta trilineata, Lacerta viridis, Lacerta vivipara, Podarcis bocagei, Podarcis erhardii, Podarcis hispanica, Podarcis melisellensis, Podarcis milensis, Podarcis muralis, Podarcis peloponnesiaca, Podarcis sicula, Podarcis taurica, Psammodromus algirus, Psammodromus hispanicus.

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DNA sequence indicates the Lacertidae contain two subfamilies, Gallotiinae and Lacertinae, the latter comprising two monophyletic tribes, the Eremiadini of Africa and arid southwest and central Asia, and the Lacertini of Europe, northwest Africa and southwest and east Asia. Relationships within the 108 species of Lacertini are explored using mtDNA (291 bp cytochrome b; 329 bp 12S rRNA for 59 nominal species, and reanalysis of the data of Harris et al. 1998, and Fu 2000). The morphology of the tribe is reviewed and 64 of its characters (equivalent to 83 binary ones) also used to assess relationships. The Lacertini are assigned to 19 monophyletic units of 1 to 27 species, recognised here as the following genera (contents are indicated in brackets): Algyroides, Anatololacerta gen. nov. (L. danfordi group), Apathya (L. cappadocica group), Archaeolacerta (L. bedriagae), Dalmatolacerta gen. nov. (L. oxycephala), Darevskia (L. saxicola group), Dinarolacerta gen. nov. (L. mosorensis), Hellenolacerta gen. nov. (L. graeca), Iberolacerta (L. monticola group), Iranolacerta gen. nov. (L. brandtii and L. zagrosica), Lacerta s. str. (sand and green lizards, L. agilis group), Parvilacerta gen. nov. (L. parva and L. fraasii), Phoenicolacerta gen. nov. (L. laevis group), Podarcis (wall lizards), Scelarcis (L. perspicillata), Takydromus (Asian grass lizards), Teira (L. dugesii), Timon (ocellated lizards, L. lepida group) and Zootoca (L. vivipara). Both mtDNA and morphology indicate that Lacerta and Timon are sister taxa, and DNA suggests further possible relationships among genera (Fig. 1, p. 6). Neither DNA nor morphology indicates that the archaeolacertas (sometimes formalised as Archaeolacerta sens. lat.) form a clade. Instead, they are representatives of an ecomorph associated with living on rock exposures and using the narrow crevices that these contain. The Lacertidae probably arose in the European area, with the Gallotiinae later reaching Northwest Africa and the Canary Islands, and the ancestor of the Eremiadini invading Africa in the mid-Miocene. The Lacertini spread through much of their present European range and diversified, perhaps largely by repeated vicariance, around 12–16 My ago, producing the ancestors of the present mainly small-bodied genera, which then underwent often modest speciation. Three units spread more widely: the Lacerta-Timon clade of large-bodied lizards probably dispersed earliest, followed by Algyroides and then Podarcis. Overall, European Lacertidae show a pattern of repeated spread, often accompanied by restriction of previous groups. Expansion of Lacertini may have displaced earlier lacertid lineages from all or much of Europe; while spread of Podarcis may have restricted many other genera of Lacertini. The earlier expansion of the Lacerta-Timon clade probably did not have this effect, as difference in adult body size restricted competitive interaction with other forms. Several invasions of more distant areas also occurred: of East Asia by Takydromus over 10 My ago, and more recently of northwest Africa by Podarcis, Scelarcis and Timon, and Madeira by Teira. Relationships within the Eremiadini estimated from both mtDNA, and nDNA differ considerably from those based on morphology. They indicate relatively mesic forms may have diversified widely across Africa and given rise to at least three independent invasions of arid habitats. MtDNA also indicates that Lacerta andreanskyi belongs in the Eremiadini and may occupy a basal position there. It is assigned to a further new genus, Atlantolacerta gen. nov.

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Background: Aim of the study was to identify the conditions under which spatial-environmental models can be used for the improved understanding of species distributions, under the explicit criterion of model predictive performance. I constructed distribution models for 17 amphibian and 21 reptile species in Portugal from atlas data and 13 selected ecological variables with stepwise logistic regression and a geographic information system. Models constructed for Portugal were extrapolated over Spain and tested against range maps and atlas data. Results: Descriptive model precision ranged from `fair` to `very good` for 12 species showing a range border inside Portugal (`edge species`, kappa (k) 0.35–0.89, average 0.57) and was at best `moderate` for 26 species with a countrywide Portuguese distribution (`non-edge species`, k = 0.03– 0.54, average 0.29). The accuracy of the prediction for Spain was significantly related to the precision of the descriptive model for the group of edge species and not for the countrywide species. In the latter group data were consistently better captured with the single variable searcheffort than by the panel of environmental data. Conclusion: Atlas data in presence-absence format are often inadequate to model the distribution of species if the considered area does not include part of the range border. Conversely, distribution models for edge-species, especially those displaying high precision, may help in the correct identification of parameters underlying the species range and assist with the informed choice of conservation measures.

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In this paper we provide the first data on the distribution of amphibians and reptiles in the province of Guadalajara (Castilla – La Mancha, Spain). From a heropetological point of view Guadalajara is one of the most unknown provinces in Spain. At this time we have recorded 30 species, 15 of which were not previously cited in the area. Provisional maps of distribution are presented in 10 x 10 km U.T.M. squares. Acanthodactylus erythrurus, Lacerta lepida, Lacerta schreiberi, Podarcis hispanica, Podarcis muralis, Psammodromus algirus, Psammodromus hispanicus.

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The preliminary distribution of amphibians and reptiles of the Ciudad Real province (Castilla-La Mancha, Spain) is presented. Thirty-four species, 13 amphibians and 21 reptiles, have been found. For each species, distribution maps in 10 x 10 Km U.T.M. quadrats and a discussion on the distribution, habitat and threats affecting its conservation are provided. We conclude that the Ciudad Real province presents one of the richest herpetofauna of the Iberian Peninsula, despite the scarcity of Eurosiberian species. Among all the species present in Ciudad Real, the relative abundance of Emys orbicularis populations is especially relevant compared to the rest of Spain. Similarly, it is remarkable the presence of a newly discovered population of Hemidactylus turcicus in Castilla-La Mancha, which represents one of the most inland populations of this species in the Iberian Peninsula.

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During the month of June 1980 the authors observed several species of amphibians and reptiles in Portugal. Notes are given on their habitat. Problems concerning the determination of some species of the genus Podarcis are discussed.

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Es gibt sicherlich verschiedene Möglichkeiten, im Terrarium gehaltene Eidechsen zu überwintern. Der eine schwört auf seinen Keller, der andere auf eine laubgefüllte Grube in seinem Garten. Nun, wem beides nicht zur Verfügung steht, dem kann auch ein Kühlschrank ganz ausgezeichnete Dienste leisten. Freilich ist nicht gemeint, die Eidechsen frei zwischen Wurst und Käse zu betten, vielmehr bedarf es einiger Vorbereitungen. Im wesentlichen stellen sich zur Überwinterung von Eidechsen 4 Fragen: 1. wen? 2. wann? 3. wie? Und 4. wie lange? Auf diese 4 Fragen soll im in diesem Bericht eine Antwort gegeben werden.

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Es gibt sicherlich verschiedene Möglichkeiten, im Terrarium gehaltene Eidechsen zu überwintern. Der eine schwört auf seinen Keller, der andere auf eine laubgefüllte Grube in seinem Garten. Nun, wem beides nicht zur Verfügung steht, dem kann auch ein Kühlschrank ganz ausgezeichnete Dienste leisten. Freilich ist nicht gemeint, die Eidechsen frei zwischen Wurst und Käse zu betten, vielmehr bedarf es einiger Vorbereitungen. Im wesentlichen stellen sich zur Überwinterung von Eidechsen 4 Fragen: 1. wen? 2. wann? 3. wie? Und 4. wie lange? Auf diese 4 Fragen soll im in diesem Bericht eine Antwort gegeben werden.

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We carried out a morphometric study of the skull throughout postnatal ontogeny in 14 species of Iberian lacertid lizards belonging to the genera Acanthodactylus, Algyroides, Psammodromus, Podarcis, Zootoca, Timon and Lacerta s. latu with the aim of elaborating a key of identification for the studies species. A total of sixty one characters showing interspecific variation are identified. The characters are defined in articulated and disarticulated skulls.

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An osteometric analysis of sacral and presacral regions in three species of iberian lizards (Lacerta lepida, L. schreiberi and L. viridis) has been carried out. For this purpose, 11 osteometric vertebral parameters were proposed, and some of the parameters used by other authors were revised. The topographical variation of the most significant parameters were described and several indices based on them were elaborated. Lacerta viridis differs considerably from L. schreiberi and L. lepida, both qualitatively and quantitatively, especially in the positions of the maximum and minimum for each parameter, and in the percentage of general elongation of the presacral vertebrae, more marked in L. viridis than in the other two species. The sexual and ontogenetic variations include qualitative and quantitative differences as well. A greater percentage of elongation of presacral vertebrae exists in the females. There is some sexual correlation of the existence oscillations in certain parameters (for example pre-postzygapophysis distance) along the vertebral axis (L. lepida and L. schreiberi). The relative height of the neurapophysis shows the most important ontogenetic variation. It is progressively enhanced with size. The vertebral widening that occurs in the last presacral zone is more marked in immature individuals. An interspecific vertebral diagnosis (of particular importance in the axis and sacrum) is proposed.

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Fire is amongst one of the main ecological drivers, particularly in the Mediterranean. Despite being a fire-adapted region, over the last few years we have seen an increase in the frequency of this type of disturbance. In 2017, a large fire in Mata da Margaraça, located in a protected area in central Portugal, created an adequate opportunity to assess its impacts. In this study, we evaluated the effect of fire severity on the abundance, richness, and diversity of reptiles. Richness and diversity were not affected by the cline of fire severity. However, at species-specific level, Psammodromus algirus, a common lizard and habitat generalist Mediterranean species, had its abundance positively affected with the increase of fire severity. The absence of a linear response from this taxonomic group reinforces the need for further studies on post-fire response, key information for the design and implementation of mitigation measures in the future.

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For many years lizard thermal ecology studies have relied on the use of contact thermometry to obtain internal body temperature (Tb) of the animals. However, with progressing technology, an interest grew in using new, less invasive methods, such as InfraRed (IR) pyrometry and thermography, to infer Tb of reptiles. Nonetheless few studies have tested the reliability of these new tools. The present study tested the use of IR cameras as a non-invasive tool to infer Tb of lizards, using three differently body-sized lacertid species (Podarcis virescens, Lacerta schreiberi and Timon lepidus). Given the occurrence of regional heterothermy, we pairwise compared thermography readings of six body parts (snout, eye, head, dorsal, hind limb, tail base) to cloacal temperature (measured by a thermometer-associated thermocouple probe) commonly employed to measure Tb in field and lab studies. The results showed moderate to strong correlations (R2 = 0.84 − 0.99) between all body parts and cloacal temperature. However, despite the readings on the tail base showed the strongest correlation in all three species, it was the eye where the absolute values and pattern of temperature change most consistently followed the cloacal measurements. Hence, we concluded that the eye would be the body location whose IR camera readings more closely approximate that of the animal`s internal environment. Alternatively, other body parts can be used, provided that a careful calibration is carried out. We provide guidelines for future research using thermography to infer Tb of lizards.

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The present work studies the herpetological community of Caural (NW, of Spain): biogeography and ecology. Biogeography altitudinal distribution of species, altitudinal variation in abundance of species and stratification reflect a decrease with the altitude bound to climatic reasons and reproductivity in reptiles and to lesser heterogeneity of biotopes in amphibians. There is a greater altitudinal stratification of the subcommunity of amphibians than of reptiles. Ecology: the different physiological requirements of amphibians from land habitats and lizards are reflected in a temporal alternation (seasonal and daily) in the exploitation of the same trophical resource. The snakes occupy anoth trophical level (predators and superpredators) and the tritons live inanother habitat (subaquatic) with different resources and they have a different diet. The problem of interspecific competition is dealt with in two concrete cases: Lacertidae and Triturus. Great differences in size or corporal shape and behaviour permit coexistence but in the opposite case they separate themselves throughout the area, distributing the biotopes according to their physiological preferences. There are cases (Lacerta schreiberi and Triturus boscai) in which there appears to be a spatial displacement due to a diffuse competition with congenital species. One highlights the importance of the habitat in the food diet of some species, which becomes very clear comparing the tritons with the lizards and amphibians from land habitats. One questions the problem of stability and heterogeneity (climatic and spatial), competition and predation as factors which impel and influence the evolution of communities and species. In relation with studies realized in other areas we see that the herpetological community of Caurel represents the transition from the Mediterranean region to the European shore region, very much in accordance with the climatic and botanical characteristics of the zone, where the seasonality plays an important role just as the glaciarism appears to have determined a reptile community evolutionally young.

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In this work the actual state of knowledge on biogeography of amphibians and reptiles from Galicia is exposed in a synthetical way based upon distributional data gathered during the last 10 years. The geographic distribution of species and communities on latitudinal and altitudinal gradients indicates that climate and biotope are more important factors than latitude or altitude over sea. The presence of relict populations of eurosibirian taxa and the geographic distribution of endemism poit to the importance of climatic alterations during the Quaternary Age (Glaciarism). Thus, the eurosibirian taxa were driven towards Galicia following both the Cornice and the Cantabrian Chain as a mountains, giving rise to sub-especiation or speciation in allopatry of some endemisms. As the present data are poor we must consider our conclusions as a first hypothesis.

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The life history of an organism is the combination of age-specific survival probabilities and fecundities it displays in its natural environment. Hence, an organism`s life history is characterised by its age and size at maturity, frequency of reproduction, clutch or litter size, size of eggs and hatchlings, and survivorship at different life stages (as embryos, neonates, immatures, adults). Variation in these traits can be studied at different levels: within a population, among populations of a single species, and among different species. I here give an overview of studies that explored life history variation in European lacertid lizards.

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Oganismal performance abilities occupy a central position in phenotypic evolution; they are determined by suites of interacting lower-level traits (e.g., morphology and physiology) and they are a primary focus of natural selection. The mechanisms by which higher levels of organismal performance are achieved during evolution are therefore fundamentally important for understanding correlated evolution in general and coadaptation in particular. Here we address correlated evolution of morphological, physiological, and behavioral characteristics that influence interspecific variation in sprint speed in a clade of lacertid lizards. Phylogenetic analyses using independent contrasts indicate that the evolution of high maximum sprinting abilities (measured on a photocell-timed racetrack) has occurred via the evolution of (1) longer hind limbs relative to body size, and (2) a higher physiologically optimum temperature for sprinting. For ectotherms, which experience variable body temperatures while active, sprinting abilities in nature depend on both maximum capacities and relative performance levels (i.e., percent of maximum) that can be attained. With respect to temperature effects, relative performance levels are determined by the interaction between thermal physiology and thermoregulatory behavior. Among the 13 species or subspecies of lizards in the present study, differences in the optimal temperature for sprinting (body temperature at which lizards run fastest) closely matched interspecific variation in median preferred body temperature (measured in a laboratory photothermal gradient), in- dicating correlated evolution of thermal physiology and thermal preferences. variability of the preferred body tem- peratures maintained by each species is, across species, negatively correlated with the thermal-performance breadth (range of body temperatures over which lizards can run relatively fast). This pattern leads to interspecific differences in the levels of relative sprint speed that lizards are predicted to attain while active at their preferred temperatures. The highest levels of predicted relative performance are achieved by species that combine a narrow, precise distribution of preferred temperatures with the ability to sprint at near-maximum speeds over a wide range of body temperatures. The observed among-species differences in predicted relative speed were positively correlated with the interspecific variation in maximum sprinting capacities. Thus, species that attain the highest maximum speeds are (1) also able to run at near-maximum levels over a wide range of temperatures and (2) also maintain body temperatures within a narrow zone near the optimal temperature for sprinting. The observed pattern of correlated evolution therefore has involved traits at distinct levels of biological organization, that is, morphology, physiology, and behavior; and trade- offs are not evident. We hypothesize that this particular trait combination has evolved in response to coadaptational selection pressures. We also discuss our results in the context of possible evolutionary responses to global climatic change.

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Two new quotations of Lacerta schreiberi are presented. Both of them are from Gui- puzcoa and that permits to extend the oriental limit of the area of distribution of the spe- cies and also to check definitively its presence in the Basque Country.

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A description of the geographical area, soil. vegetation, clima and herpetofauna from the province of Guipuzcoa (Spain) has been made. From a climatical point of view, it has been set that average rain-full was 1727.9 l/year, with 170.5 rain days. Temperatures are mild. During the year the average temperature is 12.6ºC. Along 1978-1979, 796 observations of amphibians and reptiles species have been made. Quotations are distributed by months and by species. For taxonomicals groups correlations have been calculated in order to see the relationship with climatology. At the same time multiple regresion methods have been also used in both the cases results have been positive. Reptiles and lizards species presents a negative correlation with precipitation. Lizards species also with the days of rain-full. All the species, reptiles, lizards and snakes presents a positive correlation with the maximum, mean and minimum temperatures. Reptiles, lizards and snakes presents a positive correlation with the maximum-minimum difference temperature. By the other hand, we comment the relationship between environmental factors and the sun`s time, and the catchings of amphibians and reptiles. Among considered environmental variables, the slope orientation, insolation, cloudness and wind have been choosen. Lastly, spatial distribution of every species has been presented. The 89.6% of the grid squares presents at least one observation. So, for each species found in Guipuzcoa, temporal and spatial distribution and habitat are comented. Up to present, in Guipuzcoa the following species of amphibians and reptiles have been found: Salamandra salamandra, Triturus helveticus, T. marmoratus, Bufo bufo, Alytes obstetricans, Hyla arborea, Rana ridibunda, Rana temporaria, Anguis fragilis, Lacerta schreiberi, L. viridis. L. vivipara, Podarcis muralis, Coronella austriaca, C. girondica, Elaphe longissima, Natrix maura, N. natrix y Vipera seoanei.

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Se publica nuevas citas de anfibios y repti- les para el País Vasco. Triturus alpestris, Disco- glossus pictus, Hyla arborea, H. meridionalis, Bufo calamita, Podarcis hispanica y Lacerta schreiberi son especies que amplían el área de distribución conocido o confirman antiguas re- ferencias bibliográficas, mientras que Rana ibe- rica es una nueva especie para la región.

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Lacerta schreiberi is a close relative of L. viridis. Differences between the species are: L. schreiberi has a wider occipital scale than the interparietal and eight rows of ventral scales. L. viridis has a less wide occipital than the interparietal and six rowsofventrals. Sexualdifferencesare: malesare mostlygreen,heavilyspottedwithblack,andha- ve c l e a r f e m o r a l p o r e s . F e m a l es a r e e i t h e r g r e e n o r brown, with rather big black dots, more or less ar- ranged in rows. L. schreiberi lives in Northern, Western and Middle Iberia. They are found most commonly near flowing water, however someti- mes these lizards are found in dry oakforest. The lizards are kept in a glasshouse. In winter they hi- bernate in the glasshouse. Hibernation places are insulated by a layer of dry leaves.

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This article is a continuation of a former article (BIARD, 1989), of which a short summary is gi- ven. A female L. schreiberi was bought pregnant. It laid 17 eggs, which, at temperatures between 28 and 30 oc hatched 42 days later. The next year the same female, and another one, living in an outdoor vivarium, each laid 19 eggs. Incubated the same way as the first clutch, these eggs were fully developed after six weeks, but most juveniles died in the eggshell and just a few hatched. In the dead juveniles malformations we- re observed. The following year, a couple of L. schreiberi was kept indoor and given artificial light, vitamine AD3 and calcium. Twelve eggs were produced in January. They all hatched without problems after six weeks. Juveniles were raised in an indoor vivarium. It is heated by a 25 W lightbulb and accomodation consists of humid peat soil, dry sand and a piece of cork. Crickets, and to a lesser extent buffalo- worms, both enriched with Gistocal to complete the diet. Within half a year the juveniles became sexual active and the females produced their first eggs.

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Lacerta schreiberi is a lizard that is especially suited to an outdoor terrarium. Provided that the necessary precautions are taken, this species is relatively easy to breed. Females and males of this species can be distinguished easily by the pattern of spots on their back. The scalation of the head does not give conclusive information on the animal’s sex. In nature these lizards are often found near water, but definitely not always. Under Dutch climatic conditions, these animals can be kept outside perfectly well. During the summer months my terraria are mostly open on the top, but in the winter they are covered again. The bottom substrate consists mainly of rocks, with only one suitable place where the animals can lay their eggs. There is a hiding place where the animals can retreat in winter, or during the summer when the conditions are unfavourable. The remainder of the decoration consists of some plants and logs. The lizards are mostly fed mealworms and their drinking water is enriched with vitamins A and D3.

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Reptiles and amphibians in Portugal The author spend two weeks in July 2002 in Beira, Portugal. The following observations were made: Vale de Asna (Serra do Açor): the sound of several Alytes obstreticans boscai (probably), several Tarentola mauritanica, one Podarcis hispanica type 1, many Psammodromus algirus, several Chalcides chalcides striatus, larvae of Rana iberica, Triturus marmoratus marmoratus, Triturus helveticus sequeirai and Triturus boscai, one adult Rana perezi, one dead Bufo bufo, three Natrix maura (half-grown and adult). Waterfall of Sobral (Serra do Açor): many Psam-modromus algirus, several larvae, juvenile and adult Rana iberica, many juvenile Bufo bufo. Pena (Serra da Lousã): several Psammodromus algirus. Mata da Margaraça (Serra do Açor): several Psam-modromus algirus, one Podarcis hispanica (probably). Fraga de Pena (Serra do Açor): several larvae and two adult Rana iberica, one Natrix maura (probably), several larvae and three adult Chioglossa lusitanica. Serra da Estrela: Near the top of mount Torre (between 1750 and 1993 m): many Iberolacerta monticola monticola, many larvae of Bufo species, many adult Rana perezi, one adult Rana iberica, one adult Hyla arborea molleri. Around 1200 m, one adult and one juvenile Timon lepidus, one adult Lacerta schreiberi. At 1600 m one juvenile Lacerta schreiberi. Between Piódão and Foz d’Égua (Serra do Açor): one half-grown Natrix natrix astreptophora, one juvenile Natrix maura (probably newly hatched), several Psammodromus algirus and one adult Malpolon monspessulanus. It is stated that Portugal is a very interesting place for spotting reptiles and amphibians in nature.

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The interspecific relationships among female size, clutch size, egg size, and hatchling size were examined for 64 European lacertids. The eggs of all species increased linearly in both linear dimensions and mass during incubation. Across species initial egg mass was positively correlated with juvenile mass, with an allometric relationship exponent of 0.87. Initial egg mass across species increased proportionally with female mass to the power of 0.57. Moreover, an increase in maternal mass was also accompanied by an increase in clutch size. The number of eggs per clutch across species scaled with female mass to the power of 0.39. Removing the effect of female mass resulted in a negative correlation between egg mass and clutch size. Species for which the average egg size was lower than expected on the basis of female mass, tended to have larger relative clutch size. The total egg mass per clutch was about one third of female mass (exponent 0.94).

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Comparing the head scales of female and male L. schreiberi the following difference was obser- ved. Females have touching prefrontal scales (photo 1), males have one or two scales between ~he prefrontals (photo 2 and 3).

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Die Arbeit basiert auf der Messung verschiedener metrischer Charaktere (Kopf-Rumpf-Länge, Kopflänge, maximale Kopfhöhe, maximale Kopfbreite und Rumpf-Länge) an insgesamt knapp 500 nordspanischen Eidechsen. In die Analyse gingen Mesungen an Podarcis bocagei, Podarcis hispanica, Podarcis muralis, Lacerta monticola, Lacerta vivipara, Lacerta lepida, Lacerta schreiberi, Lacerta viridis (=L. bilineata) ein. Demnach ist das ontogenetische Wachstum von Kopf und Rumpf bei männlichen Tieren isometrisch, während Weibchen hingegen ein allometrisches Wachstum des Rumpfes aufweisen. Mit der verwendeten Methodik (Felsenstein) ließ sich der Geschlechtsdimorphismus am besten durch den weiblichen Fortpflanzungsaufwandes (u. a. Gelegegröße) und damit durch die überproportionale Rumpflänge weiblicher Tiere erklären. Bei Arten mit geringer Fruchtbarkeit bzw. konstanter Gelegegröße (hier: Podarcis hispanica) besteht hingegen nur ein geringer Selektionsdruck in Richtung auf große Weibchen. Dann können Männchen zum größten Geschlecht werden. Ebenfalls durchgeführte Größenmessungen an Beutetieren (Magen-Darminhalte) ergaben vergleichsweise gering abweichende Einnischungen männlicher und weiblicher Eidechsen. Eine Analyse der Mechanismen, die zur Ausprägung von Geschlechtsdimorphismen beitragen, ist sicherlich verdienstvoll. Allerdings ist fraglich, ob die hier verwendeten Methoden allein zu einer befriedigenden Klärung führen. Zum einen wurden pro Art nur wenige Individuen (zwischen 22 und 90) untersucht, was - auch nach Ansicht des Autors - statistisch unbefriedigend ist. Wichtiger dürfte aber wohl sein, dass keinerlei Hinweise darauf vorliegen, inwieweit die aus einem relativ begrenzten Gebiet stammenden Freilandfänge als “typisch“ für die Art gelten können. Hinzu kommt, dass sich mit der verwendeten Methode nur die Parameter weiblicher Fortpflanzungsaufwand und unterschiedliche Nahrungseinnischung, nicht jedoch der dritte vom Autor angesprochene Parameter “Kämpfe zwischen den Männchen“ untersuchen lässt. Zumindest in diesem Kontext bedarf es weiterer Daten, die nur durch Verhaltensbeobachtungen lebender Eidechsen zu gewinnen sind.

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We examined stages of embryonic development at the time of oviposition in 10 populations of seven species of lacertids from northern Spain, including one of the few species of lizards that exhibits reproductive bimodality (Lacerta vivipara). In the species studied, embryonic development at the time of oviposition ranges, as a whole, from stage 22-34 in the classification of Dufaure and Hubert, showing highly significant differences between populations. Lacerta vivipara (two populations; stages from 30-34) and L. monticola (28-31) are the species with a more advanced intrauterine embryogenesis, while at the opposite end one can find Podarcis bocagei (22-26) and P. hispanica (two subspecies: stages from 24-27). Lacerta viridis, L. schreiberi and P. muralis are in an intermediate situation (stages 25-29), without appreciable differences among species. Our data show that species with more advanced egg retention reach the highest elevations in the study area, and there also seems to exist a relationship between the egg retention level and the northern distribution limit for oviparous lizards in Europe. However, there is no evidence of intraspecific variability in that regard. No significant correlations were found between developmental stage at oviposition and female size, clutch size, or egg mass, but relative clutch mass (RCM) was significantly larger in species with a more advanced embryonic development at oviposition. This difference in RCM was mainly due to an increase in clutch size (adjusted for female size) and not to an increase in the mass of individual eggs, which tended to be lower in relation to female mass in those species with a more prolonged egg retention.

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Within ten years, data on twenty amphibian and thirty reptile species from the Iberian Peninsula were collected. The excursions were mainly centred on the northeast of Spain and the Extremadura. We report ob- servations on Salamandra salamandra almanzoris MÜLLER & HELLMICH, 1935, Rana pereti SEOANE, 1885, Lacerta viridis (LAURENTI, 1768), Lacerta monticola BOULENGER, 1905, and Malpolon monspes- sulanus (HERMANN, 1804). Additionally, all herpetological records and brief descriptions of the correspond- ing habitats are listed.

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The geographic distribution of the endemic Iberian lizard Lacerta schreiberi in Portugal was determined through extensive field surveys. Subsequently, a logistic regression model which predicts the probability of occurrence, based on environmental variables, was developed. We found that L. schreiberi is more widely distributed than previously thought, through most of central/northern Portugal, including the coastal zone and extending into low altitude zones. New isolated populations were also detected and the area occupied by three previously known southern isolates was enlarged. The model indicates that the distribution of L. schreiberi is largely explained by environmental parameters such as insolation, evapotranspiration, rain, humidity and soil-drainage. Values of probability of occurrence greater than 0.50, as determined by our model, correspond with the actual presence of the species.

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We compare the results, benefits and disadvantages of two techniques for modelling wildlife species distribution: Logistic Regression and Overlap Analysis. While Logistic Regression uses mathematic equations to correlate variables with presence/absence of the species. Overlap Analysis simply combine variables with the presence points, eliminating the non-explanatory variables and recombining the others. Both techniques were performed in a Geographic Information System and we attempted to minimise the spatial autocorrelation of data. The species used was the Schreiber`s green lizard Lacerta schreiberi and the study area was Portugal, using 10 X 10 km UTM squares. Both techniques identified the same group of variables as the most important for explaining the distribution of the species. Both techniques gave high average correct classification rates for the squares with presence of the species (79% for Logistic Regression and 92% for Overlap Analysis). Correct absence classification was higher with Logistic Regression (73%) than with Overlap Analysis (32%), Overlap Analysis tends to maximise the potential area of occurrence of the species, which induces a reduced correct classification of absences, since many absences will fall in the potential area. This is because a single presence in a given class of a variable makes all the area of that class to be considered as potential. The technique does not consider that the species may occasionally occupy an unfavourable region. Although, in Logistic Regression, modelling procedures are more complex and time-consuming, the results are more statistically robust. Moreover. Logistic Regression has the capability of associating probability of occurrence to the potential area. Overlap Analysis is very simple in building procedures and swift in obtaining reliable potential areas. It is a valid technique especially in exploratory analysis of species distributions or in the initial stages of research when data may be scarce.

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Lacerta schreiberi is an endemic lizard in the northwest of the Iberian Peninsula, with some isolated populations in the south. The aims of this work are to select priority areas for the conservation of the species, identify extinction risk areas, evaluate the current degree of protection and define a strategy for the conservation of this species in Portugal. We used an evaluation model of areas in a GIS environment. Conservation priority areas represent 15% of the distribution area of the species in Portugal. Populations with high risk of extinction are located primarily along the littoral strip. About 50% of the conservation priority areas are already included in the Portuguese protected areas (PPA). The conservation strategy for the species needs efficient protection of habitats, increase of PPA and creation of Regional Reserves for the littoral populations. For the isolated populations we propose five types of management actions: habitat restoration, supplementation of populations, reintroduction of individuals, captive breeding and population monitoring.

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We describe the habitats of the endemic Iberian lizard Lacerta schreiberi in Portugal and determine those habitat components that best explain the presence of the species. The geographic distribution of L. schreiberi in Portugal was also determined through extensive field surveys. The previously known distribution area was enlarged by 150% and new isolated populations were detected. The area occupied by the three previously known southern isolates was delimited and increased by 300%. The species is usually restricted to the margins of rivers and streams. Major habitat characteristics that correlate with the presence of the species are water velocity and quality, dominant species in the tree and shrub strata, streams surrounding the biotopes, and altitude. Nevertheless, the selection patterns that L. schreiberi seems to exhibit are only a consequence of its preference for the Atlantic climate. Consequently the presence of the species in a given watercourse seems to be more dependent on the climate of that region than on the intrinsic characteristics of that watercourse.

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A phylogenetic-comparative approach was used to assess and refine existing secondary structure models for a frequently studied region of the mitochondrial encoded large subunit (16S) rRNA in two large lizard lineages within the Scincomorpha, namely the Scincidae and the Lacertidae. Potential pairings and mutual information were analyzed to identify site interactions present within each lineage and provide consensus secondary structures. Many of the interactions proposed by previous models were supported, but several refinements were possible. The consensus structures allowed a detailed analysis of rRNA sequence evolution. Phylogenetic trees were inferred from Bayesian analyses of all sites, and the topologies used for maximum likelihood estimation of sequence evolution parameters. Assigning gamma-distributed relative rate categories to all interacting sites that were homologous between lineages revealed substantial differences between helices. In both lineages, sites within helix G2 were mostly conserved, while those within helix E18 evolved rapidly. Clear evidence of substantial site-specific rate variation (covarion-like evolution) was also detected, although this was not strongly associated with specific helices. This study, in conjunction with comparable findings on different, higher-level taxa, supports the ubiquitous nature of site-specific rate variation in this gene and justifies the incorporation of covarion models in phylogenetic inference.

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Climate change has been widely accepted as one of the major threats for global biodiversity and understanding its potential effects on species distribution is crucial to optimise conservation planning in future scenarios under global change. Integrating detailed climatic data across spatial and temporal scales into species distribution modelling can help to predict potential changes in biodiversity. Consequently, this type of data can be useful for developing efficient biodiversity management and conservation planning. The provision of such data becomes even more important in highly biodiverse regions, currently suffering from climatic and landscape changes. The Transboundary Biosphere Reserve of Meseta Ibérica (BRMI; Portugal-Spain) is one of the most relevant reserves for wildlife in Europe. This highly diverse region is of great ecological and socio-economical interest, suffering from synergistic processes of rural land abandonment and climatic instabilities that currently threaten local biodiversity. Aiming to optimise conservation planning in the Reserve, we provide a complete dataset of historical and future climate models (1 x 1 km) for the BRMI, used to build a series of distribution models for 207 vertebrate species. These models are projected for 2050 under two climate change scenarios. The climatic suitability of 52% and 57% of the species are predicted to decrease under the intermediate and extreme climatic scenarios, respectively. These models constitute framework data for improving local conservation planning in the Reserve, which should be further supported by implementing climate and land-use change factors to increase the accuracy of future predictions of species distributions in the study area.

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The Schreiber’s Lizard, Lacerta schreiberi, is a large lacertid with Atlantic affinities endemic to Western Iberia. Whereas in the Northwest the area of occupation is continuous and populations are abundant, the Southern populations become rare and isolated, restricted to some Atlantic spots surrounded by Mediterranean, unsuitable environments. Because these Southern isolates harbour a considerable part of the genetic diversity of the species and are extremely vulnerable at mid-term, determining their conservation status is prioritary. Here, a multidisciplinary approach based on field censuses, GIS modelling and population genetics was used to asses the conservation status of the populations from Montes de Toledo (South-Central Spain). Local populations were censused by transect methods, tissue sampling of selected individuals were taken and locations were recorded with a GPS. In the lab, samples were genetically characterised using a battery of seven autosomal microsatellites and two SNPs in nuclear loci. Results indicated that in this region the species range is fragmented in subisolates strictly associated to mountain streams surrounded by well conserved riverine vegetation. The potential distribution model calculated by MAXENT indicates areas with high precipitation, low temperature and deciduous forests. The species presence was not recorded or not recently replicated in some of those areas. Population sizes are small (5.23 indiv./hour/observer). The three isolated demographic nuclei were genetically differentiated (with private alleles) but kept high genetic diversity suggesting that isolation is not contemporary but postglacial, old enough to have produced genetic drift. The category Endangened (EN) (A 2bc B 1, 2cde) for these populations is recommended. Subsequent guidelines for conservation management are provided.

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Being excellent models in evolutionary ecology, lizard populations isolated by ecological reasons are also relevant for conservation because of their vulner- ability to extinction. Both aspects are linked because the ecological and evolu- tionary traits need to be known for developing conservation strategies. Here were report two cases, the lacertids Podarcis carbonelli and Lacerta schreiberi, in which a combined methodology is being applied. Both species, endemic to the Iberian Peninsula and with Atlantic affinities, display a continuous distribution in the northwest which becomes fragmented southwards. Southern isolates are fre- quently small, surrounded by unsuitable Mediterranean environments and more than 100 kilometres apart from their main ranges. Two isolates, P. carbonelli in Doñana and L. schreiberi in Montes de Toledo, are currently been monitored.

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We discuss three aspects of the thermal biology of lacertid lizards. First, we provide an overview of the available data on field body temperatures (Tb), the thermal sensitivity of various performance functions and selected body temperatures in different species of lacertid lizards. We also briefly summarise information on the mechanisms of thermoregulation. Second, we discuss recent developments to estimate the »precision« of thermoregulation, and the contribution of distinct behavioural mechanisms. Finally, we revise available evidence for the existence of evolutionary adjustments of thermal characteristics in lacertid lizards. Existing studies have mainly dealt with within- and among-species differences in thermoregulatory behaviour (selected temperatures) and thermal physiology of adults (optimal temperatures, heating rates). Available data provide only limited evidence for clear-cut evolutionary shifts in thermal physiology characteristics along climatic gradients.

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The updated distribution of the 40 amphibians and reptiles species recorded in Jaén province is showed off in 10x10 UTM squares. Distribution of 35 of them is enlarged with 323 new records, 152 for amphibians and 171 for reptiles. Main conservation problems detected for every species are expounded.

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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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Food availability and diet composition were examined in sympatric populations of Lacerta schreiberi and Podarcis bocagei at a locality in the Cantabrian mountains (province of León, Spain). Neither species uses trophic resources in proportion to their relative abundance. Extensive overlap in diet composition has been found between P. bocagei and juvenile L. schreiberi. Although both species feed mainly on spiders, juvenile L. schreiberi eat the most abundant and P. bocagei select larger prey sizes. Subadult and adult L. schreiberi select beetles and grasshoppers.

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The thermal environment can induce substantial variation in important life-history traits. Experimental manipulation of the thermal environment can help researchers determine the contribution of this factor to phenotypic variation in life-history traits. During the reproductive season, we kept female northern grass lizards, Takydromus septentrionalis (Lacertidae), in three temperature-controlled rooms (25, 28 and 32 1C) to measure the effect of the maternal thermal environment on reproductive traits. Maternal thermal environment remarkably affected reproductive frequency and thereby seasonal reproductive output, but had little effect on reproductive traits per clutch or hatchling traits. Females kept at 32 1C produced more clutches andthus hadshorter clutch intervals than females from 28 to 25 1C. Clutch size, clutch mass, relative clutch mass, egg size andhatchling traits didnot vary among the three treatments. The eggs produced by the females were incubated at 27 1C andthe traits of hatchlings were measured. The result that egg (offspring) size was independent of maternal thermal environments is consistent with the prediction of the optimal egg size (offspring) theory. The eggs produced by low temperature females (28 and 25 1C) took longer time to complete their post-oviposition development than did eggs produced by high temperature females (32 1C). This suggests that the eggs from low temperatures might have been laidwhen the embryos were at relatively early stages. Therefore, maternal thermal environment prior to oviposition couldaffect post-oviposition development in T. septentrionalis.

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South-western Europe has a rich diversity of lacertid lizards. In this study, we evaluated the occupancy patterns and niche segregation of five species of lacertids, focusing on large-bodied species (i.e., adults having >75 mm snout-vent length) that occur in south-western Europe (Italian to the Iberian Peninsula). We characterized the niches occupied by these species based on climate and vegetation cover properties. We expected some commonality among phylogenetically related species, but also patterns of habitat segregation mitigating competition between ecologically equivalent species. We used multivariate ordination and probabilistic methods to describe the occupancy patterns and evaluated niche evolution through phylogenetic analyses. Our results showed climate niche partitioning, but with a wide overlap in transitional zones, where segregation is maintained by species-specific responses to the vegetation cover. The analyses also showed that phylogenetically related species tend to share large parts of their habitat niches. The occurrence of independent evolutionary lineages contributed to the regional species richness favored by a long history of niche divergence.

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The Schreiber’s Green Lizard (Lacerta schreiberi) is a midsized lacertid lizard that is endemic from the Iberian Peninsula. It shows a markedly Atlantic distribution that enters the eastern Peninsula through mountain ranges. A review of the bibliography on the species shows that after an increment of information about the species geographic distribution during the last years, there has been a slowing down of new contributions, and some isolated populations, as those of Sierra Morena range at the south of the general distribution, still generate doubts about their existence at present time. The aim of this work is to review and update the available information on the geographic distribution, habitat, and conservation status of the species. With regard to the habitat preferences (not entirely conclusive yet), it has been reported that L. schreiberi would select environments with high levels of precipitation and humidity, what is consistent with its preponderant presence in the western Peninsula, and its frequent occurrence close to water bodies. The species is classified as “Near Threatened”; the more peripheral and isolated populations being the most vulnerable and at risk of disappearing within the coming decades. The bibliographic review of this work seeks to contribute with a base for new information on the distribution and the variables determining the presence and abundance of the species, and thus for future necessary conservation plans.

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Monfragüe National Park (Cáceres, Extremadura, Spain) is a protected area in central‐western Iberia, including some of the best preserved primary Mediterranean vegetation. Legal protection dates back to 1979 (first as a Natural Park and then as a National Park), but knowledge about its reptile communities is so far limited to sparse records. In this paper we present an updated species list based on 521 records covering 163 1x1 km UTM grids in the study area, compiled in the period 2000‐2019. We detected 20 native species, representing 71.4% of the reptile fauna in Extremadura and 35% of the ibero‐balearic reptile fauna. Additionally, based on molecular analyses populations of the amphisbaenid genus Blanus in the study area are assigned to the oriental Iberian taxon, B. cinereus. The new records extend the known distribution of the different reptile species in the study area in 56 10x10 km UTM grids. Species presenting more restricted distributions in Monfragüe are Lacerta schreiberi (one 1x1 grid), Emys orbicularis, and Acanthodactylus erythrurus (four 10x10 grids each).

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Transition zones between bioregions can sustain the coexistence of species with different biogeographic affinities through ecological niche segregation at a finer scale. Reptiles can serve as a good model group to evaluate the mechanisms behind such coexistence patterns especially due to their thermal sensibility to microhabitat structure. We examined whether reptile species spatially segregate in their microhabitat use and whether this segregation reflects the biogeographic affinities of species. Reptiles were surveyed across a 1.5-km transect located in the Peneda-Gerês National Park. We used 478 GPS observations of nine sympatric non-Mediterranean and Mediterranean species collected during field surveys in 2012 and 2013. Each observation was assigned to a microhabitat-openness measurement. Differences in microhabitat selection between Mediterranean and non-Mediterranean species were studied with factorial ANOVA analyses. The similarity in microhabitat selection between pairs of species was compared with the similarity in their Iberian distributions by a Partial Mantel test checking for the genetic distances between species pairs in a phylogenetic framework. Comparing a random selection of points along transect, we found that non-Mediterranean species used more closed microhabitats than Mediterranean species. No differences in this pattern were found between snakes and lizards. The Mantel test showed that microhabitat selection was correlated with the Iberian geographic distributional patterns of species. The complex vegetation structure of this area is most likely responsible for the availability of different microhabitats, which promotes high reptile species richness and governs their sympatric coexistence at a finer scale.

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There is an increasing recognition that fire is an important component of many ecosystems in the world, essential to understand the ecology and diversity of communities in fire-prone regions. It impacts fauna directly, through mortality, or indirectly by changing habitat structure and resources availability. In recent decades global warming, land abandonment and changes in traditional agricultural activities are driving changes in the frequency and extent of fires. In this context, to know the response of organisms to fire regimes is a conservation priority. Reptiles are a good model group to examine their responses to fire as they are ectothermic, sensible to modifications in habitat attributes such as vegetation structure and canopy closure, have low mobility and dispersal rates, and experience high rates of population declines and extinction. The purpose of this study is to evaluate the effects of fire on reptile assemblages at two geographic scales: at a worldwide scale, where I examined patterns of reptile responses to fire considering the time since fire effect with a meta-analysis methodology (Chapter 1); at a local scale, where I evaluated the effect of wildfires on the reptile communities of the Serra da Estrela Natural Park, namely on the population densities, species richness (Chapters 2) and examined how the trophic ecology and interspecific interactions varied with fire using the Psammodrome lizard as a model species (Chapter 3). For this, I used a set of proper methodologies in order to collect and analyze all the data needed to perform this study (search scientific data for a meta-analysis; transects for reptile surveys followed by vegetation and habitat structure characterization; fecal pellets analysis and network metrics for lizard‟s diet). At a worldwide scale, lizards‟ diversity (richness) but not abundance decreases immediately after fire (<1 year) but recovers quickly to pre-fire levels with increased abundance. Regarding snakes, diversity is not significantly affected by time-since-fire but abundance decreases in the latter stages of the post-fire succession. In Serra da Estrela Natural Park, reptile abundance decreases in the first 5 years of post-fire succession, but increases in the interval between 5-10 years. I also found that Psammodromus algirus is positively related with tree cover, and negatively related with herbaceous cover. Plant diversity is also a relevant parameter for reptiles, since its presence (abundance) is positively related with the diversity of plant species. Relatively to the diet, metrics of the bipartite network for lizards collected in unburned and burned habitats demonstrated that P. algirus presents more selective behaviors in unburned habitats, than in burned ones. I have also found differences between burned and unburned areas as regards availability of prey, being the burned area the one presenting the richest arthropod communities. My results suggest that immediately after fire there is a decrease in species richness but communities recover quickly and reptile abundance increases in early stages of post-fire succession (both globally, and also in Serra da Estrela Natural Park). Although reptiles present a close relation with habitat structure, they seem well adapted to areas with different time since fire and present stable abundances across the post-fire succession. Moreover, they have diet variation and are adapted to consume a large variety of preys when conditions are not suitable. In undisturbed areas, they may present a selective behavior.

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Colonization by reptiles and amphibians of the spoil benches of the Meirama opencast lignite mine in northwest Spain was studied over the 10 years following the start of the revegetation process. At Meirama, spoil benches are initially fertilized and hydroseeded with a pasture mix, but are subject to little subsequent management and are gradually colonized by scrub vegetation characteristic of the region. Herpetofauna censuses were carried out (1) yearly on a single 2 ha plot over the 6 years following hydroseeding, and (2) in a single year on ten 2 ha plots which had been hydroseeded between 0 and 10 years previously. In addition, censuses were carried out on three undisturbed `control` plots close to the mine. Fifteen species (nine amphibians and six reptiles) were detected in one or more of the spoil-bench plots. Recolonization is particularly rapid after the first 2-3 years posthydroseeding, and is clearly closely related to habitat development due to revegetation and natural succession. The first reptile species to colonize the study plots was Podarcis bocagei (first year), and the first amphibians Alytes obstetricans and Rana perezi (second year). Species composition was most similar to that in control plots in the oldest (ten-year-old) spoil plots.

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En el presente artículo se realiza un inventario de las especies de anfibios y reptiles presentes en las islas de Galicia. También se presentan algunos datos sobre la ecología y la morfología de algunas poblaciones insulares de estas especies. La herpetofauna de las islas gallegas está compuesta por tres especies de Urodelos, siete de Anuros, siete de Saurios y cuatro de Ofidios. Las especies más ampliamente distribuidas en las islas de la costa de Galicia son las lagartijas del género Podareis. Por otro lado, las especies de anfibios son las que tienen una distribución más restringida, no habitando más que las islas de mayor tamaño, con la excepción de algunas poblaciones de Salamandra salamandra, que viven en pequeños islotes.

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The main threats to the amphibians and reptiles of Galicia (NW Spain) are studied in relation to the information obtained during the last 30 years (1975-2005). The most negative factors affecting amphibians and reptiles in this territory are the human alteration of both aquatic and terrestrial habitats, and the introduction of exotic species (mainly freshwater crustaceans and fishes). These menaces have led to the extinction of some Galician populations of amphibian and reptiles. Other factors, such as emergent diseases, can be very important, but they have not been studied yet. This last threat is one of the main causes for the global amphibian decline. The recent status of the Galician herpetofauna is also analysed. According to the main population declines and areal reduction observed, the most endangered amphibian species is Pelobates cultripes. Other amphibians, such as Chioglossa lusitanica, Rana iberica and Rana temporaria, are also importantly put at risk. The most endangered reptile species is Emys orbicularis. The restricted and limited Galician populations of Lacerta vivipara, Chalcides bedriagai and Vipera latasti are also threatened. The available information for other reptile species (Blanus cinereus, Psammodromus hispanicus, etc.), is still very scarce, but it is possible that their situation is also precarious. The particular status of the insular populations of amphibians and reptiles from the islands off the Galician coast is also analysed.

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Climatic conditions changing over time and space shape the evolution of organisms at multiple levels, including temperate lizards in the family Lacertidae. Here we reconstruct a dated phylogenetic tree of 262 lacertid species based on a supermatrix relying on novel phylogenomic datasets and fossil calibrations. Diversification of lacertids was accompanied by an increasing disparity among occupied bioclimatic niches, especially in the last 10 Ma, during a period of progressive global cooling. Temperate species also underwent a genome- wide slowdown in molecular substitution rates compared to tropical and desert-adapted lacertids. Evaporative water loss and preferred temperature are correlated with bioclimatic parameters, indicating physiological adaptations to climate. Tropical, but also some popu- lations of cool-adapted species experience maximum temperatures close to their preferred temperatures. We hypothesize these species-specific physiological preferences may con- stitute a handicap to prevail under rapid global warming, and contribute to explaining local lizard extinctions in cool and humid climates.

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Phylogeographic analyses based on the sole use of the mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) molecule reveal only a small part of the evolutionary history of a species or a set of related species. In this study, we have combined the application of slow- and fast-evolving nuclear markers (proteins and microsatellites, respectively) together with the analysis of two-gene genealogies to further understand the history of the Iberian endemic Schreiber`s green lizard, Lacerta schreiberi, a species for which a well established phylogeographical scenario is available. In sharp contrast with the observation of four divergent and almost allopatric mtDNA clades, our nuclear data revealed how two groups of populations diverged, persisted and began to admix along the mountains of the Iberian Central System. In addition, the combination of mtDNA and nuclear data showed how the core area of the species distribution responded to ice ages, first by relatively old processes of population expansion to the south followed by episodes of contraction that are at the origin of present-day isolates, and more recently by a postglacial expansion to the Iberian Northwest where new habitats were made available after climatic amelioration. Taken together with recently published results for a variety of other organisms, our results suggest that complex processes of fragmentation, expansion and admixture can only be properly addressed through the use of several and complementary types of molecular markers. Finally, we also suggest that southern European refugia are both hotspots and melting pots of genetic diversity.

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Partial DNA sequences from three mitochondrial (cytochrome b, 12S rRNA and 16S rRNA) and two nuclear (-fibrinogen intron 7 and C-mos) genes were used to estimate the phylogenetic relationships among all eight extant species of green lizards, Lacerta sensu stricto, and many currently recognized subspecies. All eight species form a monophyletic group. L. agilis, L. schreiberi and L. strigata are genetically well differentiated species. L. trilineata and L. pamphylica are not monophyletic units based on analyses of the -fibrinogen intron 7. Lacerta media is closely related to some Lacerta trilineata. L. bilineata and L. viridis are closely related, and recognition of L. bilineata as a distinct species makes L. viridis paraphyletic also. For both L. bilineata and L. viridis, some subspecies appear to remain in their southern glacial refugia, while a single genetic entity shows successfully postglacial expansion. The topology derived from C-mos variation is concordant with that derived from mtDNA, with substitutions occurring at a similar rate to that of transversions in the rRNA genes. Although C-mos is typically used at deeper taxonomic levels it is also phylogenetically informative within green lizards. -fibrinogen intron 7, typically used for assessing phylogenetic relationships among bird species, is a useful phylogenetic marker for reptiles also, showing considerable variation between species. There is not complete concordance between estimates of relationships derived from the mtDNA and nuclear markers, probably because rapid diversification led to incomplete lineage sorting in the green lizards. Introgression could also be occuring between some species.

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C- mos is a highly conserved intronless gene that has proved useful in the analysis of ancient phylogenetic relationships within vertebrates. We selected the Iberian endemic Schreiber’s green lizard ( Lacerta schreiberi ) that persisted in allopatric refugia since the late Pliocene to investigate the utility of the C- mos nuclear gene for intraspecific phylogeo- graphic studies. Our combination of DNA sequencing with the high resolving power of single-strand conformational polymorphism (SSCP) effectively discriminated four com- mon alleles showing strong population structuring ( F ST = 0.46). In addition, reconstruction of allele phylogenetic relationships further improved our understanding of C- mos spatial patterns of variation and allowed a comparison with previously described mitochondrial DNA data. Finally, limited sequencing of an extended C- mos fragment in six additional Lacerta species showed extensive polymorphism, to our knowledge representing a rare example of variation in a highly conserved nuclear gene.

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The study of nuclear genealogies in natural populations of nonmodel organisms is expected to provide novel insights into the evolutionary history of populations, especially when developed in the framework of well-established mtDNA phylogeographical scenarios. In the Iberian Peninsula, the endemic Schreiber`s green lizard Lacerta schreiberi exhibits two highly divergent and allopatric mtDNA lineages that started to split during the late Pliocene. In this work, we performed a fine-scale analysis of the putative mtDNA contact zone together with a global analysis of the patterns of variation observed at the nuclear -fibrinogen intron 7 (-fibint7). Using a combination of DNA sequencing with single-strand conformational polymorphism (SSCP) analysis, we show that the observed genealogy at the -fibint7 locus reveals extensive admixture between two formerly isolated lizard populations while the two mtDNA lineages remain essentially allopatric. In addition, a private -fibint7 haplotype detected in the single population where both mtDNA lineages were found in sympatry is probably the result of intragenic recombination between the two more common and divergent -fibint7 haplotypes. Our results suggest that the progressive incorporation of nuclear genealogies in investigating the ancient demography and admixture dynamics of divergent genomes will be necessary to obtain a more comprehensive picture of the evolutionary history of organisms.

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The genetic characteristics ofthe Iberian Schreiber`s green lizard (Lacerta schreiberi) remain largely unknown. We investigated the population structure of this species using conventional electrophoresis and isoelectric focusing to screen 24 protein loci from 11 representative populations of the Iberian Peninsula. Thirteen polymorphic loci displaying a total of 30 alleles revealed significant partitioning of genetic variation among populations (FST=0.448). Analysis of standard genetic variability measures and allelic distribution profiles indicated that the most variable populations are located in the main distribution area of the species: the north-western corner of the Iberian Peninsula and the Spanish Central System. In contrast, southern isolated populations showed depleted levels of genetic diversity, indicating that severe restrictions to gene flow together with small population sizes are promoting genetic uniformity. We suggest that present-day patterns of genetic diversity in L. schreiberi populations are concordant with the biogeographical hypothesis of a recent expansion to the south followed by a history of contraction and fragmentation resulting in today`s isolated southern populations.

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Records for the amphibian and reptile species of continental Portugal were plotted on maps using the 10 10 km squares of the UTM grid system. A total of 9394 observations were collected, from which 6485 re- cords came from previous national atlases, 1790 from recent published and unpublished work, and 1119 co- rrespond to new observations made by the authors and their collaborators. Overall 31.0% of the records are pre- sented for the first time in a national atlas. Remarkable new records include those for Tarentola mauritanica and Blanus cinereus, enlarging their known range into areas where they were not thought to occur. We present and discuss amphibian and reptile species-density maps.

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The Iberian Peninsula was one of the most important Pleistocene glacial refugia in Europe. A number of recent studies have documented the phylogeography of Iberian taxa and their relationship to more widely distributed species that expanded from this southern European refugium. We use a comparative approach to review the literature that challenges the paradigm of Iberia as a single refuge during Pleistocene glacial maxima and instead supports the occurrence of several Iberian refugia for a range of flora and fauna. Some patterns of phylogeographic concordance were found between the refugial areas identified by different case studies and these broadly overlapped with previously recognized areas of high endemism in the Iberian Peninsula. Such patterns help to illustrate the internal complexity of the Iberian Peninsula as a glacial refugium, and show that for many species, populations with a high degree of genetic structure have existed throughout the Pleistocene. Importantly, the occurrence of these ‘refugia within-refugia’ may confound the interpretation of phylogeographic patterns of European species, and can misleadingly support the occurrence of northern refugia. We discuss these and other consequences, especially when a limited number of samples from the southern European refugia are used.

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La observación de ejemplares de P. muralis y P. hispanica en la línea de costa que contacta con el mar, ha permitido obtener información más amplia sobre su distribución en el área septentrional más extrema, así como del di- ferente uso que hacen del nicho espacial. Ambas se revelan, una vez más, como especies antropófilas, apareciendo preferentemente P. muralis sobre acantilados de sustrato calizo y suelo cubierto de vegetación, frente a P. his- panica, que prefiere el sustrato areniscoso y suelos más despejados. Los datos conocidos sobre su distribución, junto con los aquí aportados, permiten esbozar un esquema biogeográfico, en el que lo más destacable se- ría la penetración que, a través de ciertos valles térmicos interiores, ha se- guido P. hispanica -junto con otras formas termófilas de la herpetofauna- , para colonizar el área costera, donde la suavidad de las condiciones climáti- cas ha facilitado su asentamiento.

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Los datos de lagarto verdinegro recopilados en el Parque Natural de Gorbeia en la década de 2010 determinan una distribución escasa de la especie y limitada a áreas dispersas del término de Zuia, entre Altube y la cabecera del Baias. Las observaciones han sido siempre puntuales y accidentales, y no se conoce una población consolidada y mucho menos continua, si bien se ha observado tanto adultos como juveniles, siempre registrados entre mayo y julio. En 2018 se realizó una prospección intensiva, contando con algunos datos acumulados entre 2013 y 2014, procedentes de la base de datos de la guardería del Parque, que han sido contabilizados junto a los obtenidos en 2018. Los resultados confirman la escasez de la especie y su presencia exclusiva y dispersa en la mitad occidental del Parque (término de Zuia), habiéndose obtenido únicamente observaciones puntuales e individuales. En la zona de Katxabaso-Astorre pudo realizarse un transecto en borde de camino que transita entre argomales-brezales-helechales, con detección de un ejemplar por observación directa y de otros cinco asignables con alta fiabilidad a la especie, lo que proporcionó una estimación de abundancia de 28,85 ind / ha, asimilable a la de algunas poblaciones del norte de León. Paralelamente se acumularon datos de lagarto verde occidental, que mostraron el desplazamiento que estaría ejerciendo sobre el verdinegro, tanto por el mayor número de ejemplares observados y su amplia distribución como por la intensidad ejercida en el uso del hábitat, si bien comparte con éste las orillas de algunas regatas y los matorrales, y aparece en una franja altitudinal común, en torno a los 700 m.

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Residual yolk is assumed to be an important source of energy and nutrients during early life in nonmammalian amniotes. Available data show that the mean size of residual yolk is far smaller in lizards than in turtles, snakes, crocodiles, and birds, raising a question of whether residual yolk is of functional significance in lizards. Here, we compared data from 26 lizard species with those from other nonmammalian amniotes to test the hypothesis that residual yolk is functionally less significant in species producing more fully developed offspring. In our sample, species mean offspring water contents ranged from 73% to 84% of body wet mass; species mean proportions of carcass dry mass, fat-body dry mass, and residual yolk dry mass to offspring dry mass ranged from 84% to 99%, 0% to 5.0%, and 0% to 14.4%, respectively. Lizards are, on average, more fully developed at hatching or birth than snakes, as revealed by the fact that the mean proportion of carcass dry mass to body dry mass and offspring water contents were both higher in lizards than in snakes. We conclude that the functional significance of residual yolk during early life is generally less evident in lizards. Even in the lizards where residual yolk is of potential functional significance, this portion of yolk contributes little, if any, to postembryonic growth. Future work could usefully collect data across a wider spectrum of reptile taxa to establish a precocial–altricial continuum and test the hypothesis that species with a smaller amount of residual yolk are closer to the precocial end of the continuum.

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DNA sequences from parts of the 12S, 16S and cytochrome b mitochondrial genes, which totalled 1049 aligned base pairs, were used to estimate the relationships of 49 species of Lacertidae, including representatives of 19 out of the 23 recognized genera and 23 species of the paraphyletic genus Lacerta. These data were used, together with morphological information, to estimate the relationships within the family. Molecular evidence corroborates the monophyletic status of many genera and species groups originally based on morphology. It indicates that Psammodromus forms a clade with Gallotia, which is the sister taxon of all other lacertids. These comprise three units: the primarily Afrotropical armatured group; the largely Oriental Takydromus; and the west Palaearctic Lacerta and its derivatives, Podarcis and Algyroides. Morphology also supports the first three assemblages, but suggests that they are derived from a paraphyletic Lacerta. Within Lacerta and its allies, DNA sequence analysis corroborates the affinity of some members of each of the subgenera Lacerta s. str. and Timon, and of the L. saxicola group. It also supports the relationship of L. monticola, L. bonnali and L. horvathi, and suggests that the L. parva–L. fraasi clade and L. brandti are not related to Psammodromus–Gallotia, as morphology indicates, but instead are associated respectively with the L. danfordi and L. saxicola groups. DNA sequence data provide additional evidence that the eastern Arabian `Lacerta` jayakari and `L.` cyanura are members of the armatured clade and also sister species. Our analysis supports an origin for present lacertids in west Eurasia. The armatured clade invaded Africa, probably in the mid-Miocene, spreading widely and evolving increasingly xeric-adapted forms, one lineage of which later moved back into the Palaearctic. `Lacerta` jayakari and `L.` cyanura are assigned to Omanosaura, Lutz and Mayer 1986. The name Gallotiinae Cano, Baez, Lopez-Jurado and Ortega, 1984 is available for the Gallotia–Psammodromus clade, Eremiainae Shcherbak 1975 for the armatured clade and Lacertinae for Lacerta, Podarcis and Algyroides. Two new subgenera of Lacerta are proposed here: Caucasilacerta for L. saxicola and its allies, and Parvilacerta for L. parva and L. fraasi.

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1. Research addressing the effects of global warming on the distribution and persistence of species generally assumes that population variation in thermal tolerance is spatially constant or overridden by interspecific variation. Typically, this rationale is implicit in sourcing one critical thermal maximum (CTmax) population estimate per species to model spatiotemporal cross‐taxa variation in heat tolerance. Theory suggests that such an approach could result in biased or imprecise estimates and forecasts of impact from climate warming, but limited empirical evidence in support of those expectations exists. 2. We experimentally quantify the magnitude of intraspecific variation in CTmax among lizard populations, and the extent to which incorporating such variability can alter estimates of climate impact through a biophysical model. To do so, we measured CTmax from 59 populations of 15 Iberian lizard species (304 individuals). 3. The overall median CTmax across all individuals from all species was 42.8 °C and ranged from 40.5 to 48.3 °C, with species medians decreasing through xeric, climate‐generalist and mesic taxa. We found strong statistical support for intraspecific differentiation in CTmax by up to a median of 3 °C among populations. We show that annual restricted activity (operative temperature > CTmax) over the Iberian distribution of our study species differs by a median of > 80 hours per 25‐km2 grid cell based on different population‐level CTmax estimates. This discrepancy leads to predictions of spatial variation in annual restricted activity to change by more than 20 days for six of the study species. 4. Considering that during restriction periods, reptiles should be unable to feed and reproduce, current projections of climate‐change impacts on the fitness of ectotherm fauna could be under‐ or over‐estimated depending on which population is chosen to represent the physiological spectra of the species in question. Mapping heat tolerance over the full geographical ranges of single species is thus critical to address cross‐taxa patterns and drivers of heat tolerance in a biologically comprehensive way.

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Several recent papers have reviewed the life and work of French herpetologist Louis Amédée Lantz. They have detailed the composition of his collections deposited in several museums. However, since then, several other important specimens from his collections deposited at the Natural History Museum (NHM, UK) have come to light and we here present all of them in detail. We discovered paralectotypes of Lacerta saxicola obscura Lantz & Cyrén (BMNH 1918.11.21.5–7), syntypes of Lacerta boemica Sukhov (BMNH 1960.1.4.26–30, BMNH 1965.337–342) and Lacerta viridis media Lantz & Cyrén (BMNH 1960.1.4.25, 1966.512). We also identified numerous specimens from the French Mediterranean islands in Lantz’s collection deposited at the NHM, some of which represent the first reported specimens of their species from certain islands. We here provide data on all these specimens. We also place the Mediterranean island specimens from the Lantz collection in their historical context and emphasize the historical and taxonomic value of these collections.

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It is reported about two aberrant colored lizards inside a clutch of Lacerta schreiberi. These two hatchlings had a more silver to grayish coloration and as adults they do not show the intensive green coloration of the typicsal blue heads that males of this species normally display. One of these aberrant males was backcrossed with its mother and a high number of silver-gray lizards hatched beside normally colored hatchlings. This suggests that this genetic color mutation is recessively inherited.

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Current climate change-forced local extinctions of ectotherms in their warmer distribution limits have been linked to a reduction in their activity budgets by excess of heat. However, warmer distribution limits of species may be determined by biotic interactions as well. We aimed to understand the role of thermal activity budgets as drivers of the warmer distribution limit of cold-adapted mountain ectotherms, and the colder distribution limit of partially sympatric thermophilous species. In the southern slopes of the Sierra de Guadarrama, Madrid, Spain, (1800–2200 m asl), we collected data from surveys of active individuals, thermal preferences, thermoregulation effectiveness, and activity budgets across 12 different sites exposed to different microclimates and habitats. We assessed how abundances of each species were predicted by activity budgets, restriction time, temperature deviation, habitat covers and date. We found that Iberolacerta cyreni abundances are not predicted by heat-restricted activity time as they were absent or rare in the areas where its activity budgets are broader. Conversely, the abundances of the other lizards were positively predicted by the potential activity time. Habitat preferences and date explained also part of the occurrences of the four species. Our results suggest that realized niches of lizards in the Sierra de Guadarrama are a consequence of niche partitioning by temperature-mediated competitive exclusion. The more thermophilous species were physiologically limited by the reduced chances of being active due to the cold, while the cold-adapted species was abundant in those areas where its potential activity is limited by cold-temperatures, but the thermophilous species cannot inhabit. We provide new insights on the ecological processes affecting the distribution of ectotherm mountain organisms, the assemblage of their communities and how climate change could affect them.

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Predation is one of the major selection pressures that determine the behaviour of animals (Lima 1988). But the predation risk of a specimen can depend on a lot of factors and the animals can compensate their behaviour fitting to the situation and have very flexible escape behaviour. Environmental and inside factors equally can infuence the decision of the prey when and where escape. In our study we testing int he field whether among the sex, season, microhabitat type, refuge distance and escape angle which are the real important factors on the antipredator behaviour of Lacerta schreiberi. We found that the inside factors (sex, season) have not any effect for the escape behaviour, solely the environmental factors have influence for the approach distance. In herbal substrate approach distance depend on the refuge distance but there is no relationship between this two distance on rock substrateAnalysing the effect of interaction of the refuge distance and escape angle for the approach distance we found if the animal is close to the refuge, they permit the predator close to them independent on escape angle, if the escape angle is high the lizards permit the predator close independent on the refuge distance, but if the escape angle is low and the refuge is far the animals begin escape early.

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El objetivo principal de la tesis es estudiar la función, evolución y mantenimiento de las señales sexuales múltiples que utilizan el lagarto verdinegro (Lacerta schreiberi) en procesos de selección sexual, y cómo la presión de la selección natural sobre estas señales afecta a las estrategias antidepredatorias. Capítulo I. Se investigó si el sexo, condición reproductora y el ambiente afectan al comportamiento de escape. Encontramos que los machos no compensan un mayor riesgo debido a la búsqueda de pareja y señales sexuales conspicuas. Por el contrario, las estrategias antidepredatorias sólo dependen del entorno físico y la ubicación relativa del depredador y el refugio. Capítulos II-IV. Se investigó las relaciones entre antioxidantes, sistema inmunológico y señales sexuales múltiples de los machos. Encontramos que: ¿ La suplementación en la dieta de carotenoides aumenta las señales visuales, pero no estimula el sistema inmune (respuesta inmune inducida por LPS y PHA). Sin embargo, los carotenoides pueden tener relación con la salud aumentando la condición corporal. ¿ Los machos que sufren una activación inmune por LPS aumentan la intensidad de algunas señales visuales cuando tienen suplementos en la dieta de vitamina E. Estos machos sufren un desafío relevante y podrían estar tratando de maximizar el fitness aumentando la intensidad de la señal actual ya que las expectativas de supervivencia y reproducción futura son bajas. ¿ La suplementación con vitamina E aumenta la respuesta inmune inducida por PHA, y, además, resulta en un aumento del contenido de vitamina E en las señales químicas. ¿ Existen diferencias entre años en los efectos de la suplementación de vitamina E sobre las señales visuales. Esto puede deberse a diferentes condiciones climáticas que suponen diferentes desafíos para los machos cuando desarrollan las señales. El contenido de vitamina E en las secreciones femorales podría ser una señal estable del estado antioxidante, mientras que el estado de salud podría estar relacionado con una o más señales visuales dependientes del ambiente. Qué señal indica la calidad del macho dependerá de qué señal sea más fiable en cada ambiente. Esto supondría la existencia de elección de pareja flexible por las hembras. Capítulo V. Se examinó si el tamaño del área de campeo y el solapamiento entre áreas pueden revelar las relaciones sociales y comportamiento de apareamiento. Encontramos que los machos dominantes usan áreas más grandes, probablemente tratando de aumentar el éxito reproductivo al solapar y aparearse con más hembras. Los machos menos dominantes usan áreas más pequeñas y prefieren guardar parejas, accediendo a menos hembras pero de mayor calidad. Las hembras que utilizan áreas más grandes solapan con más machos, pero las hembras que solapan con machos con más vitamina E en sus señales químicas (de alta calidad) usan áreas más pequeñas. Las diferentes estrategias de apareamiento de los machos pueden ser estrategias evolutivamente estables que proporcionan beneficios para ambos tipos de machos. Un éxito reproductivo similar podría mantener la honestidad del sistema de señales sexuales múltiples. Capítulo VI. Se investigó la función de la coloración de las hembras. Encontramos que esta coloración puede indicar su estado de salud y el número y calidad de sus crías. Esto apoyaría la existencia de una elección de pareja mutua, que puede tener un papel en la evolución de la coloración en hembras. Sin embargo, debido a que las bases de la coloración son similares en ambos sexos, no se excluye la correlación genética intersexual. Se concluye que tanto las diferentes estrategias de apareamiento de los machos, la elección de pareja flexible dependiente del ambiente y la correlación genética intersexual pueden tener papeles en la función, evolución y mantenimiento de múltiples señales sexuales en L. schreiberi.

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Antipredator escape behaviour varies with several well-established sources of variation ranging from the physical environment to reproductive status. However, the relative roles of these sources are rarely assessed together. We measured (i) the distance to the nearest refuge that Schreiber’s green lizards, Lacerta schreiberi, maintained before an attack (refuge distance) and (ii) the distance lizards allowed a simulated predator to approach before fleeing (flight initiation distance, FID). Refuge distance was unaffected by studied variables. However, FID was positively related to refuge distance on grassy, but not on rocky substrates. Furthermore, refuge distance and escape angle interacted in a substrate-independent manner: lizards allowed predators close when refuges were close or when lizards had to flee towards the predator. In contrast, neither mating season nor sex affected FID. We suggest that the escape strategy of L. schreiberi is determined more by the physical environment than by sex or reproductive condition.

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Females often have chromatic patterns that differ from those of males. The evolution and function of female coloration is lessknown than those of males. Female ornaments can result from non-adaptive intersexual genetic correlation, but they may alsosignal female quality, health state, or potential fecundity. We examined whether the spectral characteristics of the sexuallydichromatic coloration of female Iberian green lizards (Lacerta schreiberi) correlate with their condition, parasite load (ticks,hemoparasites andBorreliainfection) and the inflammatory response, and predict reproductive investment and offspring quality.Females with more intense UV-blue throat structural coloration and with more intense carotenoid-dependent yellow chests hadless hemoparasites, and females with more saturated green dorsal coloration had lower tick loads. Also, females with greenerbacks seemed less prone toBorrelia burgdorferis. l. infection. Surprisingly, in females not infected withBorrelia,therewasanegative relationship between tick load and carotenoid content in the chest, which was not obvious in infected females.Characteristics of the females’coloration may also predict several variables of reproductive investment, such as egg laying date,incubation time, hatchling number, hatching success, and body size and condition of their hatchlings. Because this is apolygynandric species and mating investment is costly for males, we suggest that males might use female coloration to selectpotential mates. However, we can expect that the physiological basis of coloration is similar in both sexes and, therefore, geneticcorrelation and sexual selection may act synergistically.

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Carotenoid-based sexual ornaments are widespread, but the role of carotenoids as honest signalers in the trade-off between coloration and antioxidant protection remains controversial. It has been suggested that the function of carotenoids might not be an antioxidant per se, but that colorful carotenoids may indirectly reflect the levels of nonpigmentary antioxidants, such as melatonin or vitamin E. We experimentally fed male Iberian green lizards (Lacerta schreiberi) additional carotenoids or vitamin E alone, or a combination of carotenoids and vitamin E dissolved in soybean oil, whereas a control group only received soybean oil. We examined the effects of the dietary supplementations on characteristics of lizard sexual coloration and of the chemical profile of femoral gland secretions. Results indicated that both carotenoids and vitamin E in the diet increased the expression of some visual signals (head and chest, but not dorsum) in comparison to controls. However, different traits were differentially affected, and in many cases, the addition of vitamin E, alone or in combination with carotenoids, had a greater effect on the expression of coloration than the addition of carotenoids alone, even for carotenoid-dependent ornaments. Our results support the idea that other nonpigmentary antioxidants, such as vitamin E, are needed in addition to carotenoids to increase the expression of coloration of L. schreiberi lizards. Therefore, coloration may only indirectly reflect the levels of nonpigmentary antioxidants. In contrast, an increase in dietary nonpigmentary antioxidant vitamin E was directly reflected in the chemical signals. Because of an observed concordance between visual and chemical signals, we suggest that both may be used in different contexts albeit conveying similar messages in different sensory channels.

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Honesty of sexual signals demands a link between the signal and fitness of the signalers, which can be based on the costs of the signal and trade-offs between signal development and essential physiological functions, such as the immune defense or the antioxidant system. We experimentally challenged the immune system of male lizards Lacerta schreiberi with a bacterial antigen (lipopolysaccharide; LPS). We explored whether the immune activation influenced structural- and pigment-based visual signals and chemical signals. Furthermore, we examined the interactive effects of the immune activation with a vitamin E dietary supplementation, as this vitamin has important antioxidant functions in an immune challenged situation. Contrary to expected, lizards that suffered an immune challenge alone did not decrease the brightness or saturation of visual signals, and even, when challenged lizards had supplementary vitamin E, they were able to increase saturation of UV-blue throat coloration. Similarly, vitamin E supplementation allowed challenged males to maintain high levels of secretion of this vitamin in chemical signals. Males with an immune challenge would have low long-term expectatives of survival and future reproduction and, therefore, these challenged males, especially those with supplementary resources (vitamin E), might try to maximize their current fitness by investing in costly sexual signals, instead of compensating the negative physiological effects of the immune activation. Surprisingly, vitamin E alone did not affect structural and/or melanin-based coloration, but decreased carotenoid-based coloration, which was opposite to a previous experiment when climatic conditions in the year of study were more favorable. This might be explained if females showed flexible mate choice, selecting the type of signals that more reliably indicate male quality under different environmental circumstances.

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To understand the spread of parasite and the persistence of infection in an ecological environment, it is essential to investigate their transmission possibilities. Vertical transmission of pathogens from mother to offspring is a fundamental opportunity, notwithstanding a relatively under-researched topic, especially in wildlife animals. We studied whether there is vertical transmission of a haemogregarinid blood parasite of Iberian green lizard (Lacerta schreiberi). To study infection of mothers, embryos and freshly hatched juveniles, their blood smears and molecular analyses of their tail tissue were used. Examining blood smears, seventy-one percent of females were found to be infected, but molecular analyses of all mothers showed positive results for the blood parasite. Based on molecular data the parasite was identified as a Karyolysus species. In contrast, no parasite was found in the blood smears of the freshly hatched juveniles, and we could not detect Karyolysus in the embryos or tail tissue of offspring using molecular methods either. Based on our results, vertical transmission of Karyolysus blood parasites is unlikely in the Iberian green lizard.

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Spotted fever rickettsioses are tick-borne diseases of growing public health concern. The prevalence of rickettsia-infected ticks and their ability to parasitize humans significantly influence the risk of human infection. Altogether 466 Ixodes ricinus ticks (428 nymphs and 38 larvae) collected from 73 Lacerta schreiberi lizards were examined by PCR targeting the citrate synthetase gene gltA for the presence of Rickettsia spp. Rickettsial DNA was detected in 47% of nymphs and 31.6% of larvae. They were subse-quently subjected to a second PCR reaction using primers derived from the outer membrane protein rOmpA encoding gene (ompA) to detect spotted fever group rickettsiae (SFG). This analysis shows that 41.4% of nymphs and 7.9% of larvae collected from the lizards contain DNA of SFG rickettsiae. Sequencing of 43 randomly selected samples revealed two different haplotypes, both closely related to R. monacensis (39 and 4 samples, respectively). The remaining ompA negative Rickettsia spp. samples were determined to be R. helvetica based on sequencing of ompB and gltA fragments. Our results indicate that the role of Iberian endemic lizard L. schreiberi and its ectoparasites in the ecology and epidemiology of zoonotic SFG rickettsioses may be appreciable.

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The distribution and the ratios between noradrenaline (NA) and adrenaline (A) cells in eight species belonging to the family Lacertidae were studied. There are variations in the distribution of the two cell types within the gland and a wide range of variation in the NA/A cell ratio. Comparing their data with palaeontological, anatomical and biochemical evidence, the authors are inclined to consider G. galloti and L. graeca as the most ancient lizards among those studied and to ascribe L. graeca to the group Lacerta part II together with L. dugesii. P. pityusensis should also be ascribed to the same group on the basis of the result, of this study. The other four species studied (L. lepida, L. trilineata, L. viridis and L. schreiberi) appear to be of fairly recent origin and should be ascribed to the group Lacerta part I, on the basis of the homogeneous distribution of the chromaffin cells inside the adrenal gland and their low NA/A cell ratios.

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Immunological reactions tested according to Libby`s photronreflectometric technique show that: (i) Archaeolacerta Mertens, 1921, and Podarcis Wagler, 1830, are independent genera and not subgenera of Lacerta Linnaeus, 1758; (ii) Podarcis muralis (Laurenti, 1768), Podarcis sicula (Rafinesque, 1810), Archaeolacerta bedriagae (Camerano, 1885), Archaeolacerta monticola (Boulenger, 1905), Lacerta lepida Daudin, 1802, Lacerta schreiberi Bedriaga, 1878 and Lacerta viridis (Laurenti, 1768) are full species; (iii) Podarcis tiliguerta is a subspecies of P. muralis: P. muralis tiliguerta (Gmelin, 1789).

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In spite of the importance of chemoreception and chemical signals in social organization of lizards, only a few studies have examined the chemical composition of secretions that lizards use for intraspecific communication. The secretion of the femoral glands of male Schreiber`s green lizards (Lacerta schreiberi) contains 51 lipophilic compounds, including several steroids, α-tocopherol, n-C9 to n-C22 carboxylic acids and their esteres, and minor components such as alcohols between C12 and C24, two lactones, two ketones, and squalene. These compounds were identified on the basis of mass spectra, obtained by GC-MS. We compared these chemicals with those found in other lizard species, and discussed how environmental conditions could explain the differential presence of chemicals in different lizards. Particularly, the high abundance of α-tocopherol in this lizard is suggested to contribute to avoid oxidation of other lipids in secretions, increasing chemical stability of scent marks in the humid conditions of its habitat.

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ln der vorliegenden Arbeit wird die Herpetofauna von über 50 portugiesischen Gebirgszügen zusammengestellt: für jedes Gebirge der hõchste bisher bekannte Fundort der einzelnen Arten mit Hôhenangabe. Es ist das Ergebnis vierjiähriger Untersuchungen (1976-1980).

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This survey is presenting the geographical range of 17 amphibian and 29 reptile species (including the marine turtles) known to occur in Portugal, based on available data from the literature as well as ehe author`s own observations during the years 1976- 1981. It is the first attempt to map exactly the herpetofauna of a southern European country. Data are given concerning the horizontal and vertical distribution of each species, the density of distribution as well as the typical habitats, the latter being described in some detail. The rhythm of activity of most of the species depends on the different climatic conditions within this country. The few available phenological data are sum- marized.

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The results of two excursions (winter 1982/83 and spring 1983) to Portugal require the present additional note to my paper: `Contribution to the knowledge of the distribution of the Portuguese herpetofauna.` Remarkable new distributional data are provided for Chioglossa lusitanica, Alytes cisternasii, Pelobates cultripes, Tarentola mauritanica, Podarcis hispanica and Psammodromus hispanicus.

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Die Verbreitung der Amphibien und Reptilien Südost-Portugals — östlich der Linie Albufeira-Ourique und südlich des Rio Terges — sind Gegenstand dieser Veröffentlichung. Nach Darstellung der geologischen und klimatischen Bedingungen erfolgt eine Habitatcharakterisierung auf der Basis von Vegetationseinheiten. Ein kurzer Abriß zur Geschichte der Herpetofaunistik des Untersuchungsgebietes zeigt, daß die ersten Fundortmeldungen bis 1879 zurückzuverfolgen sind. Es wurden 12 Amphibienund 22 Reptilienarten (einschließlich 2 mariner Schildkröten) registriert - 62 % der Herpetofauna Festland-Portugals. Die Verbreitungsdarstellung der einzelnen Arten erfolgt in Form einer Punktkartierung. Habitatstruktur, geologische, hydrologische und klimatische Voraussetzungen sind in den einzelnen Landschaftsgroßräumen teilweise sehr unterschiedlich mit einer entsprechend unterschiedlichen Artenzusammensetzung der sie besiedelnden Herpetozönosen und zum Teil scharfen Verbreitungsgrenzen einzelner Arten. Die größte Artendiversität (12 Amphibien, 20 Reptilien) beherbergen die requisitenreichen zum Teil mit Eichenhainen durchsetzten Macchien, während Pinus- und Ewcs/i/pfus-Aufforstungen und Extremstandorte (Dünen, Marschwiesen) weniger als 5 Arten aufweisen. Großflächige anthropogene Eingriffe (forstliche Monokulturen, touristische Erschließung und Zersiedlung der Küstenzone, starke Verschmutzung der Fließgewässer) der letzten zehn Jahre führten regional besonders unter den Amphibienbeständen zu starken Rückgängen.

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Zwischen 1976 und 2002 wurde die Artenzusammensetzung der Herpetofauna an 90 Ruinen von Wassermühlen in Portugal untersucht. Es wurden 12 Amphibien- und 19 Reptilienarten registriert, die 69 % der in Kontinental-Portugal vorkommenden Arten repräsentieren. Die Zusammensetzung der Herpetozönosen wird durch die geografische Lage, den Habitattypus des Umfeldes und der Phase des Zerfallsprozesses der einzelnen Mühlen geprägt. Durch die anthropogene Belastung der Flüsse ist vielerorts eine deutliche Reduzierung der Individuendichte und Artenzahl der Amphibien und hydrophiler Reptilien zu verzeichnen.

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Within a 500 m margin along the more than 2,000 km long coastline of Continental Portugal, its coastal islands and atlantic archipelagos (Azores, Madeira, Selvagens) 21 amphibian and 40 reptile taxa (including 5 marine turtles) were recorded; three of them are insular endemisms (Tarentola bischoffi, Podarcis carbonelli berlengensis, and the polytypic Teira dugesii). The extreme maritim-atlantic component of the coastal climate plays a relevant part as biogeographic factor: parallel to the coast eurosiberian and montane species penetrate deep into the mediterranean region (Lissotriton helveticus, Alytes obstetricans, Anguis fragilis, Lacerta schreiberi, Podarcis carbonelli) and reach there the southernmost limit of their distribution area; on the other hand some thermophilous taxa (Pleurodeles waltl, Pelobates cultripes, Pelodytes sp., Podarcis hispanica) reach along the coast in the eurosiberian region their northernmost limit. In the last 30 years the coastal ecosystems were overrun by an excessive urbanisation, caused by inland immigration and tourism. Consequently in many coast sectors the herpetofauna are endangered, often extincted by urban and suburban development with fragmentation, degradation and destruction of habitats. Namely ca. 40 % of the coastal region are protected areas, but the effectiveness of this protection is threatened by many special permissions for building projects and an insufficient supervision of the nature reserves.

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GARVE & PODLOUCKY (2013) described an unusual ventral side sunbasking behaviour of a juvenile Green Lizard (Lacerta viridis meridionalis). The behavior was observed on the closely related Schreiber’s Green Lizard (Lacerta schreiberi) by the author in northern Portugal, especially on semiadult specimens.

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Portugal ist ein beliebtes Urlaubsland. Vor allem die Metropole Lissabon und die Atlantikstrände des Algarve ziehen Touristen an. Aber das Land an der Südwestspitze Europas hat noch viel mehr zu bieten. Die Serra de Montemuro ist ein lohnendes Reiseziel auch für alle, die nach Amphibien und Reptiulien Ausschau halten.

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Gegenstand dieser Veröffentlichung ist die Darstellung der Verbreitungsverhältnisse der Amphibien und Reptilien der östlichen Beira Baixa (östliches Mittelportugal). Einleitend werden die geologischen und klimatischen Bedingungen beschrieben, das Habitatinventar und die den Raum betreffende herpetofaunistische Literatur vorgestellt. Im Untersuchungsgebiet wurden 16 Amphibien- und 23 Reptilienarten registriert, deren Verbreitung kartografisch auf der Basis eines 1 x 1 km UTM-Gitternetzes dargestellt wird. Während auf dem südlichen und zentralen Planalto mesomediterrane Arten vorherrschen, werden diese im nördlich gelegenen höheren Bergland durch supramediterrane und eurosibirische ersetzt. Pelodytes ibericus erreicht im Untersuchungsgebiet sein küstenfern nördlichstes, Hyla meridionalis den Grenzbereich seines landesweit nördlichsten Vorkommens. Triturus marmoratus und Triturus pygmaeus erscheinen in einer teilweise über 10 km breiten Überlappungszone in Sympatrie. Abschließend wird das Gefährdungspotenzial anthropogener Einflüsse (Ausbau der Infrastruktur, Einsatz von Agrochemie, Landnutzungswandel) auf die Herpetozönosen diskutiert und die Bedeutung der im Untersuchungsgebiet liegenden beiden großen Schutzzonen (Reserva da Serra da Malcata, Parque Natural Tejo Internacional) für die Herpetofauna erläutert.

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Wir stellen die Verbreitungsverhältnisse der Amphibien und Reptilien der Barroso-Region (Nordportugal) vor. Einleitend werden die geologischen und klimatischen Bedingungen des Untersuchungsgebietes beschrieben, die Habitattypen und die sich auf den Kartierungsraum beziehende herpetofaunistische Literatur vorgestellt. Bisher wurden 12 Amphibien- und 19 Reptilienarten registriert. Ihre Verbreitung wird kartografisch auf der Basis eines 1 x 1 km UTM-Gitternetzes dargestellt. Charakteristisch für den gesamten Untersuchungsraum ist die Dominanz eurosibirischer Arten mit zahlreichen nordiberischen Endemiten (Chioglossa lusitanica, Rana iberica, Lacerta schreiberi, Podarcis bocagei, Vipera seoanei), unter die sich an der klimabegünstigten Südabdachung einige mediterrane Arten (Tarentola mauritanica, Blanus cinereus) mischen. Vipera seoanei erreicht im Untersuchungsgebiet das am weitesten nach Süden vorgeschobene Vorkommen ihres Gesamtareals; Psammodromus hispanicus und Chalcides bedriagai die nordwestliche Grenzzone ihrer Verbreitung in Portugal. Abschließend wird auf die Bedeutung des Einflusses der anthropogenen Landschaftsgestaltung auf die Verbreitungsmuster der einzelnen Arten hingewiesen und die aktuellen Gefährdungsursachen (Landnutzungswandel, Wiederbewaldung, Talsperrenbau) beschrieben.

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We describe the distribution of the amphibians and reptiles of the Serra de Monte-muro (northern Portugal). In the introduction the geological and climatical condi-tions of this region as well as the habitat types and the herpetofaunistic studies are described. 11 amphibian and 17 reptile species were recorded. The distribution pat-tern of each species is shown by maps using the 1 x 1 km squares of the UTM grid system. In the montane region predominate north Iberian endemits (Chioglossa lusi-tanica, Rana iberica, Lacerta schreiberi; the occurrence of Podarcis bocagei is doubtful) and ubiquists (Salamandra salamandra, Triturus marmoratus, Lissotriton boscai, Pelophy-lax perezi; Chalcides striatus, Timon lepidus, Podarcis guadarramae). Along the rivers (Rio Douro, Rio Paiva), areas with components of Mediterranean climate, thermophile species (Chalcides bedriagai, Blanus cinereus, Hemorrhois hippocrepis) penetrate into the investigated area. Within the region Podarcis carbonelli reaches the northernmost oc-currence of its total distribution range. Remarkable is the high number of individuals of some montane Hyla molleri populations. Finally, the human impact on the land-scape (change of agricultural activities, reforestation in monocultures, widespread forest fires), its influence on the distribution pattern of the amphibians and reptiles and the efforts for protect the habitats are discussed.

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THE LACERTA VIRIDIS-COMPLEX Compared with the beginning of this century there has been a considerable change in taxonomy of the, mostly, green large lizards ofthe genus La- certa. Even in the last decade a lot of new facts are published on the green lizards of Turkey. A classification at the beginning of the century is given. L. agilis, L. jayakari, L. princeps, L. lepi- da, L. pater, L. schreiberi, L. pamphylica, L. stri- gata, L. media, L. trilineata and L. viridis are considered here as one group. A short discription of the species (also of the juveniles), the subspe- cies and the ranges of the species arc enumerated in this article.

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Many oviparous terrestrial species deposit flexible-shelled eggs into the soil. These eggs are sensitive to the hydration level of the nest environment. Among other factors, water exchange of eggs during incubation may be affected by the soil water potential. To evaluate whether egg aggregation influences embryonic development, we incubated flexible-shelled Schreiber`s green lizard (Lacerta schreiberi) eggs under three levels of soil water potential (wet: –150 kPa; intermediate: –650 kPa; dry: –1150 kPa) and under two levels of aggregation (aggregated: in groups of six eggs with physical contact among them; isolated: groups of six eggs each 1 cm apart). The availability of water during egg incubation influenced egg mass and hatchling size. Eggs incubated in dry soils absorbed less water and produced smaller hatchlings. The selected levels of soil water potential did not influence incubation duration or hatching success. When soil was wet or dry, we did not find any effect of egg aggregation in embryonic development. However, when soil water potential was intermediate, aggregated eggs absorbed less water and their embryos hatched at smaller sizes compared with isolated eggs. Moreover, variability and range of egg water absorption and hatchling size were higher among aggregated eggs than among solitary ones when access to water was restricted. In these cases, eggs competed with different success for water, a limited resource in the nest environment.

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Clutch size and egg mass are not related in a mountain population of Lacerta schreiberi. This endemic Iberian lacertid lays only one clutch (7-24 eggs) per year. Synchronicity among breeding females is related to a long incubation period, which leaves a short activity period for juveniles before their first wintering. The length of the incubation period shows a strong relationship with environmental temperature. Vitellogenesis starts at the beginning of the activity season, and clutch size is related to female SVL. Clutch size corrected for maternal SVL is not correlated with egg mass and shows no variation among years. However, egg size and hatchling SVL show among-year and interindividual variation and are not related to female SVL or relative clutch mass. Egg mass is positively correlated only with the laying date. We suggest that clutch size depends only on stored lipids remaining after wintering and environmental factors could be responsible for egg size variation during vitellogenesis.

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Schreiber`s green lizard Lacerta schreiberi showed a high degree of overlap in individual home ranges which the males did not actively defend. The number of mates and estimated mating success of males were not related to the size of male home ranges. The population sex ratio was skewed towards males and a promiscuous mating system was detected; individual males mated with 0-4 females. Mating frequency, number of mates, and mating success of males were positively correlated with snout-vent length. Moreover, there was assortative mating by size. Males guarded individual mated females for several hours, keeping in physical contact with them, and attacking approaching males. Male contest success was related to body size, but not to home range size. The winning males mated more often with more females and probably had higher reproductive success. However, males could not guard more than one female simultaneously and they rarely monopolized individual females which were polyandrous.

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The mountain population of Lacerta schreiberi studied at the Sistema Central (Spain) showed a narrow and highly synchronized reproductive period, adjusted to short periods of annual activity, that are characteristic of these Iberian areas. Adult females reached sexual maturity at a minimum age of four years. Only one clutch of eggs is laid per year. The average clutch size of 14 eggs was positively correlated with female body size. Clutch weight was high (25 to 56% of net female weight), and incubation time was long (65 to 110 days). During incubation eggs reached three times their initial weight. We found a noticeable variability in some reproductive characteristics during the three years under study and among individual females. The greatest phenotypic plasticity was in the size of the eggs, incubation time, and the size of hatchlings, while clutch size showed a higher stability in its average values.

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Multiple traits may either signal different characteristics of a male or be redundant. These multiple signals may convey different messages if they are intended for different receivers (e.g., male or females) that have different interests. We examined the functions of multiple colorful visual traits of male Schreiber’s green lizard (Lacerta schreiberi). Results showed that interindividual variation in the characteristics of coloration of males can be related to variation in morphology, health state, dominance status, and pairing status, but that different relationships were found for each color signal. For example, dominant males had brighter “blue” throat and with higher values of ultraviolet (UV) and bluish coloration and darker and greenish dorsal coloration than subordinate males. Health state was also reflected in coloration; males with a higher immune response had “blue” throats with lower amounts of UV coloration, but had “yellow” chests with higher amounts of UV coloration. Males found guarding females also differed in coloration from males found alone. These data suggest that characteristics of coloration of the different multiple signals may reveal different messages for different receivers, either male or female conspecifics. The development of the different signals, based on different morphological and physiological mechanisms and trade-offs, may allow signal reliability of multiple colorful traits in different social contexts.

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Prey should balance cost and benefits when deciding optimal refuge use. In ectotherms, such as lizards, body temperature can decrease in cold refuges, which has negative effects on physiological and locomotor performance. Thus, refuge use of ectotherms should be influenced by the thermal environment as well as by the body size-dependent thermal inertia of each individual. We simulated predator attacks to Schreiber`s Green lizards (Lacerta schreiberi) and analyzed their refuge use. Results indicated that temperatures outside and inside a refuge had opposite effects on refuge use decisions. Thus, when initial external temperatures were higher and lizards had higher thermal inertia, lizards could spend longer times inside refuges before reaching a `critical` low body temperature. However, when refuge temperature was low lizards did not decrease refuge use. If low refuge temperatures increased risk upon emerging because lizards had lower escape performance, lizards would need to compensate by remaining in a refuge for longer to scan the surroundings before emerging to ensure that the risk of a new attack decreased. Therefore, when deciding refuge use, L. schreiberi lizards seem to consider physiological costs of being at low temperatures and also the risk of emerging with low escape performance.

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Karyotype and NOR position of three Lacertid species (Acanthodactylus erythrurus, Lacerta schreiberi and Lacerta perspicillata), not estudied yet, are made known in this paper. In the three of them it is observed that 2n = 38 and NF = 38, with 36 acrocentric macrochromosomes and 2 microchromosomes. Neither sexual nor other type variation have been observed. In the three species the only pair of NOR is situated in telomeric position of the 6th chromosomic pair.

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1. Female and male hosts may maximise their fitness by evolving different strategies to compensate for the costs of parasite infections. The resulting sexual dimorphism might be apparent in differential relationships between parasite load and body condition, potentially reflecting differences in energy allocation to anti-parasitic defences. For example, male lacertids with high body condition may produce many offspring while being intensely parasitised. In contrast, female lacertids may show a different outcome of the trade-offs between body condition and immunity, aiming to better protect themselves from the harm of parasites. - 2. We predicted that females would have fewer parasites than males and a lower body condition across parasitaemia levels because they would invest resources in parasite defence to mitigate the costs of infection. In contrast, the male strategy to maximise access to females would imply some level of parasite tolerance and, thus, higher parasitaemia. - 3. We analysed the relationship between the body condition of lizards and the parasitemias of Karyolysus and Schellackia, two genera of blood parasites with different phylogenetic origins, in 565 females and 899 males belonging to 10 species of the Lacertidae (Squamata). These lizards were sampled over a period of 12?years across 34 sampling sites in southwestern Europe. - 4. The results concerning the Karyolysus infections were consistent with the predictions, with males having similar body condition across parasitaemia levels even though they had higher infection intensities than females. On the other hand, females with higher levels of Karyolysus parasitaemia had lower body condition. This is consistent with the prediction that different life strategies of male and female lacertids can explain the infection patterns of Karyolysus. In contrast, the parasitaemia of Schellackia was consistently low in both male and female hosts, with no significant effect on the body condition of lizards. This suggests that lizards of both sexes maintain this parasite below a pathogenic threshold.

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Host species in populations under strong pressures from parasitic diseases may evolve ornaments to signal individual host quality to conspecifics. Colour ornaments in lizards result from the interaction of different layers in the skin. When inner layers of melanin and well-arranged iridophores are combined, UV-blue structural colouration results. On the other hand, when layers of erythrophores are densely loaded with carotenoids, a UV-yellow colouration is seen. The expression of carotenoid-based traits has been frequently studied in relation to parasite infections. However, few studies have explored the relationship between parasitic diseases and structural colouration. In this study, we investigated the expression of UV-blue and UV-yellow throat colour patches in males of Lacerta schreiberi in relation to infection by haemoparasites, ixodid ticks and intestinal nematodes. The brightness of the UV-yellow throat patch (a carotenoid-based ornament) was positively correlated with body condition and negatively correlated with the number of attached ticks, supporting Hamilton and Zuk’s hypothesis. Additionally, individuals that passed nematode eggs in the faeces had UV-yellow throat patches with higher hue values (more greenish colouration). Strikingly, the individuals infected by haemoparasites of the genus Schellackia showed UV-blue throat patches (a melanin-based ornament) with higher values of both UV-blue chroma and hue (i.e., UV-biased throats) than did uninfected individuals, suggesting a key role for melanin in the nuptial colouration of this lizard species. Thus, the combined information from both UV-blue and UV-yellow throat patches may convey integrative information about individual quality in this lacertid species.

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The genus Karyolysus was originally proposed to accommodate blood parasites of lacertid lizards in Western Europe. However, recent phylogenetic analyses suggested an inconclusive taxonomic position of these parasites of the order Adeleorina based on the available genetic information. Inconsistencies between molecular phylogeny, morphology, and/or life cycles can reflect lack of enough genetic information of the target group. We therefore surveyed 28 localities and collected blood samples from 828 lizards of 23 species including lacertids, skinks, and geckoes in the western Mediterranean, North Africa, and Macaronesia, where species of Karyolysus and other adeleorine parasites have been described. We combined molecular and microscopic methods to analyze the samples, including those from the host type species and the type locality of Karyolysus bicapsulatus. The phylogenetic relationship of these parasites was analyzed based on the 18S rRNA gene and the co-phylogenetic relationship with their vertebrate hosts was reconstructed. We molecularly detected adeleorine parasites in 37.9% of the blood samples and found 22 new parasite haplotypes. A phylogenetic reconstruction with 132 sequences indicated that 20 of the newly detected haplotypes clustered in a well-supported clade with another 18 sequences that included Karyolysus galloti and Karyolysus lacazei. Morphological evidence also supported that K. bicapsulatus clustered in this monophyletic clade. These results supported the taxonomic validity of the genus. In addition, we found some parasite haplotypes that infected different lizard host genera with ancient diverging histories, which suggested that Karyolysus is less host-specific than other blood parasites of lizards in the region. A co-phylogenetic analysis supported this interpretation because no significant co-speciation signal was shown between Karyolysus and lizard hosts.

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Host species in populations under strong pressures from parasitic diseases may evolve ornaments to signal individual host quality to conspecifics. Colour ornaments in lizards result from the interaction of different layers in the skin. When inner layers of melanin and well-arranged iridophores are combined, UV-blue structural colouration results. On the other hand, when layers of erythrophores are densely loaded with carotenoids, a UV-yellow colouration is seen. The expression of carotenoid-based traits has been frequently studied in relation to parasite infections. However, few studies have explored the relationship between parasitic diseases and structural colouration. In this study, we investigated the expression of UV-blue and UV-yellow throat colour patches in males of Lacerta schreiberi in relation to infection by haemoparasites, ixodid ticks and intestinal nematodes. The brightness of the UV-yellow throat patch (a carotenoid-based ornament) was positively correlated with body condition and negatively correlated with the number of attached ticks, supporting Hamilton and Zuk’s hypothesis. Additionally, individuals that passed nematode eggs in the faeces had UV-yellow throat patches with higher hue values (more greenish colouration). Strikingly, the individuals infected by haemoparasites of the genus Schellackia showed UV-blue throat patches (a melanin-based ornament) with higher values of both UV-blue chroma and hue (i.e., UV-biased throats) than did uninfected individuals, suggesting a key role for melanin in the nuptial colouration of this lizard species. Thus, the combined information from both UV-blue and UV-yellow throat patches may convey integrative information about individual quality in this lacertid species. Significance statement In this study, we present evidence that the striking throat colouration in males of the endemic Iberian green lizard is related to the presence or load of different parasites. The ornament is composed of one UV-yellow patch and one UV-blue patch, which were differentially related to the presence of different parasitic diseases in the individual hosts. These results suggest that different parasitic diseases may differentially constrain the expression of these colour patches. Moreover, the combined display of the two throat patches simultaneously may convey to conspecifics integrative information about the individual quality of the Iberian green lizard.

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The honesty of structural-based ornaments is controversial. Sexual selection theory predicts that the honesty of a sexual signal relies on its cost of production or maintenance. Therefore, environmental factors with negative impact on individuals could generate high costs and affect the expression of these sexual signals. In this sense, parasites are a main cost for their hosts. To probe the effect of parasites on the structural-based coloration of a lacertid species Lacerta schreiberi, we have experimentally removed ticks from a group of male Iberian green lizards using an acaricide treatment (i.e., the broad-use insecticide fipronil). All individuals were radio-tracked and recaptured after 15 days to study changes in coloration in both the ultraviolet (UV)-blue (structural-based) and UV-yellow (structural and pigment-based) ornamentations after manipulation, as well as changes in endo- and ectoparasitic load and body condition. Additionally, after the experiment, we measured the skin inflammatory response to a mitogen. The fipronil treatment was effective in reducing ticks and it was associated with a significant reduction of hemoparasite load. Throughout the season, individuals treated with fipronil tended to maintain the brightness of the UV-blue throat coloration while control lizards tended to increase it. However, individuals treated with fipronil that were not infected with hemoparasites significantly reduced the brightness of the UV-blue throat coloration. Individuals with a higher initial tick load exhibited a lower UV saturation increment (UV-blue) and a higher brightness increment (UV-yellow) during the experiment. Overall these results experimentally support the idea that parasites adversely influence the expression of the structural-based coloration of male Iberian green lizards. This adds evidence to the hypothesis that sexual ornaments in lizards function as honest signals.

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Report on two excursions to the Iberian Peninsula in 1981 and 1982: Pyrenees, Cantabrian Mountains, Galicia, Peneda-Geres (Portugal), Chaves (Northeast of Portugal), Monfragüe (Estremadura), Andalusia, East-Algarve, Toledo and Argeles sur Mer (South-France). A total of 37 species of amphibians and reptiles could be observed (urodelans 6, anurans 8, chelonians 1, lizards 14 and snakes 8). The visited areas are briefly characterized in terms of their herpetocoenosis. Information on habitat requirements, partly also on body measurements of the species recorded are given. New data on the range limits of Lacerta schreiberei, L. lepida, L. vivipara, L. monticola and Psammodromus algirus are given. A syntopic occurrence of Coronella austriaca and C. girondica in the Cantabrian Mountains was found. C. girondica is recorded for the first time in Asturia. A remarkable finding in the Cantabrian Mountains was a melanistic Aesculapian Snake (Elaphe longissima). This is the second record of this species in Spain. In these Northern Spanish highlands the breeding season of the amphibians is extended into summer. In North Portugal we observed Natrix maura eating Chioglossa lusitanica.

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Aim Body size is instrumental in influencing animal physiology, morphology, ecology and evolution, as well as extinction risk. I examine several hypotheses regarding the influence of body size on lizard evolution and extinction risk, assessing whether body size influences, or is influenced by, species richness, herbivory, island dwelling and extinction risk. Location World-wide. Methods I used literature data and measurements of museum and live specimens to estimate lizard body size distributions. Results I obtained body size data for 99% of the world`s lizard species. The body size–frequency distribution is highly modal and right skewed and similar distributions characterize most lizard families and lizard assemblages across biogeographical realms. There is a strong negative correlation between mean body size within families and species richness. Herbivorous lizards are larger than omnivorous and carnivorous ones, and aquatic lizards are larger than non-aquatic species. Diurnal activity is associated with small body size. Insular lizards tend towards both extremes of the size spectrum. Extinction risk increases with body size of species for which risk has been assessed. Main conclusions Small size seems to promote fast diversification of disparate body plans. The absence of mammalian predators allows insular lizards to attain larger body sizes by means of release from predation and allows them to evolve into the top predator niche. Island living also promotes a high frequency of herbivory, which is also associated with large size. Aquatic and nocturnal lizards probably evolve large size because of thermal constraints. The association between large size and high extinction risk, however, probably reflects a bias in the species in which risk has been studied.

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Aim Temperature influences most components of animal ecology and life history – but what kind of temperature? Physiologists usually examine the influence of body temperatures, while biogeographers and macroecologists tend to focus on environmental temperatures. We aim to examine the relationship between these two measures, to determine the factors that affect lizard body temperatures and to test the effect of both temperature measures on lizard life history. Location World-wide. Methods We used a large (861 species) global dataset of lizard body temperatures, and the mean annual temperatures across their geographic ranges to examine the relationships between body and mean annual temperatures.We then examined factors influencing body temperatures, and tested for the influence of both on ecological and life-history traits while accounting for the influence of shared ancestry. Results Body temperatures and mean annual temperatures are uncorrelated. However, accounting for activity time (nocturnal species have low body temperatures), use of space (fossorial and semi-aquatic species are ‘colder’), insularity (mainland species are ‘hotter’) and phylogeny, the two temperatures are positively correlated. High body temperatures are only associated with larger hatchlings and increased rates of biomass production. Annual temperatures are positively correlated with clutch frequency and annual longevity, and negatively correlated with clutch size, age at first reproduction and longevity. Main conclusions Lizards with low body temperatures do not seem to have ‘slower’ life-history attributes than species with high body temperatures. The longer seasons prevalent in warm regions, and physiological processes that operate while lizards are inactive (but warm enough), make environmental temperatures better predictors of lizard life-history variation than body temperatures. This surprisingly greater effect of environmental temperatures on lizard life histories hints that global warming may have a profound influence on lizard ecology and evolution.

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Im Anschluß an die in der ersten Folge (1950) veröffentlichten Fälle von Reptilienbastarden werden weitere Bemerkungen über 33 Hybriden gemacht; davon betreffen 5 die Schildkröten und je 1 4 die Eidechsen und Schlangen. Nicht weniger als 14 sind Artbastarde, Die meisten von diesen zeigen einen intermediären Charakter. Es ist bemerkenswert, daß das „erytbronotus`-Merkmal bei Lacerta agilis sich offenbar dominant, das `concolor`-Merkmal bei Lacerta melisellensis fiumana und Lacerta s. sicula dagegen rezessiv vererbt. Eine besondere Beachtung verdient der hypothetische Bastard zwischen Lacerta a. agilis und v. viridis aus Maria Taferl in Niederösterreich sowie die gezogenen Bastarde zwischen Lacerta v. viridis und schreiberi. F1-Bastarde von Natrix n. natrix und n. persa sprechen für die Dominanz des Merkmals „gestreift`.

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We investigated whether the current distribution of Lacerta schreiberi is likely to be constrained by incubation conditions. We used an incubation experiment in the laboratory to examine the effects of temperature and moisture on lizard reproductive traits, in order to clarify the ecological processes that underlie the distribution patterns of this lizard and to build more reliable mechanistic models. We then investigated to what extent range limits of L. schreiberi coincided with those predicted from incubation experiments and actual temperature variation experienced in the field. This was done by intersecting documented presence localities of the species with interpolated spatial layers of soil temperature. Reproductive success (hatching success, morphological traits and growth rates) was strongly and negatively affected by high temperature. In contrast, incubation moisture only affected neonate size and its positive effects were only realized at moderate to low temperature. Documented temperature sensitivity suggests that successful embryonic development is likely to be compromised by available thermal conditions, and that this species is unable to colonize warmer areas such as those where L. schreiberi is absent beyond its distribution range limits. An important addition is that incubation moisture does not appear to influence overall embryonic development. We would expect contemporary climate warming to cause upward elevational shifts which may be more or less critical depending on the availability of preferred habitat.

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A new species, Ophionyssus schreibericolus Moraza sp. nov. is described, based on adult females, males and protonymphal instars. Ophionyssus schreibericolus parasitizes Lacerta schreiberi, a lizard endemic to the Iberian Peninsula, and known to have persisted in refugial populations throughout the Pleistocene. A key to adult females, males and protonymphs of the genus Ophionyssus is presented. Ophionyssus viperae Miron & Ivan 2003 is synonymised with O. natricis (new synonymy).

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It is predicted that climate change will drive extinctions of some reptiles and that the number of these extinctions will depend on whether reptiles are able to change their distribution. Whether the latitudinal distribution of reptiles may change in response to increases in temperature is unknown. We used data on reptile distributions collected during the 20th century to analyze whether changes in the distributions of reptiles in Spain are associated with increases in temperature. We controlled for biases in sampling effort and found a mean, statistically significant, northward shift of the northern extent of reptile distributions of about 15.2 km from 1940–1975 to 1991–2005. The southern extent of the distributions did not change significantly. Thus, our results suggest that the latitudinal distributions of reptiles may be changing in response to climate change.

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Ancient climatic fluctuations have caused changes in the demography and distribution of many species. The genetic differentiation between populations of the same species and of sister species is often attributed largely to the more recent Pleistocene fluctuations. Recent interpretations, which implicate earlier episodes, have proved controversial. We address the timing of genetic divergence in the Iberian lizard Lacerta schreiberi by studying the phylogeography of the cytochrome b sequence. The species has a remarkable morphological uniformity, yet our evidence suggests that earlier events in the Pliocene initiated the main divergence between populations. This interpretation implies that the different populations survived through the Pleistocene in separate localities. This conclusion is robust to different molecular clock calibrations. The persistence of earlier differentiation through the Pleistocene has wide implications for our understanding of Pleistocene refugia in this species and, by extension, to the biogeography of the whole region.

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The distribution of the lizard Lacerta schreiberi is likely to have been severely affected by the climatic cycles that have influenced the Iberian Peninsula. Information about the species ecology and Iberian physiogeography was used to generate specific hypotheses about episodes of colonization and subsequent population persistence. These hypotheses generated predictions about the distribution of genetic variation, which were tested using nested clade analysis (NCA) supplemented by analysis of molecular variance (amova). Two predictions were confirmed by NCA; that is those that specified multiple and allopatric refugia. However, the remaining three predictions were not corroborated by the analyses. Firstly, a simple analysis of the distribution of genetic variability failed to detect an expected difference in the pattern of colonization between the inland mountain system and the coastal region. Moreover, while NCA did detect the expected genetic pattern in southern coastal populations, it was explained in terms of long-distance migration, which seems implausible because of the extent of unsuitable habitat. A more likely cause of the pattern is population frag- mentation and a reduction in population size caused during the Holocene. Finally, NCA also failed to detect a northwestern population expansion, which is supported by other evidence. We conclude that NCA has a limited ability to detect range expansion led by individuals with more ancestral (interior) haplotypes.

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Captive bred lizards in general and especially Emerald Lizards dislays aberrant pale blue/green body colors. These colors are less attractive than the bright yellow/green colors of lizards in the wild. Exoeriments were designed to solve this problem. The author subjected groups of captive bred juvenile Western Emerald Lizards (Lacerta bilineata) to different food and lighting conditions. From these experiments it became clear that artificial UV-light or unfiltered sunlight was not sufficient to induce normal body coloration. By changing the diet of the lizards from captive bred insects to wild-caught arthropods normal body coloration began to appear within one week. The feeding of artrificial pigments to induce the yellow color did not have anyeffect on body coloration, while red pigments (casrotenoids) induced red ventral coloration in male Peloponnese Wall Lizards (Podarcis peloponnesiacus) and red coloration of rostral and labial shields in Ocellated Lizards (Timon lepidus). These results show that the attractive bright body colors typical for Emerald Lizards (and several other lizard species) depend on the source of food.

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Ultraviolet (UV) vision and UV colour patches have been reported in a wide range of taxa and are increasingly appreciated as an integral part of vertebrate visual perception and communication systems. Previous studies with Lacertidae, a lizard family with diverse and complex coloration, have revealed the existence of UV-reflecting patches that may function as social signals. However, confirmation of the signalling role of UV coloration requires demonstrating that the lizards are capable of vision in the UV waveband. Here we use a multidisciplinary approach to characterize the visual sensitivity of a diverse sample of lacertid species. Spectral transmission measurements of the ocular media show that wavelengths down to 300 nm are transmitted in all the species sampled. Four retinal oil droplet types can be identified in the lacertid retina. Two types are pigmented and two are colourless. Fluorescence microscopy reveals that a type of colourless droplet is UV-transmitting and may thus be associated with UV-sensitive cones. DNA sequencing shows that lacertids have a functional SWS1 opsin, very similar at 13 critical sites to that in the presumed ancestral vertebrate (which was UV-sensitive) and other UV-sensitive lizards. Finally, males of Podarcis muralis are capable of discriminating between two views of the same stimulus that differ only in the presence/absence of UV radiance. Taken together, these results provide convergent evidence of UV vision in lacertids, very likely by means of an independent photopigment. Moreover, the presence of four oil droplet types suggests that lacertids have a four-cone colour vision system.

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Many animals display complex colour patterns that comprise several adjacent, often contrasting colour patches. Combining patches of complementary colours increases the overall conspicuousness of the complex pattern, enhancing signal detection. Therefore, selection for conspicuousness may act not only on the design of single colour patches, but also on their combination. Contrasting long- and short-wavelength colour patches are located on the ventral and lateral surfaces of many lacertid lizards. As the combination of long- and short-wavelength-based colours generates local chromatic contrast, we hypothesized that selection may favour the co-occurrence of lateral and ventral contrasting patches, resulting in complex colour patterns that maximize the overall conspicuousness of the signal. To test this hypothesis we performed a comparative phylogenetic study using a categorical colour classification based on spectral data and descriptive information on lacertid coloration collected from the literature. Our results demonstrate that conspicuous ventral (long wavelength-based) and lateral (short wavelength-based) colour patches co-occur throughout the lacertid phylogeny more often than expected by chance, especially in the subfamily Lacertini. These results suggest that selection promotes the evolution of the complex pattern rather than the acquisition of a single conspicuous colour patch, possibly due to the increased conspicuousness caused by the combination of colours with contrasting spectral properties.

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A study on taxocenosis of Lacertidae with 8 species: Lacerta lepida, Lacerta schreiberi, Lacerta montícola, Acanthodactylus erythrurus, Psammodromus algirus, Psammodromus hispanicus, Podareis hispanica and Podareis bocagei in the western part of the Sistema Central (Iberian Península) has been carried out. Most of these behave as feeding generalists but A. erythrurus seems to specialize in mymecophagy whereas L. montícola turns out to be a «forced» sthenophage. The overlap valúes in each niche dimensión suggest that the spatial dimensión and habitat preference are the most important factors. However, segregation is produced jointly due to the interaction of the three dimensions considered which act interdependently.

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We report new primers for the amplification and sequencing of 11 nuclear markers in squamate reptiles and anuran amphibians (five in squamates, six in anurans). Ten out of the 11 loci are introns (three of which are linked) that were amplified using an exon-primed, intron-crossing (EPIC) PCR strategy, whereas an eleventh locus spans part of a protein-coding gene. Squamate and anuran primers were initially developed for Lacerta schreiberi (Squamata: Lacertidae) and Pelodytes spp. (Anura: Pelodytidae), respectively. Cross-species amplification of the squamate markers was evaluated in four genera representing two additional families, whereas for anurans three genera corresponding to three additional families were tested. Three out of the five loci were successfully sequenced in all squamate taxa tested. Cross-amplification of the six anuran markers had lower, but still significant, success. We predict these markers will be of great utility for both population genetics and phylogenetic studies.

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Les Reptiles des Pyrénées traite en détail les 32 espèces protégées présentes sur l’ensemble de la chaîne (France, Espagne et Andorre). Cette faune herpétologique est le résultat d’une entreprise natu­raliste combinant enquête bibliographique et reportage photographique. Elle propose une vaste synthèse de données relatives à plusieurs champs disciplinaires – systématique, ­taxi­nomie, biogéographie, écologie, biologie… – jusque-là dispersées dans plusieurs centaines d’articles et ouvrages. Les variations phénotypiques et les particularités écologiques des serpents, lézards et tortues occupant l’espace pyrénéen y sont illustrées par de très nombreuses photo­graphies exclusivement réalisées in situ, de 2 m à 3 143 m d’altitude. Des cartes de répartition précises (mailles UTM 10 km × 10 km), basées sur des sources scientifiques, complètent et éclairent le propos biogéographique. Les espèces et sous-espèces endémiques ou subendémiques de la chaîne, de même que celles qui y ont un statut particulier (très localisées, vulnérables…), ont fait l’objet d’une attention par­ti­cu­lière et les menaces qui pèsent sur les reptiles des Pyrénées sont largement exposées. Cet ouvrage sera précieux pour les pyrénéistes, naturalistes et gestionnaires d’espaces naturels de la chaîne (parc national, réserves, sites Natura 2000, parcs naturels régionaux…), qui disposeront là d’une mine d’informations sur le sujet.

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Samplings carried out in the municipality of A Coruña, one of the smaller surface area of Galicia, showed the presence of 8 species of amphibians and 9 species of reptiles. Eight of them (4 amphibians and 4 reptiles) were relatively frequent and very sparse the rest. Some of these species can survive even in disturbed areas. However, alterations of the natural environment, such as eucalyptus plantations, abandonment of farmland and the presence of residues, can seriously affect the survival of these species.

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There is growing concern that anthropogenic climate change may particularly affect ectotherm groups such as amphibians and reptiles. Effects of anthropogenic climate change were already observed on different levels, ranging from changes in the phenology of individuals to changes in entire populations, their demography and geographic ranges with losses and range gains. Especially the latter is exacerbated by interactions of climate change with existing risk factors such as the spread of patho- gens and invasive species. In extreme cases, species are threatened by extinction, which is most likely in endemic species occupying restricted ranges. In this review, possible future climate change scenarios as well as previous observations and general expectations of climate change induced changes in phenology, demography and bio- geography of amphibian and reptile species are presented. Individual case studies on climate change induced changes in demography of the common lizard as well as possible range shifts in the alpine newt are highlighted, with applied methods being discussed regarding different elements of uncertainty.

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though future anthropogenic climate change is recognized as one of the major threats to European species, its implementation during reserve planning has only been started recently. We here describe climate change impacts on the Iberian endemic lizard Lacerta schreiberi expecting serious declines and range reductions due to a loss of suitable climate space in the next future. We apply species distribution models to assess possible future changes in the lizard’s range, identify areas with high extinction risk meriting conservation efforts and analyze whether the Natura 2000 network in its current stage will offer a sufficient protection for the genetically most valuable lineages. Despite a very good coverage and connectivity of the most valuable populations of L. schreiberi with the existing protected sites network, our results predict a strong loss of genetic variability by 2080. Also, two main patterns become evident: While the genetically less diverse north-western populations may be less affected by climate change, the climate change effects on the southern isolates and the genetically most diverse populations within the Central System may be devastating. To improve a successful prospective conservation of L. schreiberi the management of protected sites needs to consider the processes that threaten this species. Furthermore, our study highlights the urgent need to consider climate change effects on evolutionary significant units within the Natura 2000 framework.

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Host species in populations under strong pressures from parasitic diseases may evolve ornaments to signal individual host quality to conspecifics. Colour ornaments in lizards result from the interaction of different layers in the skin. When inner layers of melanin and well-arranged iridophores are combined, UV-blue structural colouration results. On the other hand, when layers of erythrophores are densely loaded with carotenoids, a UV-yellow colouration is seen. The expression of carotenoid-based traits has been frequently studied in relation to parasite infections. However, few studies have explored the relationship between parasitic diseases and structural colouration. In this study, we investigated the expression of UV-blue and UV-yellow throat colour patches in males of Lacerta schreiberi in relation to infection by haemoparasites, ixodid ticks and intestinal nematodes. The brightness of the UV-yellow throat patch (a carotenoid-based ornament) was positively correlated with body condition and negatively correlated with the number of attached ticks, supporting Hamilton and Zuk’s hypothesis. Additionally, individuals that passed nematode eggs in the faeces had UV-yellow throat patches with higher hue values (more greenish colouration). Strikingly, the individuals infected by haemoparasites of the genus Schellackia showed UV-blue throat patches (a melanin-based ornament) with higher values of both UV-blue chroma and hue (i.e., UV-biased throats) than did uninfected individuals, suggesting a key role for melanin in the nuptial colouration of this lizard species. Thus, the combined information from both UV-blue and UV-yellow throat patches may convey integrative information about individual quality in this lacertid species.

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Over the last few centuries, forestry management assumed different functions, since forest optimization, necessary for exclusive wood production, up to Nature resources’ management to biodiversity conservation, but also to promote nature recreation activities. Thereby, and supported by those last factors, this survey had as main objective the evaluation of biodiversity significance, in concrete case the avifauna, for the development of a summarized characterization of some local natural values, for future marks on the most interesting places to watch different species. This study was made in Valpaços municipality, located in Vila Real district, on summer season, and it was defined a path with nine different points (Lilela, Miradeses, Gorgoço, Cachão, Ponte do Arquinho, Parque de Campismo, Foz da Ribeira do Piago, Agordela, Tinhela), between Rabaçal and Calvo rivers, and according to a possible greenway construction project. For this process were used MacKinnon’s List and Point Count as study’s methods, with the main of helping evaluate species’ richness and abundance in different places. As a first approach to results it was possible to count a total of 72 bird species, corresponding to 79% of the already identified species in the region. Regarding the place, it was detected a larger number of species in Foz da Ribeira do Piago, a Calvo’s river affluent, and in Cachão. Lilela was the place with a smaller number of species’ observations. According to the results, it was possible to conclude that the creation of a local greenway can be an economic, cultural and a biodiversity conservation asset.

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Hybridization experiments between the five commonly recognized species L. agilis, L. viridis, L. schreiberi, L. strigata, L. trilineata reveal increased rates of malformation and reduced fertility up to sterility as postzygotic isolating mechanisms. Depending on the combination, 30% up to 100% of hybrid females are sterile while only two sterile males were observed among hundreds. In backcrosses and in the rare cases of F2 generations, a drastic decrease of reproductive success was observed, if fertile offspring occurred. Clear species boundaries between the five species are demonstrated, although different degrees of postzygotic isolation indicate different genetic distances between them. Results from crosses within the taxon L. viridis s. 1. justify the distinction of two polytypic semispecies, L. bilineata in the western part of the range and L. viridis in the eastern part.

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The structural and functional features that animals develop in order to survive and thrive in their environment have long drawn the attention of the scientific community. Regarding insular ecosystems, the unique physical-natural conditions prevailing on them, the strictly defined by the seas boundaries and the more simplified systems induce the diversification and evolution of island biotas with a number of ways. The main aim of the present research was first, to investigate the effect of natural selection on the ecology, physiology and general biology of ectothermic animals, such as lizards and second, to examine how natural selection can shape morphological, functional and behavioral traits. To this aim, we studied insular and mainland populations of the lizard species Lacerta trilineata (Sauria: Lacertidae). The green lizards of the genus Lacerta comprises nine allopatric species, four of which occur in Greece, while only L. trilineata is distributed in both continental and insular Greek region. The latter feature makes L. trilineata an ideal organism to study the phenotypic plasticity of physiological and morphological traits. How and with what adaptations was its current distribution formed? How did insular and mainland populations have diversified to the different environmental conditions? Are there historical or ecological causes that led to this diversification? These are some of the subjects that this PhD Thesis was dealt with. Through a comparative framework, that contained several L. trilineata populations we tried to address these issues. The resolved phylogeny revealed that the first branch-off of the Greek green lizards occurred during the middle Miocene (13.91 Mya) and led to the separation of the L. viridis/bilineata group from the species L. agilis and L. trilineata. The next major cladogenetic event took place at late Miocene (11.65 Mya) and led to the separation of the latter two species. Regarding the clade of L. trilineata our results support the existence of six distinct lineages. The high intraspecific genetic divergences between these lineages, which are comparable to that recorded among lacertid species, raises questions regarding its taxonomic status and whether or not it is a single species. L. trilineata seems to originate and diverge in western Anatolia. Given the phylogeny of L. trilineata in the Aegean and the geological history of the Greek area, we assume that the ancestral form of this species invaded the Greek area from Anatolia before the complete formation of the MAT (~9 Mya). The forming of this barrier gave the two groups of L. trilineata lineages (west and east of the trench). Within each group, some other vicariant and dispersal events as well as the raise of the Mediterranean Sea at the end of the last glacial period during Holocene have resulted in the present distribution of the six evolutionary lineages of L. trilineata. In order to approach the thermal biology of this species, we studied two mainland and two island populations and determined three different thermal values for each population: lizard`s temperature under normal conditions in the field (body temperature), the temperature that a lizard may achieve in a special designed thermal gradient in the lab (selective temperature) and the potential temperatures that an animal could reach in its biotope (operative temperatures). From the correlation of these three values we tried to describe the strategy of thermoregulation that each population has adopted. The comparison between mainland and island populations revealed that both populations have adapted to their thermal environment, supporting the `labile` view on the evolution of thermal physiology for this species. In particular, insular lizards thermoregulate less effectively because of the more benign, in terms of thermal quality, environment and have lower thermal preferenda. Mainland lizards on the other hand, showed higher effectiveness as a result of the more demanding environment. However, predation regime seems to restrict the ability of the latter to achieve body temperatures close to their set-point range. To investigate the trophic ecology of the Balkan green lizard, we removed the digestive track of preserved specimens as well as collected the fecal material from live lizards, and we correlated the trophic data with morphological and functional traits. Our findings support that L. trilineata is a widely foraging predator, feeding on numerous invertebrate taxa, while Coleoptera and Orthoptera represent the predominant prey group. Ontogeny, sex, season and habitat affect the feeding ecology of this species. The seasonal variation in the diet of L. trilineata corroborate that the species is an opportunistic predator. However, juveniles followed a discrete feeding pattern, which indicates an ontogenetic shift. During their growth, lacertids undergo significant changes in the size, shape and performance of their feeding apparatus. A complementary underlying reason should be sought in the way adults exploit their environment and the areas that usually occupy. Finally, regarding the observed differences in diet composition between sexes as well as island and mainland populations, these probably reflect adaptations through sexual and natural selection. The more robust heads of male lizards allows them to develop a greater bite force and consequently to feed on harder prey items. In addition, the food scarcity prevailing in the Mediterranean islands offers little choice to insular lizards. Thus islanders have to take advantage of every available food resource in order to survive even plant material, which they achieved by increasing the head depth and width as well as bite force, compared to their mainland counterparts. Differences on feeding ecology usually affect several aspects of the digestive system such as physiology and morphology. In the study of the digestive procedure we tried to obtain a qualitative approach of the digestion of the main organic compounds (lipids, sugars and proteins). Islanders deviated from their mainland peers increasing the digestive tract length and the frequency of cecal valves in the hindgut. However, an increase in the digestive tract length and the frequency of cecal valves might cause an increase of gut passage time and, thus, food retention times. In other words, enzymes could have more time to act, which maximize the rate of energy intake and the digestive efficiency. We believe that these changes on the digestive procedure could be interpreted as adaptations for the limited food availability prevailing on islands. Finally, given that the ability of an animal to successfully colonize new habitats is mainly determined by its ability to cope with pathogens of the environment, we studied the immune response in association with the genetic diversity of the major histocompatibility complex (MHC) class I. For the study of cell-mediated response we used two methodological approaches: (a) the mixed lymphocyte reaction (MLR) and (b) the phytohemagglutinin-induced skin swelling test (PHA). Our finding revealed that the genetic boundaries of islands and the food scarcity prevailing on them caused decline in the genetic divergence at the MHC genes and in parasite tolerance. Nonetheless, the significant importance of balancing selection against genetic drift, in shaping MHC polymorphism, has lead to an increase on the nucleotide diversity of the remaining MHC alleles. As a result and besides the reduce parasite tolerance of islanders, the latter demonstrated high cell mediated response, which is comparable to their mainland peers. To sum up, it appears that island populations of L. trilineata have adapted to the different biotic and abiotic environmental conditions of islands, which have lead to the development of unique morphological, physiological and behavioral traits.

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Patterns of activity were studied in two populations of Lacerta schreiberi at Camposagrado (León) from April to September 1984. Population estimates were used to compute the proportion of males, females, subadults and youngs observed during censuses. Males were more active during spring (reproductive season) than in summer. Female activity did not vary between seasons. High activity levels were observed in subadults and activity was very low in youngs during all months.

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Microhabitat use of Lacerta schreiberi was studied at one locality in the Cantabrian mountains of León province, Spain. Lizards do not use the microhabitat categories in proportion to their availability. Ontogenetic shifts in microhabitat selection have been observed. Juveniles are found in grass and rush areas, while adults prefer bushes. Subadults were present in both microhabitat types. Lizards perch on plants, mainly bushes, between 10 and 80 cm height. Microhabitat selection changes seasonally only in subadults.

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Study of home range size in juvenile and subadult Lacerta schreiberi in northern Spain.

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The Pyrenees, Sierra Nevada, Sierra de Peña de Francia and the Cantabrian Mountains were visited during the second half of May, 1994. In northern Spain Podarcis hispanica and P. muralis are living in syntopy. On all sites Lacerta lepida was common. North of Murcia the only typical L. lepida nevadensis have been seen. In the Sierra Nevada this subspecies had a large amount of green colouration. South of Madrid Acanthodactylus erythrurus and Psammodromus algirus were found in nearly every habitat. In the vicinity of Béjar Podarcis bocagei and Lacerta schreiberi were seen. In the Sierra Covadonga a large population of L. schreiberi was found in a very dry mountain slope.

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Whereas the range size of endangered species is undoubtfuly useful to predict risk of extinction, the role of their life-history characteristics is much less clear, and their effects may depend on the nature of the threatening factors. Such factors, for instance, are known to be different on islands and on the mainland. We used phylogenetically based statistical analyses to study the relationships among conservation status, insularity, range size, and life-history traits in a clade of Western Palaearctic lacertids including insular and continental species. These lizards are ecologically similar, but they show wide variation in life-history traits and vulnerability to extinction. Insular species of a given size had smaller clutches than mainland ones. Degree of threat was best predicted by a logistic regression including range size, insularity, clutch size, and the insularity × clutch size interaction. On the mainland, but not on islands, threatened species had smaller clutches than non-threatened ones. On islands, small clutch size is probably an adaptive trait, and it might predispose certain species to extinction, but the intrinsic characteristics of such species remain unclear. However, small clutch size was a good predictor of extinction risk on the mainland, having evolved most frequently in late maturing species from montane habitats in which climatic conditions limit their reproductive output and increase their vulnerability to stochastic hazards or habitat fragmentation.

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The analysis of the spatial structure of animal communities requires spatial data to determine the distribution of individuals and their limiting factors. New technologies like very precise GPS as well as satellite imagery and aerial photographs of very high spatial resolution are now available. Data from airborne LiDAR (Light Detection and Ranging) sensors can provide digital models of ground and vegetation surfaces with pixel sizes of less than 1 m. We present the first study in terrestrial herpetology using LiDAR data. We aim to identify the spatial patterns of a community of four species of lizards (Lacerta schreiberi, Timon lepidus, Podarcis bocagei, and P. hispanica), and to determine how the habitat is influencing the distribution of the species spatially. The study area is located in Northern Portugal. The position of each lizard was recorded during 16 surveys of 1 h with a very precise GPS (error < 1 m). LiDAR data provided digital models of surface, terrain, and normalised height. From these data, we derived slope, ruggedness, orientation, and hill-shading variables. We applied spatial statistics to determine the spatial structure of the community. We computed Maxent ecological niche models to determine the importance of environmental variables. The community and its species presented a clustered distribution. We identified 14 clusters, composed of 1–3 species. Species records showed two distribution patterns, with clusters associated with steep and flat areas. Cluster outliers had the same patterns. Juveniles and subadults were associated with areas of low quality, while sexes used space in similar ways. Maxent models identified suitable habitats across the study area for two species and in the flat areas for the other two species. LiDAR allowed us to understand the local distributions of a lizard community. Remotely sensed data and LiDAR are giving new insights into the study of species ecology. Images of higher spatial resolutions are necessary to map important factors such as refuges.

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Research on the taxonomy of European amphibians and reptiles has increased noticeably over the last few decades, indicating the need for recognition of new species and the cancellation of others. This paper provides a critical review of recent changes and draws up a tentative species list.

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The last species list of the European herpetofauna was published by Speybroeck, Beukema and Crochet (2010). In the meantime, ongoing research led to numerous taxonomic changes, including the discovery of new species-level lineages as well as reclassifications at genus level, requiring significant changes to this list. As of 2019, a new Taxonomic Committee was established as an official entity within the European Herpetological Society, Societas Europaea Herpetologica (SEH). Twelve members from nine European countries reviewed, discussed and voted on recent taxonomic research on a case-by-case basis. Accepted changes led to critical compilation of a new species list, which is hereby presented and discussed. According to our list, 301 species (95 amphibians, 15 chelonians, including six species of sea turtles, and 191 squamates) occur within our expanded geographical definition of Europe. The list includes 14 non-native species (three amphibians, one chelonian, and ten squamates).

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Divergence in female mate preferences can strongly influence the structure and dynamics of hybrid zones. We examined the potential role of female mate preferences in maintaining an abrupt west-east mtDNA cline between two deeply divergent genetic lineages of Lacerta schreiberi, a lizard endemic to the Iberian Peninsula. The lineages are largely morphologically cryptic but with respect to the mtDNA cline, western males tend to be less parasitized, in better body condition and more intensely coloured than eastern males, a pattern that cannot be explained by environmental variation alone. The lineages may also differ in unmeasured aspects such as physiology, behaviour and olfactory signals, which may influence mate choice. As female mate attraction has been found to vary with olfactory cues in lacertid lizards, we experimentally tested whether females were differentially attracted to femoral pore secretions of males from the two genetic backgrounds. Females did not prefer scents of `higher quality` western males, nor did they prefer the scents of males belonging to their own genetic background. This suggests the abrupt mtDNA cline is unlikely to be explained by assortative mating of matrilineages that distinguish male genetic background based on scent.

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Elements of the herpetofauna are in the author`s opinion of great importance for the zoogeographical division of the Palaearctic region. It is suggested that this region be divided into the following four subregions: 1/ arctic, 2/ boreal Euro-Siberian, 3/ bo- real Himalayan-Manchurian and 4/ Mediterranean-Central-Asiatic.

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Here, we report the results of a large-scale PCR survey on the prevalence and diversity of adenoviruses (AdVs) in samples collected randomly from free-living reptiles. On the territories of the Guadarrama Mountains National Park in Central Spain and of the Chafarinas Islands in North Africa, cloacal swabs were taken from 318 specimens of eight native species representing five squamate reptilian families. The healthy-looking animals had been captured temporarily for physiological and ethological examinations, after which they were released. We found 22 AdV-positive samples in representatives of three species, all from Central Spain. Sequence analysis of the PCR products revealed the existence of three hitherto unknown AdVs in 11 Carpetane rock lizards (Iberolacerta cyreni), nine Iberian worm lizards (Blanus cinereus), and two Iberian green lizards (Lacerta schreiberi), respectively. Phylogeny inference showed every novel putative virus to be a member of the genus Atadenovirus. This is the very first description of the occurrence of AdVs in amphisbaenian and lacertid hosts. Unlike all squamate atadenoviruses examined previously, two of the novel putative AdVs had A+T rich DNA, a feature generally deemed to mirror previous host switch events. Our results shed new light on the diversity and evolution of atadenoviruses.

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Evolutionary changes in foraging style are often believed to require concurrent changes in a complex suite of morphological, physiological, behavioural and life-history traits. In lizards, species from families with a predominantly sit-and-wait foraging style tend to be more stocky and robust, with larger heads and mouths than species belonging to actively foraging families. Here, we test whether morphology and foraging behaviour show similar patterns of association within the family Lacertidae. We also examine the association of bite force abilities with morphology and foraging behaviour. Lacertid lizards exhibit considerable interspecific variation in foraging indices, and we found some evidence for a covariation between foraging style and body shape. However, the observed relationships are not always in line with the predictions. Also, the significance of the relationships varies with the evolutionary model used. Our results challenge the idea that foraging style is evolutionarily conservative and invariably associated with particular morphologies. It appears that the flexibility of foraging mode and its morphological correlates varies among lizard taxa.

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Apart from certain species of the African clade, the lizard family Lacertidae has generally been described as consisting of active foragers. We made quantitative field observations of 14 species of lacertid lizards, mainly belonging to the more basal Eurasian clade. Our data show that sit-and-wait foraging is much more widespread in Lacertidae than previously alleged. We also investigated the influence of weather and times of day on foraging activity levels and conclude that for comparative purposes observations should be restricted to circumstances that are optimal for activity. We did not find sex differences in foraging behavior.

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Foraging strategy is often considered to play a central role in moulding diverse aspects of an animal`s general biology. Active foragers should have greater locomotor endurance, allowing high movement activity rates, while sit-and-waiting foragers may be better adapted to sprinting, allowing catching prey by a quick attack from an ambush site, and going with specific predator escape tactics. In this study we investigate these predicted patterns in a set of lacertid lizard species. There is considerable variation in foraging activity within Lacertidae, which allows the close investigation of the co-evolution of the traits considered. We found a tendency of positive correlation of foraging measures (PTM, percentage of time moving; MPM, number of movements per minute) with laboratory measured endurance capacity. However, the relationship of foraging measures with maximal sprint speed remains less clear. MPM correlates negatively with maximal sprint speed, but PTM does not. When sprint speed was corrected for body size, no correlations were found at all.

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The author joined a herpetological journey ro Extremadura in Spain. The group consisred of eigllteen per- sons and was travelling vith two vans. The area is more or less as large as the Nerherlands, but Jess popula- ted. The largestpart ofthis region is occupied by `dehesa`, an open mediterrenean wood1311dscenery with catrle-breeding. Moreover there is steppe coumry, mounrains in the north (Sierra de Gredos) and finally hilly cotumy (Sierra de Guadalupe a11d Monfragüe). Day by day the areas that were visited a11d rhe reptiles and 3lnphibians that were seen are described. In total twelve species of a111phibians and twenty species of reptiles are found.

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The author joined a herpetological journey ro Extremadura in Spain. The group consisred of eigllteen per- sons and was travelling vith two vans. The area is more or less as large as the Nerherlands, but Jess popula- ted. The largestpart ofthis region is occupied by `dehesa`, an open mediterrenean wood1311dscenery with catrle-breeding. Moreover there is steppe coumry, mounrains in the north (Sierra de Gredos) and finally hilly cotumy (Sierra de Guadalupe a11d Monfragüe). Day by day the areas that were visited a11d rhe reptiles and 3lnphibians that were seen are described. In total twelve species of a111phibians and twenty species of reptiles are found.

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Environmental contamination is supposed to be a reason for population declines in reptiles. Especially intensification and expansion of agriculture are leading to increased pesticide exposure risks for wildlife. In the European Union, Special Areas of Conservation (SACs) have been established for the conservation of taxa listed in Annex II of the Habitats Directive. In the SACs, agricultural land use is legal. Therefore, we conducted a risk evaluation of pesticide exposure for Annex II reptiles by calculating proportions of land use with regular pesticide applications within SACs. Using three evaluation factors (occurrence probability, physiology, life-history aspects), a species-specific risk index was created. Nearly half of the species at above-average risk by pesticide use are globally threatened with extinction (IUCN Red List of Threatened Species). About 30% of their SACs are agriculturally used and one priority subspecies of the Habitats Directive is at highest risk (Vipera ursinii rakosiensis). Also, all evaluated fresh-water and land-dwelling turtle species are at high risk. National variation in agricultural land use in the SACs was observed. Species at above-average risk are mainly distributed in the Mediterranean and Pannonian/Continental biogeographical regions of Europe. Conservation status according to the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species as well as national differences among the member states argue for the inclusion of pesticide risk assessments in site-specific management plans for SACs to avoid regional loss of reptilian biodiversity.

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The basipterygoid (or basitrabecular) process in lizards arises in ontogeny as an outgrowth from the posterior portion of the trabecle. The separate origin of the basipterygoid process has been currently recorded only in one lizard, the chamaeleonid Bradypodion pumilum. Herein, we describe the ontogeny of the basipterygoid process in two species of Lacerta. Although the basipterygoid process in L. viridis develops as in most other lizards, the L. agilis basipterygoid process arises as an independent nodule of cartilage and it fuses with the trabecle only later in ontogeny.

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During two journeys from 27.04. – 07.05.2008 and from 21.04. – 27.04.2012, I visited several parts pf Spain together with some friends of mine. We focused on the lizards of the Iberiasn Peninsula. Specifically, we wanted to make some beautiful pictures of the Ocellated Lizatrds Timon lepidus and Timon nevadensis, which unfortunately did not always succeed on the first trip. In the following article, I briefly present the lizards of the family Lacertidae that were found during the two journeys together with some of their localities.

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Eine Reise nach Portugal führte mich mit befreundeten Eidechsenhaltern in die Serra de Sấo Mamede. Vom 22.04. bis 28.04.2017 bereisten wir den 31.750 Hektar großen Nationalpark, um nach Reptilien, insbesondere nach Eidechsen, zu suchen. In der Literatur werden bei den Schlangen acht Arten und bei den Eidechsen zehn Arten aufgelistet. Davon sind sechs Arten den Halsbandeidechsen zugeordnet. Ein Großteil der in Portugal vorkommenden Reptilien war also in dem kleinen Gebiet zu erwarten.

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Apicomplexan haemoparasites of the genera Schellackia Reichenow, 1919, and Karyolysus Labbé, 1894, seem to be common in lizards and widespread across the world. For decades, their identification has been based on morphological descriptions and life cycle patterns, with molecular characterizations, applied only recently. We used molecular characterization to confirm the identification of haemoparasites detected by microscopy in blood smears of Lacerta schreiberi Bedriaga, 1878, a lizard of the Iberian Peninsula. Since blood samples other than blood smears were not available from the studied lizards, 264 engorged ticks Ixodes ricinus (Linneaus, 1758) collected from them were used as an alternative non-invasive source of haemoparasite DNA for molecular genetic analyses. Of the 48 blood smears microscopically examined, 31 were positive for blood parasites (64.6% prevalence). We identified trophozoites and gamonts similar to Karyolysus lacazei (Labbé, 1894) (24/48; 50%) and Schellackia-like sporozoites (20/48; 41.7%). Mixed infections with both species occurred in 13 blood smears (27.1%). Sequence data were obtained for both parasites from engorged ticks. Phylogenetic analyses placed our unique haemogregarine sequence within the Karyolysus clade, nevertheless, within substantial polytomy. Thus, according to its morphology and effect on the host cell, we refer to this haemogregarine as Karyolysus cf. lacazei. Besides the Schellackia sequences being identical to a previously identified haplotype, we also obtained sequences of three new closely related haplotypes.