Alemany, I. & Pérez‐Cembranos, A. & Pérez‐Mellado, V. & Castro, J.A. & Picornell, A. & Ramon, C. & Jurado‐Rivera, J.A. (2022) -
Faecal Microbiota Divergence in Allopatric Populations of Podarcis lilfordi and P. pityusensis, Two Lizard Species Endemic to the Balearic Islands. - Microbial Ecology. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00248-022-02019-3

×Gut microbial communities provide essential functions to their hosts and are known to influence both their ecology and evolution. However, our knowledge of these complex associations is still very limited in reptiles. Here we report the 16S rRNA gene faecal microbiota profiles of two lizard species endemic to the Balearic archipelago (Podarcis lilfordi and P. pityusensis), encompassing their allopatric range of distribution through a noninvasive sampling, as an alternative to previ- ous studies that implied killing specimens of these IUCN endangered and near-threatened species, respectively. Both lizard species showed a faecal microbiome composition consistent with their omnivorous trophic ecology, with a high representa- tion of cellulolytic bacteria taxa. We also identified species-specific core microbiota signatures and retrieved lizard species, islet ascription, and seasonality as the main factors in explaining bacterial community composition. The different Balearic Podarcis populations are characterised by harbouring a high proportion of unique bacterial taxa, thus reinforcing their view as unique and divergent evolutionary entities.
Zawadzki, M. & Böhme, W. (2020) -
Der Eidechsenfänger Jost H. Jokisch (1881 – 1958). - Sekretär, 20: 41-52. 
×We provide some data on the life of Hermann Josef (alias Jost H.) Jokisch, a german who lived for ca. ten years on the Balearic island of Ibiza where he collected lizards for the Museum Alexander Koenig in Bonn. Apart from the archive of this museum, details about his hardly known life became apparent only through some German- speaking writers who had met and visited him on this island and partly integrated him as a literary figure into their writings.
Mayol, J. (Coord). (2020) -
Atles de les petites illes i els illots de les Balears. - Monografies de la Societat d’Història Natural de les Balears, 29. Ed. Perifèrics. Palma (Mallorca). 360 pp.
Bonardi, A. & Ficetola, G.F. & Razzetti, E. & Canedoli, C. & Falaschi, M. & Lo Parrino, E. & Rota, N.& Padoa-Schioppa, E.& Sindaco, R. (2022) -
ReptIslands: Mediterranean islands and the distribution of their reptile fauna. - Global Ecology and Biogeography. DOI: 10.1111/geb.13490.

× Ambientali, Università degli Studi di Milano, Milano, Italy
3Laboratoire d’Ecologie Alpine, University Grenoble Alpes, University Savoie Mont Blanc, CNRS, LECA, Grenoble, France
4Kosmos – Museo di Storia Naturale dell’Università di Pavia, Pavia, Italy
5Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of Milano-Bicocca, Milan, Italy
6I.P.L.A., Istituto per le Piante da Legno e l`Ambiente, Torino, Italy
Correspondence
Gentile Francesco Ficetola, Dipartimento di Scienze e Politiche Ambientali, Università degli Studi di Milano, Via Celoria 10, 20126 Milano, Italy.
Email: francesco.ficetola@gmail.com
Funding information
Italian Ministry for Research, Grant/Award Number: 2017KLZ3MA
Editor: Ana Margarida Coelho dos Santos
Abstract
Aim: Analyses of biogeographical patterns and macroecology of islands require large datasets reporting the occurrence of species. The Mediterranean region is a biodiver- sity hotspot, which hosts a large number of reptile species and has been the focus of many studies. Nevertheless, comprehensive inventories describing the features and biodiversity of these environments are lacking. We gathered a dataset summarizing data on reptile distribution on islands of the Mediterranean basin and Macaronesia, also including detailed information on the geographical features.
Location: Islands from the Mediterranean Basin, the Atlantic Ocean within the Mediterranean biogeographical region, and Macaronesia (Canary and Savage Islands, Azores, Madeira and Cape Verde).
Time period: Present.
Taxon: Reptiles (squamates and turtles).
Methods: Initially, we developed a geographical database describing islands of the study region, then gathered information on reptile occurrences from 757 bibliograph- ical sources, including atlases, published papers and the grey literature. Through a critical review of these sources, we also obtained information on the status of popula- tions (native, island endemic or non-native) and on the reliability of occurrence data. Results: We obtained basic geographical information from 1875 islands covering the whole study region and with a very broad range of geographical features. We gath- ered >4150 records of reptile occurrence on islands, referring to 198 taxonomic units (species or species complexes); information on population status was available for 84.9% of records. Data are provided as comma-delimited text files.
Main conclusions: The database provides a key resource for biogeographical analyses and can also serve as a backbone for conservation studies. The availability of a large database on island features can also be useful for biogeographers working on other taxonomic groups. Nevertheless, more data are required for some geographical areas, in order to ascertain the status (e.g., native vs. non-native) of many populations and to understand the interplay between natural and human-driven processes.
Bassitta, M. & Brown, R.P. & Pérez‐Cembranos, A. & Pérez‐Mellado, V. & Castro, J.A. & Picornell, A. & Ramon, C. (2021) -
Genomic signatures of drift and selection driven by predation and human pressure in an insular lizard. - Scientific Reports 11 (6136). DOI: 10.1038/s41598-021-85591-x

×Genomic divergence was studied in 10 small insular populations of the endangered Balearic
Islands lizard (Podarcis lilfordi) using double digest restriction‐site associated DNA sequencing.
The objectives were to establish levels of divergence among populations, investigate the impact of population size on genetic variability and to evaluate the role of different environmental factors on local adaptation. Analyses of 72,846 SNPs supported a highly differentiated genetic structure, being the populations with the lowest population size (Porros, Foradada and Esclatasang islets) the most divergent, indicative of greater genetic drift. Outlier tests identified ~ 2% of loci as candidates for selection. Genomic divergence‐Enviroment Association analyses were performed using redundancy analyses based on SNPs putatively under selection, detecting predation and human pressure as
the environmental variables with the greatest explanatory power. Geographical distributions of populations and environmental factors appear to be fundamental drivers of divergence. These results support the combined role of genetic drift and divergent selection in shaping the genetic structure of these endemic island lizard populations.
Turner, A.A. & Villiers, A.L. de & Baards, E.H.W. (2007) -
Reptiles. - In: Western Cape Province State of Biodiversity Cape Nature Scientific Services. ISBN 978-0-620-39289-1.
Vozzo, L. de & Montesanto, G. & Zuffi, M.A.L. & Manganelli, G. (2021) -
Soffice o rigido, vibro e do fastidio? Analisi sperimentale della scelta alimentare in Podarcis. - Abstracts XII° Congresso Nazionale Societas Herpetologica Italica. Rende (Cosenza), 1-5 ottobre 2018: 76-77.

×Feeding spectrum of Lacertids has been widely studied in different geographical areas, continental, insular and microinsular. Data are particularly informative and show a trophic spectrum mainly characterized by arthropods (mainly insercts), but also by other taxa. Even if lesser represented, terrestrial Isopods (Crustacea, Isopoda, Oniscidea) have been recorded. Armadillo officinalis has a stridulatory apparatus and it is able to produce micro-vibrations, whose meaning and/or the biological functions are still not understood (decrease of predation?). Other species of the group do not produce vibrations. In Podarcis muralis and Podarcis siculus diet Isopods remains have been recorded, despite the taxonomic identity has not yet been determined. We considered two lizards samples, to check average size of the two species. As expected Podarcis muralis is smaller in size than Podarcis siculus (tSVL = -4.096; 51 df; P < 0.0001; tbmass = -4.194; 44 df; P < 0.0001). We offered, randomly, three prey types, i) Tenebrio molitor larvae, or ii) Armadillidium granulatum adults or iii) Armadillo officinalis adults. Each individual lizard has been tested once only. Tenebrio has been preyed 14/14 times; A. granulatum 10/14, A. officinalis 2/14 (χ2 = 22.615; 2 df; P < 0.0001). General Linear Model analyses show no predation effect due to the lizard species (P = 0.084), no size effect (svl-body mass) (P = 0.329) nor in the Podarcis species×Podarcis size interaction. On the contrary, there is a strong effect of the prey type×lizard size interaction (P < 0.0001), where the vibrating Isopod is on average discarded. However, we should verify in the future if the exclusion of the vibrating species is actually a simple effect of the larger size of A. officinalis with respect to A. granulatum, or a direct consequence of the vibrating feature of the Crustacean.
1 new picture of Podarcis muralis (LAURENTI, 1768) from Germany / Bavaria. (wild)
2 new pictures of Nucras intertexta (SMITH, 1838) from Namibia. (wild)