Podarcis muralis, also known as the rock lizard, due to its preferences for using rocky habitats, it is a species with a wide distribution in Europe. It belongs to the Lacertidae family of the order Squamata.
It was originally described by Laurenti in 1768 as Seps muralis and later transferred to the genus Podarcis. In many of the areas it inhabits, it represents the most abundant species of the regional herpetofauna and is usually a fairly anthropophilic species..
The wide geographic range it occupies and the existence of populations relatively well isolated from others, has allowed the differentiation of a large complex of subspecies, in some of which there is a certain degree of taxonomic disagreement..
Like other reptiles, they control their body temperature by frequently exposing themselves to solar radiation. This is an oviparous species, the males are often quite territorial. In contrast, females move freely between their territories.
P. muralis can coexist in the same locality with other species of the same genus such as P. hispanica with which it competes for resources.
Article index
Podarcis muralis It is a small lizard, with a snout-vent length that ranges from 48 to 67 millimeters. There is no significant differentiation of the sexes according to the size they present.
However, males tend to have stronger heads and longer tails compared to females. Its coloration tends to vary according to the study populations..
Despite this, they present a general gray-green or gray-brown color pattern with abundant black and yellowish spots on their back and a cream-colored belly with black spots or splashes. In addition, it has two lateral longitudinal stripes of dark coloration.
At present, approximately 14 subspecies are defined throughout its range, some of which have an uncertain status..
Among the subspecies are Podarcis muralis albanica, breviceps, brongniardii, colosii, maculiventris, muralis, nigriventris, sammichelii, tinettoi and vinciguerrai which are widely recognized.
The subspecies, appenninica, baldasseronii, beccarii and marcuccii have an uncertain taxonomic status.
This species of lizard is widely distributed in the European continent, covering an altitudinal range that goes from sea level to 2,500 meters in elevation. Towards the north of Europe, it presents restrictions in its distribution, with some isolated populations.
Its current distribution includes from the north of Spain extending to the north of France, the south of Belgium, Luxembourg, the center-west of Germany, a large part of Austria, the south-west of the Czech Republic and the center of Slovakia and Hungary..
To the east, it extends into eastern Romania, Bulgaria, most of the Balkans, and northeastern Anatolia, Turkey.
This species is also found on the Channel Islands in Jersey (UK). In addition, this small lizard has been introduced to the United States (Ohio and Kentucky), Canada (British Columbia) and England most likely by sea (shipping) or by hobbyists who kept them in captivity..
In other European countries such as Switzerland, the species is mainly introduced around railways to which it has adapted very well..
Many populations of this species have an aggregate distribution due to the differential presence of the resources in the habitats they occupy..
The species is found in both dry and humid and semi-humid areas. North of their range, they are more likely to use dry habitats. They are observed in rocky and stony environments, bushes, deciduous forests and coniferous forests..
On the other hand, the species shows great plasticity and adaptation to intervened environments. It can be observed in highly transformed areas with a high degree of intervention of natural systems such as orchards, vineyards, varied cultivated fields and even in stone walls and in buildings and houses..
Being a widely extended species, it does not present major risks in its conservation.
However, in some very localized populations, such as those located on islands or mountains, they are threatened either by the intensification of alpine tourism or by the growth of the agricultural frontier and the increase in the use of pesticides..
The existence of some populations with an aggregate distribution poses a risk to any serious alteration or intervention of the environment, since the compromised population can be fragmented and diminished to critical levels..
On the other hand, in mountainous areas, deforestation activities result in the disappearance of natural refuges exploited by this species, a decrease in food resources and a modification of the landscape..
Although the species is under pressure due to its commercialization as a pet, the latter is not seen as a threat of great importance in the long term. Due to the use of the species in captivity, its accidental or deliberate release has allowed its establishment in regions where it is not native..
All the subspecies reported are in the category of least concern (LC), according to the international union for the conservation of nature (IUCN).
Podarcis muralis it is an oviparous species. Females can lay two to three clutches a year with two to six eggs each. However, it has been observed that large females can lay more than ten eggs in a clutch, in a reproductive period that spans from April to July..
The nesting temperature is crucial for the development of individuals, the optimum temperature being approximately 26 ° C. The offspring developed under these conditions tend to have a larger size as well as a better performance in their locomotor activities and survival..
Clutch survival tends to decrease significantly above 30 ° C, however embryo development accelerates.
Pregnant females tend to be less mobile during this reproductive state and tend to stay closer to their shelters. This is because they are less efficient at deterring predators and fleeing compared to non-gravid females and males..
The eggs can often be preyed upon by myriapods or other invertebrate animals, after being placed in galleries that are located between 10 and 20 cm deep in the ground or under large rocks..
This lizard has a variable diet that essentially consists of a great diversity of invertebrates. Most of their prey are arthropods, including coleoptera, diptera, dermaptera, homoptera, spiders, isopods, formicidae, and collembola..
The importance of each food item depends on the availability of prey and the area of distribution in which a population of these lizards is found..
In most cases, these lizards tend to use escape strategies through rapid and discontinuous runs in the face of predatory stimuli. Generally the flight is directed towards the refuges that this species has underground, under bushes or in crevices of rocky conglomerates.
However, this behavior does not occur until the predation pressure and the stimuli are high enough, since the flight process constitutes a high investment of energy..
As a last resort P. muralis uses caudal autotomy (tail release) as an anti-predatory distraction. The latter results in a significant decrease in tree motor efficiency or in vertical substrates and in the undertaking of flight, although the speed is increased..
In addition, the loss of the tail, although it can regenerate, suggests a high energy cost.
Yet No Comments