A case of limb regeneration in a wild adult Podarcis lilfordi lizard

Abstract

We report here a case of spontaneous limb regeneration in a wild Podarcis lilfordi lizard from the Balearic Islands. The animal had lost a hind limb, which regenerated posteriorly into a tail-like appendage. Despite not representing a functional regeneration, the growth of this structure after limb amputation suggests that survival of the individual may have been favored by the less restrictive conditions prevailing in insular environments. Nevertheless, such cases are extremely rare in lizards, with no reported cases over the last 60 years.

Temporal distribution of 5BrdU‐labelled cells suggests that most injured tissues contribute proliferating cells for the regeneration of the tail and limb in lizard

“…As regards the limbs, it is known that only rarely it can regenerate as a tail‐like outgrowth of variable length, with the longer appendages that are useful for the lizard movements (Guyénot & Matthey, ; Marcucci, ; Cortada, Kaliontzopoulou, Mendes, & Carretero, ; Gkourtsouli‐Antoniadou, Deizimis‐Tsikoutas, Vassaki, Vezyrakis, & Pafilis, ; Kolenda, Wieczorek, Najbar, Najbar, & Skawinski, ). Previous studies have indicated that a much lower proliferation is present in the scarring blastema at 18–25 days postamputation, but no experimental studies have so far traced the origin of cells in the tissues of the healing limb destined to scar (Barber, ; Alibardi, ,b, , 2017b).…”

AN ADULT MALE Basiliscus plumifrons COPE, 1875 WITHOUT AN ARM SURVIVES IN THE TROPICAL RAIN FOREST OF COSTA RICA.

“…Morphological deformities such as osteological malformations of several types and anomalies are found in natural populations of reptiles in several areas of the planet (e.g. Raynaud, 1990;Norval et al, 2009;Cortada et al, 2017;Kolenda et al, 2017;Christopoulos & Pafilis, 2020). Among them are appendage loss that reptiles are not able to regenerate.…”

“…Less common are limb malformations or limb loss. Appendage regeneration in reptiles is usually restricted to the replacement of the tail, basically in lizards that can self-amputate it (autotomy) as a defensive behavior (Clause & Capaldi, 2006;Cortada et al, 2017). Some of these lizards can regrow the tail after amputation but they fail to achieve a functional restoration of lost limbs (Alibardi, 2017 a).…”

“…Basically there are not cases of limb regeneration in lizards (Galis et al, 2003). Amputation without regeneration is far more common in these reptiles (Cortada et al, 2017). Lizards cannot regenerate limbs because they are intolerant to embryonic antigens, including those of newly reformed embryonic cells after wounding and healing, so consequently they are biologically unfit to regenerate limbs (Alibardi, 2017 b).…”