Reproduction of the Endangered Hierro Giant Lizard Gallotia simonyi machadoi

Rodríguez-Domínguez, Miguel Ángel; Molina‐Borja, Miguel

doi:10.2307/1565203

Cited by 15 publications

(5 citation statements)

References 4 publications

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“…After the measurements, all animals were released at the site of capture. Life‐history data (clutch size, offspring size, age at maturity, adult life span, egg mass and hatchling mass) were gathered from similar sample sizes of the unpublished data of Molina‐Borja and Rodríguez‐Domínguez and from the literature (Bischoff 1974; Castanet and Báez 1991; Bannert 1998; Bosch and Bout 1998; Rodríguez‐Domínguez and Molina‐Borja 1998). For some species or subspecies, no data are presently available for some of the variables and therefore fewer than 10 species were included in some analyses.…”

Section: Species Number Of Animals Sampled and Traits Analysedmentioning

confidence: 99%

Evolution of biometric and life-history traits in lizards (Gallotia) from the Canary Islands

Molina‐Borja

Rodríguez-Domínguez

2004

J Zoological System

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The aim was to study as to how biometric and life‐history traits of endemic lacertids in the Canary Islands (genus Gallotia) may have evolved, and possible factors affecting the diversification process of this taxon on successively appearing islands have been deduced. To that end, comparative analyses of sexual dimorphism and scaling of different body, head and life‐history traits to body size in 10 species/subspecies of Gallotia have been carried out. Both Felsenstein's independent contrasts and Huey and Bennett's ‘minimum evolution’ analyses show that male and female snout‐vent length (SVL) changed proportionally (sexual size dimorphism not changing with body size) throughout the evolution of these lizards and all within‐sex biometric traits have changed proportionally to SVL. Life‐history traits (size at sexual maturity, clutch size, hatchling SVL and mass, and life span) are highly correlated with adult female body size, the first two being the only traits with a positive allometry to female SVL. These results, together with the finding that the slope of hatchling SVL to female SVL regression was lower than that of SVL at maturity to female SVL, indicates that larger females reach maturity at a larger size, have larger clutches and, at the same time, have relatively smaller hatchlings than smaller females. There was no significant correlation between any pair of life‐history traits after statistically removing the effect of body size. As most traits changed proportionally to SVL, the major evolutionary change has been that of body size (a ca. threefold change between the largest and the smallest species), that is suggested to be the effect of variable ecological conditions faced by founder lizards in each island.

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Section: Species Number Of Animals Sampled and Traits Analysedmentioning

confidence: 99%

Evolution of biometric and life-history traits in lizards (Gallotia) from the Canary Islands

Molina‐Borja

Rodríguez-Domínguez

2004

J Zoological System

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“…skinks, lacertids, iguanians, etc.) in which the male uses his jaws to grasp the female's neck, typically by a fold of skin, or at another part of the body [1][2][3][4]. However, few male lizards perform mate-holding behaviour by grasping the entire head of the female for extended periods, as is the case with the southern alligator lizard (Elgaria multicarinata).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Fatigue resistant jaw muscles facilitate long-lasting courtship behaviour in the southern alligator lizard (Elgaria multicarinata)

et al. 2020

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The southern alligator lizard ( Elgaria multicarinata ) exhibits a courtship behaviour during which the male firmly grips the female's head in his jaws for many hours at a time. This extreme behaviour counters the conventional wisdom that reptilian muscle is incapable of powering high-endurance behaviours. We conducted in situ experiments in which the jaw-adductor muscles of lizards were stimulated directly while bite force was measured simultaneously. Fatigue tests were performed by stimulating the muscles with a series of tetanic trains. Our results show that a substantial sustained force gradually develops during the fatigue test. This sustained force persists after peak tetanic forces have declined to a fraction of their initial magnitude. The observed sustained force during in situ fatigue tests is consistent with the courtship behaviour of these lizards and probably reflects physiological specialization. The results of molecular analysis reveal that the jaw muscles contain masticatory and tonic myosin fibres. We propose that the presence of tonic fibres may explain the unusual sustained force properties during mate-holding behaviour. The characterization of muscle properties that facilitate extreme performance during specialized behaviours may reveal general mechanisms of muscle function, especially when done in light of convergently evolved systems exhibiting similar performance characteristics.

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“…In the initial phase of our research, we analysed, in detail, and described the repertoire of natural, spontaneous behavioural patterns (ethogram) expressed by individuals of G. galloti [41,42] and some occasional observations of eating in G. stehlini [43]. We then described courtship and mating behaviour of G. simonyi [44] and also made behavioural observations for six individuals of the critically endangered G. bravoana initially included in the first attempts of reproduction in captivity [45]. For all these studies, we used the classic methodology in ethological research.…”

Section: Behavioural Patternsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…For all these studies, we used the classic methodology in ethological research. We initially described their behavioural patterns and a posterior quantification of their frequencies or durations [41][42][43][44][45][46][47].…”

Section: Behavioural Patternsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Morphology, Behaviour and Evolution of Gallotia Lizards from the Canary Islands

Molina‐Borja

Bohórquez-Alonso

2023

Animals

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We summarize, here, the results from several studies conducted over many years on several endemic species of lizards (genus Gallotia) from the Canary Islands. Quantitative analyses show clear differences both among the species of every island and populations within each species. Sexual dimorphism exists in all analysed species, and a phylogenetic analysis shows that the degree of dimorphism did not change along the evolutionary history of the Canary Islands: species with large and small body sizes have a similar degree of sexual dimorphism, with male body size changes closely following those undergone by females. In G. caesaris (from El Hierro and La Gomera islands) and in G. stehlini (from Gran Canaria), longer hind limb length was correlated with more open habitats. Within most species, males are more conspicuous than females, mainly in terms of body size, behaviour and coloration pattern. Lateral colour spots are blue in most species and green in others. In G. galloti from Tenerife, male lateral spots have larger spot areas and percentage of reflectance in the ultraviolet/blue part of the spectrum than females. This trait shows a monthly variation along April to July, both in males and females, its magnitude being larger in May–June. Behaviour analysis, especially in the last species, shows a great diversity in behaviour patterns, and analysis of intrasexual male competition revealed that contest outcome depends on several morphological and colouration characteristics but mainly on the individual’s behaviour. Detailed behavioural analyses were useful for managing a few captive individuals of the highly endangered G. bravoana from La Gomera island. Experimental analyses of some behaviours in the endemic Hierro island lizard (G. simonyi, in danger of extinction) show that individuals may learn to recognize predator models and increase their running speeds with training.

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Reproduction of the Endangered Hierro Giant Lizard Gallotia simonyi machadoi

Cited by 15 publications

References 4 publications

Evolution of biometric and life-history traits in lizards (Gallotia) from the Canary Islands

Evolution of biometric and life-history traits in lizards (Gallotia) from the Canary Islands

Fatigue resistant jaw muscles facilitate long-lasting courtship behaviour in the southern alligator lizard (Elgaria multicarinata)

Morphology, Behaviour and Evolution of Gallotia Lizards from the Canary Islands

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