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of the real lizards, family Lacertidae
Podarcis filfolensis laurentiimuelleri (FEJERVARY, 1924)
Capula, M. (2001) -
Capula, M. & Scalera, R. (1998) -
Corti, C. & Lo Cascio, P. & Vanni, S. & Turrisi, G.F. & Vaccaro, A. (1997) -
Di Palma, M.G. (1991) -
Fejervary, G.J. (1924) -
Fici, S. & Lo Valvo, F. (2004) -
Mediterranean lizards are involved in the dispersion of Capparis spinosa subsp. rupestris due to their attraction by fleshy tissues of the fruits, ripening in xeric coastal environments during the summer months. The results of field observations carried out in Linosa (Pelagie Islands) are presented, showing that dispersal by Podarcis filfolensis laurentiimuelleri principally happens through ingestion of the seeds together with parts of the fleshy pulp. This lizard, endemic to Linosa and Lampione is widespread in different habitats and shows trophic generalism. The fruit of C. spinosa subsp. rupestris, a dehiscent berry, is described and the implications of the dispersal agents on the autecology of this plant are discussed. These observations confirm the importance of lizard-plant mutualism in the islands, where lizards are often recorded as fruit consumers.
Klemmer, K. (1957) -
Lo Cascio, P. & Luiselli, L. & Corti, C. (2006) -
Lampione (35°33’00” N - 12°19’11” E Greenwich) is the smallest islet of the Pelagie Archipelago, with a surface of 2.10 ha and a maximum elevation of 36 m a.s.l. It is situated 17 Km off the western coast of Lampedusa Island, in the Channel of Sicily. The islet is inhabited by a population of the Maltese Wall Lizard, Podarcis filfolensis (Bedriaga 1876), which is interesting to study from an ecological point of view because of the unusual characteristics of the study area (extreme isolation and insularity, low human disturbance, etc.). This population, referred to the ssp. laurentiimuelleri (Fejérváry 1924) by Lanza & Bruzzone (1961), is characterised by an intense melanism. As expected, the population body size (SVL, mm) differed significantly among sexes and age classes, males were significantly bigger than females. Three out of five males, and one out of two females had the tail broken or regenerated. These frequencies did not differ significantly at χ2 test . A high density characterised the species on this islet, where it is syntopic with Chalcides ocellatus: 75-80 individuals of P. filfolensis per 100 m2 were counted in the upper plateau, covered by alo-nitrophilous vegetation (Salicornietea). Vegetal matters were found in 60.9% (total n = 14) of the faecal pellets examined (total n = 23), these exceeded in terms of frequency of occurrence any other food category. In particular, when we compared the frequency of occurrence of vegetal matters in specimens with known sex, it resulted that 4 out of 5 males, 2 out of 2 females, and 1 out of 2 sub- adults had eaten vegetal matters. is suggests that herbivorous habits are not exclusive of a given sex or age class, but are indeed widespread at all levels of the studied population. The rest of the dietary spectrum consists of small invertebrates (mainly Hymenoptera Formicidae, Coleoptera Tenebrionidae, and other arthropods), as usually found in the small lacertids of the Mediterranean basin.
Mertens, R. (1968) -
Die letzte zusammenfassende Obersicht der Malta- Reptilien durch Lanfranco (1955) ist durch Chelonia mydas und Lepidochelys (wahrscheinlich kempii) zu ergiinzen. lm Gegensatz zu seiner und der Auffassung der iilteren Autoren sind die Mauereidechsen Maltas sicherlich keine Rassen von Lacerta 11111ralis, sondern bilden einen eigenen Rassenkreis, der von der sizilianischen Lacerta 1/Nigleriana abzuleiten ist. Da die Originalbe- schreibung von L
Rosati, L. & Andreuccetti, P. & Prisco, M. (2017) -
VIP and its receptors (VPACRs) are largely investigated in vertebrate testis, as well as their functions in the control of spermatogenesis and steroidogenesis. By contrast, a few data are available about the presence and role of VIP in the epididymis. The aim of the present paper was to investigate the localization of VIP and its receptors in the epididymis of two vertebrates: Podarcis sicula, a seasonal reproducer, and Rattus rattus, a continuous reproducer. By immunohystochemical investigation, we demonstrated for the first time that VIP and its receptors are widely represented in the epididymis of Podarcis sand Rattus; in particular in Podarcis, we showed that during the reproductive period, as well as in Rattus, VIP and its receptors are well represented in all the epithelial cells and the connective tissue of the epididymis; by contrast, during the non-reproductive period, VIP and its receptors are represented only in the connective tissue. The possible role of the VIP/VPACR system in the control of reproduction is discussed.
Scalera, R. & Capula, M. & Fornasari, L. & Zava, B. & Bombi, P. & Mariottini, P. & Bologna, M.A. (2004) -
Podarcis filfolensis is a lacertid lizard endemie to the Maltese and Pelagian archipelagos (Channel of Sicily). In Italy, this species occurs on Linosa and Lampione islands only, where the populations are referred to the endemic ssp. laurentiimuelleri. The Linosa population was studied using capture/recapture methods during two sampling seasons (1993, 2001), in order to analyse various ecological parameters and to assess habitat distribution and overall conservation status. A clear preference to xeric Mediterranean habitats dominated by Pistacia lentiscus was seen. The lizard density of the whole Linosa population, estimated by various methods, is extremely high. Molecular analyses (partial sequencing of mitochondria! tRNAphe and 12S rDNA genes) and electrophoretic analysis of 26 presumptive gene loci were also carried out on samples representing the three P. filfolensis populations from Malta, Filfola and Linosa islands. Both molecular and allozyme data indicate that the populations of the Maltese Archipelago (Malta and Filfola) are closely related to each other, and that these populations are genetically relatively differentiated from the Linosa population. High levels of genetic variability characterise the latter population. Recent observations of the species on Lampione Islet indicate that it is locally widespread and abundant Even though P. filfolensis does not seem to be threatened on either Linosa or Lampione, the populations occurring on these islands need to be regularly monitored as island populations are known to be more susceptible to change and extinction than mainland ones.
Schlüter, U. (2002) -
Schlüter, U. (2005) -
A general portrait of the Maltese Wall Lizard (Podarcis filfolensis) is given including description, subspecies, distribution, ecology and reproduction. In particular the distribution and habitats of P. f. maltensis on Malta and Gozo are compared. While the Maltese wall lizard is abundant on Gozo it is rare or missing in many parts of the main island Malta. Reasons for this unexpected scattered distribution on Malta are discussed.
Sciberras, J. & Sciberras, A. (2014) -
Different behavior in populations of Podarcis filflolensis on the Maltese and Pelagian islands are described and discussed.
Tortonese, E. (1941) -