Madeira lizard
| Madeira lizard | ||||||||||||
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Madeira Lizard ( Teira dugesii ), |
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| Systematics | ||||||||||||
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| Scientific name of the genus | ||||||||||||
| Teira | ||||||||||||
| JE Gray , 1838 | ||||||||||||
| Scientific name of the species | ||||||||||||
| Teira dugesii | ||||||||||||
| ( Milne-Edwards , 1829) |
The Madeira lizard or Madeira wall lizard ( Teira dugesii ) is a species of lizard from the family of real lizards (Lacertidae) that is endemic to some Macaronesian islands in the Atlantic . It used to be carried under the scientific name Lacerta dugesii or Podarcis dugesii . The genus Teira is monotypical in current surveys , so it only consists of this one species. Terra typica is Madeira. Alternatively, the spectacled lizard ( Scelarcis perspicillata , syn .: Teira perspicillata ), which occurs on the north-west African mainland, is also included in the genus Teira . The beginning of speciation of Teira dugesii is estimated to be more than 10 million years ago.
features
The species reaches a total length of a maximum of about 23.5 centimeters, of which the tail is not quite two thirds (or: 1.55 to 1.85 times the head-trunk length). Certain island deposits remain somewhat smaller. It is a relatively robust lizard with a pointed head that is triangular when viewed from above. Neck and neck region are just as wide or wider than the head, the body is quite flattened. Further morphological species characteristics result from the head signs and the body scaling. A sexual dimorphism can be recognized in that the males are larger and much more powerfully built than the females and also have longer limbs and tails (the latter with a thickened base). In addition, her head is larger and wider in relation to the trunk and particularly swollen in the cheek region.
Coloring and drawing are extremely variable; Here too, males and females differ. The basic color of the upper side is brownish, but it can also be gray, green or black. Usually there is also a yellowish or greenish mottling. Light, mostly dark-framed longitudinal stripes run down the back to the base of the tail, while there is often a dark longitudinal band on the flanks, which in turn is usually lightly speckled. In contrast to the females, the juvenile stripes in the males become indistinct or dissolve completely. The belly side is usually creamy white to yellowish, but in males it can also be orange to reddish and then contrast strongly with a sometimes blue throat. The blue coloration is said to occur occasionally on the abdomen, especially in partially or fully melanistic specimens (blackened dogs). Black spots may or may not be present on the base color on the abdomen.
Systematics
The Madeira lizard was first described by Henri Milne Edwards as Lacerta dugesii . John Edward Gray described the species in 1838 under the name Teira punctata . From this description the current generic name was adopted, which for many years only had the status of a sub-genus. It was not until the revision of the genus Lacerta by Mayer and Bischoff in 1996 that it was given genus status.
In addition to the nominate form Teira dugesii dugesii ( Milne-Edwards , 1829), three other subspecies are differentiated: Teira dugesii mauli ( Mertens , 1938) from the Ilhas Desertas , Teira dugesii selvagensis ( Bischoff , Osenegg & Mayer , 1989) from the Ilhas Selvagens and Teira dugesii jogeri ( Bischoff , Osenegg & Mayer , 1989) from Porto Santo . These have diverged morphologically very quickly and clearly on their respective islands or island groups .
distribution
The range of the species includes the islands of Madeira, Ilhas Desertas, Porto Santo, the cliffs of the Ilhas Selvagens and - after introduction by seafarers - the islands of Faial , Graciosa , Terceira , São Miguel , Santa Maria , Pico and São Jorge in the Azores archipelago , also the port area of Lisbon in Portugal, where it was brought in by the transport of bananas.
While the Madeira lizard, which was presumably naturalized in the Mid-Atlantic Azores from 1860, is the only terrestrial reptile species there , it occurs on Madeira alongside five other species ( Gallotia caesaris , Gallotia galloti , Hemidactylus mabouia , Indotyphlops braminus , Tarentola mauritanica ) and is considered there as probably autochthonous . It is conceivable that specimens of the ancestors of this species were drifted from the Moroccan mainland with debris to the Madeira archipelago. Evidence of sightings of the Madeira wall lizard in the Canary Islands is considered dubious.
Habitat and way of life
Teira dugesii prefers stony to rocky landscapes, but is considered to be ecologically flexible in its choice of habitat. Some authors emphasize a preference for the proximity of water (flushing edge of the sea, port facilities, creek valleys in the interior of the island). It is most common near human settlements. There, for example, stone heaps and terrace walls with joint gaps are populated in high density.
The Madeira lizard is diurnal. In the morning, sunbathing is done on stony ground in order to raise the body temperature that has cooled down at night. The cold- blooded animals usually spend the midday heat in shady places.
They feed primarily on small invertebrates , mostly insects and spiders, which they hunt. Also worth mentioning is tail cannibalism, i.e. the consumption of the tails of conspecifics thrown off during territorial battles. A striking number of specimens of the Madeira lizard show regenerated tails. These have therefore already lost their "original tail". In addition to animal food, vegetable food also plays an important role - possibly because of a lack of arthropods . Gladly the nectar is licked from flowers (among others at the Natternkopf -Art Echium nervosum ). Since they also eat grapes, bananas and other cultivated fruits, the lizards are often fought by the inhabitants of Madeira with poisoned bait. On the other hand, tourists like to feed them with all kinds of leftovers.
The species apparently has comparatively few enemies. In addition to the people who actively pursue them, stray dogs and cats are primarily considered to be predators . Rats, birds of prey and gulls are also possible predators.
Reproduction
Like most lizards, Teira dugesii is egg-laying. Apart from terrarium observations, only a few details are known about reproductive biology. A few weeks after the end of hibernation, the mating season begins around April. The males often show a pronounced aggressiveness and "rowdy" towards rivals in order to defend their territory. The mating proceeds in the typical lizard manner, including flank bites of the male in the female (compare: sand lizard ). The egg clutches are deposited in digible soil in the summer months, possibly until October. The young hatch about three months later, with a total length of about 85 to 93 mm. Sexual maturity begins about a year and a quarter to a year and a half later.
Others
Due to the high density of lizards, Lyme disease is practically unknown in Madeira. This infectious disease is triggered by Borrelia bacteria that live in the blood of mice ( reservoir hosts ). It is transmitted to humans through the bite of an infected tick . However, this bacterium is never found in the blood of a lizard. Since ticks infest both mice and lizards, and the number of lizards by far exceeds that of mice, the tick population is only very slightly infected with Borrelia .
swell
The article is essentially based on the following literature :
- Klaus Richter: Teira dugesii (Milne-Edwards, 1829) - Madeira wall lizard. In: Wolfgang Bischoff (Hrsg.): The reptiles of the Canary Islands, the Selvagens Islands and the Madeira Archipelago (= manual of the reptiles and amphibians of Europe. Vol. 6). Aula-Verlag, Wiesbaden 1998, ISBN 3-89104-436-4 , pp. 413-432.
The following website was also evaluated:
Individual evidence
- ^ Philipp Wagner, Aaron M. Bauer, Thomas M. Wilms, Mirko Barts, Wolfgang Böhme: Miscellanea Accrodontia: Notes on Nomenclature, Taxonomy and Distribution . In: Russian Journal of Herpetology . tape 19 , no. 2 , May 24, 2012, ISSN 1026-2296 , p. 177–189 ( folium.ru [accessed October 1, 2018]).
- ↑ Chalcides viridanus (West Canary Skink). Retrieved October 1, 2018 .
- ↑ Indotyphlops braminus . In: The Reptile Database . ( reptarium.cz [accessed October 1, 2018]).
- ↑ Search results | The Reptile Database. Retrieved October 1, 2018 (critical review of the query results and the sources indicated for each species).
- ↑ Deutsches Ärzteblatt (Volume 98, Issue 20): On the benefits of the Madeira Wall Lizard from May 18, 2001, loaded on June 22, 2016
Other web links
- Teira dugesii inthe IUCN 2013 Red List of Threatened Species . Posted by: Paulo Sá-Sousa, Roberto Sindaco, 2008. Retrieved January 30, 2014.
- Distribution map and photos of the Madeira lizard at www.lacerta.de
- Natural history travel reports from the Azores at www.fnz.at
- "On the benefits of the Madeira wall lizard" (article at www.aerzteblatt.de)
- Stephan Arndt, Wolfgang Bischoff: Comments on: “How a pest makes itself useful in Madeira”. In: The Lizard. Issue 7, 1992, ISSN 0945-5183 , pp. 25-27, digital version (PDF; 82.37 KB) .