Moso lizard

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Moso lizard
A moss lizard from the Orjen

A moss lizard from the Orjen

Systematics
Superordinate : Scale lizards (Lepidosauria)
Order : Scale reptiles (Squamata)
Family : Real lizards (Lacertidae)
Subfamily : Lacertinae
Genre : Dinarolacerta
Type : Moso lizard
Scientific name
Dinarolacerta mosorensis
( Kolombatovic , 1886)
Moso lizard

The mosor rock lizard or Mosor rock lizard ( Dinarolacerta mosorensis , Syn. : Archaeolacerta mosorensis , Lacerta mosorensis ) is a medium-sized and moderately flattened lizard with recently sharpened head, in the mountainous regions in southern Croatia , in the Herzegovina and Montenegro is widespread.

features

Lithograph Lacerta mosorensis , Annalen dkk Naturhistorisches Museum Wien, Vol. 7, 1892
Moso lizard

The main characteristic in comparison to most other Mediterranean lizards and generally all other lizards is, among others, the very flattened body and head. The medium-sized, slender lizard with a very flat, pointed head and flat body reaches a head-torso length of around five to seven centimeters. The tail is very long and thin and can double its length (10 to 13 centimeters), making the animal a total of 15 to 22 centimeters long. In both sexes, the head is a third longer than it is wide. There are long toes with powerful claws on the feet.

The top of the head, torso and tail is very variable in color with a basic color from olive green to chocolate brown, gray, gray-brown or brownish, whereby the flanks can be a little darker than the back from time to time. All over the top, including the pileus, the tops of the legs, and the tops of the tail, there are irregular, small black spots that can collide on the flanks to form small squiggles. In the middle of the back they can exceptionally unite to form a dark band. There are also animals that lack the dark markings. The entire underside is straw, green or yolk yellow, sometimes even orange. Females can sometimes have a lead gray belly. Most of the time the underside is largely unspotted, only the outer ventral row shows ultramarine blue spots on the outside. These can spread to adjacent scales. The posterior submaxillary shields are cloudy blue in males. The underside of the head of the females is chocolate-brown, becoming bluish on the rear submaxillaries and on the collar.

Very young animals are almost blackish on top, so that the characteristic dark spots can hardly be seen. On the tail, this color gradually turns into light iron gray, just like the underside should be colored. Other authors write that the young animals are similar to the old ones, only with a pale belly. Young animals born in captivity were largely the same as the old animals; only some had blue tails. This blue color is not as intense as in other species.

As an adaptation to the cool and humid habitats of the Hochdinarides, the embryos are already partially developed during the oviposition. This shortens the hatching time of the lizards to less than 30 days.

distribution and habitat

Jugged carts on glacial stratified stairs are a preferred habitat in the oromediterranean zone of the sub-Adriatic Dinarides. Reovačka Greda wall of the Bijela gora in Orjen
One of the habitat of the mosquito lizard are geological stratified stairs in the Dinaric karst block dumps fir forest, Bijela gora, Montenegro

This rock and mountain lizard inhabits humid regions in the karst mountains of the littoral or still Mediterranean-toned Dinarides from 450 to 1900 meters above sea level. Its area extends from the Adriatic coast to the European main watershed and reaches the Danube catchment area in the Tara Gorge . Here it has an incoherent area in southern Croatia , Montenegro and Herzegovina, split up into isolated mountain groups .

Her habitat is karstified rock formations in high mountains such as the sub-Adriatic Orjen on the Bay of Kotor or in the high Dinaric Durmitor Mountains far from the coast , whereby she always inhabits layered or banked limestone cliffs within the Šibljak formation (deciduous sub- / supramediterranean, armored pine formations) - Forests or juniper bushes, sometimes near water. In Montenegro it is also widespread in the boulder forests of the Dinaric karst block dump fir forest . Here she was observed jumping in leaps and bounds over the wide cleft carts of heavily cased glacial stratified stairs.

The individual locations of the mosquito lizard are considered oro-Mediterranean relic locations, in which the species inhabits more or less biogeographical islands on humid mountain groups. It has evaded its glacial retreats in lower elevations during the interglacial periods through vertical migration into cooler and more humid zones. In its adaptation, it is a pronounced rock lizard on xerothermal mountain rocks, limestone walls and rock heaps with extremely cold winter conditions, but more limited to humid and shady locations.

It was not until 2007 that the very similar and closely related Prokletije lizard from the Prokletije in Montenegro was spun off as a crypto species from the Moso lizard. The genetically isolated populations of the Mosor and Prokletije lizard emerged as vicarious species, which otherwise colonize similar habitats , due to the ice age cooling and the spatial separation through the deep incision of the Morača canyon in a strongly reliefed habitat. Outwardly there are only a few distinguishing features between these. In particular, the Prokletije lizard remains smaller than the Moso lizard.

Way of life and behavior

Subadult animal, Orjen Mountains (Bijela gora)

The mosquito lizard is relatively shy, but curious. She is very agile, climbs skillfully and can effortlessly make several meters wide and deep jumps over karst crevices, the so-called carts . The animals can also be observed in smaller groups and are always found on bare rocks. It emerges from its winter quarters in April, one month after the species that live in lower elevations. She lays four to six eggs in late July and early August. The eggs are relatively large and have a pinkish tinge. The bean-shaped eggs are 10 to 15 mm long and 6 to 8 mm in diameter. Young animals hatch at the end of September. The offspring mated in June, the eggs lay between mid to late July and the incubation period was 23 days. Of all lizards, the mosquito lizard has the shortest incubation time.

She visits her winter quarters in October. Although the species is very shy in nature, it is described as downright trusting in captivity. The species is found in its natural habitat in large numbers of individuals, which is also attributed to the few enemies of the mosquito lizard in their high mountain biotopes.

Hazard and protection

The Moso lizard is one of the rarest lizards in Europe due to its spatially very limited range and its very special habitat. At the IUCN it is classified as endangered ("vulnerable"). Like all European reptiles, it is listed in Appendix II of the Bern Convention ( Convention on the Conservation of European Wild Plants and Animals and their Natural Habitats ) and thus enjoys strict protection within the European Union . The animals may neither be killed nor caught.

literature

Web links

Commons : Dinarolacerta mosorensis  - Collection of images, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Wolfgang Böhme 1984 (Ed.): Handbuch der Amphibien und Reptilien Europa. Vol. 2/1, Lizards (Sauria) II (Lacertidae II: Lacerta ). Auditorium, Wiesbaden. ISBN 3-89104-000-8 . Here p. 290
  2. ↑ Wolfgang Böhme 1984 (Ed.): Handbuch der Amphibien und Reptilien Europa. P. 292
  3. ↑ Wolfgang Böhme 1984 (Ed.): Handbuch der Amphibien und Reptilien Europa. P. 296
  4. ↑ J. Crnobrnja-Isailovic & G. Dzukic 1997: Lacerta mosorensis Kolombatovic, 1886. In: Gasc JP, Cabela A., Crnobrnja-Isailovic J., Dolmen D., Grossenbacher K., Haffner P., Lescure J., Martens H., Martínez Rica JP, Maurin H., Oliveira ME, Sofianidou TS, Veith M. & Zuiderwijk A. (eds), 1997. Atlas of amphibians and reptiles in Europe. Collection Patrimoines Naturels, 29, Societas Europaea Herpetologica, Muséum National d'Histoire Naturelle & Service du Patrimoine Naturel, Paris, 496 pp. Here p. 251
  5. ↑ Pavle Cikovac 2002: Sociology and site-dependent distribution of fir-rich forests in the Orjen Mountains (Montenegro). Diploma thesis at the Department of Geography at the LMU, Munich. Here p. 85 (PDF)
  6. ↑ J. Crnobrnja-Isailovic & G. Dzukic 1997: Lacerta mosorensis Kolombatovic, 1886. p. 251
  7. ↑ Wolfgang Böhme 1984 (Ed.): Handbuch der Amphibien und Reptilien Europa. P. 299
  8. ↑ Wolfgang Böhme 1984 (Ed.): Handbuch der Amphibien und Reptilien Europa. P. 299
  9. ↑ Wolfgang Böhme 1984 (Ed.): Handbuch der Amphibien und Reptilien Europa. P. 299
  10. ↑ Dinarolacerta mosorensis in the endangered Red List species the IUCN 2007. Posted by: Isailovic, JC, Ajtic, R. & Vogrin, M., 2006. Retrieved on January 14 of 2008.
  11. ↑ Appendix II of the Bern Convention