Madeiran wall lizard

Madeiran wall lizard
Conservation status
	; Least Concern (IUCN 3.1)
Scientific classification
Domain:	Eukaryota
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Reptilia
Order:	Squamata
Family:	Lacertidae
Genus:	Teira; Gray, 1838
Species:	T. dugesii
Binomial name
	Teira dugesii; (Milne-Edwards, 1829)
Synonyms
	Lacerta dugesii ; Milne-Edwards, 1829; Podarcis dugesii ; — Engelmann et al., 1993; Teira dugesii ; — Mayer & Bischoff, 1996;

The Madeiran wall lizard (Teira dugesii) is a species of lizard in the family Lacertidae. It is the only species in the genus Teira. The species is endemic to the Madeira Archipelago, Portugal. In the Azores, this lizard has become naturalized after involuntary introduction by the shipping trade between the two archipelagos. There are four recognized subspecies. The species is both endemic and common, ranging from sea coasts to altitudes of 1,850 metres (6,070 ft). It is usually found in rocky places or among scrub and may climb into trees. It is also found in gardens and on walls. It feeds on vegetable matter and small invertebrates such as ants. The tail is easily shed and the stump regenerates slowly. The colouring is variable and tends to match the surroundings, typically a shade of brown or grey with occasionally a greenish tinge. Most animals are finely flecked with darker markings. The underparts are white or cream, sometimes with dark spots, with some males having orange or red underparts and blue throats, but these bright colours may fade if the animal is disturbed.^[3] The Madeiran wall lizard grows to a snout-to-vent length of about 8 cm (3.1 in) with a tail about 1.7 times the length of its body. Females lay two to three clutches of eggs in a year with the juveniles being about 3 cm (1.2 in) when they hatch.^[3]

Etymology

The specific name, dugesii, is in honor of French physician and naturalist Antoine Louis Dugès.^[4]

Habitat

The Madeiran wall lizard's natural habitats are temperate forests and shrublands, Mediterranean-type shrubby vegetation, rocky areas, rocky shores, sandy shores, arable land, pastureland, plantations, rural gardens, and urban areas.^[1]

Subspecies

The following four subspecies are recognized as being valid, including the nominotypical subspecies.^[5]

Teira dugesii dugesii (Milne-Edwards, 1829)
Teira dugesii jogeri (Bischoff, Osenegg & Mayer, 1989); named after German herpetologist Ulrich Joger^[4]
Teira dugesii mauli (Mertens, 1938)
Teira dugesii selvagensis (Bischoff, Osenegg & Mayer, 1989); named after the Selvagens Islands

Nota bene: A trinomial authority in parentheses indicates that the subspecies was originally described in a genus other than Teira.

Description

The Madeiran wall lizard grows to a snout-to-vent length (SVL) of about 8 cm (3.1 in) with a tail about 1.7 times the length of its body. The colouring is variable and tends to match the colour of the animal's surroundings, being some shade of brown or grey with occasionally a greenish tinge. Most animals are finely flecked with darker markings. The underparts are white or cream, sometimes with dark spots, with some males having orange or red underparts and blue throats, but these bright colours may fade if the animal is disturbed.^[6] On the island of Madeira, individuals from shingle beaches have been found to be morphologically divergent from adjacent inland individuals from vegetated habitats despite high levels of gene flow.^[7] In addition, several genomic loci that appear to be on chromosome 3 appear to show polymorphisms linked to these habitat differences^[8]

Behaviour

The Madeiran wall lizard is very common on the island of Madeira where it is the only small lizard, ranging from sea coasts to altitudes of 1,850 metres (6,070 ft). It is usually found in rocky places or among scrub and may climb into trees. It is also found in gardens and on the walls of buildings. The tail is easily shed and the stump regenerates slowly.^[6]

Diet

Madeiran wall lizard (Teira dugesii) captured in Levada do Norte, Madeira

The Madeiran wall lizard feeds on small invertebrates such as ants and also eats some vegetable matter such as bananas.^[6]

Reproduction

Adult females of T. dugesii lay two to three clutches of eggs in a year with the juveniles being about 3 cm (1.2 in) when they hatch.^[6]

Ecoepidemiology

T. dugesii is one of many species that may be parasitized by ticks and can act as a secondary or alternative reservoir for Lyme disease or other tick-borne zoonoses.^[9] Large warm-blooded mammals like deer and boar seem to have become the first epidemiologic tank (and/or host) for European ticks.^[10]

References

^ ^a ^b Paulo Sá-Sousa, Roberto Sindaco. (2017) [errata version of 2009 assessment]. "Teira dugesii". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2009: e.T61521A121720531. Retrieved 1 July 2024.
^ Species Teira dugesii at The Reptile Database www.reptile-database.org.
^ ^a ^b Arnold, E. Nicholas [in French]; Ovenden, Denys W. (2002). Field Guide: Reptiles & Amphibians of Britain & Europe. London: Collins & Co. pp. 154–155. ISBN 9780002199643.
^ ^a ^b Beolens, Bo; Watkins, Michael; Grayson, Michael (2011). The Eponym Dictionary of Reptiles. Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press. xiii + 296 pp. ISBN 978-1-4214-0135-5. (Lacerta dugesii, p. 76; "Joger", p. 135).
^ "Oldstyle id: 7d33bdd95b453151f9ad92386a79cec2". Catalogue of Life. Species 2000: Leiden, the Netherlands.
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d Arnold, E. Nicholas [in French]; Ovenden, Denys W. (2002). Field Guide: Reptiles & Amphibians of Britain & Europe. London: Collins & Co. pp. 154–155. ISBN 978-0-00-219964-3.
^ Brown, R.P.; Meloro, C. (2023). "Life on a beach leads to phenotypic divergence despite gene flow for an island lizard". Communications Biology.
^ Brown, R. P.; Meloro, C. "Habitat-associated Genomic Variation in a Wall Lizard from an Oceanic Island". Genome Biology and Evolution.
^ De Sousa R, Lopes de Carvalho I, Santos AS, Bernardes C, Milhano N, Jesus J, Menezes D, Nuncio MS (2012). "Role of the lizard Teira dugesii as a potential host for Ixodes ricinus tick-borne pathogens". Applied and Environmental Microbiology 78 (10): 3767–3769.
^ Wodecka B, Rymaszewska A, Skotarczak B (2014). "Host and pathogen DNA identification in blood meals of nymphal Ixodes ricinus ticks from forest parks and rural forests of Poland". Experimental and Applied Acarology 62 (4): 543-555. (résumé).