Chemical blindness in Liolaemus lizards is counterbalanced by visual signals, the case of two species with different communication modalities

Animals employ a wide variety of communication tactics that rely on distinct sensory modalities. Lizards are characterized by their heightened dependence on chemical and visual communication. Some authors have proposed that a reduced number of chemical secretory pores may be associated with an increased visual dependence in some species. Here, we study two species of Liolaemus lizards with different chemical features to compare their visual and chemical communication. The first species, L. coeruleus, does not have precloacal pores in either sex, while L. albiceps has precloacal pores in both sexes. We expect that L. coeruleus will principally adhere to the visual modality, while L. albiceps will show greater chemical responses. We filmed the lizard’s response to different chemical and visual stimuli. In the trials, both species demonstrated chemical self-recognition, L. albiceps exhibited less total time in motion but more behavioural displays in the presence of conspecific scents, suggesting conspecific chemical recognition too. On the other hand, visuals results showed that L. coeruleus reacted more to the presence of conspecifics than L. albiceps. These observations suggest that L. coeruleus relies more on visual signalization, while L. albiceps has a greater dependence on chemical communication. Our results may indicate a correspondence between precloacal secretions and the response to these by conspecifics in both species studied.Fil: Ruiz Monachesi, Mario Ricardo. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Salta. Instituto de Bio y Geociencias del NOA. Universidad Nacional de Salta. Facultad de Ciencias Naturales. Museo de Ciencias Naturales. Instituto de Bio y Geociencias del NOA; ArgentinaFil: Valdecantos, Maria Soledad. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Salta. Instituto de Bio y Geociencias del NOA. Universidad Nacional de Salta. Facultad de Ciencias Naturales. Museo de Ciencias Naturales. Instituto de Bio y Geociencias del NOA; ArgentinaFil: Cruz, Felix Benjamin. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Patagonia Norte. Instituto de Investigaciones en Biodiversidad y Medioambiente. Universidad Nacional del Comahue. Centro Regional Universidad Bariloche. Instituto de Investigaciones en Biodiversidad y Medioambiente; Argentin