Behaviour of Italian wall lizard (Podarcis siculus) and Dalmatian wall lizard (Podarcis melisellensis) in novel environment

Primorska gušterica (Podarcis siculus) i krška gušterica (Podarcis melisellensis) su kohabitirajuće vrste guštera čiji se areali preklapaju na istočnojadranskoj obali i pripadajućim otocima. Primorska gušterica je dominantna u interspecijskim odnosima sa ostalim malim guštericama uključujući i kršku guštericu. Prilagodba različitim uvjetima staništa čini primorsku guštericu i uspješnom invazivnom vrstom, na područjima gdje nije autohtona. Cilj ovog rada bio je utvrditi razlike u ponašanju u novom okruženju u ovisnosti o vrsti i spolu. Istraživanje je provedeno na 10 mužjaka i 10 ženki svake vrste, ulovljenima na svakoj od tri lokacije (Knin, Pag i Sinj) odnosno ukupno 120 jedinki. Jedinke su tijekom istraživanja održavane u zatočeništvu u kontroliranim uvjetima. Istraživanje je provedeno testom otvorenog polja u kojem je izmjeren niz varijabli od interesa: broj palucanja jezikom i pokušaj bijega, vrijeme provedeno u centralnom, odnosno perifernom dijelu otvorenog polja, vrijeme koje je gušter proveo krećući se te udaljenost kretanja. Istraživanje je pokazalo da jedinke primorske gušterice više istražuju te da imaju manje razine neofobije u odnosu na jedinke krške gušterice. Pokazano je da ne postoji razlika u ponašanju između spolova.Italian wall lizard (Podarcis siculus) and Dalmatian wall lizard (Podarcis melisellensis) are cohabiting lizard species with overlapping home ranges in the eastern Adriatic coast and the associated islands. The Italian wall lizard is dominant in interspecific relationships with other small lizards, including the Dalmatian wall lizard. Adaptation to different habitat conditions makes the Italian wall lizard also a successful invasive species in areas where it is not native. The study aimed to determine differences in behavior in the new environment depending on the species and sex. The research was carried out on 10 males and 10 females of each species, caught at each of the three locations (Knin, Pag and Sinj) which is a total of 120 individuals. The individuals were held in controlled conditions during the study. The research was conducted by an open field test in which a number of variables were measured: the number of tongue flicks and escape attempts, the time spent in the central or peripheral part of the open field, the time the lizard spent moving, and the distance of movement. Results have shown that Italian wall lizards are more exploratory and less neophobic than Dalmatian wall lizards. The results have also shown that no difference in behaviour was found between the sexes