Abstract
After a provisional review of the knowledge on Lacerta horvathi in Italy, the authors present new data on its distribution, spacing strategy and territoriality. The species is quite common in various mountainous habitats of north-eastern Italy, both in Friuli- Venezia Giulia (Udine Province, more than 55 localities; Pordenone Province, 1 locality) and Veneto (Belluno Province, 1 locality). In these areas, it lives from 250 (Pradolino Gorge, Pulfero, Udine) to 2000 metres a.s.l.. (M.te Ponza, Tarvisio, Udine). The preliminary comparison between the homing patterns of syntopic L. horvathi and Podarcis muralis suggests that this last-mentioned species is characterised by wider home ranges - 3-9 times bigger than those of L. horvathi - showing a very high inter-specific aggressiveness. However, in deeper gorges, in cool valleys with Dinaric orientation, as well as on top of mountains, L. horvathi tends to vicariate P. muralis for various differences in both spacing, thermal, and reproductive strategies. In no...
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Disclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.