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Massimo Capula

  • Biodiversity Journal, 2 (2): 089-096

    Pietro Lo Cascio & Massimo Capula
    Does diet in lacertid lizards reflect prey availability? Evidence for selective predation in the Aeolian wall lizard, Podarcis raffonei (Mertens, 1952) (Reptilia, Lacertidae)

    ABSTRACT
    In this paper the invertebrate fauna occurring on Scoglio Faraglione, a tiny Aeolian island (Aeolian Archipelago, NE Sicily) inhabited by a population of the critically endangered lacertid lizard Podarcis raffonei (Mertens, 1952), was censused at different seasons and the resulting data were then compared with data obtained analysing prey composition and prey abundance in the diet of the lizards occurring on the same islet. The diet of Podarcis raffonei was mainly based on insects and other arthropods. The results indicate that diet composition is not directly influenced by prey availability and temporal prey abundance, and that there is strong evidence indicating selective predation. Lizards prey upon a number of arthropod categories fewer than that recorded in field. Some invertebrate taxa (e.g. Diptera and Gastropoda) are really less attractive for lizards and are rarely preyed or not preyed at all despite their spatial and/or temporal abundance. This suggests that Podarcis raffonei is able to operate a hierarchical choice within the range of prey items constituting its prey spectrum, probably through the ability to discriminate between prey chemicals or visually oriented predation.