Cirer, A. M. (1981): La lagartija ibicenca y su circulo de razas. Estudio introductorio. 106 pp. Consell Insular d'Eivissa i Formentera

Abstract

Cirer, A. M. (1981): La lagartija ibicenca y su circulo de razas.Estudio introductorio.106 pp.Consell Insular d'Eivissa i Formentera.This study is dedicated to an interesting problem which has stimulated the interest of herpetologists for many years -the populations of the Ibiza Wall Lizard, Podarcis pityusensis Boscà 1883.The author has visited Ibiza and numerous islets in 1979 and 1980 and captured a total of 807 specimens.Chapter4 is dedicated to a geographical and ecological description of the islets and chapter 5 to the formation and progressive isolation of them.Chapter 7 summarizes the scarce data available on the climatology of the region based on meteorological stations in Ibiza.However the author, on the basis of a number of suggestions based on her own observations, divides the islets into two groups.One of them is that formed by those islets situated between Ibiza and Formentera, which according to Cirer is characterized by its low thermal fluctuations.The other group is that of the other islands.My attention was drawn to the fact that she considers that the lizards of Frare were probably introduced from Bledas as the form there is melanistic.It seems to me that it would be helpful to employ an electrophoretic analysis or another method which establish whether it is an autochtonous population which became melanistic or whether it has been introduced from Bledas.During my visits to the arquipelago my attention was drawn to the probable importance of the seagull colonies in the ecology ofthe lizards.On those islands where the gulls nest, the vegetation flourish and the lizards appear to be abundant as in Murada, Negres, Bledas, etc.It would be interesting to study this interaction between the gulls and the ecology of the islets which seems to be of importance in the case of other mediterranean lizards such as Podarcis lilfordi.With regard to chapter 6.4 which refers to the influence of the climate on behaviour, I have observed different activity on Ibiza than on the other islets.There was winter activity amongst the lizards on the islets although this was very limited on Ibiza.Chapter 7.1 contains a principal component analysis and chapter 7.2 shows dendrograms the taxonomic results of which are presented in this chapter, where only seven subspecies are considered as valid.One subspecies is P. p. pityusensis with its synonyms algae, caldesiana, canaretensis, caragolensis, espalmadoris, formenterae, sabinae, subformenterae, grueni, gastabiensis, espardellensis, negrae, ahorcadosi, martinezi, puercosensis and torretensis.Another one is P. p. vedraewith its synonym vedranellensis.Others are P. p. kameriana, P. p. muradae, P. p. maluquerorum with its synonym gorrae and P. p. affinis with its synonyms calaesaladae, canensis, carlkochi, charracae, grossae, hortaeratae, redonae, schreitmuelleri and tagomagensis.However the coloration alone is used in 5 cases in order to differentiate between the seven Cirer subspecies without any recourse to mathematical analysis.Grouping together affinis with its synonyms on the basis of this analysis has no geographical sense, however, because this unites populations of islets dispersed throughout the arquipelago.Finally in chapter 7.3 the author presents a canonical analysis which is of even less use in the study of these populations.