First observation of Moorish Gecko Tarentola mauritanica predating the Common Wall Lizard Podarcis muralis in France🦎
🦎The Moorish Gecko (Tarentola mauritanica) is a medium-sized lizard belonging to thePhyllodactylidae family. It feeds mainly on invertebrates (beetles, arachnids, hymenoptera, lepidoptera,and insect larvae). In the case of saurophagy, a single predation on an adult Italian Wall Lizard (Podarcissiculus) has been described, while the remaining few predations involved only juvenile lacertids of the genus Podarcis and two species of geckos (including cannibalism).
🦎The presence of the Moorish Geckoin new habitats can be a source of competition for other lizard species in terms of food resources, ecological niche, spread of parasites and even becoming one of its predators.
🦎Pellitteri-Rosa et al. (2015) describe for the first time the predation of T. mauritanica on a lacertid adult, and in this case on an adult of Podarcis siculus. Previous literature only reported predation on juvenile lacertids of the genus Podarcis: P. lilfordi, P. siculus and P. hispanicus in the Seville region (in fact, Podarcis vaucheri, according to a recent genetic study). The presence of geckos in the gecko diet, with photographic evidence, is reported only by Giacobbe et al. (2010), who document in detail predation and attempts on juveniles of Hemidactylus turcicus in Italy.🕵
🕵Unfortunately, many sources mention saurophagy in T. mauritanica without giving details of the species consumed. Salvador (1978) speculates on possible predation on juveniles of H. turcicus, while González de la Vega (1988) discusses cannibalism in juveniles of T. mauritanica. Schleich et al. (1996) assert that T. mauritanica, at least in captivity, can exhibit cannibalistic behavior. Picariello (1996), on the basis of personal observations, states that T. mauritanica may feed “perhaps on smaller geckos”. Rieppel (1981) also adds P. siculus to the species' spectrealimentary list, on the basis of an unpublished observation by W. Böhme in Italy, for which no precise details are given. In France, Fretey (1987) mentioned the predation of T. mauritanica on juvenile wall lizards and Vacher and Geniez (2010) on P. liolepis (Boulenger, 1905), unfortunately without giving any further details: neither photographic evidence nor location.
🦖 Here we present the first direct observation of Moorish Gecko predation on an adult Common Wall Lizard (Podarcis muralis) in France (PHOTO BELOW).
Observations such as these, even as single events, can broaden the scope of information aboutthe natural history and ecology of T. mauritanica and its saurophagous diet. This observation shoulden courage research and monitoring of the potential impact and competition between the two species, as has been done in other such studies.
🕵For more details including the gecko's impact on other populations and the environment, I invite you to read the full paper in a free pdf:
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#gecko #nature #conservation #herpetology #predation #moorishgecko #podarcis #podarcismuralis #Tarentolamauritanica #France #Diet #Sauria #feedingecology #predatorpreyinteractions
Naturalist, traveler, French-Polish herpetologist, interested in biodiversity and the conservation of herpetofauna. I have always been passionate about observing and studying amphibians and reptiles, especially different species of lizards in many countries. This has allowed me to gain experience in scientific research by collaborating with other specialists, attending numerous conferences and writing papers on herpetofauna. I participate in numerous monitoring and conservation programmes. Member of the IUCN SSC Monitor Lizard Specialist Group. Addicted to Natural History.
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Wow, this is fascinating! Thanks for sharing this detailed observation and the paper link.