Ecology and status of Liolaemus multimaculatus (Sauria, Tropiduridae) in coastal dunes of Argentina: a preliminary advance.

FEDERICO PABLO KACOLIRIS; GIANLUCA GUAITOLI

Roma, Italia

Congreso; VI Congresso Nazionale Societas Herpetologica Italica; 2006

Societas Herpetologica Italica

The small lizard Liolaemus multimaculatus is an endemic threatened species of coastal dunes of the Buenos Aires and Río Negro Provinces of Argentina. The aim of this work is to describe and to analyze, population size, habitat use, sex ratio and age structure of a population of L. multimaculatus in term to reflect the population status. Between 2005 and 2006 (January and February) we made samplings every day in the “Mar Chiquita Natural Reserve”. We applied a systematic line sampling design. We recorded age class, sex, habitat and microhabitat type, precise location and perpendicular distance of detection with respect to the line sampler for a total of 262 individuals. Habitat data show a large frequency of individuals in the previous and middle dunes sectors (39% and 59% of the total detections, respectively). With respect to the microhabitat, the 96% of the individuals were detected in dunes grasslands of Spartina ciliata (Graminea).This result suggest a pronounced preference of this habitat and microhabitat type, probably due to the substratum type, because this species has the capacity to “submerge in the sand" for take refuge of the predators. Both, sex ratio and age class data are few to make robust statistical analysis; for that reason, we contemplate the population structure in this work, only of descriptive way. In order to estimate the population density we applied the "Distance Sampling" model. The population density value estimated was 4,26 individuals per hectare (SD= 0,66; n=63; N=68). Further works is needed in term to determine and evaluate population structure, home-range, survival and his implications on the population status. This knowledge can be important for the handling and the conservation of this species.