Retreat Sites Shared by Two Liolaemus Lizard Species: Exploring the Potential Role of Scents

RUIZ MONACHESI MARIO RICARDO; VALDECANTOS SOLEDAD; LOBO FERNANDO; CRUZ FÉLIX B.; LABRA ANTONIETA

South American Journal of Herpetology

Brazilian Society of Herpetology

Año: 2020 vol. 17 p. 79 - 86

1808-9798

Some lizard species modulate the use of a retreat site based on the presence of scents from other individuals, behavior that requires scent recognition. Here, we investigated in two congeneric and syntopic lizards, adults of Liolaemus coeruleus and juveniles of L. ceii, which can be found sharing retreat sites in the wild, whether they discriminate scents from each other during the pre-hibernation period. If the presence of heterospecific scents modulates sharing retreat sites, species would discriminate scents of each other. Lizards were exposed individually to four treatments, which were the enclosures with scents of: (1) own, from the focal individual; (2) conspecific of same sex as the focal lizard; (3) heterospecific of same sex than focal and (4) control, i.e., enclosure with a clean substrate. Our results suggest that there is no heterospecific recognition, which was not consequence of an inability to chemo-assess scents, since both species exhibited self-recognition (recognition of own scents) and juveniles of L. ceii also showed conspecific recognition. Although species may have advantages in sharing retreat sites, apparently, chemical recognition of heterospecific scents would not modulate this retreat site sharing by these syntopic species.