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

RUIZ MONACHESI M.R. ; VALDECANTOS MS; LOBO, FERNANDO; CRUZ F.B. ; LABRA A.

South American Journal of Herpetology

BIO One

Año: 2020

Some lizard species modulate the use of a retreat site based on the presence of scents from22 other individuals, behavior that requires scent recognition. Here, we investigated in two23 congeneric and syntopic lizards, adults of Liolaemus coeruleus and juveniles of L. ceii, which24 can be found sharing retreat sites in the wild, whether they discriminate scents from each25 other during the pre-hibernation period. If the presence of heterospecific scents modulates26 sharing retreat sites, species would discriminate scents of each other. Lizards were exposed27 individually to four treatments, which were the enclosures with scents of: (1) own, from the28 focal individual; (2) conspecific of same sex as the focal lizard; (3) heterospecific of same sex29 than focal and (4) control, i.e., enclosure with a clean substrate. Our results suggest that there30 is no heterospecific recognition, which was not consequence of an inability to chemo-assess31 scents, since both species exhibited self-recognition (recognition of own scents) and juveniles32 of L. ceii also showed conspecific recognition. Although species may have advantages in33 sharing retreat sites, apparently, chemical recognition of heterospecific scents would not34 modulate this retreat site sharing by these syntopic species.