SNAkES: INTRIGuING ORGANISMS AND THEIR DIET. THE CASE OF THE EuROPEAN WHIP SNAkE, HIEROPHIS VIRIDIFLAVUS

Interest toward snake biology and ecology is now- adays a matter of fact. Despite dozen and dozen papers on snake biology and diet, it is paradoxical that virtually nothing is available on energetic of natural preys in the wild, nor if geographically intra-specific differences may exist. We have been aimed at testing if prey energetic estimated values com- pared to actually observed prey profiles from wild snakes, may lead to a better interpretation of the diet spectrum, diet range, diet overlapping found in most of the studied snakes. As model species we used the European Whip snake, Hiero- phis viridiflavus, the commonest Italian snake species. Two contrasted areas and populations (Western France vs Central Italy) show marked differences in both prey percentage as well as in prey energetic, suggesting a strong relationship climate-habitat-metabolic requirements

Conservation Biology of the European Pond Turtle, Emys orbicularis (Linnaeus 1758), in Italy: review of systematics and reproductive ecology patterns (Reptilia Emydidae)

The European pond turtle has been found to be a polytipic ta- xon characterised by some distinct genetic groups that embrace several morphological subspecies. Italian populations belong to at least two, perhaps to three different morphological groups. A spe- cial attention has been recently devoted to the study of reproduc- tive strategies and body size relationships in Italian Emys orbicu- laris, found that both at a small and at a large latitudinal scale pond turtles may offer significant differences at a reproductive and at morphological level. Annual clutch frequency of Italian populations is on average double in most of the western Mediter- ranean area even if this pattern may be strongly influenced by cli- matic constraints. Northern European populations produce on av- erage larger clutches than southern European pond turtle popula- tions, but egg size does not vary within or between populations. Nesting areas are mainly south oriented, but may be located at a very variable distance from water, ranging from one to hundred meter distance. Predation is a constant pattern that averages on about 80-85% of digged nests, and does not appear as a biological constraints to Italian wild populations of the pond turtle

Trophic niche and feeding biology of the Italian wall lizard, Podarcis siculus campestris (De Betta, 1857) along western Mediterranean coast.

Trophic niche of the Italian wall lizard was studied at three different sites in Tuscany (central northern Ita- ly), two along the Mediterranean sea, one inland. Fecal pellet analysis was carried out on 71 pellets (37 of male and 34 of female adult lizards), accounting on the whole for 184 prey items. Coleoptera, Hymenoptera (ants), Araneae and Gastropoda were the most represented taxa (numerical abundance of ca 22, 7, 7, 6% respectively). We found Brillouin diversity index similar in females and in males, with a marked overlap between sexes, but differences in niche overlap- ping among localities. Diet spectrum was quite different with that found in other central Italy localities, in the Tuscan Archipelago, or in areas where P. siculus has recently introduced. Our study confirms the opportunistic pattern and adaptability of this lizard species, and increases the range of sampled localities within the species’ range

Correlates of reproduction in females of the Western Whip snake, Hierophis viridiflavus: preliminary results.

In snakes, body size and reproductive output vary greatly among disjunct populations. Clutch size is notably influenced by food availability, thermal conditions and maternal body size. A comparison between three large-scale areas – north continental, south continental and island populations of European whip snakes – revealed significant variation in body size and reproductive output. More importantly, there was a geographical difference in the covariation between clutch size and maternal body size, two traits mechanistically linked as body size constrains clutch size. This suggests that clutch size can vary independently of maternal body size, a situation that provides opportunities to tease apart the contribution of phenotypic plasticity from local genetic adaptations in these two life-history traits

Observations on the natural history and morphometrics of the Montpellier snake, Malpolon monspessulanus, on Lampedusa island (Mediterranean Sea)

Preliminary morphometric analysis on Lampedusa specimens of Montpellier snak

The Italian wall lizard, Podarcis siculus, along the Tuscanian coast of central Italy: biometrical features, and phenotypic patterns.

The Italian wall lizard, Podarcis siculus, has a wide distribution. However, information on several aspects of its ecology and biology are scarce, and relate mainly to insular populations. This paper describes the main morphological features of 123 individuals along a geographical gradient (five localities) in northwestern Tuscany (central Italy). Our results show a strong sexual dimorphism in most of the considered parameters, high geographic variation, low interaction between sex and locality and a similar distribution of external parasite load and tail autotomy between the sexes

Pheromone trailing in male European Whip snake, Hierophis viridiflavus.

The ability of snakes to follow conspecific pheromone trails during the breeding season is of primary importance to locate potential mates, and also to elicit and maintain courtship or other reproductive behaviours, such as agonistic behaviour. Despite the recent increased knowledge on snake chemical ecology, yet little information is available on European species and nothing is known about chemical communication in European colubrid species. The aim of this study was to characterise the pheromone-mediated trailing behaviour in male European whip snake, Hierophis viridiflavus. When tested in trailing experiments using a Y-maze, male European whip snakes displayed the ability to trail both male and female pheromones when presented versus a blank arm of the maze. Moreover, adult males followed the female pheromone trail when presented simultaneously with the male trail. Our study demonstrated that male Hierophis viridiflavus rely on chemical cues for the location and the sexual discrimination of conspecifics during the breeding season. Convergence between different mating systems and chemical communication ability in distantly related species is discussed

Geographic variation of sexual size dimorphism and genetics in the European pond turtle, Emys orbicularis and Emys trinacris, of Italy

We studied the extent of sexual size dimorphism (SSD) in the European pond turtle throughout most of its Italian distribution range using eight morphological parameters of 580 Emys specimens, describing populations from Italy and large Mediterranean islands. Sexual size dimorphism was evident in the whole sample, but not in all the considered areas. SSD in studied Emys likely mirrors different growth trajectories and body size architectures between sexes at adult stage. Italian populations resulted separated into five groups with morphological differences: (i) East Po plain Italy north to Apennines; (ii) Tyrrhenian Italy; (iii) Corse; (iv) Sardinia; and (v) southern Italy and Sicily. These results agree with previously reported data on systematics of Mediterranean populations. Some Italian populations were also tested using restriction endonuclease analysis of 18+28S ribosomal DNA on 43 specimens of eight localities. The occurrence of a restriction fragment length polymorphism of rDNA was also noted. Morphometric and molecular data revealed that the two Calabrian populations were significantly differentiated with respect to the other sampled populations. According to previous mitocondrial DNA analyses, our results also support the view that the southern Italy populations of E. orbicularis are different from other Italian populations, even if our results do not perfectly fit with previous works

Reproductive strategies and body shape in the European pond turtle (Emys orbicularis) from contrasting habitats in Italy

Comparisons within and among populations offer important insights into variation in life-history traits and possible adaptive patterns to environmental conditions. We present the results of observed differences in body size, body shape and patterns of reproduction in four separate populations of the European pond turtle Emys orbicularis in central and southern Italy – coastal (n=3) and mountainous (n=1) sites and pond (n=2) and canal (n=2) habitats – to determine whether phenotypic plasticity affects reproductive output. Although we did not find any significant latitudinal variation in body size, we observed significant differences in body shape between canal (rounded body shape) and pond (elongated body shape) systems and smaller size with rounded shape in the mountainous population. Reproductive output is similar among populations (median=5 eggs per clutch), whereas reproductive investment (relative clutch mass to maternal body mass) is higher in the mountain population (one clutch per year) than in coastal populations (two clutches per year), suggesting differential trade-offs between geographic locality, elevation and habitat type. Turtle shell shape and geographic location together affect reproductive output in E. orbicularis in Italy