Doronin I.V., Isakov D.S. Podarcis siculus (Italian Wall Lizard). Predation. Herpetological Review, 2023, 54(3), 474

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Herpetological Review 54(3), 2023
474 NATURAL HISTORY NOTES
RODOLFO OMAR NORIEGA (e-mail: onoriega997@gmail.com) and
LEANDRO FAYOS CASTILLO, Departamento de Biología, Facultad de
Ciencias Exactas, Físicas y Naturales, Universidad Nacional de San Juan,
Av. José Ignacio de la Roza 590 (Oeste), Rivadavia, San Juan, Argentina
(e-mail: jesusfayos05@gmail.com); FRANCO VALDEZ OVALLEZ (e-mail:
franco.valdez408@gmail.com) and RODRIGO GÓMEZ ALÉS, Gabinete de
Diversidad y Biología de Vertebrados del Árido (DIBIOVA), Departamento
de Biología, Facultad de Ciencias Exactas, Físicas y Naturales, Universidad
Nacional de San Juan, Av. José Ignacio de la Roza 590 (Oeste), Rivadavia,
San Juan, Argentina and Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Cientícas
y Tecnológicas (CONICET), Argentina (e-mail: rodri.gomezales@gmail.
com); JUAN CARLOS ACOSTA, Gabinete de Diversidad y Biología de
Vertebrados del Árido (DIBIOVA), Departamento de Biología, Facultad de
Ciencias Exactas, Físicas y Naturales, Universidad Nacional de San Juan, Av.
José Ignacio de la Roza 590 (Oeste), Rivadavia, San Juan, Argentina (e-mail:
jcacostasanjuan@gmail.com).
PODARCIS SICULUS (Italian Wall Lizard). PREDATION.
Podarcis siculus is native to southern Europe and actively
spreading on the territory of the Black Sea coast of the Krasnodar
Territory of Russia (Tuniye et al. 2023. Rus. J. Herpetol.30:20–26;
pers. obs.). There are a few reports of this lizard’s predators in
its non-native range from eastern North America that include
invertebrates, birds, and cats (Donihue et al. 2022. Herpetol. Rev.
53:500), but there is no information from elsewhere in its non-
native range. Here we report two predation events on P. siculus
by snake and avian predators from Russia.
On 24 July 2022, at 1200 h, we observed an adult Grass Snake
(Natrix natrix) in the process of swallowing an already subdued
adult P. siculus, headfirst, in the Southern Cultures Park, Sochi,
Krasnodar Territory, Russia (43.4173°N, 39.9360°E; WGS 84; 4 m
elev.). When approached, the snake disappeared into the pond
with prey in its mouth.
On 2 May 2023, at 1400 h, we observed an adult male Red-
backed Shrike (Lanius collurio) holding a dead adult male P.
siculus in its beak while perched in a tree (Fig. 1) in the Nature
Ornithological Park in the Imeretinskaya Lowland, Sochi,
Krasnodar Territory, Russia (43.4141°N, 39.9351°E; WGS 84; 2 m
elev.). The bird began to peck at its prey but flew away with the
lizard in its beak when approached.
To our knowledge this is the first report of N. natrix and
Red-backed Shrikes preying on P. siculus in its non-native or
native range. These three species co-occur throughout much
of southern Europe and the Caucuses where N. natrix and the
Red-backed Shrike have both been reported to prey on other
lacertid lizard species (Peklo and Ochapovsky 1976. Vestnik
Zoologii 2:35–39; Martin and Lopez 1990. Smithsonian Herpetol.
Inform. Serv. 82:1–43; Tertyshnikov 2002. Reptiles of the Central
Ciscaucasia, Stavropol’servisshkola, Stavropol. 240 pp.).
IGOR V. DORONIN, Laboratory of Herpetology, Zoological Institute,
Russian Academy of Sciences, St. Petersburg, 199034, Universitetskaya
nab., 1, Russia (e-mail: igor.doronin@zin.ru); DENIS S. ISAKOV, Depart-
ment of Ecology and Nature Management, Perm City Administration, 22,
Sovetskaya st., Perm, 614000, Russia.
SCELOPORUS MAGISTER (Desert Spiny Lizard). SEED SHELL
ENTRAPMENT. Accidental mortality in lizards as a result of plant
interactions has been previously noted and examples include
moss sporophyte and grass seeds in the eye (Montoya-Ferrer et
al. 2014. Bull. Chicago Herp. Soc. 49: 125–126) as well as spiny
seedpods stuck to the head (Recchio and Lazcano 2013. Herpetol.
Rev. 44:513). Here I report a case of a Sceloporus magister with its
head trapped in a seed shell.
On 17 May 2023 at 0824 h a young S. magister was observed,
not moving, on a garden wall in the residential area of Biosphere 2,
near the town of Oracle, Pinal County, Arizona, USA (32.58024°N,
110.84876°W; WGS 84; 988 m elev.). Upon inspection I saw that
the animal’s head was seemingly stuck inside a broken acorn
shell (Quercus sp.; Fig. 1) and was easily captured. The acorn
shell was firmly attached to the lizard’s head, obscuring its
vision, but not blocking the ears or parietal eye, the keeled scales
of the gular region appeared to be anchoring the acorn shell in
place (Fig. 2). With some effort I was able to manually remove the
shell and the lizard was released at the capture site on the wall.
Upon release the lizard immediately ran to the ground and hid
under the sidewalk.
Entrapment of lizard heads within plant seedpods or shells
has been noted in Australian skinks (Langkilde et al. 2002.
Herpetofauna 32:131; Goodman et al. 2009. Herpetol. Rev. 40:86)
and in these cases it was hypothesized that the lizard’s foraging
behavior may have led to their entrapment. Sceloporus magister
is frequently seen on or near the ground and frequently takes
refuge in terrestrial spaces (Cooper 2011. Herpetol. Rev. 42:39–
40) which could lead to an increased chance of encountering
empty acorn shells, or it is possible that the lizard attempted
to capture a prey item inside the acorn shell. Such encounters
Fig. 1. Male Lanius collurio from Nature Ornithological Park in the
Imeretinskaya Lowland, Krasnodar Krai, Russia, holding the recently
killed male Podarcis siculus.
Fig. 1. Head of the Scelopous magister entrapped in a broken acorn
shell on rock wall.