Prey Size and Food Selection of Psammodromus algirus (Lacertidae) in Central Spain
- Díaz González-Serrano, José Augusto
- Carrascal de la Puente, Luis María
ISSN: 0022-1511
Year of publication: 1990
Volume: 24
Issue: 4
Pages: 342-347
Type: Article
More publications in: Journal of Herpetology
Abstract
The summer diet of the lacertid lizard Psammodromus algirus and the availability of potential prey were compared at a Mediterranean evergreen woodland in central Iberia. Prey size proved to be the main factor implied in the selection of both prey taxa and individual prey items: lizards were selective in the sizes of the arthropods they captured, their selectivity for different prey types was related to the mean volume of these types, and they tended to capture only the larger items when feeding from the smaller prey types. We conclude that lizards did not assess the taxonomic identity of arthropods but rather relied on prey size in their responses to food availability.