Abstract

BEJARANO-BONILLA, David Alfonso  and  BERNAL-BAUTISTA, Manuel Hernando. Daily activity pattern and environmental and microenvironmental temperatures in a population of the Colombian endemic lizard Anolis huilae (Squamata, Dactyloidae). Rev. acad. colomb. cienc. exact. fis. nat. [online]. 2019, vol.43, n.166, pp.38-43. ISSN 0370-3908.  https://doi.org/10.18257/raccefyn.687.

The identification of the activity pattern of a species, especially if it is endemic or threatened, is valuable information for an effective conservation program. This research reports the daily activity pattern of a population of Anolis huilae and its relationship with the environmental and micro-environmental temperatures. The work was performed within a population of the municipality of Ibagué, Colombia, during 2017, in which the number of active animals was recorded every hour from 6:00 to 18:00 hours together with the environmental and micro-environmental temperatures. We found that A. huilae is more active at midday, between 12:00 and 14:00 hours, when the environmental and micro-environmental temperatures are the highest. This finding agrees with the behavior of some Anolis species but disagrees with other studies in lizards that report a lower activity at midday when the highest environmental temperatures are recorded. The difference between these results may be attributed to the habitat of the species since A. huilae lives in forest places protected from the direct radiation of the sun, while the other species live mainly in open areas. Therefore, it is possible that the relationship between habitat coverage and exposure to solar radiation influences the daily activity pattern in lizards. © 2019. Acad. Colomb. Cienc. Ex. Fis. Nat.

Keywords : Activity pattern; Anolis huilae; Behavior; Lizards; Temperature; Thermal physiology.

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