Diversity, Volume 16, Issue 8
2024 August - 78 articles
Cover Story: Insight from decades of animal color studies is currently being applied in the field of conservation biology to define strategies, select flagship species, and optimize captive breeding. Critically endangered Aeolian wall lizards (Podarcis raffonei) have been collected for captive breeding due to alarming rising numbers of “green phenotypes”, considered possible hybrids with the congeneric invasive P. siculus. Through quantitative analyses of visible dorsal color in captive and wild populations, we show that P. raffonei dorsal pigmentation varies across seasons and the green phenotype represents natural lizards’ spring phenophase. In the spring, size, and age do not affect color, but males consistently show more yellow–green dorsum. Caution against identifying hybrids based solely on phenotype is greatly advised. View this paper - Issues are regarded as officially published after their release is announced to the table of contents alert mailing list .
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