Acta Herpetologica 17(1): 71-76, 2022 ISSN 1827-9635 (print) © Firenze University Press ISSN 1827-9643 (online) www.fupress.com/ah DOI: 10.36253/a_h-11386 Preliminary data on the diet of Chalcides chalcides (Squamata: Scincidae) from Northern Italy Andrea Ciracì1, Edoardo Razzetti2, Maurizio Pavesi3, Daniele Pellitteri-Rosa4,* 1 Dipartimento di Scienze della Vita e Biologia dei Sistemi, Università di Torino, Via Accademia Albertina 13, I-10124 Torino, Italy 2 Kosmos - Museo di Storia Naturale, Università di Pavia, Piazza Botta 9-10, I-27100 Pavia, Italy 3Museo di Storia Naturale, Corso Venezia 55, I-20121 Milano, Italy 4 Dipartimento di Scienze della Terra e dell’Ambiente, Università di Pavia, Via Ferrata 9, I-27100 Pavia, Italy *Corresponding author. E-mail: daniele.pellitterirosa@unipv.it Submitted on: 2021, 22nd June; revised on: 2021, 17th November; accepted on: 2022, 11th February Editor: Marco Mangiacotti Abstract. The diet in skinks is known mainly for extra-European species, especially from Australian ones, where these lizards are represented by a great number of species, while, in comparison, data for species from other continents are scarce. The three-toed skink, Chalcides chalcides, is found in a restricted part of northern Africa and in Italy, where it is distributed almost uniformly throughout the peninsula and on the major islands. Although it is well studied for aspects such as morphology and ecology, data concerning trophic preferences are scarce, and available only for the populations of south-central Italy. In this note we report preliminary data about the diet of an Apennine population of the three-toed skink, Chalcides chalcides, at the northern boundary of its distribution area. Faecal contents from 20 individuals were collected in June 2015, obtaining an overall sample of 48 prey items. Araneae constituted the most preyed taxon (over 40%), followed by Hemiptera (35,4%) and other prey taxa (Hymenoptera, Coleoptera, and Der- maptera) in much lower percentages. We found no differences between smaller/younger and larger/older individuals in consumed preys. As well as confirming the general trophic predilection of this skink for spiders, we also found some interesting differences in preyed items with studied populations of south-central Italy. Keywords. Apennines, Chalcides chalcides, diet, faecal pellets, Northern Italy, skink. Diet in lizards is a very dynamic component, since it can be variable over time (Floyd and Jenssen, 1983; Dear- ing and Schall, 1992). Changes are often seasonal, related to different prey availability and abundance between sea- sons (Durtsche, 1995). Lizards diet can also vary among sites (Barden and Shine, 1994), since prey availability and abundance may vary geographically too. Lastly, it may be different between sexes, between adults and juveniles and also among morphs (Rocha, 1998; Fialho et al., 2000; Scali et al., 2016). Skinks diet is known mainly for extra-European spe- cies, especially from Australia (Wapstra and Swain, 1996; Duffield and Bull, 1998; Clemann et al., 2004; Shea, 2006; Pavey et al., 2010), where these lizards are represented by a great number of species, while, in comparison, data for species from other continents are scarce. Skinks are known to be primarily insectivorous, even though some species may include plants in their diet, as shown in the ocellated skink Chalcides ocellatus (Kalboussi and Nouira, 2004; Lo Cascio et al., 2008; Carretero et al., 2010). The three-toed skink, Chalcides chalcides (Linnaeus, 1758), is a scincid lizard found in a restricted part of northern Africa (NE Algeria, Mediterranean regions of Tunisia and Libya), and in Italy, where it is distrib- uted almost uniformly throughout the peninsula and on the major islands (Caputo et al., 2010). The northern 72 Andrea Ciracì et alii boundary of its distribution coincides with the North- ern Apennines since the species is almost absent from the Po plain, except for few populations near the Po delta (Caputo et al., 2010). The species shows a snakelike habi- tus, with reduced tridactyl limbs. The evolution towards limblessness has an adaptive meaning, as suggested by some authors, since it favours the locomotion in grass- land habitat (Caputo et al., 1995). Despite its quite wide range, there is paucity of infor- mation regarding some aspects of the biology of the spe- cies. This is probably due to its particular lifestyle, and to the consequent elusiveness that makes this reptile dif- ficult to be captured in the field. So far, there is a good amount of information related to morphology and osteol- ogy (Caputo et al., 1995, 2000; Greer et al., 1998; Caputo, 2004; Guarino, 2010) and to the biology and ecology of the species (Orsini and Cheylan, 1980; Rugiero, 1997; Caputo and Silvano, 1999; Luiselli et al., 2005). On the contrary, data concerning structure and dynamic of the populations are absent, while those concerning trophic preferences are scarce, and available only for the popula- tions of southern-central Italy. Rugiero (1997) analysed the stomach content of specimens from the surroundings of Rome, while Caputo (2000) studied the diet composi- tion of a population from Molise. The present study aims to collect information about the diet of the three-toed skink in Northern Italy, analysing the faecal pellets of individuals from a population of Northern Apennines. All data presented here were collected in June 2015, during the breeding period of the species. We sam- pled a population located in the so-called hilly area of the “Oltrepò Pavese”, in the municipality of Codevilla (44°57’N, 9°4’E; Fig. 1). The site, situated at an altitude of 260 m a.s.l., was characterized by the presence of unculti- vated grasslands, surrounded by woodland area represent- ed for the most by Quercus pubescens and Ostrya carpini- folia. Bushy zones of Rosa canina and Crataegus monogy- na were present at some spots inside the grasslands. We caught 20 individuals by hand, searching for them in the grass. Each individual was measured using a digital calliper (accuracy ± 0.1 mm) for snout-to-vent length (SVL), tail, head size (height, width, and length), weighed by a digital scale (accuracy ± 0.1 g) (Table 1), and photographed on the dorsal and ventral pattern. Fae- cal pellets were usually defecated by lizards immediately after capture, although sometimes they were obtained by applying a slight pressure on the belly of each individual, eliciting defecation. Pellets were preserved in sterile tubes containing 70% alcohol for subsequent analysis. All indi- viduals in our sample were captured once, as assessed by the manual comparison of both biometric measures and photographic images (dorsal pattern, intersection of head and ventral scales, scars). After each sampling session, all individuals were released at the exact point of capture. It was not possible to attribute sex to captured skinks as this species lacks any external sexual dimorphism, except for very large pregnant females (Caputo et al., 2010). In order to tentatively evaluate possible differences in die- tary habits between smaller, and consequently younger, individuals and larger/older animals, we separated the 20 skinks into two groups (10 juveniles and 10 adults), based Fig. 1. Map showing the study site in Northern Italy (municipality of Codevilla, province of Pavia). Contour lines (elevation a.s.l. in meters) for Codevilla municipality are also displayed. Table 1. Biometric variables of the juvenile and adult three-toed skinks (n = 20) measured in a population of the Northern Apen- nines in Italy (municipality of Codevilla, province of Pavia): SVL (Snout-Vent Length), Ta_L (Tail Length), TL (Total Length), HH (Head Height), HW (Head Width), HL (Head Length), W (Weight). Code Capture date SVL (mm) Ta_L (mm) TL (mm) HH (mm) HW (mm) HL (mm) W (g) COD01 12/6/2015 68.7 70.0 138.7 3.4 4.5 7.4 1.6 COD02 12/6/2015 75.8 76.0 151.8 3.6 4.6 7.9 2.1 COD03 13/6/2015 80.0 81.0 161.0 3.8 4.6 7.6 2.4 COD04 11/6/2015 81.5 85.0 166.5 3.3 4.7 7.9 2.2 COD05 7/6/2015 81.9 84.0 165.9 3.7 5.0 8.0 2.5 COD06 1/6/2015 83.3 91.0 174.3 3.6 4.9 8.4 3.2 COD07 1/6/2015 85.0 91.0 176.0 3.8 4.6 7.8 2.8 COD08 24/6/2015 88.0 60.0 148.0 4.1 4.9 8.5 3.0 COD09 10/6/2015 88.0 95.0 183.0 4.0 4.0 8.6 3.6 COD10 25/6/2015 89.9 96.0 185.9 4.1 4.9 8.6 3.5 COD11 24/6/2015 90.0 32.0 122.0 3.6 4.7 8.3 3.0 COD12 24/6/2015 93.0 98.0 191.0 4.1 4.9 8.9 3.6 COD13 25/6/2015 97.4 98.7 196.1 3.9 4.6 7.8 4.5 COD14 30/6/2015 106.6 119.7 226.3 4.2 5.1 8.9 4.5 COD15 24/6/2015 126.0 139.0 265.0 5.1 6.5 11.7 10.0 COD16 10/6/2015 126.0 138.0 264.0 4.6 5.7 10.2 9.8 COD17 25/6/2015 131.7 129.0 260.7 4.8 5.8 9.4 9.2 COD18 10/6/2015 138.0 138.0 276.0 4.9 5.7 10.3 12.0 COD19 24/6/2015 139.0 145.0 284.0 5.5 6.3 10.5 12.3 COD20 24/6/2015 172.0 93.0 265.0 6.1 6.6 12.2 19.5 73Diet of three-toed skink in Northern Italy on minimum size of adult individuals (SVL = 91 mm) as reported in literature (Caputo et al., 2010). The analysis of faecal pellets is considered to be fully reliable to describe lizard feeding habits (Perez-Mellado et al., 2011; Civantos et al., 2013; Scali et al., 2016). Fae- ces were dissolved in a Petri dish to separate all prey items, which were identified by using a stereomicro- scope by M.P., expert entomologist of the Natural His- tory Museum of Milan (Italy). Where possible, prey items were recognized at the family taxonomic level, and were grouped at the order level. However, since some soft diet items (e.g., insect larvae, spiders) might not appear in faecal pellets, we carefully searched for body parts of small and soft-bodied prey taxa that are less likely to be digested (Civantos et al., 2013). Overall, we obtained 48 prey items from a sample of 20 individual faecal pellets (mean ± SE: 2.4 ± 0.3, range: 1-6; 31 from juveniles and 17 from adults). The taxo- nomic composition of preyed items, with the percent- age of contribution of each taxon, is reported in Table 2. Considering the overall small sample size, differences in prey items frequency between juveniles and adults for each prey taxa were tested using χ2 with Monte-Carlo simulation (1000000 iterations) to obtain reliable P value (Patefield, 1981). The observed frequencies were not sig- nificantly different from the expected ones (P = 0.83; Fig. 2), indicating that juvenile and adult diets overlapped. In general, the most present taxon in the three toed-skink diet was represented by Araneae (juveniles: 14; adults: 7), followed by Hemiptera (juveniles: 12; adults: 5). Few items were identified as Coleoptera (juveniles: 1; adults: 2) and Dermaptera (juveniles: 2; adults: 1). It should be stressed that both Coleoptera belonging to Carabidae and Tenebrionidae families and Dermaptera are largely noc- turnal, nevertheless they are not uncommon in the diet of diurnal lizards (Vitt and Blackmore, 1991). Formicidae (incidentally, consistently wingless insects), again with a quite small sample, represented the only taxon equally preyed (two prey items for both juveniles and adults). Ants are mostly diurnal, widespread, abundant, easy-to- catch insects, therefore their relative scarcity in the diet suggests they are not among the preferred prey. The analysis of faecal pellets shows that the most predated invertebrates by the three toed-skink are repre- Fig. 2. Percentages of different taxa of preyed items in Chalcides chalcides for juveniles and adults, categorized by SVL (< 91 mm: juveniles, n = 10; ≥ 91 mm: adults, n = 10). Prey’s legend: Ara – Araneae; Der – Dermaptera; Hem – Hemiptera; Col – Coleoptera; Hym – Hymenoptera. Table 2. Prey items (n = 48) of Chalcides chalcides from a site of Northern Apennines. Analyses were based on the faecal pellets of 20 skinks (one pellet for each individual). Percentages refer to the number of items for each Suborder and Order of considered taxa with respect to the total of found items. Order Suborder Family n Suborder (%) Order (%) Araneae Labidognatha Lycosidae 3 6.25 43.75 Labidognatha Not determined 18 37.50 Dermaptera Forficulina Anisolabididae 1 2.08 6.25 Forficulina Not determined 2 4.17 Hemiptera Heteroptera Not determined 6 12.50 12.50 Fulgoromorpha Issidae 5 10.42 22.92 “Homoptera” Not determined 6 12.50 Coleoptera Adephaga Carabidae (larvae) 1 2.08 Polyphaga Elateridae (adult) 1 2.08 6.25 Polyphaga Tenebrionidae (adult) 1 2.08 Hymenoptera Apocrita Formicidae 4 8.33 8.33 74 Andrea Ciracì et alii sented by spiders, since they contributed 43.75% of preyed items. The previous studies, conducted on the trophic preferences of this skink in south-central Italy, led to the same result, with spiders being the most preyed taxon. In the study of Rugiero (1997), based on the analysis of the specimens’ stomach content, spiders contributed 42.45% to the diet composition. Caputo (2000) found an even higher contribution, with Araneae contributing up to 51.11% to the diet composition. Further differences with respect to the previous studies are found in the contribu- tion of the other prey taxa. In our study, Hemiptera con- stituted the second most preyed taxon (35.42%), while both Rugiero (1997) and Caputo (2000) found this group contributed lower percentages to the diet composition (2.83% and 13.33% respectively). Furthermore, we found a higher percentage of Formicidae (8.33%) compared to the studies of Rugiero (4.71%) and Caputo (2.22%, including all Hymenoptera). However, percentages of Formicidae remain quite low, when their abundance at the soil level is considered. This suggests that Formicidae are of quite low value as food for skinks, and only taken as second-choice preys, although not entirely refused. All the other prey taxa we found were present in much lower percentages, such as Coleoptera (6.25% considering both adults and larvae), which, on the contrary, contributed in a signifi- cant way both in the population of Rome (18.86%; Rugie- ro, 1997), and Molise (15.56%; Caputo, 2000). Interesting- ly, even if with low percentage (6.25%), we firstly detected the presence of Dermaptera in the diet of the three-toed skink, not found in the other Italian populations. Con- versely, some taxa were found in south-central Italy, but not in Northern Apennines. For instance, Rugiero (1997) found a strong contribution of Isopoda (15.09%), which were not found nor in our work, nor in that of Caputo (2000). This may be related to a higher aridity of the stud- ied habitats, resulting in a largely nocturnal activity of the quite hygrophilous Isopoda, since their abundance in Rugiero’s samples indicates they are not counterselected as preys. The latter author found conversely a rather high contribution of Orthoptera (15.56%), absent both in the present work and in that of Rugiero (1997). Gasteropoda, Blattodea, Diptera were found by Rugiero (1997), even though in very small percentages, while Myriapoda were found by Caputo (2000). None of these taxa were found in our work. However, the differences we found with respect to these studies could be due both to the limited sample sizes in the various surveys and to the fact that none of them considers prey availability. This study allowed not only to give some preliminary insight about the diet of the three-toed skink in North- ern Italy, but also showed no differences in the consumed prey between juveniles and adults. An ontogenetic shift in diet composition, and thus in trophic preferences, has been reported for skinks, but only for extra-European species (Hall, 1972; Duffield and Bull, 1998; Shea et al., 2009). It represents a very fascinating topic never investi- gated before for European skink species, so further stud- ies on this or even other species are needed, possibly tak- ing into account larger sample sizes, in order to perform reliable statistical tests. In conclusion, this study confirms the preference of the three toed-skink for spiders. As hypothesized by Caputo (2004), this might be due to the particular struc- ture of the teeth of the species, similar to that of the oth- er smaller species of the genus, characterized by a conical longitudinal section, rendering them particularly suitable for preys with a soft body, such as spiders. Moreover, it is not surprising that adult Coleoptera are scarce in the faecal pellets of the three toed-skink. Coleoptera are usually preyed by larger species of skinks like Chalcides ocellatus and Chalcides polylepis (Bons, 1958; Schneider, 1981) which have a stronger bite that easily allows them to crush such hard-bodied preys. 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XI International Symposium on the Mediterranean Lacertid Lizards Marco Mangiacotti1, Pietro Lo Cascio2, Claudia Corti2, Marta Biaggini2, Miguel Angel Carretero2, Petros Lymberakis2 The directional testes asymmetry increases with temperature in seven plateau brown frog (Rana kukunoris) populations Hai Ying Li1, Man Jun Shang2, Jie Guo2, Bo Jun Chen2, Peng Zhen Chen2, Tong Lei Yu1,* Influence of tail injury on the development of Neotropical elegant treefrog tadpoles Ana Glaucia da Silva Martins1,#, Raoni Rebouças2,3,*,#, Isaias Santos1, Adão Henrique Rosa Domingos1, Luís Felipe Toledo2 The effect of weight and prey species on gut passage time in an endemic gecko Quedenfeldtia moerens (Chabanaud, 1916) from Morocco Jalal Mouadi1,*, Panayiotis Pafilis2, Abderrafea Elbahi3, zahra Okba3, Hassan ElOuizgani3, El Hassan El Mouden4, Mohamed Aourir1 A contribution to the knowledge on the diet and food preferences of Darevskia praticola (Reptilia: Lacertidae)§ Emiliya Vacheva*, Borislav Naumov First report on two loggerhead turtle (Caretta caretta) nests in the Aeolian Archipelago (Southern Italy) Monica Francesca Blasi1,*, Sandra Hochscheid2, Roberta Bardelli3, Chiara Bruno1, Carolina Melodia1, Perla Salzeri1, Paolo De Rosa4 and Paolo Madonia5 Threatened and extinct amphibians and reptiles in Italian natural history collections are useful conservation tools Franco Andreone1,*, Ivano Ansaloni2, Enrico Bellia3, Andrea Benocci4, Carlotta Betto5, Gabriella Bianchi6, Giovanni Boano7, Antonio Borzatti de Loewenstern8, Rino Brancato9, Nicola Bressi10, Stefano Bulla11, Massimo Capula12, Vincenzo Caputo Barucchi13, P Re-description of external morphology and factors affecting body and tail shape of the stone frog tadpoles’ Brena da Silva Gonçalves1,*, Carla. 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