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Volume 13
Issue 11
10.3390/d13110562
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Article

Effects of Caudal Autotomy on the Locomotor Performance of Micrablepharus Atticolus (Squamata, Gymnophthalmidae)

by
Naiane Arantes Silva
1,
Gabriel Henrique de Oliveira Caetano
2,
Pedro Henrique Campelo
3,
Vitor Hugo Gomes Lacerda Cavalcante
4,
Leandro Braga Godinho
1,
Donald Bailey Miles
5,
Henrique Monteiro Paulino
3,
Júlio Miguel Alvarenga da Silva
1,
Bruno Araújo de Souza
1,
Hosmano Batista Ferreira da Silva
1 and
Guarino Rinaldi Colli
3,*
1
Programa de Pós-Graduação em Ecologia e Conservação, Campus Nova Xavantina, Universidade do Estado de Mato Grosso, Rua Prof. Dr. Renato Figueiro Varella, Nova Xavantina 78690, MT, Brazil
2
Jacob Blaustein Center for Scientific Cooperation, The Jacob Blaustein Institutes for Desert Research, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Midreshet Ben-Gurion 849900, Israel
3
Departamento de Zoologia, Campus Universitário Darcy Ribeiro, Universidade de Brasília, Asa Norte, Brasília 70910, DF, Brazil
4
Instituto Federal do Piauí, Teresina 64000-040, Piauí, Brazil
5
Department of Biology, Ohio University, Athens, OH 45701, USA
*
Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.
Diversity 2021, 13(11), 562; https://doi.org/10.3390/d13110562
Submission received: 6 July 2021 / Revised: 7 September 2021 / Accepted: 9 September 2021 / Published: 4 November 2021
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Evolutionary Ecology of Lizards)
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Abstract

Caudal autotomy is a striking adaptation used by many lizard species to evade predators. Most studies to date indicate that caudal autotomy impairs lizard locomotor performance. Surprisingly, some species bearing the longest tails show negligible impacts of caudal autotomy on sprint speed. Part of this variation has been attributed to lineage effects. For the first time, we model the effects of caudal autotomy on the locomotor performance of a gymnophthalmid lizard, Micrablepharus atticolus, which has a long and bright blue tail. To improve model accuracy, we incorporated the effects of several covariates. We found that body temperature, pregnancy, mass, collection site, and the length of the regenerated portion of the tail were the most important predictors of locomotor performance. However, sprint speed was unaffected by tail loss. Apparently, the long tail of M. atticolus is more useful when using undulation amidst the leaf litter and not when using quadrupedal locomotion on a flat surface. Our findings highlight the intricate relationships among physiological, morphological, and behavioral traits. We suggest that future studies about the impacts of caudal autotomy among long-tailed lizards should consider the role of different microhabitats/substrates on locomotor performance, using laboratory conditions that closely mimic their natural environments.
Keywords: lizard; autotomy; tail; locomotion; performance; temperature; predation lizard; autotomy; tail; locomotion; performance; temperature; predation

Share and Cite

MDPI and ACS Style

Silva, N.A.; Caetano, G.H.d.O.; Campelo, P.H.; Cavalcante, V.H.G.L.; Godinho, L.B.; Miles, D.B.; Paulino, H.M.; da Silva, J.M.A.; de Souza, B.A.; da Silva, H.B.F.; et al. Effects of Caudal Autotomy on the Locomotor Performance of Micrablepharus Atticolus (Squamata, Gymnophthalmidae). Diversity 2021, 13, 562. https://doi.org/10.3390/d13110562

AMA Style

Silva NA, Caetano GHdO, Campelo PH, Cavalcante VHGL, Godinho LB, Miles DB, Paulino HM, da Silva JMA, de Souza BA, da Silva HBF, et al. Effects of Caudal Autotomy on the Locomotor Performance of Micrablepharus Atticolus (Squamata, Gymnophthalmidae). Diversity. 2021; 13(11):562. https://doi.org/10.3390/d13110562

Chicago/Turabian Style

Silva, Naiane Arantes, Gabriel Henrique de Oliveira Caetano, Pedro Henrique Campelo, Vitor Hugo Gomes Lacerda Cavalcante, Leandro Braga Godinho, Donald Bailey Miles, Henrique Monteiro Paulino, Júlio Miguel Alvarenga da Silva, Bruno Araújo de Souza, Hosmano Batista Ferreira da Silva, and et al. 2021. "Effects of Caudal Autotomy on the Locomotor Performance of Micrablepharus Atticolus (Squamata, Gymnophthalmidae)" Diversity 13, no. 11: 562. https://doi.org/10.3390/d13110562

APA Style

Silva, N. A., Caetano, G. H. d. O., Campelo, P. H., Cavalcante, V. H. G. L., Godinho, L. B., Miles, D. B., Paulino, H. M., da Silva, J. M. A., de Souza, B. A., da Silva, H. B. F., & Colli, G. R. (2021). Effects of Caudal Autotomy on the Locomotor Performance of Micrablepharus Atticolus (Squamata, Gymnophthalmidae). Diversity, 13(11), 562. https://doi.org/10.3390/d13110562

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