Preferred Body Temperature of Free-Ranging Starred Agama Laudakia stellio (Linnaeus, 1758) (Agamidae) from Egypt

Samy A. Saber

Abstract


Preferred body temperature of Starred Agama Laudakia stellio collected from Western Coastal Desert of Egypt was monitored telemetrically in a temperature gradient. It was found to be a good thermoregulator lizard using behavioral means. Shuttling behavior between the hot and cold sides of the temperature gradient was found to be the main means of body temperature regulation. The mean selected body temperature was 35.9 and 37.7°C at day and 32.9 and 37.2°C at night in males and females, respectively. At LD it showed a well defined circadian rhythm with high selected body temperature during photophase and low value during scotophase. Under LL and DD the amplitude of the body temperature rhythm was greatly reduced. It was found that Laudakia stellio selected lower body temperature at night in spite of the availability of a wide range of temperatures in the thigmothermal temperature gradient which may prolong potential foraging time the following day.

Keywords


Agamidae; Laudakia stellio; body temperature; Egypt

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DOI: https://doi.org/10.30906/1026-2296-2012-19-2-171-176

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