The Body Size, Age Structure and Growth Pattern of the Endemic Balkan Mosor Rock Lizard (Dinarolacerta Mosorensis Kolombatovic, 1886)

Abstract

The Mosor rock lizard (Dinarolacerta mosorensis) is a distinctly flattened endemic species that occupies discontinuously distributed rocky areas at high elevations in the Dinaric Mountains of the Balkans. The body size, age structure, longevity, survival rates and growth patterns of this species were studied using skeletochronology and back-calculation methods. The modal age was found to be 5 years for males and 6 years for females, while the maximal longevity was found to be 9 years in both sexes. The age and body length were positively correlated in both sexes. Both sexes reached maturity at 3 years, with a snout-vent length of 53.3 and 56.5 mm for males and females, respectively. The growth coefficient had significantly higher values in females (0.54) than in males (0.40). The asymptotic size of females was lower (66.01 mm) than that of males (70.82 mm). The growth rate of females decreased soon after maturation whereas males continued to grow for a longer time. Juveniles had lower survival rates than adults (0.5 vs 0.7). The effective age at maturity (13.5 months) was significantly greater than that for the small lacertid lizards living at the low altitudes of a Mediterranean climate, greater than but within the range of values predicted for those living at low altitudes of a temperate climate, and lower than but within the range of values predicted for montane small lacertids.