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Jeroen, I think he was just referring to the "snow" part, not to the occurence of L.schreiberi in the Pyrenees. Otherwise Ilian should just take a look at the book that you guys made

Guillaume Gomard wrote:Jeroen, I think he was just referring to the "snow" part, not to the occurence of L.schreiberi in the Pyrenees. Otherwise Ilian should just take a look at the book that you guys made

Of course I was. It was completely irrelevant to the schreiberi question. I just have two Spanish colleagues who lived and studied in Madrid and from what they told me I was left with the impression that there's, I quote, "nothing" around Madrid and that it is barren, and that there was snow in Spain only in the Pyrenees. I should tell them to get out more

As for the book, it's an understatement to say that I've "looked" at it

I see... 'They' means 'people' and not 'schreiberi'... At least I can crawl back on my chair now.

Jeroen Speybroeck wrote:At least I can crawl back on my chair now.

Come on, how many times did we look at those maps, drawings and text...?

Ilian Velikov wrote:

Jeroen Speybroeck wrote:At least I can crawl back on my chair now.

Come on, how many times did we look at those maps, drawings and text...?

Don't ask...

I just came back from Asturias and have seen several Schreiberi, almost all those I saw were close to rough edges in overgrown grassy / meadowy areas with flowery plants.

I also saw a couple in a fern overgrown road bank. Only thing these areas had in common was their lack of rocks and an abundance of hiding places.

Thanks Nils! At first the lack of rocks seemed like an odd feature of a lizard habitat but then when I thought about it actually I can't recall seeing Lacerta (viridis or trilineata) in a truly rocky habitat in Bulgaria, and I've seen a lot of them many times. It was always similar to what you described, and if there were any rocks/stones they were still overgrown with vegetation. It makes sense when you look at their coloration, they did evolve for blending in with thick vegetation and not rocks.

Ilian Velikov wrote:Thanks Nils! At first the lack of rocks seemed like an odd feature of a lizard habitat but then when I thought about it actually I can't recall seeing Lacerta (viridis or trilineata) in a truly rocky habitat in Bulgaria, and I've seen a lot of them many times. It was always similar to what you described, and if there were any rocks/stones they were still overgrown with vegetation. It makes sense when you look at their coloration, they did evolve for blending in with thick vegetation and not rocks.

Then the colour of the males of Iberolacerta monticola doesn't make sense.

I also got back from Asturias and saw only two (but could very well be me...). Nils, do you plan on showing us some pics of your trip?

Jeroen Speybroeck wrote:Then the colour of the males of Iberolacerta monticola doesn't make sense.

Well, I didn't say every green animal evolved their color for camouflage. In monticola the green is nuptial color...or am I mistaken? Since only the males have it...While in Lacerta the nuptial color (which is related to male fitness) is blue, so I assume the green color which is present in both sexes and indeed throughout the whole genus would be camouflage, no? Also the habitat they occupy supports this...

Jeroen Speybroeck wrote:I also got back from Asturias and saw only two (but could very well be me...). Nils, do you plan on showing us some pics of your trip?

Yes, I was going to ask this, but the same question goes to you too

While in Lacerta the nuptial color (which is related to male fitness) is blue

not in Lacerta agilis