Effects of body temperature on initial bite force in three species of rock- and crevice-dwelling lizards from Mexico

By

Woolrich-Piña, Guillermo A.
Smith, Geoffrey R.
Martínez-Méndez, Norberto
Lemos Espinal, Julio Alberto
Gadsden-Esparza, Hector

Type

Article

Date of Publication

2021-8-19

Original Publication

Herpetozoa

Volume

34

Pages

163--168

Subjects

Abronia graminea , Barisia imbricata , bite force , Xenosaurus fractus

Contributed by

Pensoft Publishers

Language

English

Published by

Sofia, Bulgaria Pensoft Publishers

Identifiers

DOI: https://doi.org/10.3897/herpetozoa.34.e64040

 

Abstract

Bite force can be an important aspect of a lizard’s organismal performance, and is likely to be subject to influence by ambient conditions including an individual’s thermal environment. We examined the effects of body temperature (Tb) on initial bite force of rock- and crevice-dwelling individuals of three species of lizards: Abronia graminea (Anguidae), Barisia imbricata (Anguidae), and Xenosaurus fractus (Xenosauridae) from Mexico. In B. imbricata and X. fractus from one site (Xochititan, Puebla) initial bite force was greatest at intermediate Tb. In contrast, X. fractus from a second site (Tlatlauquitepec, Puebla) showed a weak tendency for initial bite force to increase with Tb. Initial bite force in A. graminea was not affected by Tb. Taking our results together, we infer that initial bite force in rock- or crevice-dwelling lizards is often, but not always, related to Tb.