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Régime alimentaire du Lézard ocellé Timon lepidus (Daudin, 1802) sur les rives de l’Estéron et du Var (Alpes-Maritimes, France)

Michel BELAUD

fr Naturae 2025 (7) - Pages 95-104

Published on 04 June 2025

Diet of ocellated lizard Timon lepidus (Daudin, 1802) on the banks of the Esteron and Var, Alpes-Maritimes france.

The study is based on the analysis of 160 faeces of Ocellated Lizard Timon lepidus (Daudin, 1802) collected from 2017 to 2020 on the basis of one visit per week between March and November from the cycle path bordering Estéron and Var (Alpes-Maritimes, France). The 2234 macroremains found are divided into 32% of plant origin and 68% of animal origin, i.e. 63% insects, 3% myriapods, 1.4% arachnids and 1.0% molluscs. A significant proportion of fruits (2949 seeds and 87 stones) appears in the diet. The extreme differences in size and mass of certain prey invite us to compare the results obtained in number and percentage with their equivalent in biomass. This shows that the Orthoptera, including a large part of Decticus albifrons (Fabricius, 1775) alone provide 35% of the total biomass. As for the plant, the share provided by the myrtle-leaved Corroyère (Coriaria myrtifolia L.) represents 17% of the total biomass consumed. The particularities of the diet are discussed and compared with the results obtained in the Crau plain and on the island of Oléron.


Keywords:

Tettigoniidae, Decticus albifrons, biomass

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