Ecology of Texas Alligator Lizards (Gerrhonotus infernalis) in Central Texas
Fielder, Corey M.
Natural Resources Institute
Texas A&M University
College Station, Texas USA
Corey.fielder01@tamu.edu
Holmes, Jared
Origin Ranch
Dripping Springs, Texas USA
Hibbitts, Toby J.
thibbitts@tamu.edu
Natural Resources Institute, Biodiversity Research and Teaching Collection
Department of Ecology and Conservation Biology
Texas A&M University,
College Station, Texas USA
Ryberg, Wade A.
Walkup, Danielle K.
Natural Resources Institute
Texas A&M University
College Station, Texas USA
The Texas Alligator Lizard (Gerrhonotus infernalis) ranges from Central to West Texas and extends into adjacent northern Mexico. Most information on G. infernalis today has been gained from field observations with few studies taking the time to monitor this species on longer time scales; thus, little is known about the ecological and cryptic characteristics of this species. To address these disparities, we developed a telemetry study to better understand the behavior, spatial ecology, and habitat correlates of this species in Central Texas. Our results indicated that movement and arboreal patterns for both males and females were influenced by temporal (e.g., seasons) and behavioral cues (e.g., breeding). Arboreal activity in G. infernalis shifted throughout the day with individuals averaging higher perch sites during the evening and morning diurnal periods and lower perch heights during the afternoon periods. Habitat use varied slightly, but G. infernalis was strongly associated with hardwood rocky slope forests at the broad scale and structural habitat in terms of woody vegetation and debris, rock refuge, and canopy cover at the fine scale across all seasons. In terms of arboreal habitat, G. infernalis primarily sought out dense vegetative and woody debris consisting of thin branches and high canopy cover throughout the year. This use of complex structural habitat provides G. infernalis with seasonal needs in terms of thermoregulating, predator evasion, foraging, and sleeping opportunities. These findings provide novel insights into the ecology of G. infernalis and will now allow us to compare the ecological traits of populations occurring in Central Texas to those occurring in other regions of their distribution.