Diet and helminth parasites in the Gran Canaria giant lizard, Gallotia stehlini

Abstract

Diet and helminth fauna were analysed in Gallotia stehlini (Schenkel, 1901), a giant lacertid lizard endemic to Gran Canaria (Canary Islands, Spain) in order to explore eventual relationships between both traits. This species is mainly herbivorous, eating a large proportion of plant matter (occurrence 97.1%) including not only seeds but also leaves and other vegetative parts. Helminth fauna included many helminth species typical of herbivorous reptiles, and intestinal helminth diversity was high. A comparison with other lacertids suggests that both traits, diet and helminth fauna, result from an adaptation to insular conditions. Canarian Gallotia, a separate lineage evolving for a long time in insularity, constitutes the most modified lacertid group in this sense.