For citation:
Polynova G. V., Polynova O. E. Sexual structure peculiarities in lizard populations of the family Lacertidae, genus Eremias and the family Agamidae, genus Phrynocephalus during their breeding season. Current Studies in Herpetology, 2025, vol. 25, iss. 3, pp. 197-201. DOI: 10.18500/1814-6090-2025-25-3-4-197-201
Sexual structure peculiarities in lizard populations of the family Lacertidae, genus Eremias and the family Agamidae, genus Phrynocephalus during their breeding season
Our sex ratio analysis of mature individuals in populations of 5 lizard species, genus Eremias (Lacertidae) and genus Phrynocephalus (Agamidae), during the breeding season has shown that males predominate in the genus Eremias in most cases, while females predominate in the genus Phrynocephalus. This fact is confirmed by data collected by other researchers on 14 more species of the indicated genera. The authors believe that this difference is due to some ecological features of the noted systematic groups. The predominance of males in the Eremias populations is probably determined by the high activity of males and the greater probability of becoming a victim for predators. In this case, a significant number of males serves as an additional mechanism for maintaining the necessary 1:1 balance of mating partners during the breeding season. The predominance of females in the Phrynocephalus populations is most likely determined by peculiarities of the spatial structure, namely: several females usually live in a male’s territory, which generally increases the chance of a larger number of females participating in reproduction. Thus, the corresponding differences in the sexual structure apparently serve as mechanisms for optimizing the success of the breeding season.
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