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Photographic Identification in Reptiles: a Matter of Scales

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Photographic Identification in Reptiles: a Matter of Scales Amphibiti-Reptilia 31 (2010): 4il9 502 Photographic identification in reptiles: a matter of scales Roberto Sacchil,*, Stefano Scali2, Daniele Pellitteri-Rosal, Fabio Pupinl , Augusto Gentillil, Serena Tettamanti2, Luca Cavigioli2, Luca Racinar , Veronica Maiocchil , Paolo Galeottil. Mauro Fasolal Abstract. Photographic identification is a promising marking technique alternative to the toe-clipping, since it is completely harmless, cheap. and it allows long time identification of individuals. Its application to ecological studies is mainly limited by the time consuming to compa.re pictures within large datasets and the huge variation of ornamentation pattems among dilTerent species, which prevent the possibility that a single algorithrn can effectively work for more than few species. Scales of Reptiles offer an effective alternative to omamentations for computer aided identilication procedures. since both shape and size of scales are unique to each individual, thus acting as a fingerprint like omamentation patlems do. We used the Interactive Individual ldentification System (t3S) software to assess whether different individuals of two species of European lizards (Podarcis muralis and Lacerta bilineata) can be reliably photographically identilied using the pattern of the intersections among pectoral scales as fingerprints. We found that I3S was able to itlentity different individuals among two samples of 21 individuals for each species independently from the emor associated to the ability of the operators in collecting pictures and in digitizing the pattenr of intersections among pectoral scales. In a database of 1043 images of P. muraLis collected between 2007 and 2008, the software recognized 987o of recaptures within each year. and 99c/o of the recaptures between years. In addition. 99% and 96% of matches were ranked among the top five, and no more than 5 minutes were needed for digitizing and processing each image. The lepidosis of reptiles is a reliable alternative ro ornarnenration pxttems in photographic identiflcation of reptiles, which can be effectively analysed using the 13S software. This result represents a significant improvement in photographic identilication of reptiles since (i) this procedure can be easily extended to most other species of reptiles, (ii) all kind of individuals within a species can be marked (i.e., young, subadults and adults) despite the differences in ornaunentation pattcrns. and (iii) it is the only technique for species, like the westem green lizard. which lack a clear ornamentation pattern. Keytvortls: Capture-recapture, individual-identification, Lat:erta biLineata, lizards, marking, photographic identification, Prtrlrtrci.s muralis. Introduction nelly et al., 1994). However, the toe-clipping, i.e., the removal of a unique combination of dig- Many types of ecological studies and conser- its from each individual (Ferner, 1979; Hero, vation strategies need accurate estimates of 1989; Waichman, 1992), is the most frequently population size, which can be obtained only used, as it is relatively easy and inexpensive through the identiflcation of single individu- (Donnelly et a\., 1994). als, usually achieved by marking. Artificially Different studies concerning the effects of marking of animals involves capturing and han- these marking techniques on behaviour and sur- dling, which can stress individuals and/or lead vival rates have reported conflicting results, in- to injury and infections. In case of amphib- dicating that it may be difficult to make broad ians and reptiles, artificial marking usually in- generalizations about the effects of these tech- volves scale clipping, branding, tattooing, sub- niques on amphibians and reptiles. cutaneous elastomer injections and pit tags of Particularly, the effectiveness of the toe- painting (see reviews in Ferner, 1979 and Don- clipping has been questioned, since the base as- sumption that it does not influence animal's sur- I - Dipiutimento di Biologia Animale, Universitä degli vival or behaviour has been shown to be fre- Studi di Pavia. Via Ferrata 1,27 100 Pavia. Italy quently violated (Paris and McCarthy, 2001; 2 - Museo Civico di Storia Naturale. Corso Venezia 5-5. 20121 Milano, Italy McCarthy and Parris, 2004). Indeed, the toe- 'tCorrespontling author: e-mail: [email protected] clipping may cause inflammation, infection of O Koninkliike Brill NY Leidcn, 2010. DOI:10. I 163/0173537 10X52 I 5,16 490 R. Sacchi et al. feet and limbs, mobility reduction and mortality Moreover, natural toe loss is common enough increasing (Bustard, 1968, l91l;' Clarke, 1912; in some species of skinks and lizards to poten- Humphries, 1919; Golay and Durrer, 1994; tially cause difflculties with possible misidenti- Lemckert, 1996; Reaser and Dexter, 1996; fications of individuals marked by toe-clipping Williamson and Bull, 1996; Davies and Ovaska, (Rand, 1965; Schoener and Schoener, 1980; 2001; Bloch and Irschick,2004). Middelburg and Strijbosch, 1988; Hudson, For example. Clarke (1972) found an inverse 1996). For example, Middelburg and Strij- correlation between the number of toes removed bosch (1988) found that 8% of common lizards from Fowler's toads, Bufo woodhousei fowleri, (.Zootoca vivipara) out of a sample of 900 indi- and the recapture rate, and concluded that this viduals showed naturally loss toes, and amputa- was likely to be the result of increased mortality, tions were three time more frequent in females whereas Golay and Durrer (1994) reported that than in males. Similarly, natural amputation in 18% of recaptured natterjack toads, B. calamita, Podarcis sicula might be especially frequent in experienced infection or necrosis following toe- dense population, due to increased intraspecific clipping. They reporled that inflammation did competition (Vervust and Van Damme, 2009; not occur immediately post-amputation; in 50Vo Vervust et al. 2009). The frequency of toe loss of cases, inflammation was not detected until at may be considerable high in some cases (up to least one month after toe-clipping. 34Vo tn females of the Australian skink Pseude- With regards to reptiles, Bloch and Irschick moia entrecasteauxii, Hudson, 1996), and some (2004) found that climbing ability in AnoLis car- individual may lost up to six toes (Hudson, olinensis decreased dramatically afier toe clip- 1996). ping, and Bustard (1971) reported that69Vo out Irrespectively to the negative effects on indi- of 150 individuals marked throughout the year viduals. there are also ethical and conservation were never seen again, while only I2.JVo were implications that lead to consider toe-clipping recaptured during the month following marking. with caution as a marking technique (McCarthy On the other hand, several other studies and Parris, 2004), and mark-induced mortality have found no negative effects of toe-clipping or sub-lethal effects on fitness (e.g., reduced re- (Huey et al., 1990; Dodd, 1993; Hudson, 1996; production, decreased growth rate) are particu- Van Gelder and Stri.jbosch, 1996; Williamson larly unacceptable when the concerned species and Bull, 1996; Ott and Scott, 1999; Paulissen is endangered. and Meyer, 2000; Borges-Landaez and Shine, In this scenario, the photographic identiflca- 2003), suggesting that the effects of this tech- tion is an emergent technique wjth a promis- nique may vary among species and must be as- ing future for marking Amphibians and Rep- sessed accordingly (Funk, Donnelly and Lips, tiles, since it is completely harmless, cheap, 2005). and it allows long time identiflcation of indi- The negative effect of toe-clipping on sur- viduals. This approach is based on the iden- vival as well as on common behaviours of tification of regular and individually specific marked individuals potentially aff'ects the qual- patterns of ornamentation within well identi- ity of the data collected during field researches fied body regions of individuals, which do not (McCarthy and Parris, 2004t Bell and Pledger, change over time despite skin moults. Numer- 2005). indeed, both altered behaviour and in- ous efforts have been made to identify animals creased mortality resulting from marking vi- individually using photo-identification meth- olate the basic assumption underlying most ods in many Amphibians and Reptiles (Fox, captlrre-recapture methods, i.e., that recapture 1975; Gosä, 1987; Elbing and Rykena, 1996; probability is not affected by marking (Caugh- Schmidt-Loske, 1996; Steinicke et a1., 2000; ley and Sinclair, 1994). Bradfield, 2004; Perera and Perez-Mellado, Photographic identification in reptiles 491 2004; Voros et al., 2007; Buonantony, 2008; cular, the points of connection among scales are Gamble et al., 2008). However, the ornamen- unique to each individual, and simultaneously tations used in some lizards for photographic highly divergent among different individuals for identification have been shown to subtly change both number and position (it is largely unlikely over the whole life of individuals, thus limiting that two individuals could share both the same the possibility of recognizing them over long number of scales and the same shape and po- time period (Henle et al., 1997; Sacchi et al., sition) thus potentially functioning as linger- 2006). prints. For example, the pattern of head scales Although regular patterns of ornamentation of Lucerta bilineata has been shown to be exclu- may supply a useful way to individually recog- sive for each individual, and does not vary over photographic nize animals, identification is a time (Fox, 1975; Elbing
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