Season, body condition, and sex variation of ectoparasite abundance in Tarentola delalandii (Squamata: Phyllodactylidae) from two ecologically contrasting populations of Tenerife (Canary Islands)

Abstract

Individual parasite load depends on several factors such as sex, body size or climatic conditions. In turn, parasites may produce several short- and long-term pathologies. Herein, we analyze the ectoparasite load of the Geckobia mite in two ecologically contrasting populations (north and south of Tenerife) of the gecko Tarentola delalandii. For this purpose, we performed random transects to capture geckos under rocks in each population and counted all mites found on any part of each gecko’s body. A generalized linear model showed no significant effect on mite abundance of site, season, sex (within population), condition index, or temperature of the refuges. However, there were significant effects of the interactions between season by condition index and season by sex (nested within population). Parasitism was higher in individuals with lower body index values in autumn–winter than those with higher body condition in spring–summer. Moreover, females of the northern population were more heavily parasitized than males and juveniles in the year’s cooler months. We discuss several potential explanations for these results.