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Perch choice and substrate matching to the dorsal patterns of Amphibolurus muricatus lizards

Salisbury, Jonathan1; Peters, Richard1

Published Oct 06, 2025 on Dryad. https://doi.org/10.5061/dryad.ksn02v7j9

Data files

Oct 06, 2025 version files 2.40 MB

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Abstract

The patterns of lizards and backgrounds were analysed using QCPA tools available in the MICA Toolbox. The csv files provided in this repository represents the output from this analysis and includes cluster information, edge information and the result of visual modelling (visual contrast analysis, colour adjacency analysis and boundary strength analysis.  

The backgrounds that cryptic animals choose will affect the efficacy of their camouflage. Most animals use a range of microhabitats consisting of a variety of substrates, vegetation and lighting conditions. As some of these will be better suited to facilitating camouflage than others, we expect cryptic animals to consider their conspicuousness when choosing a background to occupy. If the availability of backgrounds varies between populations of cryptic animals, then selective pressure on their colouration may also vary, resulting in intraspecific variation and presumably animals being better suited to the backgrounds locally available to them than those at other locations. In this study we investigate how backgrounds available to Jacky dragons (Amphibolurus muricatus) vary across their range, whether these lizards are occupying backgrounds that match well to their dorsal patterns, and how backgrounds compare to their dorsal patterns. Wild lizards were located and photographed along with the background they were found on, and other options available nearby. We compared lizards and backgrounds within their microhabitat as well as all backgrounds across all microhabitats. We found that lizards were not occupying the backgrounds that best matched their own patterns, that background options varied between locations, and that lizards from certain locations were occupying backgrounds closer matching to their own pattern than those from other locations. These outcomes provide interesting insight into the variance of local factors that influence the pattern phenotype, as well as how the relative need for camouflage might vary and be balanced with other needs.