I. YAKOVLEV CHUVASH STATE PEDAGOGICAL UNIVERSITY BULLETIN

Artvin lizard, Derjugin’s lizard, Darevskia derjugini, age, growth, reproduction, Northwestern Caucasus.

The article provides the data on the age, growth and reproduction of the Derjugin’s lizards on the northeastern periphery of the area – in the gorge of the Malaya Laba River (Northwestern Caucasus). With the help of skeletochronological analysis the age of 29 lizards (16 males and 13 females) was determined. The age of the males was 3–5, the average of which is 3.9. The females were also aged
3–5 with the average of 3.7. The relative body length of the three-year-old animals in comparison with the length of the body of the newborn lizards was 172.0–195.5% (males) and 205.3–258.9% (females). At the age of 4 the length of the body of the lizards was 172.4–206.1% (males) and 215.0254.5% (females). The five-year-old males and females had a relative length of the body of 179.7–213.8% and 188.6–230.5% respectively. Among the thirteen females under consideration, the eight exemplars brought forth. A large part of the breeding lizards were aged 3 (5 exemplars), but there were also a four-year-old (2 exemplars) and one five-year-old female. The authors stress that in the North-East of the area the Derjugin’s lizard has a relatively small size and later onset of puberty in females. The average age and maximum life span of lizards studied are consistent with the literature data.