Colour polymorphic species are model systems for examining the evolutionary processes
that generate and maintain discrete phenotypic variation in natural populations. Lizards …

Reptiles use pterin and carotenoid pigments to produce yellow, orange, and red colors.
These conspicuous colors serve a diversity of signaling functions, but their molecular basis …

Highlights•We examined whether conspicuous coloration predicts male quality in Podarcis
muralis.•Hue of ultraviolet-blue patches is a good predictor of fighting ability.•UV chroma of …

Colour signals play a key role in regulating the intensity and outcome of animal contests.
Males of the common wall lizard (Podarcis muralis) show conspicuous ventrolateral …

Color polymorphism defies evolutionary expectations as striking phenotypic variation is
maintained within a single species. Color and other traits mediate social interactions, and …

Color polymorphism—two or more heritable color phenotypes maintained within a single
breeding population—is an extreme type of intraspecific diversity widespread across the tree …

Sexual selection is one of the main processes involved in the emergence and maintenance
of heritable color polymorphisms in a variety of taxa. Here, we test whether the intensity of …

The persistence of colour polymorphism (CP) within a given population is generally
associated with the coexistence of alternative reproductive strategies, each one involving …

Lizards are ideal for studying colour polymorphism, because some species are polymorphic
and the morphs often have different ecological or reproductive strategies. We studied the …

Previous studies showed that common wall lizards (Podarcis muralis) are polymorphic in
colour, both sexes showing three main ventral morphs (white, yellow and red) within the …