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Erhard's wall lizard

Erhard's wall lizard (Podarcis erhardii), also commonly called the Aegean wall lizard, is a species of lizard in the family Lacertidae. The species is endemic to Southeast Europe.

Etymology

The specific name, erhardii, is in honor of a certain Dr. D. Erhard (first name unknown), a German naturalist, who was the author of Fauna der Cycladen (1858).[3]

Geographic range

P. erhardii is found in the Balkan peninsula and the Aegean islands.[1] On the mainland it ranges from Albania, North Macedonia and southern Bulgaria to the northeastern part of the Peloponnese peninsula in Greece. In the Aegean archipelago it does not occur in Milos or the surrounding islands, where it is replaced by the Milos wall lizard.[citation needed]

Description

Male Erhard's wall lizard with net-like patterning
Erhard's wall lizard on Santorini
Erhard's wall lizard in Parnitha

The snout-to-vent length (SVL) of P. erhardii is about 7 cm (2.8 in), and the tail is twice as long. The head is rather wide, and the skin is smooth. The colour and patterning of this species vary a lot. The main colour is typically grey or brown, sometimes green. Females particularly are often striped. On the edges of the back two white stripes border two dark stripes or spotty lines. In the middle of the back may be a dark line. Some males have net-like patterning, where longitudinal and transverse lines and spots mix. The belly and often throat are white, yellow, orange or red, and in the Aegean Islands also green, blue or grey. The belly is never spotty, but sometimes there are blue spots on the hind legs.[citation needed]

Habitat

Erhard's wall lizard lives in dry or rocky places with dense, low bushes. It climbs very well. The lizard populations in the Aegean archipelago inhabit open places, like plant-covered dunes, as well.[citation needed]

Diet

Erhard's wall lizard eats arthropods, especially insects.[citation needed]

Reproduction

P. erhardii mates in spring, and lays eggs at the beginning of the summer. The young lizards hatch in September, then measuring 3 cm (1.2 in).[citation needed]

Behaviour

P. erhardii chooses backgrounds that match its colour to enhance camouflage against avian predators in its natural habitat.[4]

Subspecies

Although 28 subspecies of P. erhardii have been described and considered valid, Sindaco & Jeremčenko (2008) consider only four subspecies to be valid, including the nominotypical subspecies.[2]

Nota bene: A trinomial authority in parentheses indicates that the subspecies was originally described in a genus other than Podarcis.

References

  1. ^ a b Lymberakis, Petros; Crnobrnja Isailovic, Jelka; Ajtic, Rastko; Vogrin, Milan; Böhme, Wolfgang (2009). "Podarcis erhardii ". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2009: e.T61546A12512784. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2009.RLTS.T61546A12512784.en. Retrieved 13 November 2021.{{cite journal}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  2. ^ a b Species Podarcis erhardii at The Reptile Database www.reptile-database.org.
  3. ^ Beolens, Bo; Watkins, Michael; Grayson, Michael (2011). The Eponym Dictionary of Reptiles. Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press. xiii + 296 pp. ISBN 978-1-4214-0135-5. (Podarcis erhardii, p. 85).
  4. ^ Marshall, Kate L. A.; Philpot, Kate E.; Stevens, Martin (2016-01-25). "Microhabitat choice in island lizards enhances camouflage against avian predators". Scientific Reports. 6 (1): 19815. doi:10.1038/srep19815. ISSN 2045-2322. PMC 4726299. PMID 26804463.

Further reading

External links