Skyros wall lizard

Skyros wall lizard
Conservation status
	; Vulnerable (IUCN 3.1)[1]
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Reptilia
Order:	Squamata
Family:	Lacertidae
Genus:	Podarcis
Species:	P. gaigeae
Binomial name
	Podarcis gaigeae; (F. Werner, 1930)
Synonyms
	Lacerta tunica gaigeae ; F. Werner, 1930; Podarcis taurica gaigeae ; — Engelmann et al., 1993; Podarcis milensis gaigeae ; — Tiedemann et al., 1994; Podarcis gaigeae ; — Cattaneo, 1999[2];

The Skyros wall lizard (Podarcis gaigeae) is a species of lizards in the family Lacertidae. The species is endemic to the islands of Skyros and Piperi, Greece.

Subspecies

Two subspecies are recognized. The nominotypical subspecies, Podarcis gaigeae gaigeae, is found on Skyros and associated islets, and the other subspecies, Podarcis gaigeae weigandi, is found on the island of Piperi.

Gigantism and polymorphy

The Skyros wall lizard exhibits island gigantism on small islets surrounding Skyros.[3] The Skyros wall lizard also exhibits a throat color polymorphy with six different throat color morphs that are expressed in both females and males.[4]

Etymology

The specific name, gaigeae, is in honor of American herpetologist Helen Beulah Thompson Gaige.[5]

Description

The Skyros wall lizard reaches a snout-to-vent length (SVL) of about 8.5 cm (3.3 in). It has a deep head and a tail approximately twice the length of the body. The colouring is rather variable, usually being green, olive-green, or brownish, with a dark vertebral band and dorso-lateral stripes. The mottled flanks often have a single blue spot above the shoulder. The underparts are white, often with dark spots on the throat, the lizards on each island having characteristic markings.[6]

Distribution

The Skyros wall lizard occurs only on Skyros and on Piperi Island in the Sporades archipelago in the northern Aegean Sea. It is the only small lizard occurring on these islands.

Habitat

The natural habitats of Podarcis gaigeae are Mediterranean-type shrubby vegetation, rocky areas, and rocky shores.[1]

Conservation status

The Skyros wall lizard has a total area of occupancy of less than 20 square kilometres (7.7 sq mi) but is common within that range. Although the population trend is unknown, no specific threats are apparent apart from the risks posed by wildfire. However the introduction onto its island home of some predatory species could threaten its survival so the International Union for Conservation of Nature has assessed its conservation status as being "vulnerable".[1]

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References

Lymberakis P (2009). "Podarcis gaigeae ". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2009: e.T61547A12513064. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2009.RLTS.T61547A12513064.en.
"Podarcis gaigeae ". The Reptile Database. www.reptile-database.org.
Runemark A (2012). "Island biogeography and population divergence in the Skyros wall lizard". Doctoral thesis, Lund University, Lund, Sweden. http://www.lu.se/o.o.i.s?id=12588&postid=2518407
Runemark A, Hansson B, Pafilis P, Valakos ED, Svensson EI (2010). "Island biology and morphological divergence of the Skyros wall lizard Podarcis gaigeae: a combined role for local selection and genetic drift on color morph frequency divergence?" BMC Evol. Biol. 10: 269. http://www.biomedcentral.com/1471-2148/10/269
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 gaigeae, p. 96).
Arnold, E. Nicholas; Ovenden, Denys W. (2002). Field Guide: Reptiles & Amphibians of Britain & Europe. London: Collins & Co. pp. 178–179. ISBN 9780002199643.