The Ibiza wall lizard (''Podarcis pityusensis'') is a species of lizard in the family Lacertidae. It is most closely associated with the island of Eivissa, or Ibiza, in the Balearic Islands, but has become naturalized in parts of

Spain , image_flag = Bandera de España.svg , image_coat = Escudo de España (mazonado).svg , national_motto = ''Plus ultra'' (Latin)(English: "Further Beyond") , national_anthem = (English: "Royal March") , i ...

. A subspecies,Info on Sub-species of wall lizards
''P. pityusensis formenterae'', is limited in natural habitat to the islands of Formentera, Illa Conillera and Es Vedrà, south of Ibiza, but has been transported by humans to several other locations in the Mediterranean. The Formentean subspecies tends to be more brightly coloured than its Ibizan and mainland con-specifics. The natural

habitat In ecology, the term habitat summarises the array of resources, physical and biotic factors that are present in an area, such as to support the survival and reproduction of a particular species. A species habitat can be seen as the physical ...

s of ''P. pityusensis'' are temperate shrubland, Mediterranean-type

shrubby vegetation A shrub (often also called a bush) is a small-to-medium-sized perennial woody plant. Unlike herbaceous plants, shrubs have persistent woody stems above the ground. Shrubs can be either deciduous or evergreen. They are distinguished from trees ...

, rocky areas, rocky shores,

arable land Arable land (from the la, arabilis, "able to be ploughed") is any land capable of being ploughed and used to grow crops.''Oxford English Dictionary'', "arable, ''adj''. and ''n.''" Oxford University Press (Oxford), 2013. Alternatively, for th ...

, pastureland,

plantation A plantation is an agricultural estate, generally centered on a plantation house, meant for farming that specializes in cash crops, usually mainly planted with a single crop, with perhaps ancillary areas for vegetables for eating and so on. The ...

s, rural gardens, and

urban area An urban area, built-up area or urban agglomeration is a human settlement with a high population density and infrastructure of built environment. Urban areas are created through urbanization and are categorized by urban morphology as cities ...

Description

The Ibiza wall lizard grows to a maximum snout-to-vent length of but adults are usually a little smaller than this. The tail is about twice as long as the body. It is robust with a short-head and rounded body with relatively coarse, slightly keeled scales. The dorsal surface is usually green but can be grey or brownish. There is usually a well-defined pale dorso-lateral stripe and there may be a row of dark spots or a dark line running along the spine. The underside is white, cream, grey, orange or pink and the throat, and occasionally the belly, may be blotched with darker colour.

Distribution and habitat

The Ibiza wall lizard is native to the islands of Ibiza and Formentera in the Balearic Islands and the neighbouring rocky islets. It has been introduced to Muella de Palma (Mallorca), Barcelona where it once was assumed it died out but was 're-discovered' in 2007 (Bruekers, 2007) in the town of Aleria in southern Spain and the island of

Gaztelugatxe Gaztelugatxe is an islet on the coast of Biscay belonging to the municipality of Bermeo, Basque Country (Spain). It is connected to the mainland by a man-made bridge. On top of the island stands a hermitage (named Gaztelugatxeko Doniene in Basqu ...

in northern Spain. It is found at altitudes of up to above sea level. This lizard largely inhabits vegetated areas especially in those association with man. As well as gardens, pasture and arable land, it is found on rocks, especially near the coast. On some small islets, it may be very common and live almost exclusively on rock.

Biology

The Ibiza wall lizard feeds on small invertebrates including a high proportion of

ant Ants are eusocial insects of the family Formicidae and, along with the related wasps and bees, belong to the order Hymenoptera. Ants evolved from vespoid wasp ancestors in the Cretaceous period. More than 13,800 of an estimated total of ...

s when they are available. It also eats vegetable matter, especially during the summer. Females generally produce a single clutch of one to four eggs. These hatch after a few weeks and the hatchlings are about long from snout to vent. They become sexually mature at the age of one and a half or two years.

Status

Although this lizard does not seem to be in overall decline and faces no significant threats, its total area of occurrence is less than so the IUCN lists it as being "

Near threatened A near-threatened species is a species which has been categorized as "Near Threatened" (NT) by the International Union for Conservation of Nature as that may be vulnerable to endangerment in the near future, but it does not currently qualify f ...

".. More recently, the lizard is facing a threat from invasive snakes which originated from mainland Spain which came to Ibiza in imported olive trees. < https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/ibizans-take-up-clubs-against-plague-of-snakes-killing-off-their-beloved-lizard-spxbwxzqp >

Gallery

File:Ibiza Wall Lizard Podarcis pityusensis Nature reserve es Vedrà 19th May 2011.JPG File:Sargantana_camí_de_sa_pujada_3.jpg File:Sargantana_camí_de_sa_pujada_2.jpg File:Podarcys pityusensis kieto parao.JPG, The subspecies Formentera wall lizard (''P. pityusensis formenterae'') File:An Ibiza wall lizard (Podarcis pityusensis) scavenging on fish scraps leftover from another predator - journal.pone.0060797.g001-B.png, Scavenging on fish scraps

References

Bruekers, J. (2007) - Wiederentdeckung von Podarcis pityusensis pityusensis in Barcelona - Die Eidechse, Bonn, 18: 79-84

External links

''Cold-blooded Cannibals: Extreme Adaptations to Island Life''
is a short documentary on adaptations to island life in the Ibiza Wall Lizard.