''Podarcis'' is a

genus Genus ( plural genera ) is a taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of living and fossil organisms as well as viruses. In the hierarchy of biological classification, genus comes above species and below family. In binomial nom ...

of lizards in the

family Family (from la, familia) is a group of people related either by consanguinity (by recognized birth) or affinity (by marriage or other relationship). The purpose of the family is to maintain the well-being of its members and of society. Idea ...

Lacertidae. Its members look very similar to lizards of the genus ''

Lacerta Lacerta is one of the 88 modern constellations defined by the International Astronomical Union. Its name is Latin for lizard. A small, faint constellation, it was defined in 1687 by the astronomer Johannes Hevelius. Its brightest stars form a "W" ...

'', to which they were considered to belong until the 1970s. While similar externally and ecologically, ''Podarcis'' form a distinct group differing from ''Lacerta'' by the construction of the skull and the

hemipenis A hemipenis (plural hemipenes) is one of a pair of intromittent organs of male squamates (snakes, lizards and worm lizards). Hemipenes are usually held inverted within the body, and are everted for reproduction via erectile tissue, much like ...

, and by the processes of the caudal vertebrae. They are commonly known as wall lizards. They are native to

Europe Europe is a large peninsula conventionally considered a continent in its own right because of its great physical size and the weight of its history and traditions. Europe is also considered a subcontinent of Eurasia and it is located entirel ...

and northern

Africa Africa is the world's second-largest and second-most populous continent, after Asia in both cases. At about 30.3 million km2 (11.7 million square miles) including adjacent islands, it covers 6% of Earth's total surface area ...

, and most species are restricted to the

Mediterranean The Mediterranean Sea is a sea connected to the Atlantic Ocean, surrounded by the Mediterranean Basin and almost completely enclosed by land: on the north by Western Europe, Western and Southern Europe and Anatolia, on the south by North Africa ...

region. Wall lizards diversified and hybridized during the

Messinian salinity crisis The Messinian salinity crisis (MSC), also referred to as the Messinian event, and in its latest stage as the Lago Mare event, was a geological event during which the Mediterranean Sea went into a cycle of partial or nearly complete desiccation (d ...

. The

Italian wall lizard The Italian wall lizard or ruin lizard (''Podarcis siculus'', from the Greek meaning agile and feet) is a species of lizard in the family Lacertidae. ''P. siculus'' is native to Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, France, Italy, Serbia, Montenegro ...

and the

common wall lizard ''Podarcis muralis'' (common wall lizard) is a species of lizard with a large distribution in Europe and well-established introduced populations in North America, where it is also called the European wall lizard. It can grow to about in tota ...

have been introduced to North America, where they have become intermediate hosts for some

Acuariidae Acuariidae is a family of spirurian nematodes. Like all nematodes, they have neither a circulatory nor a respiratory system. They are the only family in superfamily Acuarioidea, and number about 40 genera and 300 species, most of which are parasi ...

larvae.

Species and subspecies

The genus ''Podarcis'' contains the following 26 species which are recognized as being valid. A few of the many recognized subspecies are also listed here. * Bocage's wall lizard, ''

Podarcis bocagei Bocage's wall lizard (''Podarcis bocagei'') is a species of lizard in the family Lacertidae. The species is endemic to the Iberian Peninsula. Its natural habitats are temperate forests, temperate shrubland, Mediterranean-type shrubby vegetation ...

'' *

Carbonell's wall lizard ''Podarcis carbonelli'', commonly known as Carbonell's wall lizard, is a species of lizard in the family Lacertidae. The species is native to Portugal and Spain. This lizard reaches a total length (including tail) of 20 cm (8 in), ...

, '' Podarcis carbonelli'' * Cretan wall lizard, '' Podarcis cretensis'' *

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 ...

, '' Podarcis erhardii'' * Maltese wall lizard, ''

Podarcis filfolensis The filfola lizard or Maltese wall lizard (''Podarcis filfolensis'') is a species of lizard in the family Lacertidae. It is found in Italy (in the Pelagian Islands) and in the island group of Malta. Its natural habitats are Mediterranean-type ...

'' * Skyros wall lizard, ''

Podarcis gaigeae 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, ''Podar ...

'' *'' Podarcis galerai'' *'' Podarcis guadarramae'' * Iberian wall lizard, '' Podarcis hispanicus'' * Crimean wall lizard, '' Podarcis ionicus'' * Pontian wall lizard, '' Podarcis latastei'' *'' Podarcis levendis'' *

Lilford's wall lizard Lilford's wall lizard (''Podarcis lilfordi'' ) is a species of lizard in the family Lacertidae. The species is endemic to the Balearic Islands, Spain. Its natural habitats are temperate Mediterranean-type shrubby vegetation, rocky areas, and r ...

, ''

Podarcis lilfordi Lilford's wall lizard (''Podarcis lilfordi'' ) is a species of lizard in the family Lacertidae. The species is endemic to the Balearic Islands, Spain. Its natural habitats are temperate Mediterranean-type shrubby vegetation, rocky areas, and r ...

'' **

Ratas Island lizard The Ratas Island lizard, ''Podarcis lilfordi rodriquezi'', is an extinct subspecies of Lilford's wall lizard that once lived on Ratas Island, a tiny, rocky island in the bay of Mahón, Menorca (Spain). But Ratas island, which was its habitat, was ...

, '' Podarcis lilfordi rodriquezi'' , extinct, 1950 * Catalan wall lizard, '' Podarcis liolepis'' * Dalmatian wall lizard, '' Podarcis melisellensis'' * Milos wall lizard, '' Podarcis milensis'' * Common or European wall lizard, ''

Podarcis muralis ''Podarcis muralis'' (common wall lizard) is a species of lizard with a large distribution in Europe and well-established introduced populations in North America, where it is also called the European wall lizard. It can grow to about in tota ...

'' * Peloponnese wall lizard, '' Podarcis peloponnesiacus'' *

Ibiza wall lizard 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. A ...

, '' Podarcis pityusensis'' *

Aeolian wall lizard The Aeolian wall lizard (''Podarcis raffonei)'', also known commonly as Raffone's wall lizard, is a species of lizard in the family Lacertidae. The species is endemic to Italy. Etymology The specific name, ''raffonei'' or ''raffoneae'', is i ...

, '' Podarcis raffonei'' *

, '' Podarcis siculus'' ** Santo Stefano lizard, '' Podarcis siculus sanctistephani'' , extinct, 1965 * Balkan wall lizard, ''

Podarcis tauricus ''Podarcis tauricus'', the Balkan wall lizard, is a common lizard in the family Lacertidae native to south eastern Europe and Asia Minor. It is a terrestrial species found in steppe, grassland, olive groves, cultivated land, meadows, rural garde ...

'' * Tyrrhenian wall lizard, '' Podarcis tiliguerta'' * Andalusian wall lizard, '' Podarcis vaucheri'' *'' Podarcis virescens'' * Sicilian wall lizard, '' Podarcis waglerianus'' ''

Nota bene (, or ; plural form ) is a Latin phrase meaning "note well". It is often abbreviated as NB, n.b., or with the ligature and first appeared in English writing . In Modern English, it is used, particularly in legal papers, to draw the atten ...

'': A

binomial authority In taxonomy, binomial nomenclature ("two-term naming system"), also called nomenclature ("two-name naming system") or binary nomenclature, is a formal system of naming species of living things by giving each a name composed of two parts, bot ...

or trinomial authority in parentheses indicates that the species or subspecies was originally described in a genus other than ''Podarcis''.

Species and subspecies

References

Further reading