The Milos wall lizard (''Podarcis milensis'') is a small

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 east by the Levant in West Asia, on the north by Anatolia in West Asia and Southern ...

lizard Lizard is the common name used for all Squamata, squamate reptiles other than snakes (and to a lesser extent amphisbaenians), encompassing over 7,000 species, ranging across all continents except Antarctica, as well as most Island#Oceanic isla ...

. The lizard's body length is no more than 6.5 cm, and the tail is twice as long. The lizard looks sturdy, and has a broad head. The male's appearance is characteristic for the species. The back is usually brown, and has a slight longitudinal line in the middle of it. Flanks, throat and the sides of the head are black with white, yellow, blue or light green spots. The belly has often black patterning. A typical female has white stripes on the edges of its back, and some distinctive spots in the throat. The Milos wall lizard inhabits a few Aegean islands in

Greece Greece, officially the Hellenic Republic, is a country in Southeast Europe. Located on the southern tip of the Balkan peninsula, it shares land borders with Albania to the northwest, North Macedonia and Bulgaria to the north, and Turkey to th ...

. They are

Milos Milos or Melos (; , ; ) is a volcanic Greek island in the Aegean Sea, just north of the Sea of Crete. It is the southwestern-most island of the Cyclades group. The ''Venus de Milo'' (now in the Louvre), the ''Poseidon of Melos'' (now in the ...

Kimolos Kimolos (; ) is a Greek island in the Aegean Sea. It lies on the southwest of the island group of Cyclades, near the bigger island of Milos. Kimolos is the administrative center of the municipality of Kimolos, which also includes the uninhabited ...

Falkonera Falkonera () or Gerakoulia (Γερακούλια), anciently known as Hierakia (Ἱεράκια), is a small uninhabited Greek island in the southwestern Aegean Sea, between the island of Milos and the Peloponnese region. Although outside the Sar ...

Antimilos Antimilos (; ) is a Greek island in the Cyclades group, northwest of Milos. Administratively, it is part of the municipality of Milos. Antimilos is an uninhabited mass of trachyte (671 m height), often called Erimomilos (Desert Milos). It is a v ...

and Parapola. The species prefers cultivated lands. These lizards bask in the sun in the banks and piles of stones. They hunt in the open ground or among plants.

Subspecies In Taxonomy (biology), biological classification, subspecies (: subspecies) is a rank below species, used for populations that live in different areas and vary in size, shape, or other physical characteristics (Morphology (biology), morpholog ...

: *''Podarcis milensis milensis'' *''Podarcis milensis gerakuniae'' *''Podarcis milensis schweizeri'' The species is becoming rare due to

habitat loss Habitat destruction (also termed habitat loss or habitat reduction) occurs when a natural habitat is no longer able to support its native species. The organisms once living there have either moved elsewhere, or are dead, leading to a decrease ...

Sources

*E. N. Arnold, J. A. Burton (1978). A Field Guide to Reptiles and Amphibians of Britain and Europe
Amphibians and Reptiles of Europe

References

* Database entry includes a range map and a brief justification of why this species is near threatened {{Taxonbar, from=Q1551674 Podarcis Endemic fauna of Greece Cyclades Lizards of Europe Reptiles described in 1882 Taxa named by Jacques von Bedriaga