The Tyrrhenian wall lizard (''Podarcis tiliguerta'') is a
species
A species () is often defined as the largest group of organisms in which any two individuals of the appropriate sexes or mating types can produce fertile offspring, typically by sexual reproduction. It is the basic unit of Taxonomy (biology), ...
of
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 ...
in the
family
Family (from ) is a Social group, group of people related either by consanguinity (by recognized birth) or Affinity (law), affinity (by marriage or other relationship). It forms the basis for social order. Ideally, families offer predictabili ...
Lacertidae
The Lacertidae are the family of the wall lizards, true lizards, or sometimes simply lacertas, which are native to Afro-Eurasia. It is a diverse family with at about 360 species in 39 genera. They represent the dominant group of reptiles found ...
. The species is native to the islands
Corsica
Corsica ( , , ; ; ) is an island in the Mediterranean Sea and one of the Regions of France, 18 regions of France. It is the List of islands in the Mediterranean#By area, fourth-largest island in the Mediterranean and lies southeast of the Metro ...
and
Sardinia
Sardinia ( ; ; ) is the Mediterranean islands#By area, second-largest island in the Mediterranean Sea, after Sicily, and one of the Regions of Italy, twenty regions of Italy. It is located west of the Italian Peninsula, north of Tunisia an ...
and their associated islets. There are ten recognized
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 ...
.
Habitat
The natural
habitat
In ecology, habitat refers to the array of resources, 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 manifestation of its ...
s of ''P. tiliguerta'' are temperate
forest
A forest is an ecosystem characterized by a dense ecological community, community of trees. Hundreds of definitions of forest are used throughout the world, incorporating factors such as tree density, tree height, land use, legal standing, ...
s, temperate
shrubland
Shrubland, scrubland, scrub, brush, or bush is a plant community characterized by vegetation dominance (ecology), dominated by shrubs, often also including grasses, herbaceous plant, herbs, and geophytes. Shrubland may either occur naturally o ...
, Mediterranean-type shrubby vegetation, temperate
grassland
A grassland is an area where the vegetation is dominance (ecology), dominated by grasses (Poaceae). However, sedge (Cyperaceae) and rush (Juncaceae) can also be found along with variable proportions of legumes such as clover, and other Herbaceo ...
, rocky areas, sandy shores,
arable land
Arable land (from the , "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 the purposes of a ...
, pastureland, and rural gardens.
Conservation status
''P. tiliguerta'' is not considered a
threatened species
A threatened species is any species (including animals, plants and fungi) which is vulnerable to extinction in the near future. Species that are threatened are sometimes characterised by the population dynamics measure of ''critical depensatio ...
by the
IUCN
The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) is an international organization working in the field of nature conservation and sustainable use of natural resources. Founded in 1948, IUCN has become the global authority on the status ...
.
Subspecies
Ten subspecies are recognized as being valid, including the
nominotypical subspecies
In 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), but that can successfully interbreed. ...
.
[ www.reptile-database.org.]
*''
Podarcis tiliguerta contii''
*''
Podarcis tiliguerta eiselti
''Podarcis'' is a genus of lizards, known colloquially as wall lizards, in the family Lacertidae. Its members look very similar to lizards of the genus '' Lacerta'', to which they were considered to belong until the 1970s. While similar external ...
''
*''
Podarcis tiliguerta granchii
''Podarcis'' is a genus of lizards, known colloquially as wall lizards, in the family Lacertidae. Its members look very similar to lizards of the genus '' Lacerta'', to which they were considered to belong until the 1970s. While similar external ...
''
*''
Podarcis tiliguerta grandisonae
''Podarcis'' is a genus of lizards, known colloquially as wall lizards, in the family Lacertidae. Its members look very similar to lizards of the genus '' Lacerta'', to which they were considered to belong until the 1970s. While similar external ...
''
*''
Podarcis tiliguerta maresi
''Podarcis'' is a genus of lizards, known colloquially as wall lizards, in the family Lacertidae. Its members look very similar to lizards of the genus '' Lacerta'', to which they were considered to belong until the 1970s. While similar external ...
''
*''
Podarcis tiliguerta pardii
''Podarcis'' is a genus of lizards, known colloquially as wall lizards, in the family Lacertidae. Its members look very similar to lizards of the genus '' Lacerta'', to which they were considered to belong until the 1970s. While similar external ...
''
*''
Podarcis tiliguerta ranzii
''Podarcis'' is a genus of lizards, known colloquially as wall lizards, in the family Lacertidae. Its members look very similar to lizards of the genus '' Lacerta'', to which they were considered to belong until the 1970s. While similar external ...
''
*''
Podarcis tiliguerta rudolphisimonii
''Podarcis'' is a genus of lizards, known colloquially as wall lizards, in the family Lacertidae. Its members look very similar to lizards of the genus '' Lacerta'', to which they were considered to belong until the 1970s. While similar external ...
''
*''
Podarcis tiliguerta tiliguerta
''Podarcis'' is a genus of lizards, known colloquially as wall lizards, in the family Lacertidae. Its members look very similar to lizards of the genus '' Lacerta'', to which they were considered to belong until the 1970s. While similar external ...
''
*''
Podarcis tiliguerta toro
''Podarcis'' is a genus of lizards, known colloquially as wall lizards, in the family Lacertidae. Its members look very similar to lizards of the genus '' Lacerta'', to which they were considered to belong until the 1970s. While similar external ...
''
''
Nota bene
( ; plural: ) is the Latin language, Latin phrase meaning ''note well''.
In manuscripts, ''nota bene'' is abbreviated in upper-case as NB and N.B., and in lower-case as n.b. and nb; the editorial usages of ''nota bene'' and ''notate bene'' fi ...
'': A
trinomial authority in parentheses indicates that the subspecies was originally described in a
genus
Genus (; : genera ) is a taxonomic rank above species and below family (taxonomy), family as used in the biological classification of extant taxon, living and fossil organisms as well as Virus classification#ICTV classification, viruses. In bino ...
other than ''Podarcis''.
Etymology
The
subspecific name
In biology, trinomial nomenclature is the system of names for taxa below the rank of species. These names have three parts. The usage is different in zoology and botany.
In zoology
In zoological nomenclature, a trinomen (), trinominal name, or ...
, ''granchii'', is in honor of Italian herpetologist
Edoardo Granchi of the ''
Museo di Storia Naturale di Firenze
The Museo di Storia Naturale di Firenze is a natural history museum in 6 major collections, located in Florence, Italy. It is part of the University of Florence. Museum collections are open mornings except Wednesday, and all day Saturday; an adm ...
''.
[ Beolens, Bo; Watkins, Michael; Grayson, Michael (2011). ''The Eponym Dictionary of Reptiles''. Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press. xiii + 296 pp. . (''Podarcis tiliguerta granchi'', p. 105).]
References
Further reading
*
Brizzi R,
Lanza B (1975). "The natural history of the Macinaggio Islets (northeastern Corsica) with particular reference to their herpetofauna". ''Natura'' (Milan) 66 (1–2): 53–72. (''Podarcis tiliguerta rudolphisimonii'', new subspecies, p. 61). (in English, with an abstract in Italian).
*
Gmelin JF (1789). ''Caroli a Linné Systema naturae. Tom. I. Pars III.'' Leipzig: G.E. Beer. pp. 1033–1516. (''Lacerta tiliguerta'', new species, p. 1070). (in Latin).
*Lanza B (1966). "''Su due nuove razze insulari di'' Lacerta sicula ''e di'' Lacerta tiliguerta". ''Archivio Zoologico Italiano'' (Naples) 51: 511–522. (''Lacerta tiliguerta ranzii'', new subspecies, p. 516). (in Italian, with an abstract in English).
*Lanza B (1972). "The natural history of the Cerbicale Islands (southeastern Corsica) with particular reference to their herpetofauna". ''Natura'' (Milan) 63 (4): 345–407. (''Lacerta tiliguerta eiselti'', new subspecies, p. 381; ''L. T. grandisonae'', new subspecies, p. 387; ''L. t. maresi'', new subspecies, p. 389). (in English, with an abstract in Italian, and quotations in French).
*Lanza B, Brizzi R (1974). "On two new Corsican microinsular subspecies of ''Podarcis tiliguerta'' (Gmelin, 1789) (Reptilia Lacertidae)". ''Natura'' (Milan) 65 (3–4): 155–193. (''Podarcis tiliguerta granchii'', new subspecies, p. 184; ''P. t. pardii'', new subspecies, p. 174). (in English, with an abstract in Italian).
*Lanza B, Brizzi R (1977). "The lizard of Piana di Cavallo Island (southeastern Corsica): ''Podarcis muralis contii subsp. nova'' ". ''Natura'' (Milan) 68 (3–4): 157–165. (''Podarcis muralis contii'', new subspecies, p. 158). (in English, with an abstract in Italian).
*
Mertens R (1932). "''Zur Verbreitung und Systematik einiger Lacerta-Formen der Apenninischen Halbinsul und der Tyrrhenischen Inselwelt'' ". ''Senckenbergiana'' 14: 235–259. (''Lacerta muralis toro'', new subspecies, p. 246). (in German).
Podarcis
Fauna of Corsica
Fauna of Sardinia
Lizards of Europe
Reptiles described in 1789
Taxa named by Johann Friedrich Gmelin
Taxonomy articles created by Polbot
{{lacertidae-stub