Bocage's wall lizard

Bocage's wall lizard
Podarcis bocagei
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Subphylum: Vertebrata
Class: Reptilia
Order: Squamata
Suborder: Sauria
Infraorder: Scincomorpha
Family: Lacertidae
Genus: Podarcis
Species: P. bocagei
Binomial name
Podarcis bocagei
(Seoane, 1885)
Synonyms
  • Lacerta muralis var. bocagei Seoane, 1885
  • Lacerta muralis bocagei
    Galán, 1931
  • Podarcis bocagei
    Engelmann et al., 1993[2]

Bocage's wall lizard (Podarcis bocagei) is a species of lizard in the family Lacertidae. It is endemic to the Iberian Peninsula. The species' natural habitats are temperate forests, temperate shrubland, Mediterranean-type shrubby vegetation, sandy shores, rural gardens, and urban areas. The IUCN does not consider it to be threatened.

Etymology

Both the specific name, bocagei, and the common name, Bocage's wall lizard, are in honor of Portuguese zoologist José Vicente Barbosa du Bocage.[3]

Description

Bocage's wall lizard grows to a snout-to-vent length of about 7 cm (2.8 in) with a tail twice as long as this, males being larger than females. It is a sturdy lizard, somewhat flattened, and resembling Carbonell's wall lizard (Podarcis carbonelli). The dorsal surface is usually grey or yellowish-brown, but is sometimes green in males, copiously speckled with rows of dark markings. The flanks may be brownish or yellowish. The underparts are white, yellow, pink or orange but there are not any of the small blue spots along the edge of the belly often present in Carbonell's wall lizard.[4]

Distribution and habitat

Bocage's wall lizard is found in northern Portugal and northwestern Spain as far southwards as the River Douro. Its typical habitat is open deciduous woodland, scrubland, coastal sand dunes and cultivated areas, including in villages.[1]

Reproduction

This species is oviparous. Sexually mature females lay 2-4 clutches of eggs each year. Clutch size varies from 2 to 9 eggs.[1]

Status

Bocage's wall lizard is common in suitable habitat within its range. The population is steady and faces no specific threats and the International Union for Conservation of Nature has assessed its conservation status as being of "least concern".[1]

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 Sá-Sousa P, Pérez-Mellado V, Martínez-Solano I. 2005. Podarcis bocagei. 2006 IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Downloaded on 27 September 2014.
  2. The Reptile Database. www.reptile-database.org.
  3. Beolens B, Watkins M, Grayson M. 2011. The Eponym Dictionary of Reptiles. Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press. xiii + 296 pp. ISBN 978-1-4214-0135-5. (Podarcis bocagei, p. 28).
  4. Arnold, E. Nicholas; Ovenden, Denys W. (2002). Field Guide: Reptiles & Amphibians of Britain & Europe. Collins & Co. p. 152. ISBN 9780002199643.

Media related to Podarcis bocagei at Wikimedia Commons

Further reading

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