|
| [Note Guidelines] Photographer's Note |
Common Name/s:
English – Italian Wall Lizard
Spanish – Lagartija Italiana, Lagartija Italiana
Countries:
- Native:
Bosnia and Herzegovina; Croatia; France; Italy; Montenegro; Slovenia; Switzerland
- Introduced:
Spain; Turkey; United States
Taxonomic Notes:
The gender of the genus Podarcis has been considered to be feminine by some authors (Arnold, 2000; Lanza and Boscherini, 2000; Montori and Llorente, 2005) and masculine by others (Böhme 1997; Böhme 1998). We follow here the recent publication by Böhme and Köhler (2005) in considering the gender of Podarcis to be masculine. It is possible that this is a complex of several species (Oliverio et al. 1998, 2000), but the differences noted could represent intraspecific variation (Capula and Ceccarelli 2003).
Range Description:
This species ranges throughout Italy south of the Alps, including on Sicily, Sardinia, and many other islands in the Tyrrhenian Sea, in extrem southern Switzerland, Corsica (France), and along the Adriatic coastal area from southwestern Slovenia, through western and southern Croatia and extreme southern Bosnia-Herzegovina to Kotor, Montenegro. It also occurs as isolated introduced populations in southern France, the Iberian peninsula (Spain and Portugal), Menorca in the Balearic Islands (Spain), on both sides of the Bosphorus in Turkey, Ile La Galite (Tunisia), and Isola di Lampedusa (Italy). It has been introduced to a number of sites in the United States, and might have been introduced to Libya and Tunisia. It ranges from sea level up to 2,200m asl.
Population:
It is a very common species except in the northern part of its range. There are many isolated populations, and in some places it is an aggressive invasive species. Overall, its population is probably increasing.
Habitat and Ecology:
It is found in grassy areas, roadside verges, hedgerows, scrubland, woodland edges, inside pine plantations, vineyards, orchards, meadows, coastal dunes, parkland, urban areas, and on stone walls and buildings. In the northern part of its range, it mainly lives in riparian or coastal areas. It thrives in habitats disturbed by human activities in the southern part of its range. It is an egg-laying species (Sindaco and Romano, pers. comm. 2008).
Major Threat(s):
There are no major threats to this adaptable species. In the northern part of its range, it is threatened by small scale agricultural conversion of its riverine habitats. Localized or insular populations may be vulnerable by predation by cats, but generally it is an invasive that can displace native populations of other species in its invasive range (the southern part of its range and in the areas where it has been introduced). Because it is locally common, this species is collected for use as food for pet snakes.
http://www.iucnredlist.org/details/61553/0/full |
CeltickRanger has marked this note useful
Only registered TrekNature members may rate photo notes. |
|
![Silver Star Critiquer/Silver Note Writer [C: 19 W: 0 N: 24]](http://i1.treknature.com/misc/s-n-s.gif){kind=small}
![Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Star Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 5077 W: 178 N: 12290]](http://i1.treknature.com/misc/g-g-g.gif)
(33523)