Bocage's wall lizard

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, sandy shores, rural gardens, and urban areas. The IUCN does not consider it to be threatened.

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

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 which are 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

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

Conservation 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. Sá-Sousa P, Pérez-Mellado V, Martínez-Solano I (2005). Podarcis bocagei. 2006 IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Archived June 27, 2014, at the Wayback Machine Downloaded on 27 September 2014.
  2. "Podarcis bocagei ". The Reptile Database. www.reptile-database.org.
  3. Beolens, Bo; Watkins, Michael; Grayson, Michael (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. London: Collins & Co. p. 152. ISBN 9780002199643.

Media related to Podarcis bocagei at Wikimedia Commons

Further reading
  • Arnold EN, Burton JA (1978). A Field Guide to the Reptiles and Amphibians of Britain and Europe. London: Collins. 272 pp. ISBN 0-00-219318-3. (Podarcis bocagei, p. 143 + Plate 24 + Map 74).
  • Engelmann W-E, Fritzsche J, Günther R, Obst FJ (1993). Lurche und Kriechthiere Europas. Radebeul, Germany: Neumann Verlag. 440 pp. (including 324 color plates, 186 figures, 205 maps). (in German).
  • Seoane VL (1885). "Identidad de Lacerta schreiberi (Bedriaga) y Lacerta viridis, var. gadovii (Boulenger) é investigaciones herpetológicas de Galicia ". La Coruña 1884: 1-19. (Lacerta muralis var. bocagei, new variation, pp. 18–19). (in Spanish).
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