Gallotia galloti

Gallotia galloti
	Southern Tenerife lizard,; Gallotia galloti galloti,; male (top) and female (bottom)
Conservation status
	; Least Concern (IUCN 3.1)
Scientific classification
Domain:	Eukaryota
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Reptilia
Order:	Squamata
Family:	Lacertidae
Genus:	Gallotia
Species:	G. galloti
Binomial name
	Gallotia galloti; (Oudart, 1839)

Last updated September 06, 2024

Gallotia galloti, also known commonly as Gallot's lizard,^[2] the Tenerife lizard, and the Western Canaries lizard, is a species of wall lizard in the genus Gallotia . The species is native to the Canary Islands of Tenerife and La Palma. Unlike most larger species of its genus, G. galloti is a commonly found animal. There are four recognized subspecies.

Taxonomy

Both the generic name, Gallotia, and the specific name, galloti, are in honor of D. Gallot, an amateur naturalist, who collected the type specimen.^[2]

The species G. galloti belongs to the western clade of the genus Gallotia. The differences in color pattern in adult males form the basis for the recognition of the northern and southern subspecies. The closest relative of G. galloti is the smaller Boettger's lizard, which occurs on El Hierro and La Gomera (Maca-Meyer et al. 2003).

Subspecies

Four subspecies are recognized as being valid, including the nominotypical subspecies.^[3]

Gallotia galloti eisentrauti Bischoff, 1982 – Northern Tenerife lizard (northern Tenerife)
Gallotia galloti galloti(Oudart, 1839) – Southern Tenerife lizard (central and southern Tenerife, including Teide)
Gallotia galloti insulanagae Martín, 1985 – Anaga lizard (Roque de Fuera de Anaga, offshore the Macizo de Anaga mountains, northeastern Tenerife)
Gallotia galloti palmae(Boettger & L. Müller, 1914) – La Palma lizard (La Palma)

Nota bene : A trinomial authority in parentheses indicates that the subspecies was originally described in a genus other than Gallotia .

Description

The males of the species G. galloti are larger than the females, with strong males reaching up to 40 centimetres (16 in) (snout-to-tail). Adult males of the G. galloti palmae subspecies reach a maximum of only 30 centimetres (12 in) in length. Adult males of all subspecies have characteristic pale blue patches along the head and flank, sometimes with blue spots on the body.^{[ citation needed ]}

G. galloti is among the smaller species of the western clade, as the giant species (G. auaritae, G. bravoana, G. goliath, G. simonyi, and G. stehlini) can reach up to double that length.^{[ citation needed ]}

Behavior

The species G. galloti is diurnal. It feeds mainly on the leaves, buds, flowers, nectar and fruit of plants within its habitat, which makes it a major pollinator and seed disperser. It also eats insects and other invertebrates. It breeds between April and August. It lays 3-6 eggs in clutches. Its main predator is the feral cat; other predators include the common kestrel and the common raven.

The striking color of adult males and their curious nature endear them to many people. At popular sights such as Teide National Park, the lizards have become somewhat habituated to people. As it likes to eat ripe fruit, it can even be considered a nuisance in vineyards and orchards and is thus occasionally trapped or poisoned. Local populations may thus decline, but no subspecies are currently considered to be endangered.

Distribution and habitat

Though it prefers dry, sunny places, G. galloti is found in all habitats in the western Canary Islands, from sea level up to an altitude of 3,000 metres (9,800 ft).

The northern form is found at lower altitudes on the north-facing slopes, while the southern form is found above the pine forest on the north-facing slopes and the southern slopes of Tenerife. A recent genomic study has identified nuclear DNA differences between these regions, although they only seem to be found in a small number of loci.

Due to its small area of occurrence, G. g. insulanagae is considered a vulnerable taxon, but it seems safe at present as its habitat is fairly inaccessible and included in the Parque Rural de Anaga (Blanco & González 1992).

Related Research Articles

The Canary Islands, also known informally as the Canaries, are a Spanish region, autonomous community and archipelago in the Atlantic Ocean. At their closest point to the African mainland, they are 100 kilometres west of Morocco. They are the southernmost of the autonomous communities of Spain. The islands have a population of 2.2 million people and are the most populous special territory of the European Union.

Province of Santa Cruz de Tenerife, also Province of Santa Cruz, is a province of Spain, consisting of the western part of the autonomous community of the Canary Islands. It consists of about half of the Atlantic archipelago: the islands of Tenerife, La Gomera, El Hierro, and La Palma. It occupies an area of 3,381 km² (1,305 sq mi). It also includes a series of adjacent roques.

Tenerife is the largest and most populous island of the Canary Islands. It is home to 42.9% of the total population of the archipelago. With a land area of 2,034.38 square kilometres (785.48 sq mi) and a population of 948,815 inhabitants as of January 2023, it is also the most populous island of Spain and of Macaronesia.

La Palma, also known as La isla bonita and historically San Miguel de La Palma, is the most northwesterly island of the Canary Islands, Spain, which is a Spanish autonomous community and archipelago in Macaronesia in the North Atlantic Ocean. La Palma has an area of 708.32 square kilometres (273.48 sq mi) making it the fifth largest of the eight main Canary Islands. The total population at the start of 2023 was 84,338, of which 15,522 lived in the capital, Santa Cruz de La Palma and 20,375 in Los Llanos de Aridane. Its highest mountain is the Roque de los Muchachos, at 2,426 metres (7,959 ft), being second among the peaks of the Canaries after the Teide massif on Tenerife.

The genus Gallotia are the lacertids of the Canary Islands. This genus consists of a group that has been evolving there ever since the first islands emerged from the sea over 20 million years ago. The endemic species and subspecies of this group have a number of characteristics that make them quite special within their family (Lacertidae); their only close relatives are the sandrunner lizards (Psammodromus) of the western Mediterranean region. Gallotia are characteristic for eating significant quantities of plants, and several lineages are often presented as classic examples for insular gigantism. However, a find of an even larger Gallotia species from the early Miocene of mainland Europe casts doubt on this assumption. Instead the ancestor of all modern Gallotia species of the Canary islands was probably already very large but carnivorous.

Teide, or Mount Teide, is a volcano on Tenerife in the Canary Islands, Spain. Its summit is the highest point in Spain and the highest point above sea level in the islands of the Atlantic. If measured from the ocean floor, its height of 7,500 m (24,600 ft) makes Teide the third-highest volcano in the world, UNESCO and NASA rank it as Earth's third-tallest volcanic structure. Teide's elevation above sea level makes Tenerife the tenth highest island in the world.

The La Gomera giant lizard is a lacertid species that can be found on the island of La Gomera, one of the Canary Islands.

The El Hierro giant lizard is the only extant, critically endangered subspecies of Simony's giant lizard. It is endemic to El Hierro, the westernmost of the Canary Islands, where it is an official symbol.

The La Palma giant lizard is a large wall lizard endemic to the island of La Palma in the Canary Islands, currently extinct or critically endangered.

Simony's giant lizard is a large species of wall lizard endemic to the island of El Hierro and nearby islet Roque Chico de Salmor in the Canary Islands.

The Roque Chico de Salmor giant lizard is the extinct nominate subspecies of Simony's giant lizard, which was endemic to the small islet Roque Chico de Salmor northwest of El Hierro, the westernmost of the Canary Islands.

The Tenerife speckled lizard is a recently discovered lacertid endemic to Tenerife in the Canary Islands. It is the smallest member of the clade containing the western islands' giant species.

Boettger's lizard is a species of wall lizard in the family Lacertidae. The species is endemic to the Canary Islands. There are two recognized subspecies.

Teide National Park is a national park located in Tenerife, Canary Islands, Spain.

The West Canary skink, also known commonly as the Canaryan cylindrical skink, East Canary Islands skink, the Tenerife skink, is a species of lizard in the family Scincidae. The species is endemic to the Canary Islands.

Boettger's wall gecko, also commonly known as the Gran Canaria gecko, is a species of lizard in the family Phyllodactylidae. The species is native to the Canary Islands and the Savage Islands. There are three recognized subspecies.

The Gran Canaria giant lizard is a species of lizard in the family Lacertidae. The species is found in the Canary Islands.

Guayota, in Guanche mythology of Tenerife, was the principal malignant deity and Achamán's adversary.

Gallotia goliath is an extinct giant lizard species from the island of Tenerife of the Canary Islands, Spain. This reptile lived before the arrival of humans and is believed to have grown to at least 0.9 metres (3.0 ft) long. It was described by the German herpetologist Robert Mertens. Fossils of this lizard have been found in volcanic caves, where they often appear with those of other animals, like the Tenerife giant rat.

References

↑ Miras, Jose Antonio Mateo; Pérez-Mellado, Valentin; Martínez-Solano, Iñigo (2009). "Gallotia galloti ". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species . 2009: e.T61504A12493747. doi: 10.2305/IUCN.UK.2009.RLTS.T61504A12493747.en . Retrieved 19 November 2021.
1 2 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. (Gallotia galloti, p. 97).
↑ Species Gallotia galloti at The Reptile Database www.reptile-database.org.
↑ Molina-Borja, Miguel; Bohórquez-Alonso, Martha L. (January 2023). "Morphology, Behaviour and Evolution of Gallotia Lizards from the Canary Islands". Animals. 13 (14): 2319. doi: 10.3390/ani13142319 . ISSN 2076-2615. PMC 10376385 . PMID 37508096.

External links

Blanco, Juan Carlos; González, José Luis (editors) (1992). Libro rojo de los vertebrados de España Archived 2009-09-22 at the Wayback Machine . ICONA, Madrid. (in Spanish).
Maca-Meyer N, Carranza S, Rando JC, Arnold EN, Cabrera VM (2003). "Status and relationships of the extinct giant Canary Island lizard Gallotia goliath (Reptilia: Lacertidae), assessed using ancient mtDNA from its mummified remains". Biological Journal of the Linnean Society 80 (4): 659–670. doi : 10.1111/j.1095-8312.2003.00265.x (HTML abstract)
Herp.it: Gallotia galloti. Many photos, especially of G. g. eisentrauti.

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[iucn_status_19_November_2021-1] Miras, Jose Antonio Mateo; Pérez-Mellado, Valentin; Martínez-Solano, Iñigo (2009). "Gallotia galloti ". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species . 2009: e.T61504A12493747. doi: 10.2305/IUCN.UK.2009.RLTS.T61504A12493747.en . Retrieved 19 November 2021.

[Bo2011-2] 1 2 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. (Gallotia galloti, p. 97).

[3] Species Gallotia galloti at The Reptile Database www.reptile-database.org.

[4] Molina-Borja, Miguel; Bohórquez-Alonso, Martha L. (January 2023). "Morphology, Behaviour and Evolution of Gallotia Lizards from the Canary Islands". Animals. 13 (14): 2319. doi: 10.3390/ani13142319 . ISSN 2076-2615. PMC 10376385 . PMID 37508096.

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