Iberian emerald lizard

Iberian emerald lizard
	Iberian emerald lizard male on the back, female on the front
Conservation status
	; Near Threatened (IUCN 3.1)
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Reptilia
Order:	Squamata
Suborder:	Lacertoidea
Family:	Lacertidae
Genus:	Lacerta
Species:	L. schreiberi
Binomial name
	Lacerta schreiberi; Bedriaga, 1878

Last updated October 05, 2025

The Iberian emerald lizard (Lacerta schreiberi), also known commonly as Schreiber's green lizard, is a species of lizard in the family Lacertidae. The species is endemic to the Iberian Peninsula.^[1]

Etymology

The specific name, schreiberi, is in honor of Austrian zoologist Egid Schreiber (1836–1913), author of Herpetologia Europaea (1875).^[2]

It is known as Lagarto-de-água (water lizard) in Portuguese and lagarto verdinegro (green and black lizard) in Spanish.

Geographic range

Lacerta schreiberi is found in Portugal and Spain.

Habitat

The natural habitats of L. schreiberi are temperate forests and shrublands, Mediterranean-type shrubby vegetation, rivers, and pastureland.

Conservation status

Lacerta schreiberi is threatened by habitat loss.

Description

A large species, L. schreiberi measures about 13.5 cm (5.3 in) snout-to-vent (SVL); including the tail, it measures about 38 cm (15 in).

Diet

Lacerta schreiberi is mainly insectivorous, though it also preys on small lizards like the iberian wall lizard or large psammodromus.^[3]

Reproduction

Lacerta schreiberi is oviparous.^[4] Clutch size varies from 11 to 28 eggs.^[3]

References

1 2 Paulo Sá-Sousa, Rafael Marquez, Valentin Pérez-Mellado, Iñigo Martínez-Solano (2009). "Lacerta schreiberi". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species . 2009 e.T11113A3251580. doi: 10.2305/IUCN.UK.2009.RLTS.T11113A3251580.en . Retrieved 15 November 2021.{{cite journal}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
↑ 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. (Lacerta schreiberi, p. 238).
1 2 "Lacerta schreiberi . pp. 156-157. In:Catálogo Regional de Especies Amenazadas by Juan Pablo Prieto Clemente" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2009-12-19. Retrieved 2013-11-26. (in Spanish).
↑ Species Lacerta schreiberi at The Reptile Database www.reptile-database.org.

Arnold EN, Burton JA (1978). A Field Guide to Reptiles and Amphibians of Britain and Europe. London: Collins. 272 pp. + Plates 1-40. ISBN 0-00-219318-3. (Lacerta schreiberi, p. 131 + Plate 20, figures 2a & 2b; Plate 22, figure 2 + Map 66).
Bedriaga J (1878). "Herpetologische Studien ". Archiv für Naturgeschichte44 (1): 259–320. (Lacerta schreiberi, new species, pp. 299–303 + Plate X, figures 3 & 4). (in German and Latin).

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[iucn_status_15_November_2021-1] 1 2 Paulo Sá-Sousa, Rafael Marquez, Valentin Pérez-Mellado, Iñigo Martínez-Solano (2009). "Lacerta schreiberi". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species . 2009 e.T11113A3251580. doi: 10.2305/IUCN.UK.2009.RLTS.T11113A3251580.en . Retrieved 15 November 2021.{{cite journal}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)

[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. (Lacerta schreiberi, p. 238).

[JPPC-3] 1 2 "Lacerta schreiberi . pp. 156-157. In:Catálogo Regional de Especies Amenazadas by Juan Pablo Prieto Clemente" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2009-12-19. Retrieved 2013-11-26. (in Spanish).

[4] Species Lacerta schreiberi at The Reptile Database www.reptile-database.org.

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