Podarcis carbonelli

Podarcis carbonelli
Conservation status
	; Endangered (IUCN 3.1)
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Reptilia
Order:	Squamata
Family:	Lacertidae
Genus:	Podarcis
Species:	P. carbonelli
Binomial name
	Podarcis carbonelli; Pérez-Mellado, 1981
Synonyms
	Podarcis bocagei carbonelli; Pérez-Mellado, 1981; Podarcis carbonelli; — Sá-Sousa & Harris, 2002;

Last updated January 14, 2022

Podarcis carbonelli, commonly known as Carbonell's wall lizard, is a species of lizard in the family Lacertidae. The species is native to Portugal and Spain.

Etymology

The specific name, carbonelli, is in honor of "J. Carbonell" who is the wife of Pérez-Mellado.^[4]

Description

Carbonell's wall lizard grows to a snout-to-vent length of 6.5 cm (2.6 in) with a tail about twice as long. Females tend to be slightly larger than males in some localities. The dorsal surface is usually grey or brown, but is sometimes green (especially so in males), copiously speckled with rows of dark markings. The flanks may also be somewhat greenish with reticulated, dark markings. The underparts are whitish and there are often small blue spots along the edge of the belly. It differs from all other Iberian Wall Lizards by generally showing greenish flanks but no green backs.

Carbonell's wall lizard much resembles the closely related Bocage's wall lizard, but that species tends to have more clearly defined markings and a yellow, orange or pink belly, and shows no green flanks and no blue outer ventral scales.^[5]^[6]

Distribution and habitat

Carbonell's wall lizard is native to Portugal and Spain. Its geographic range consists of a number of isolated populations in western and central Portugal, another in Coto Doñana in southwestern Spain and a separate subspecies is present on the Berlenga Islands off the coast of Portugal. Being specialized on Mediterranean climates with cool to warm summers, it has stable populations at the Atlantic coast, occupying sand dunes with barely any vegetation. However, the remaining inland populations in the western mountainous Sistema Central, where it inhabits up to 1,200 m (3,937 ft), seem to rapidly decrease, probably a result of global warming.^[1]^[6]

Behaviour

Carbonell's wall lizard is often seen on dry banks where it may be present in large numbers. It takes refuge in cracks and among tree roots.^[5]

Diet

P. carbonelli feeds mainly on arthropods but, particularly on the Berlenga Islands, also consumes snails.^[5]

Reproduction

P. carbonelli is oviparous.^[2] In central Portugal there is usually one clutch of two eggs each year, but in the Berlengas, several clutches of up to four eggs are laid. These take ten to fifteen weeks to hatch.^[5]

Status

Carbonell's wall lizard has a number of isolated populations and its total geographic range is less than 5,000 square kilometres (1,900 sq mi). It lives in oak woodland and shrubland and although some populations are in protected areas, others are subject to habitat degradation. Although it is common in some suitable habitats, in general the population is thought to be declining and the International Union for Conservation of Nature has assessed it as being an "endangered species".^[1]

Related Research Articles

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References

1 2 3 Sá-Sousa, Paulo; Pérez-Mellado, Valentin; Martínez-Solano, Iñigo (2009). "Podarcis carbonelli". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species . 2009: e.T61545A12512496. doi: 10.2305/IUCN.UK.2009.RLTS.T61545A12512496.en . Retrieved 17 November 2021.CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
1 2 Species Podarcis carbonelli at The Reptile Database www.reptile-database.org.
↑ Lagartija de Carbonell. p. 164. Archived 2009-12-19 at the Wayback Machine
↑ 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 carbonelli, p. 47).
1 2 3 4 Arnold, E. Nicholas; Ovenden, Denys W. (2002). Field Guide: Reptiles & Amphibians of Britain & Europe. Collins & Co. p. 153. ISBN 9780002199643.
1 2 "Podarcis carbonelli - Carbonell's Wall Lizard". eurolizards.com. Retrieved October 4, 2020.