| Western green lizard | |
|---|---|
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| Male | |
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| Female | |
Scientific classification  | |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Reptilia |
| Order: | Squamata |
| Family: | Lacertidae |
| Genus: | Lacerta |
| Species: | L. bilineata |
| Binomial name | |
| Lacerta bilineata Daudin, 1802 | |
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| The western green lizard is in green The eastern green lizard is in blue | |
| Synonyms | |
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The western green lizard (Lacerta bilineata) is a lizard of the family Lacertidae.
The genus name Lacerta and the species name bilineata are Latin words respectively meaning “lizard” and “with two lines”, with reference to the pale lines present on the flanks of the young individuals.
It is native in Andorra, Croatia, France, Germany, Italy, Monaco, Serbia, Slovenia, Spain, Switzerland, Guernsey and Jersey in the Channel Isles. and introduced into the United States. There are also introduced colonies on the south coast of the U.K, notably around Poole Bay in Dorset.
Lacerta bilineata reaches an average length (excluding tail) of about 13 centimetres (5.1 in), with a maximum of 40 centimetres (16 in), including tail. The tail may reach up to twice the body length. The average weight is about 35 grams. The body is bright green. The head is bigger in males than in females, and the males often show a blue throat. Juveniles are almost brown, with a yellowish belly and two to four pale, longitudinal lines along the flanks. Sub-adults also have these lines, together with several small brown spots on their backs. [3]
These lizards are territorial animals. They attain sexual maturity at around two years, when they are about 8 cm long (excluding tail). The males fight each other, especially during the mating period, when they are very aggressive towards rivals. The mating ritual is precise, and starts with a bite to the base of the female's tail. The females lay 6 to 25 eggs in a humid and warm site, such as in a decomposing log. The average life span of this species is about 15 years. [3]
They feed on arthropods, like large insects, isopods and spiders. [3] [4]
Its natural habitats are green humid areas, temperate forest, the edges of woods, shrubland, open grassland, arable land, and pastureland. It is threatened by habitat loss.
The sand lizard is a lacertid lizard distributed across most of Europe from France and across the continent to Lake Baikal in Russia. It does not occur in European Turkey. Its distribution is often patchy. In the northern extremes of the sand lizard's distribution, such as along the southern English coast of Great Britain, it can only survive by inhabiting seaside heathlands, where the ground temperature is sufficiently elevated from the Sun's rays; the warmth is also critical to the lizard being able to successfully incubate their eggs, which are laid in sand.
The viviparous lizard, or common lizard, is a Eurasian lizard. It lives farther north than any other species of non-marine reptile, and is named for the fact that it is viviparous, meaning it gives birth to live young. Both "Zootoca" and "vivipara" mean "live birth", in (Latinized) Greek and Latin respectively. It was called Lacerta vivipara until the genus Lacerta was split into nine genera in 2007 by Arnold, Arribas & Carranza.
Erhard's wall lizard, also commonly called the Aegean wall lizard, is a species of lizard in the family Lacertidae. The species is endemic to Southeast Europe.
The European green lizard is a large lizard distributed across European midlatitudes from Slovenia and eastern Austria to as far east as the Black Sea coasts of Ukraine and Turkey. It is often seen sunning on rocks or lawns, or sheltering amongst bushes.
The ocellated lizard or jewelled lizard is a species of lizard in the family Lacertidae. The species is endemic to southwestern Europe.
Gallotia galloti, also known commonly as Gallot's lizard, 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.
The blue-throated keeled lizard, or Dalmatian algyroides, is a species of lizard in the family Lacertidae.
Bedriaga's rock lizard is a species of lizard in the family Lacertidae. The species is monotypic within the genus Archaeolacerta. It is only found on the islands Corsica and Sardinia. The scientific name Lacerta bedriagae is also used. There are three recognized subspecies.
The Aran rock lizard is a species of lizard in the family Lacertidae.
The Pyrenean rock lizard is a species of lizard in the family Lacertidae. The species is endemic to the Pyrenees, where it occurs at high altitudes and is only active in summer.
Horvath's rock lizard is a species of lizard in the family Lacertidae. The species is endemic to Europe. Until 1997, this species had been assigned to the genus Lacerta, the same genus as the morphologically similar sand lizard. The natural habitats of I. horvathi are temperate forests and shrublands, and rocky areas.
The Iberian rock lizard is a species of lizard in the family Lacertidae. The species is endemic to Portugal and Spain. Its natural habitats are mountain forests, shrubland, rivers and rocky areas. It is threatened by habitat loss.
The Anatolian rock lizard is a species of lizard in the family Lacertidae. It is found in western Anatolia and on islands off the coast, where its natural habitats are temperate forests and rocky areas. A common species, the IUCN has listed it as being of "least concern".
The Greek rock lizard is a species of lizard in the family Lacertidae. Endemic to Greece, its natural habitats are temperate forests, Mediterranean-type shrubby vegetation, rocky areas, and pastureland. It is threatened by habitat loss.The International Union for Conservation of Nature has listed it as being "near threatened".
Bocage's wall lizard 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.
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.
The Peloponnese wall lizard is a species of lizard in the family Lacertidae. It is endemic to the Peloponnese region of southern Greece. Its natural habitats are Mediterranean-type shrubby vegetation, rocky areas, arable land, pastureland, plantations, and rural gardens.
The Sicilian wall lizard is a species of lizard in the family Lacertidae. Endemic to Italy, it occurs in Sicily and the Aegadian Islands. Its natural habitats are temperate forests, temperate shrubland, Mediterranean-type shrubby vegetation, temperate grassland, arable land, pastureland, and rural gardens. The IUCN does not consider it to be a threatened species. Three subspecies are recognized: P. w. antoninoi, P. w. marettimensis, and P. w. waglerianus.
Psammodromus hispanicus, the Spanish psammodromus, is a species of lizard in the family Lacertidae. It is found in France, Portugal, and Spain. Its natural habitats are Mediterranean-type shrubby vegetation, temperate grassland, sandy shores, arable land, pastureland, and rural gardens. It is threatened by habitat loss.
The common agama, red-headed rock agama or rainbow agama is a species of lizard from the family Agamidae found in most of sub-Saharan Africa. To clear up centuries of historical confusion based on Linnaeus and other authors, Wagner et al. designated a neotype for the species, using a previously described specimen from Cameroon in the collection of the Zoologisches Forschungsmuseum Alexander Koenig in Bonn. The species name was formerly applied to a paraphyletic collection of taxa ; subsequent mitochondrial DNA analysis of various populations indicates they represent separate species. Consequently, three former subspecies A. a. africana, A. a. boensis, and A. a. mucosoensis are now considered separate species, and A. a. savattieri is considered synonymous with A. africana.
