Podarcis is a
genus of
lizards in the
familyLacertidae. Its members look very similar to lizards of the genus Lacerta, to which they were considered to belong until the 1970s. While similar externally and ecologically, Podarcis form a distinct group differing from Lacerta by the construction of the skull and the
hemipenis, and by the processes of the caudal vertebrae.[5] They are commonly known as wall lizards. They are native to
Europe and northern
Africa, and most species are restricted to the
Mediterranean region. Wall lizards
diversified and hybridized during the
Messinian salinity crisis.[6] The
Italian wall lizard and the
common wall lizard have been
introduced to
North America, where they have become intermediate hosts for some
Acuariidae larvae.[7]
Species and subspecies
The genus Podarcis contains the following 27 species which are recognized as being valid.[3] A few of the many recognized
subspecies are also listed here.
^Wendler, Günter Diesener ; Josef Reichholf. Hrsg. von Gunter Steinbach. Ill. von Fritz (1996). Lurche und Kriechtiere (Neue, bearb. Sonderausg. ed.). München: Mosaik-Verl.
ISBN3-576-10697-9.{{
cite book}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (
link)
Wagler J (1830). Natürliches System der AMPHIBIEN, mit vorangehender Classification der SÄUGTHIERE und VÖGEL. Ein Beitrag zur vergleichenden Zoologie. Munich, Stuttgart and Tübingen: J.G. Cotta. vi + 354 pp. + one plate. (Podarcis, new genus, p. 155). (in German and Latin).