Skyros wall lizard

{{Speciesbox

| image = Benny Trapp Podarcis gaigeae.jpg

| status = VU

| status_system = IUCN3.1

| status_ref = {{cite iucn |author=Lymberakis, Petros |author-link=species:Petros Lymberakis |date=2009 |title=Podarcis gaigeae |volume=2009 |page=e.T61547A12513064 |doi=10.2305/IUCN.UK.2009.RLTS.T61547A12513064.en |access-date=15 November 2021}}

| taxon = Podarcis gaigeae

| authority = (F. Werner, 1930)

| synonyms = *Lacerta tunica gaigeae
{{small|F. Werner, 1930}}

Podarcis taurica gaigeae
{{small|— Engelmann et al., 1993}}
Podarcis milensis gaigeae
{{small|— Tiedemann et al., 1994}}
Podarcis gaigeae
{{small|— Cattaneo, 1999}}

| synonyms_ref = {{EMBL species|genus=Podarcis|species=gaigeae}} www.reptile-database.org.

}}

The Skyros wall lizard (Podarcis gaigeae) is a species of lizard in the family Lacertidae. The species is endemic to the islands of Skyros and Piperi, Greece.

Subspecies

Two subspecies were formerly recognized. The nominotypical subspecies, Podarcis gaigeae gaigeae, is found on Skyros and associated islets, and the other subspecies, Podarcis gaigeae weigandi, is found on the island of Piperi.

Gigantism and polymorphy

The Skyros wall lizard exhibits island gigantism on small islets surrounding Skyros.Runemark, Anna (2012). "Island biogeography and population divergence in the Skyros wall lizard". Doctoral thesis, Lund University, Lund, Sweden. http://www.lu.se/o.o.i.s?id=12588&postid=2518407 The Skyros wall lizard also exhibits a throat color polymorphy with six different throat color morphs that are expressed in both females and males.Runemark, Anna; Hansson, Bengt; Pafilis, Panayiotis; Valakos, Efstratios D.; Svensson, Erik I. (2010). "Island biology and morphological divergence of the Skyros wall lizard Podarcis gaigeae: a combined role for local selection and genetic drift on color morph frequency divergence?" BMC Evol. Biol. 10: 269. http://www.biomedcentral.com/1471-2148/10/269

Etymology

The specific name, gaigeae, is in honor of American herpetologist Helen Beulah Thompson Gaige.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 gaigeae, p. 96).

Description

The Skyros wall lizard reaches a snout-to-vent length (SVL) of about {{convert|8.5|cm|1|abbr=on}}. It has a deep head and a tail approximately twice SVL. The colouring is rather variable, usually being green, olive-green, or brownish, with a dark vertebral band and dorso-lateral stripes. The mottled flanks often have a single blue spot above the shoulder. The underparts are white, often with dark spots on the throat, the lizards on each island having characteristic markings.{{cite book |title=Field Guide: Reptiles & Amphibians of Britain & Europe |last1=Arnold, E. Nicholas |author1-link=Edwin Nicholas Arnold |last2=Ovenden |first2= Denys W. |author2-link=Denys Ovenden |year=2002 |publisher=London: Collins & Co. |isbn=9780002199643 |pages=178–179}}

Distribution

The Skyros wall lizard occurs only on Skyros and on Piperi Island in the Sporades archipelago in the northern Aegean Sea. It is the only small lizard occurring on these islands.

Habitat

The natural habitats of Podarcis gaigeae are Mediterranean-type shrubby vegetation, rocky areas, and rocky shores.

Reproduction

P. gaigeae is oviparous.

Conservation status

The Skyros wall lizard has a total area of occupancy of less than {{convert|20|km2}} but is common within that range. Although the population trend is unknown, no specific threats are apparent apart from the risks posed by wildfire. However the introduction onto its island home of some predatory species could threaten its survival so the International Union for Conservation of Nature has assessed its conservation status as being "vulnerable".