The Balearic lizard [1] , or the Lelford lizard [1] ( lat. Podarcis lilfordi ) is a species of wall lizards of the family of real lizards (Lacertidae), endemic to the islands of Mallorca and Menorca , as well as small islands of the Balearic Islands in the Mediterranean Sea . It has been superseded by large species from large islands, but many subspecies have survived on small islands.
| Balearic lizard | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Scientific classification | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| International scientific name | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Podarcis lilfordi ( Gunther , 1874) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Area | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Security status | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Content
Appearance
Adults reach 8 cm in length and tail, which is up to 1.8 times longer than the body. The color of the back is usually greenish or brownish, but varies greatly depending on subspecies from different islands. The back is usually characterized by several long stripes along the spine. The sides are usually mesh, and the underside is white, cream or pink. Young individuals sometimes have a blue tail.
Lifestyle & Nutrition
Balearic lizard is not afraid of man. It feeds mainly on insects, spiders and other arthropods, mollusks and some plants. Pollination of some plant species found in the Balearic Islands depends on the Balearic lizards. Lizards often live near bird nests and use the remnants of food that gulls spit out for their chicks, and the remnants of Eleanor's chegloc , as well as the flies that accumulate around the nest. Cannibalism is observed by eating the chicks and tails of other lizards of their own species. [2]
Breeding occurs in the summer and females can lay from one to four eggs with an average weight of 63 grams, large enough for lizards of this size. Juveniles hatch after about eight weeks and are about 3-3.5 cm long from the muzzle to the beginning of the tail. [3]
Subspecies
27 subspecies of the Balearic lizard are described, divided into groups depending on the habitat
Menorca
The following subspecies inhabit the islands around Menorca :
- Podarcis lilfordi fenni
- Podarcis lilfordi porrosicola
- Podarcis lilfordi balearica
- Podarcis lilfordi sargantanae
- Podarcis lilfordi addayae
- Podarcis lilfordi carbonerae
- Podarcis lilfordi brauni
- Podarcis lilfordi rodriquezi
- Podarcis lilfordi lilfordi
- Podarcis lilfordi codrellensis
Mallorca
The following subspecies live on islands in the vicinity of Mallorca :
- Podarcis lilfordi gigliolii
- Podarcis lilfordi hartmanni
- Podarcis lilfordi toronis
- Podarcis lilfordi isletasi
- Podarcis lilfordi jordansi
- Podarcis lilfordi colomi
Cabrera
The following subspecies live on Cabrera and the islands around it:
- Podarcis lilfordi fahrae
- Podarcis lilfordi pobrae
- Podarcis lilfordi planae
- Podarcis lilfordi espongicola
- Podarcis lilfordi conejerae
- Podarcis lilfordi kuligae
- Podarcis lilfordi estelicola
- Podarcis lilfordi xapaticola
- Podarcis lilfordi imperialensis
- Podarcis lilfordi nigerrima
Gallery
Subspecies P. lilfordi gigliolii , living on Dragoner
Notes
- ↑ 1 2 List of species of mammals, birds, reptiles, amphibians, fish and invertebrates, the export, re-export and import of which, as well as their parts or derivatives, are regulated in accordance with the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES ) // Reference materials on the regulatory support of the activities of zoos and nurseries of the Russian Federation (Part I). Bulletin of the EARAZA Information Center . - M .: EARAZA Information Center, 2005. - P. 253. - 274 p.
- ↑ Perez-Mellado, Valentin; Ortega, Felisa; Martin-Garcia, Sandra; Perea, Ana; Cortázar, Gloria. Pollen load and transport by the insular lizard Podarcis lilfordi (Squamata, Lacertidae) in coastal islets of Menorca (Balearic Islands, Spain ) // English Journal of Zoology: journal. - 2000. - Vol. 46 , no. 3 . - P. 193-200 . - DOI : 10.1560 / QMY9-PXWF-AG43-RP6F .
- ↑ Castilla, Aurora M .; Bauwens, Dirk. Reproductive Characteristics of the Island Lacertid Lizard Podarcis lilfordi (Eng.) // Journal of Herpetology: journal. - 2000. - Vol. 34 , no. 3 . - P. 390-396 .