The Dahl lizard [2] ( lat. Darevskia dahli ) is a species of reptile from the genus rock lizards of the family of real lizards . The species epithet is given in honor of the famous Soviet zoologist Sergei Konstantinovich Dahl (1904-1982).
| Dahl Lizard |
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| Scientific classification |
|---|
| No rank : | Bilateral symmetrical |
| Infraclass : | Lepidosauromorphs |
| Infrastructure : | Skink-like |
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| International scientific name |
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Darevskia dahli ( Darevsky , 1957) |
| Synonyms |
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- Lacerta saxicola dahli Darevsky, 1957
- Lacerta "dahli" Darevsky, 1957
- Lacerta saxicola defilippii Chernov , 1939
- Lacerta (Zootoca) βdahliβ Bischoff 1978
- Lacerta dahli Engelmann et al, 1993
- Lacerta dahli Fu, Murphy & Darevsky, 2000
- Darevskia dahli Arribas , 1997
- Darevskia dahli Murphy et al. , 2000
- Lacerta dahli Szczerbak 2003
- Darevskia dahli Arnold et al. , 2007
- Lacerta (Darevskia) dahli Sindaco & JeremΔenko , 2008 [1]
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| Security status |
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Close to vulnerableIUCN 3.1 Near Threatened : 164720 |
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Content
The length of the bodies of these lizards is about 6.4 cm, the tail is about two times longer. The head, like all rock lizards, is noticeably flattened. The intermaxillary scutellum is always separated from the frontal nasal. Dahl lizards in the midline of the throat to the collar have from 23 to 31 scales, and around the middle of the body - 47-54 scales. The scales of the body are smooth, slightly convex and somewhat larger on the sides than on the back [3] .
The color of the upper side of the body of these lizards is brownish-brown, pale ocher or brownish-beige. There are no green tones in the color. The lower side of the body to the collar most often has a greenish-yellow color, and the throat and lower part of the head are dull white. On the head, from the upper side, there are small brown specks, and on the edges of the external abdominal shields - bluish spots [3] .
After wintering, they usually appear in the first half of April. Dahl lizards feed on invertebrates : mainly insects , arachnids and earthworms [3] [4] .
They multiply parthenogenetically (the so-called "virgin reproduction", in which female reproductive cells ( eggs ) develop in the adult body without fertilization ). ends in early June - mid-July, when females lay 2-5 (most often 4) [5] eggs [4] . Cubs hatch from eggs in mid-August - late September and are 24β27 mm long, without a tail. From similar species, they differ in the features of the nasal region flapping [3] .
This species is endemic to the Caucasus [5] . Individuals of this species are found in the territories of Armenia (northern regions: Shirak , Lori , Tavush ) and Georgia (southern regions). It is relatively widespread in the foothills of the Kura River valley (to the northern regions of the foothills). They mainly live at an altitude of 900-1700 m above sea level , mainly on the moderate dry slopes of gorges and rock outcrops, in forests , and in places they penetrate stony sections of mountain steppes , remaining at the borders of forests and roads. Also found on the walls of buildings [4] .
It is interesting to note the alleged presence of this lizard in the Zhytomyr region of Ukraine , where it could have been accidentally introduced in 1963 by two leading Soviet herpetologists : I. S. Darevsky and N. N. Shcherbak . But the status of these Zhytomyr lizards is debatable: there is an assumption that these lizards in Ukraine may be hybrids of Darevskia armeniaca and Darevskia mixta [6] .
The main factors that reduce the volume of the population are the reconstruction of roads and changes in the microclimate in the habitats of lizards. The species is listed in the IUCN Red List (assessed as Near Threatened - close to vulnerable position), as well as in the Red Book of Armenia (EN B1a + 2a - is in a dangerous condition) [4] . On the territory of Armenia, species conservation measures are carried out in Dilijan National Park [4] .
- List of reptiles listed in the Red Book of Armenia
- β Darevskia dahli (DAREVSKY, 1957 ) . Reptile-database.reptarium.cz. Date of treatment November 17, 2015.
- β Bannikov A.G., Darevsky I.S., Rustamov A.K. List of amphibians and reptiles of the USSR // Amphibians and reptiles of the USSR - M .: Thought, 1971. (Neopr.) . Zoomet.ru. Date of treatment December 13, 2015.
- β 1 2 3 4 Dahl's Lizard - Lacerta dahli Darevsky, 1957 (neopr.) . Ecosystema.ru. Date of treatment November 17, 2015.
- β 1 2 3 4 5 Υ. Τ΄Υ‘ΥΆΥ«Υ₯Υ¬Υ΅Υ‘ΥΆ (Danielyan F.). Τ΄Υ‘Υ¬Υ« Υ΄ΥΈΥ²Υ₯Υ½ (Dahl Lizard) (in Armenian) . ΥΥ‘Υ΅Υ‘Υ½ΥΏΥ‘ΥΆΥ« ΤΏΥ‘ΦΥ΄Υ«Φ Υ£Υ«ΦΦ (Red Book of Armenia) . Date of treatment November 17, 2015.
- β 1 2 Darevskia dahli (neopr.) . Iucnredlist.org. Date of treatment November 17, 2015.
- β COMPARATIVE ANALYSIS OF EXTERNAL MORPHOLOGY OF THE ROCKY LIZARDS OF THE GENUS DAREVSKIA , INHABITING IN THE TERRITORY OF UKRAINE, AND THEIR SPECIAL ACCESSORIES (neopr.) . Museumkiev.org. Date of treatment November 18, 2015.
