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Green Lizard: |
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Jeff Member Joined: 19 May 2005 No. of posts: 10  View other posts by Jeff |
Posted: 19 May 2005 Hi, I'm somewhat of a novice when it comes to reptiles; recently I was on a birding trip to Western Spain, accompanied by my son - who's much more in to these fascinating creatures than me. He had a European Field Guide to Reptiles and from this identified 2 different green coloured lizards that we saw in the western end of the Sierra de Gredos, near the Platforma de Gredos car park, south of Hoyas del Espino, at an altitude of around 1500 metres on May 8th. One was Schreiber's Green Lizard and the other, Green Lizard - photo below. I was struck by the blueness of the head, especially the top of the head, which was unlike the illustrations in the field guide, and would welcome any comment.
Jeff |
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Jeroen Senior Member Joined: 03 Nov 2004 No. of posts: 121  View other posts by Jeroen |
Posted: 19 May 2005 Dear Jeff, concerning larger lacertids in that area, normally only Schreiber's Green Lizard and Ocellated Lizard are present. The latter is certainly ruled out. The animal in the picture will probably be a less blotched individual of Schreiber's Green Lizard; an entirely blue head is no exception in males. I have to admit that on account of the lack of dark blotches on the body, I would have IDed it as Green Lizard myself but (if it wasn't released there by man) it has to be Schreiber's. There's something in the shape of the head that also makes me think it is rather Schreiber's than the 'normal' Green but that's hard to put in words. g's, J. Jeroen Speybroeck http://www.hylawerkgroep.be/jeroen/ |
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Jeff Member Joined: 19 May 2005 No. of posts: 10 View other posts by Jeff |
Posted: 19 May 2005 Dear Jeroen, Thanks for your reply. I've made several Google searches and from the images I've looked at I find it hard to believe that it's a Schreiber's! Could it possible be a Western Green Lizard Lacerta bilineata, which occurs in Northern Spain and may not be 100% accurate on its current range maps? Regards, Jeff. Jeff |
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John Newton Senior Member Joined: 19 May 2005 No. of posts: 151 View other posts by John Newton |
Posted: 19 May 2005 Hi Jeff The lizard is definitely a male L.Schreiberi, and I have seen them regularly at the Plataforma in the Gredos - they share the habitat with L.monticola cyreni, typically amongst the boulders by the stream. Hope this helps John Newton South Yorkshire ARG |
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Jeff Member Joined: 19 May 2005 No. of posts: 10 View other posts by Jeff |
Posted: 20 May 2005 Hi John, thanks for your input. My son, who's the UK reptile man of our family, would like to know how many sightings you've had (at the Platforma) of Schreibers which are totally devoid of any of their usual black blodge-shaped markings and if you can supply any references which describe this possible abnormality? Thanks in advance, Jeff. Jeff |
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Jeff Member Joined: 19 May 2005 No. of posts: 10 View other posts by Jeff |
Posted: 20 May 2005 Hi John, since my last posting I've come accross this website (link below) which certainly shows 2 pictures of an adult male Schreiber's with much reduced black markings - so perhaps I've answered part of the question already? Best wishes, Jeff. http://www.lacerta.de/Seiten_Bildarchiv/Lacerta_schreiberi_Spanien_(Bilder).html
Jeff |
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Jeff Member Joined: 19 May 2005 No. of posts: 10 View other posts by Jeff |
Posted: 20 May 2005 Hi again, I've tested the link and for some reason the bracket each side of Bilder is missing. If you add these so that its _(Bilder).html then it works ok. Jeff. Jeff |
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John Newton Senior Member Joined: 19 May 2005 No. of posts: 151 View other posts by John Newton |
Posted: 21 May 2005 Hi Jeff The photo of the male Schreiberi at the Plataforma is very typical of those from that area, and in the Guadarrama. Males from the north coast are not that dissimilar, although females from the north coast have completely different 'blodges' and back patterns from those in the Sistema Central. Some males I have seen in the Gredos - Arenas de San Pedro - and in the Guadarrama do occasionally display some degree of dark 'blodges' in the central region of the back, but this is not invariably the case. I have seen one female completely devoid of any blotched markings, being a uniform lime green over the entire dorsal surface, so as with most species there can be some variation within its range of distribution and at a local site level. Useful references which illustrate the 'blodged' male examples are: Guia de los anfibios y reptiles de la peninsula iberica ... by Alfredo Salvador www.club100.net/species/L_schreiberi/L_schreiberi.html Both of the above links show Gredos animals, and the pdubois link photo is taken at the Puerto del Pico, close to the Plataforma. The club100 link shows typical Gredos females, although some of these are misidentified as being males Over the years I have seen numerous Schreiberi at the Plataforma, and in much of the Sistema Central, and if you wish I can email you some of my own photos
John Newton South Yorkshire ARG |
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Jeff Member Joined: 19 May 2005 No. of posts: 10 View other posts by Jeff |
Posted: 21 May 2005 Hi John, Many thanks for your detailed reply, I'll pass it all on to my son. Jeff |
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herpetologic2 Senior Member Joined: 15 Jun 2004 No. of posts: 1369  View other posts by herpetologic2 |
Posted: 24 Nov 2005
I went to Skiathos this year and found some nice herps - like this Balkan Green Lizard? JC Vice Chair of ARG UK - self employed consultant - visit ARG UK & Alresford Wildlife |
- Green Lizard |
