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Lacerta diplochondrodes



"Eastern Balkan Green Lizard"(or East-Aegean Giant Emerald Lizard ?) - Wettstein, 1952


Description:
With a length from snout to vent of about 16 cm and a tail often twice its body length (sometimes more), Lacerta diplochondrodes is one of the largest lizards of the family Lacertidae. Its snout is typically narrow and the back of the head is broad. Lacerta diplochondrodes may be easily confused with Lacerta viridis, with which it sometimes co-occurs. Adult Lacerta diplochondrodes may have bluish necks but never shows blue heads like Lacerta viridis. At this lizard the rostral plate is typically in contact with nostrils. Between supraocular plates and supraciliar scales there is a row of supraciliary granules. Dorsally the scale number around mid-body is between 42 and 55 and the plates of the belly are arranged in 8 rows.
The adults are generally uniform bright green with fine black spots on the back. Adult males have a light blue coloration along the sides of the head. The juveniles are usually brown or dark brown with three or five narrow light stripes on their body (two or four in Lacerta viridis). The belly is yellowish in males, yellowish-white in females.

Biology:
The mating takes place in April, after emerges from hibernation, and in May the females lay 7 - 18 eggs and bury them not too deep into lose sand or clay soil. Also the females from its southern ranges may lay a second clutch in June. The young will become sexually mature in its second year.
Their diet consists mainly in invertebrates like beetles, locusts, grasshoppers, caterpillars, earthworms, spiders, snails, but also fruits, eggs, the young of small birds are also taken at times.
Lacerta diplochondrodes displayes a typical feature of lizards: the dropping of the tail when captured in order to escape predators, the tail growing up again.

Habitat:
This lizard is found in warm, dry places, preferring lowlands, being found at altitudes up to 1600 m. It is found in bushy areas, sand dunes, shrubby vegetation, arable land, dry-stone walls, ruins, and also close to streams and ditches.

Distribution:
Subsp. dobrogica - Eastern Balkans from Romania to Thrace
Subsp. cariensis - Lesbos, Chios and Samos
Subsp. diplochondrodes - Kos and Rhodes

Scientific name: Lacerta diplochondrodes

Common name: "Eastern Balkan Green Lizard"? or East-Aegean Giant Emerald Lizard ?

Taxonomy:
Species: Lacerta diplochondrodes
Subspecies:
Lacerta diplochondrodes diplochondrodes Wettstein, 1952
Lacerta diplochondrodes cariensis PETERS, 1964
Lacerta diplochondrodes dobrogica FUHN & MERTENS, 1959

IUCN Status:

References:
https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1111/zsc.12385
Kornilios P. & Thanou E. & Lymberakis P. & Ilgaz Ç. & Kumluta? Y. & Leaché A. (2019) - A phylogenomic resolution for the taxonomy of Aegean green lizards. - Zoologica Scripta, 49 (1): 14-27.
https://www.eurolizards.com/lizards/lacerta-diplochondrodes/
Arnold, E.N. 2003. Reptiles and amphibians of Europe. Princeton University Press., Princeton and Oxford;
Arnold, E. N., Arribas, O. and Carranza, S. 2007. Systematics of the Palaearctic and Oriental lizard tribe Lacertini (Squamata: Lacertidae: Lacertinae), with descriptions of eight new genera. Zootaxa 1430: 1-86;
Budak A. & Göçmen B., 2005. Herpetology. Ege Üniversitesi Fen Fakültesi Kitaplar Serisi, No. 194, Ege Üniversitesi Basimevi, Bornova-Izmir, 226 pp. [2nd Edition, 2008];
Cogalniceanu, Dan; Laurentiu Rozylowicz, Paul Székely, Ciprian Samoila, Florina Stanescu, Marian Tud 2013. Diversity and distribution of reptiles in Romania. ZooKeys 341 (2013): 49-76;
Covaciu-Marcov S.-D.; Ghira, I.; Cicort-Lucaciu A.-St., Sas I.; Strugariu, A. & Bogdan H. V. 2006. Contributions to knowledge regarding the geographical distribution of the herpetofauna of Dobrudja, Romania. North-Western Journal of Zoology 2 (2): 88-125;
Council of Europe. 2003. Convention on the Conservation of European Wildlife and Natural Habitats. Group of experts on the conservation of Amphibians and Reptiles. Mälmo (Sweden), 26-27 September 2003. Report T-PVS (2003) 18;
Fuhn, I. & S. Vancea, 1961: Fauna Republicii Române, 14. Reptilia (Testoase, Sopârle, Serpi). Bucuresti;
Gasc, J.-P., A. Cabela, J. Crnobrnja-Isailovic, D. Dolmen, K. Grossenbacher, P. Haffner, J. Lescure, H. Martens, J.P. Martinez-Rica, H. Maurin, M.E. Oliveira, T.S. Sofianidou, M. Veith & A. Zuiderwijk, 1997: Atlas of Amphibians and Reptiles in Europe. - Societas Europaea Herpetologica und Muséum National d'Historie Naturelle (IEGB/SPN), Paris;
IUCN 2011. IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Version 2011.2. ;
Jablonski, Daniel 2011. Reptiles and amphibians of Albania with new records and notes on occurrence and distribution. Acta Soc. Zool. Bohem. 75: 223-238;
Strugariu, A., Zamfirescu, A.R., Nicoara, A., Gherghel, I., Sas, I., Puscasu, C.M. & Bugeac, T. 2008. Preliminary data regarding the distribution and status of the herpetofauna in Iasi County (Romania). North-Western Journal of Zoology 4 (Suppl.1): S1-S23;
Szczerbak, N.N. 2003. Guide to the Reptiles of the Eastern Palearctic. Krieger, Malabar, FL, 260 pp;
Sos, T. 2008. Review of recent taxonomic and nomenclatural changes in European Amphibia and Reptilia related to Romanian herpetofauna. Herpetologica Romanica 2: 61-91.



 

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