Podarcis is agenus oflizards, known colloquially aswall lizards, in thefamilyLacertidae. Its members look very similar to lizards of the genusLacerta, to which they were considered to belong until the 1970s. While similar externally and ecologically,Podarcis form a distinct group differing fromLacerta by the construction of the skull and thehemipenis, and by the processes of the caudal vertebrae.[5] Wall lizards are native toEurope and northernAfrica, and most species are restricted to theMediterranean region. Wall lizardsdiversified and hybridized during theMessinian salinity crisis.[6] TheItalian wall lizard and thecommon wall lizard have beenintroduced toNorth America, where they have become intermediate hosts for someAcuariidae larvae.[7]
The genusPodarcis contains the following 27 species which are recognized as being valid.[3] A few of the many recognizedsubspecies are also listed here.
^Wendler, Günter Diesener; Josef Reichholf. Hrsg. von Gunter Steinbach. Ill. von Fritz (1996).Lurche und Kriechtiere (Neue, bearb. Sonderausg. ed.). München: Mosaik-Verl.ISBN3-576-10697-9.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
Wagler J (1830).Natürliches System der AMPHIBIEN, mit vorangehender Classification der SÄUGTHIERE und VÖGEL. Ein Beitrag zur vergleichenden Zoologie. Munich, Stuttgart and Tübingen: J.G. Cotta. vi + 354 pp. + one plate. (Podarcis, new genus, p. 155). (in German and Latin).
_fig._1.1.png)
