Tenerife speckled lizard

Tenerife speckled lizard; Temporal range: 3–0 Ma PreꞒ Ꞓ O S D C P T J K Pg N ↓ Late Pliocene–Recent
Conservation status
	; Critically Endangered (IUCN 3.1)
Scientific classification
Domain:	Eukaryota
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Reptilia
Order:	Squamata
Family:	Lacertidae
Genus:	Gallotia
Species:	G. intermedia
Binomial name
	Gallotia intermedia; Barbadillo, Lacomba, Pêrez-Mellado, Sancho & López-Jurado, 1999

The Tenerife speckled lizard (Gallotia intermedia) is a recently discovered lacertid (wall lizard) endemic to Tenerife in the Canary Islands.^[4] It is the smallest member of the clade containing the western islands' giant species.^[6]

It was discovered in 1996 by biologist Efraín Hernández in the Macizo de Teno in the extreme northwest of Tenerife.^[5] Although it is believed that the species was once widespread throughout much of the island, nowadays it is only known from a small area of coastline in the extreme west of the island, and also from Montana de Guaza in the extreme south.^[2]

The total number of animals in the northwestern distribution area is 500 (estimated in 2008), in 40 isolated populations along altogether 9 km of coastline. In the south, there are about 100 animals. The main threat to this lizard is predation by feral cats and, to a lesser degree, by rats. The lizards are increasing in number since the turn of the century as a result of control of introduced mammals.^[2]

Notes

^ This species was first informally described in 1999 in a field guide, before being more formally described^[4] in 2000 by Hernández and colleagues.^[5] Whether the first description is valid remains in the grey zone of biological nomenclature.^[4]

References

^ Salvador, A. (2015) Lagarto gigante de El Hierro – Gallotia simonyi. In: Enciclopedia Virtual de los Vertebrados Españoles. Salvador, A., Marco, A. (Eds.). Museo Nacional de Ciencias Naturales, Madrid. http://www.vertebradosibericos.org/
^ ^a ^b ^c Jose Antonio Mateo Miras, Valentin Pérez-Mellado, Iñigo Martínez-Solano (2009). "Gallotia intermedia". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2009: e.T61505A12494026. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2009.RLTS.T61505A12494026.en. Retrieved 19 November 2021.{{cite journal}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
^ Barbadillo, L.J., Lacomba, J.I.; Pérez-Mellado, V.; Sancho, V. & López-Jurado, L.F. (1999): Anfibios y Reptiles de la Península Ibérica, Baleares y Canarias. 419 pp. Editorial Planeta, Barcelona.
^ ^a ^b ^c Gallotia intermedia at the Reptarium.cz Reptile Database. Accessed 10 August 2020.
^ ^a ^b Hernández, Efraín; Nogales, Manuel & Martín, Aurelio (2000). "Discovery of a new lizard in the Canary Islands, with a multivariate analysis of Gallotia (Reptilia: Lacertidae)". Herpetologica. 56 (1): 63–76. JSTOR 3893128.
^ Maca-Meyer, N.; Carranza, S.; Rando, J. C.; Arnold, E. N. & Cabrera, V. M. (2003). "Status and relationships of the extinct giant Canary Island lizard Gallotia goliath (Reptilia: Lacertidae), assessed using ancient mtDNA from its mummified remains". Biological Journal of the Linnean Society. 80 (4): 659–670. doi:10.1111/j.1095-8312.2003.00265.x.

Notes

References

Further reading