Editing Erhard's wall lizard

{{Short description|Species of lizard}}
{{More citations needed|date=January 2023}}
{{speciesbox
| name = Erhard's wall lizard
| image = Podarcis erhardii on Santorini.jpg
| image_caption = Photographed on Santorini
| status = LC
| status_system = IUCN3.1
| status_ref = <ref name="iucn status 9 December 2024">{{cite iucn |author=Bowles, P. |author2=Crnobrnja-Isailović, J. |date=2024 |title=''Podarcis erhardii'' |volume=2024 |page=e.T207598021A137855176 |doi= |access-date=8 December 2024}}</ref>
| genus = Podarcis
| species = erhardii
| authority = ([[Jacques von Bedriaga|Bedriaga]], 1882)
| synonyms = *''Lacerta muralis fusca'' var. ''erhardii'' <br>{{small|Bedriaga, 1882}}
*''Podarcis erhardi'' <br>{{small|— [[species:Wolf-Eberhard Engelmann|Engelmann]] et al., 1993}}
*''Podarcis erhardii'' <br>{{small|— [[species:Michael Kroniger|Kroniger]] & [[species:Mike Zawadzki|Zawadzki]], 2005}}
| synonyms_ref =<ref name=RDB>{{EMBL species|genus=Podarcis|species=erhardii}} www.reptile-database.org.</ref>
}}
'''Erhard's wall lizard''' ('''''Podarcis erhardii''')'', also [[Common name|commonly]] called the '''Aegean wall lizard''', is a [[species]] of [[lizard]] in the [[Family (biology)|family]] [[Lacertidae]]. The species is [[Endemism|endemic]] to [[Southeast Europe]].

==Etymology==
The [[Specific name (zoology)|specific name]], ''erhardii'', is in honor of a certain Dr. D. Erhard (first name unknown), a [[Germans|German]] [[Natural history|naturalist]], who was the author of ''Fauna der Cycladen'' (1858).<ref>[[species:Bo Beolens|Beolens, Bo]]; [[species:Michael Watkins|Watkins, Michael]]; Grayson, Michael (2011). ''The Eponym Dictionary of Reptiles''. Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press. xiii + 296 pp. {{ISBN|978-1-4214-0135-5}}. (''Podarcis erhardii'', p. 85).</ref>

==Geographic range==
''P. erhardii'' is found in the [[Balkans|Balkan]] peninsula and the [[Aegean Sea|Aegean islands]]. On the mainland it ranges from [[Albania]], [[North Macedonia]], extreme southern [[Serbia]] and southern [[Bulgaria]] to the northeastern part of the [[Peloponnesos|Peloponnese]] peninsula in [[Greece]].<ref name="iucn status 9 December 2024" /> In the Aegean archipelago it does not occur in [[Milos]] or the surrounding islands, where it is replaced by the [[Milos wall lizard]].{{citation needed|date=January 2023}}

==Description==
[[File:Erhard's wall lizard spotted.jpg|right|thumb|Male Erhard's wall lizard with net-like patterning]]
[[File:ErhardsLizard.jpg|thumb|Erhard's wall lizard on Santorini]]
[[File:Podarcis erhardii.jpg|thumb|Erhard's wall lizard in Parnitha]]
The [[Snout–vent length|snout-to-vent length]] (SVL) of ''P. erhardii'' is about {{convert|7|cm|in|abbr=on}}, and the tail is twice as long. The head is rather wide, and the skin is smooth. The colour and patterning of this species vary a lot. The main colour is typically grey or brown, sometimes green. Females particularly are often striped. On the edges of the back two white stripes border two dark stripes or spotty lines. In the middle of the back may be a dark line. Some males have net-like patterning, where longitudinal and transverse lines and spots mix. The belly and often throat are white, yellow, orange or red, and in the [[Aegean Islands]] also green, blue or grey. The belly is never spotty, but sometimes there are blue spots on the hind legs.{{citation needed|date=January 2023}}

==Habitat==
Erhard's wall lizard lives in dry or rocky places with dense, low bushes. It climbs very well. The lizard populations in the Aegean archipelago inhabit open places, like plant-covered dunes, as well.{{citation needed|date=January 2023}}

==Diet==
Erhard's wall lizard eats [[arthropod]]s, especially [[insect]]s.{{citation needed|date=January 2023}}

==Reproduction==
''P. erhardii'' mates in spring, and lays eggs at the beginning of the summer. The young lizards hatch in September, then measuring {{convert|3|cm|in|abbr=on}}.{{citation needed|date=January 2023}}

==Behaviour==
''P. erhardii'' chooses backgrounds that match its colour to enhance [[camouflage]] against avian predators in its natural habitat.<ref>{{Cite journal|last1=Marshall|first1=Kate L. A.|last2=Philpot|first2=Kate E.|last3=Stevens|first3=Martin|date=2016-01-25|title=Microhabitat choice in island lizards enhances camouflage against avian predators|journal=Scientific Reports|language=en|volume=6|issue=1|page=19815|doi=10.1038/srep19815|pmid=26804463|pmc=4726299|issn=2045-2322|doi-access=free}}</ref>

==Subspecies==
Although 28 [[subspecies]] of ''P. erhardii'' have been described and considered valid, [[species:Roberto Sindaco|Sindaco]] & [[species:Valery Konstantinovich Eremchenko|Jeremčenko]] (2008) consider only four subspecies to be valid, including the [[nominotypical subspecies]].<ref name=RDB/>
*''[[Podarcis erhardii erhardii]]'' {{small|([[Jacques von Bedriaga|Bedriaga]], 1882)}}
*''[[Podarcis erhardii livadiacus]]'' {{small|([[Franz Werner|F. Werner]], 1902)}}
*''[[Podarcis erhardii riveti]]'' {{small|([[Paul Chabanaud|Chabanaud]], 1919)}}
*''[[Podarcis erhardii thessalicus]]'' {{small|([[species:Carl August Otto Cyrén|Cyrén]], 1941)}}
*'' [[Podarcis erhardii ruthvenii]]'' {{small|([[Franz Werner|Werner]], 1930)}}
''[[Nota bene]]'': A [[Trinomen|trinomial authority]] in parentheses indicates that the subspecies was originally described in a [[genus]] other than ''Podarcis''.

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==Further reading==
*[[Edwin Nicholas Arnold|Arnold EN]], [[species:John A. Burton|Burton JA]] (1978). ''A Field Guide to Reptiles and Amphibians of Britain and Europe''. London: Collins 272 pp. + Plates 1-40. {{ISBN|0-00-219318-3}}. (''Podarcis erhardii'', p.&nbsp;171 + Plate 31 + Map 90).
*[[Jacques von Bedriaga|Bedriaga J]] (1882). "''Die Amphibien und Reptilien Griechenlands'' ". ''Bulletin de la Société impériale des naturalistes de Moscou'' '''56''' (2): 43-103. (''Lacerta muralis fusca'' var. ''erhardii'', new variation, p.&nbsp;99). (in German).
*[[species:Jiří Čihař|Čihař, Jiří]] (1994). ''Amphibians and Reptiles: A Magna Field Guide''. Wigston, England: Magna Books. 192 pp. {{ISBN|1-85422-788-2}}.
*[[species:Roberto Sindaco|Sindaco, Roberto]]; [[species:Valery Konstantinovich Eremchenko|Jeremčenko, Valery K.]] (2008). ''The Reptiles of the Western Palearctic. 1. Annotated Checklist and Distributional Atlas of the Turtles, Crocodiles, Amphisbaenians and Lizards of Europe, North Africa, Middle East and Central Asia''. (Monographs of the ''Societas Herpetologica Italica''). Latina, Italy: Edizioni Belvedere. 580 pp. {{ISBN|978-88-89504-14-7}}.

==External links==
*[http://www.herp.it/SpeciesPages/PodarErhar.htm Amphibians and Reptiles of Europe]
*{{cite iucn |author=Petros Lymberakis, Jelka Crnobrnja Isailovic, Rastko Ajtic, Milan Vogrin, Wolfgang Böhme |date=2009 |title=''Podarcis erhardii'' |volume=2009 |page=e.T61546A12512784 |doi=10.2305/IUCN.UK.2009.RLTS.T61546A12512784.en |access-date=13 November 2021}} Database entry includes a range map and a brief justification of why this species is of least concern

{{Taxonbar|from=Q1315021}}

[[Category:Podarcis]]
[[Category:Lizards of Europe]]
[[Category:Reptiles described in 1882]]
[[Category:Taxa named by Jacques von Bedriaga]]