Happy new year!
Due to its warm climate, Birgit and me spent our winter break (December 24th – January, 3rd) in the Alicante province. There, active reptiles can be found during the whole year. For lacertid enthusiasts, the area is of special interest because it is the contact zone of two members of the Podarcis hispanicus complex: in the south, P. hispanicus (sensu stricto) can be found, the north is populated by a form of P. liolepis. P. hispanicus shows a rather homogenous pattern of light and dark stripes. The P. liolepis in the Alicante Province are similar as the lizards in Catalonia and Southern France with brownish colours and dark blotches, but – in contrast to the French form – the liolepis in the Alicante province often have greenish backs and flanks.
We visited several habitats and found that these two species seem to be clearly separated (although we are aware of the fact that our photo documentation can’t replace a genetic analysis): We found P. liolepis in a distance of only 6 kilometers from P. hispanicus, but didn’t notice syntopic populations. Only in one habitat the lizards showed patterns with intermediate characteristics of P. hispanicus and P. liolepis.
Regards
Peter