horvathi or muralis
Posted: Fri Jul 14, 2017 9:12 pm
On steep rock face in forest at 1150 m in Triglav National Park - textbook horvathi habitat.
I was with my wife and kids and we were all tired. Not wanting to test anyone's patience I didn't allow myself the time for good pictures, just grabbed a couple of quick shots. Unfortunately the head isn't in focus in any of them and the tail is regenerated, both factors making identification more difficult for someone like me with no experience wih horvathi.
My own thoughts:
- Pictures are too poor to clearly make out the head scalation but I think the crop below seems to indicate horvathi features.
- Tail is regenerated which I guess might mean tail scalation is not necessarily a reliable character, or?
- What I do see at the - not regenerated - base of the tail seems to indicate muralis though I don't feel certain. Likewise, if scalation of a regenerated tail is a reliable character this must indicate muralis.
- Throat seems unicolor whitish indicating horvathi. I saw the lizard's throat from below as well, though I don't have pictures. It seemed plain white.
- Colouration and pattern seem very typical of what I read for horvathi, though of course this doesn't rule out muralis.
- Morphology appears rather horvathi-like to me with rather short head and very flat body.
- As for the dorsal scales, I am not comfortable making any judgment.
Overall, if it wasn't for the tail, I would hesitantly label it horvathi, but...
Anyone?
PS: I have a couple of other pics as well but they're worse...
I was with my wife and kids and we were all tired. Not wanting to test anyone's patience I didn't allow myself the time for good pictures, just grabbed a couple of quick shots. Unfortunately the head isn't in focus in any of them and the tail is regenerated, both factors making identification more difficult for someone like me with no experience wih horvathi.
My own thoughts:
- Pictures are too poor to clearly make out the head scalation but I think the crop below seems to indicate horvathi features.
- Tail is regenerated which I guess might mean tail scalation is not necessarily a reliable character, or?
- What I do see at the - not regenerated - base of the tail seems to indicate muralis though I don't feel certain. Likewise, if scalation of a regenerated tail is a reliable character this must indicate muralis.
- Throat seems unicolor whitish indicating horvathi. I saw the lizard's throat from below as well, though I don't have pictures. It seemed plain white.
- Colouration and pattern seem very typical of what I read for horvathi, though of course this doesn't rule out muralis.
- Morphology appears rather horvathi-like to me with rather short head and very flat body.
- As for the dorsal scales, I am not comfortable making any judgment.
Overall, if it wasn't for the tail, I would hesitantly label it horvathi, but...
Anyone?
PS: I have a couple of other pics as well but they're worse...