Curious Lizard from Albania

[Peter F. Keymar]

This peculiar lizard was seen in Northern Albania, app. 850m above SL in the surrounding of a natural water reservoir. Sitting in the vegetation on a stone wall.
Total length about 17cm, body length about ten cm.It wasn´t very shy and I was lucky to get this photographs. Hope to get some good ideas what species this lizard was.
Greetings to all of You.
Peter F. Keymar, Vienna

[Ilian Velikov]

Looks like a subadult, female Eastern Green Lizard (Lacerta viridis) to me !

[Peter F. Keymar]

Here are two additional pics of this animal
Besides I do think you are correct!
Greetings Peter

[Ilian Velikov]

Hmm,looking at that additional pictures I'm getting suspicious about that lizard being L.viridis!It could be Balkan Wall Lizard (Podarcis tauricus)! You can see the serrated collar showing slightly on the last two images but the temporal scales look a bit larger for P.tauricus! Do you have any photos showing the whole lizard?

[Mario Schweiger]

Peter,

I also think it´s a young (subadult) L. viridis.
Why?
First: Only 4(5) greenish lacertid species should occur in this part of Albania:
Lacerta trilineata
Lacerta viridis
Lacerta agilis bosnica?
Podarcis melisellensis
Podarcis tauricus.

Podarcis tauricus:
The dorsal scales should be larger on the flanks than on the back. Here NO.
The nostril should have contact to the rostrale. Here NO.
In all Podarcis the scales on the tail should get continously shorter to the tail tip (in ALL Podarcis). Not really good to see, but doesn´t look like here in this specimen.

Lacerta trilineata:
Scales of the temporal region should be smaller and much more.
Also altitude and description of habitat doesn´t really point to trilineata.

Lacerta viridis:
dorsal scales of the neck small and roundish, more back elongated and keeled (good to see at the right top corner of the first picture). YES
Dorsal scales around body of nearly equal size. YES
Head proportions look also like viridis.

For agilis the head looks "to long". And agilis should have easy to see keeles on the distinct elongated dorsal scales. Lateral scales should be larger than dorsal scales.

So my conclusion: LACERTA VIRIDIS

Mario

[Peter F. Keymar]

Thank You Mario for this short lesson in Lizard identification
Of course You are correct - only in one respect I have something for You
This typical juvenile L. trilineata was found at the same spot nearby sitting in a tree
Its lengzh and dimensions were almost the same as from the L. viridis above
Greetings Peter