BC Conservation Data Centre: Species Summary
Podarcis muralis
Common Wall Lizard
| Scientific Name: | Podarcis muralis (Laurenti, 1768) | ||||||||||
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| English Name: | Common Wall Lizard | ||||||||||
| English Name Synonyms: |
European Wall Lizard
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| Classification / Taxonomy | |||||||||||
| Scientific Name - Concept Reference: | Kwiat, G. A., and D. H. Gist. 1987. Annual reproductive cycle of an introduced population of European wall lizards (PODARCIS MURALIS) in Ohio. J. Herpetol. 21:205-209. | ||||||||||
| Classification Level: | Species | ||||||||||
| Species Group: | Vertebrate Animal | ||||||||||
| Species Code: | R-POMU | ||||||||||
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| Conservation Status / Legal Designation | |||||||||||
| Global Status: | G5 (Mar 1999) | ||||||||||
| Provincial Status: | SNA (Mar 2018) | ||||||||||
| BC List: | Exotic | ||||||||||
| Provincial FRPA list: | |||||||||||
| Provincial Wildlife Act: | |||||||||||
| COSEWIC Status: | |||||||||||
| SARA Schedule: | |||||||||||
| General Status Canada: | 7 - Exotic (2005) | ||||||||||
| Ecology & Life History | |||||||||||
| General Description: | |||||||||||
| Global Reproduction Comments: | Ohio: eggs laid from mid-April to late July; up to 3 clutches annually; clutch size 2-5 (Kwiat and Gist 1987). France: breeding season April-July; average of 2 clutches/year, some older females produce 3rd clutch; sexually mature in 2 years; maximum longevity about 5 years (Barbault and Mou 1989). | ||||||||||
| Global Ecology Comments: |
In Ohio, exists in dense aggregations centered on patches of favorable habitat (Brown et al. 1995). Population density in preferred habitat estimated at about 600/ha in Ohio (Kwiat and Gist 1987). In France, average density, excluding hatchlings, 531/ha (Barbault and Mou 1989). In Italy, 100/ha (see Brown et al. 1995). Small home range size, generally averaging 5-25 sq m (Brown et al. 1995). Feral cats can be significant predators (Brown et al. 1995). |
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| Migration Characteristics: (Global / Provincial) | |||||||||||
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Nonmigrant: Local Migrant: Distant Migrant: Within Borders Migrant: |
Y / N / N / na / |
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| Habitats: (Type / Subtype / Dependence) |
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| Global Habitat Comments: | Europe: stone walls, sides of houses, piles of rocks, railway embankments. Ohio: limestone outcrops, base of and among hills adjacent to Ohio River, foundations of abandoned buildings, retaining walls, vacant lots, parks, private gardens, yards (Brown et al. 1995). | ||||||||||
| Food Habits: |
Invertivore: Adult, Immature
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| Global Food Habits Comments: | |||||||||||
| Global Phenology: |
Diurnal: Adult, Immature
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| Global Phenology Comments: | Ohio: usually not observed in December-January, except during unseasonably warm weather (Kwiat and Gist 1987). | ||||||||||
| Provincial Phenology: (1st half of month/ 2nd half of month) |
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| Colonial Breeder: | N | ||||||||||
| Length(cm)/width(cm)/Weight(g): | / / | ||||||||||
| Elevation (m) (min / max): |
Global:
Provincial: |
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| Distribution | |||||||||||
| Endemic: | N | ||||||||||
| Global Range Comment: | Native to Europe. Introduced from northern Italy to Cincinnati, Ohio, in September 1951 or 1952 (Deichsel and Gist 2001); occurs along an 8-km corridor on northern bank of Ohio River (Kwiat and Gist 1987, Brown et al. 1995). Also recorded from Van Wert County, Ohio, and south of the Ohio River in Kentucky (Deichsel and Gist 2001, Ferner and Ferner 2002). Also introduced, established, and expanding on the southern tip of Vancouver Island, British Columbia (L. Ramsay, pers. comm., 2001; Deichsel and Schweiger, 2004, Herpetol. Rev. 35:289-290). | ||||||||||
| Authors / Contributors | |||||||||||
| Global Information Author: | Hammerson, G. | ||||||||||
| Last Updated: | Dec 23, 1993 | ||||||||||
| Provincial Information Author: | |||||||||||
| Last Updated: | |||||||||||
| References and Related Literature | |||||||||||
Barbault, R., and Y.-P. Mou. 1989. Population dynamics of the common wall lizard, PODARCIS MURALIS, in southwestern France. Herpetologica 44:38-47. |
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Brown, R. M., D. H. Gist, and D. H. Taylor. 1995. Home range ecology of an introduced population of the European wall lizard Podarcis muralis (Lacertilia; Lacertidae) in Cincinnati, Ohio. American Midland Naturalist 133:344-359. |
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Hedeen, S. E. 1984. The establishment of PODARCIS MURALIS in Cincinnati, Ohio. SSAR Herpetol. Rev. 15:70. |
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Kwiat, G. A., and D. H. Gist. 1987. Annual reproductive cycle of an introduced population of European wall lizards (PODARCIS MURALIS) in Ohio. J. Herpetol. 21:205-209. |
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Ovaska, K, S. Lennart, C Engelstoft, L. Matthias, E. Wind and J. MacGarvie. 2004. Best Management Practices for Amphibians and Reptiles in Urban and Rural Environments in British Columbia. Ministry of Water Land and Air Protection, Ecosystems Standards and Planning, Biodiversity Branch |
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The Reptiles of British Columbia: Eurpean Wall Lizard, Podarcis muralis. 2004. Univ. Coll. of the Cariboo, and .C. Minist. Water, Land and Air Prot. Online. Available: http://www.bcreptiles.ca/lizards/eurowall.htm |
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Please visit the website Conservation Status Ranks for definitions of the data fields used in this summary report.
Suggested Citation:
B.C. Conservation Data Centre. 1993. Species Summary: Podarcis muralis. B.C. Minist. of Environment. Available: https://a100.gov.bc.ca/pub/eswp/ (accessed Dec 14, 2024).