Boettger's Lizard
Encyclopedia
Boettger's Lizard is a lacertid (wall lizard
) endemic to two of the western Canary Islands
, El Hierro
and La Gomera
. On the neighboring islands Tenerife
and La Palma
it is replaced by its close relative Gallotia galloti
(Maca-Meyer et al. 2003). It has been introduced by humans on the Portuguese
island of Madeira
.
There are two subspecies:
Lizard
Lizards are a widespread group of squamate reptiles, with nearly 3800 species, ranging across all continents except Antarctica as well as most oceanic island chains...
) endemic to two of the western Canary Islands
Canary Islands
The Canary Islands , also known as the Canaries , is a Spanish archipelago located just off the northwest coast of mainland Africa, 100 km west of the border between Morocco and the Western Sahara. The Canaries are a Spanish autonomous community and an outermost region of the European Union...
, El Hierro
El Hierro
El Hierro, nicknamed Isla del Meridiano , is the smallest and farthest south and west of the Canary Islands , in the Atlantic Ocean off the coast of Africa, with a population of 10,162 .- Name :The name El Hierro, although phonetically identical to the Spanish word for 'iron', is generally thought...
and La Gomera
La Gomera
La Gomera is one of Spain's Canary Islands, located in the Atlantic Ocean off the coast of Africa. In area, it is the second-smallest of the seven main islands of this group.- Political organization :...
. On the neighboring islands Tenerife
Tenerife
Tenerife is the largest and most populous island of the seven Canary Islands, it is also the most populated island of Spain, with a land area of 2,034.38 km² and 906,854 inhabitants, 43% of the total population of the Canary Islands. About five million tourists visit Tenerife each year, the...
and La Palma
La Palma
La Palma is the most north-westerly of the Canary Islands. La Palma has an area of 706 km2 making it the fifth largest of the seven main Canary Islands...
it is replaced by its close relative Gallotia galloti
Gallotia galloti
Gallotia galloti is a lacertid species of the genus Gallotia. It is found on the Canary Islands of Tenerife and La Palma.Four subspecies are recognized:...
(Maca-Meyer et al. 2003). It has been introduced by humans on the Portuguese
Portugal
Portugal , officially the Portuguese Republic is a country situated in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula. Portugal is the westernmost country of Europe, and is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the West and South and by Spain to the North and East. The Atlantic archipelagos of the...
island of Madeira
Madeira
Madeira is a Portuguese archipelago that lies between and , just under 400 km north of Tenerife, Canary Islands, in the north Atlantic Ocean and an outermost region of the European Union...
.
There are two subspecies:
- Gallotia caesaris caesaris (Lehrs, 1914) - El Hierro
- Gallotia caesaris gomerae (Boettger & Müller, 1914) - La Gomera
External links
- lacerta.de: Gallotia caesaris caesaris image gallery. Retrieved 2007-FEB-25.
- lacerta.de: Gallotia caesaris gomerae image gallery. Retrieved 2007-FEB-25.