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''Gallotia galloti'' (Gallot's lizard, Tenerife lizard, or Western Canaries lizard) is a 
The large differences in colour pattern in adult males seems to have been the basis for the recognition of the Northern and Southern "subspecies". The northern form is found at low-mid altitudes on the north-facing slopes, while the southern form is found above the pine forest on the north facing slopes and the southern slopes of Tenerife. A recent genomics study has identified nuclear DNA differences between these regions, although they only seem to be found in small number of loci
Its closest relative is the smaller
Libro rojo de los vertebrados de España
'. ICONA, Madrid. (in Spanish). *Maca-Meyer N, Carranza S, Rando JC, Arnold EN, Cabrera VM (2003). "Status and relationships of the extinct giant Canary Island lizard ''Gallotia goliath'' (Reptilia: Lacertidae), assessed using ancient mtDNA from its mummified remains". '' Biol. J. Linn. Soc.'' 80 (4): 659–670. (HTML abstract) *Herp.it
''Gallotia galloti''
Many photos, especially of ''G. g. eisentrauti''. *lacerta.de
image gallery. Retrieved 2007-FEB-25. *lacerta.de
image gallery. Retrieved 2007-FEB-25. *lacerta.de
image gallery. *lacerta.de
image gallery. Retrieved 2007-FEB-25. {{Taxonbar, from=Q739178 Gallotia Reptiles described in 1839 Reptiles of the Canary Islands Endemic fauna of the Canary Islands Taxa named by Paul-Louis Oudart
species
In biology, a species is the basic unit of classification and a taxonomic rank of an organism, as well as a unit of biodiversity. A species is often defined as the largest group of organisms in which any two individuals of the appropriate s ...
of lacertid (wall lizard
Lizards are a widespread group of squamate reptiles, with over 7,000 species, ranging across all continents except Antarctica, as well as most oceanic island chains. The group is paraphyletic since it excludes the snakes and Amphisbaenia alt ...
) in the genus
Genus ( plural genera ) is a taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of extant taxon, living and fossil organisms as well as Virus classification#ICTV classification, viruses. In the hierarchy of biological classification, genus com ...
''Gallotia
The genus ''Gallotia'' are the lacertids (wall lizards) of the Canary Islands. This genus consists of a group that has been evolving there ever since the first islands emerged from the sea over 20 million years ago. The endemic species and subsp ...
''. The species is found on the Canary Islands
The Canary Islands (; es, Canarias, ), also known informally as the Canaries, are a Spanish autonomous community and archipelago in the Atlantic Ocean, in Macaronesia. At their closest point to the African mainland, they are west of Morocc ...
of Tenerife
Tenerife (; ; formerly spelled ''Teneriffe'') is the largest and most populous island of the Canary Islands. It is home to 43% of the total population of the archipelago. With a land area of and a population of 978,100 inhabitants as of Janu ...
and La Palma
La Palma (, ), also known as ''La isla bonita'' () and officially San Miguel de La Palma, is the most north-westerly island of the Canary Islands, Spain. La Palma has an area of making it the fifth largest of the eight main Canary Islands. The ...
.
Both the generic
Generic or generics may refer to:
In business
* Generic term, a common name used for a range or class of similar things not protected by trademark
* Generic brand, a brand for a product that does not have an associated brand or trademark, other ...
name, ''Gallotia'', and the specific name, ''galloti'', are in honor of D. Gallot, an amateur naturalist, who collected the type specimen
In biology, a type is a particular wiktionary:en:specimen, specimen (or in some cases a group of specimens) of an organism to which the scientific name of that organism is formally attached. In other words, a type is an example that serves to a ...
.Beolens, Bo; Watkins, Michel; Grayson, Michael (2011). ''The Eponym Dictionary of Reptiles''. Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press. xiii + 296 pp. . (''Gallotia galloti'', p. 97).
Four subspecies
In biological classification, subspecies is a rank below species, used for populations that live in different areas and vary in size, shape, or other physical characteristics (morphology), but that can successfully interbreed. Not all species ...
are recognized:
*''Gallotia galloti eisentrauti'' - Northern Tenerife lizard (northern Tenerife)
*''Gallotia galloti galloti'' - Southern Tenerife lizard (central and southern Tenerife, including Teide
Teide, or Mount Teide, ( es, El Teide, Pico del Teide, , "Peak of Teide") is a volcano on Tenerife in the Canary Islands, Spain. Its summit (at ) is the highest point in Spain and the highest point above sea level in the islands of the Atlan ...
)
*''Gallotia galloti insulanagae'' - Anaga lizard (Roque de Fuera de Anaga, offshore the Macizo de Anaga
Macizo de Anaga is a mountain range in the northeastern part of the island of Tenerife in the Canary Islands. The highest point is 1,024 m (Cruz de Taborno). It stretches from the Punta de Anaga in the northeast to Cruz del Carmen in the south ...
mountains, northeastern Tenerife)
*''Gallotia galloti palmae'' - La Palma lizard (La Palma)
The large differences in colour pattern in adult males seems to have been the basis for the recognition of the Northern and Southern "subspecies". The northern form is found at low-mid altitudes on the north-facing slopes, while the southern form is found above the pine forest on the north facing slopes and the southern slopes of Tenerife. A recent genomics study has identified nuclear DNA differences between these regions, although they only seem to be found in small number of loci
Its closest relative is the smaller Boettger's lizard
Boettger's lizard (''Gallotia caesaris'') is a species of wall lizard in the family Lacertidae. The species is endemic to the Canary Islands. There are two recognized subspecies.
Etymology
The specific name, ''caesaris'', is in honor of Germ ...
, which occurs on El Hierro and La Gomera (Maca-Meyer ''et al.'' 2003). ''G. galloti'' is a sizeable lizard, though with strong males reaching up to 15.7 inches (including tail) it still belongs to the smaller ''Gallotia'' as the giant species can reach up to double that length.
Unlike most larger species of its genus
Genus ( plural genera ) is a taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of extant taxon, living and fossil organisms as well as Virus classification#ICTV classification, viruses. In the hierarchy of biological classification, genus com ...
, the Western Canaries lizard as a whole is a common animal. As it likes to eat ripe fruit, it can even become a nuisance in vineyard
A vineyard (; also ) is a plantation of grape-bearing vines, grown mainly for winemaking, but also raisins, table grapes and non-alcoholic grape juice. The science, practice and study of vineyard production is known as viticulture. Vineyards ...
s and orchard
An orchard is an intentional plantation of trees or shrubs that is maintained for food production. Orchards comprise fruit- or nut-producing trees which are generally grown for commercial production. Orchards are also sometimes a feature of larg ...
s and is thus occasionally trapped or poisoned. Local populations thus may decline, but no subspecies currently are endangered
An endangered species is a species that is very likely to become extinct in the near future, either worldwide or in a particular political jurisdiction. Endangered species may be at risk due to factors such as habitat loss, poaching and inva ...
. Due to its small area of occurrence, ''G. g. insulanagae'' is considered a vulnerable taxon, but it seems safe at present as its habitat
In ecology, the term habitat summarises the array of resources, physical and biotic factors that are present in an area, such as to support the survival and reproduction of a particular species. A species habitat can be seen as the physical ...
is fairly inaccessible and included in the Parque Rural de Anaga
Macizo de Anaga is a mountain range in the northeastern part of the island of Tenerife in the Canary Islands. The highest point is 1,024 m (Cruz de Taborno). It stretches from the Punta de Anaga in the northeast to Cruz del Carmen in the sou ...
(Blanco & González 1992).
The striking color of adult males and their curious nature endear them to many tourists. At popular sights, notably Mount Teide, the lizards have become rather tame and an attraction of sorts themselves. It is quite popular to bring some ripe bananas along for the lizards, which are a most favorite food of this species and will provide travellers with good photo opportunities as the animals scurry over the rocks and even onto visitor's hands to catch a bite.
References
Further reading
*Brown RP, Paterson S, Risse J (2016). "Genomic signatures of historical allopatry and ecological divergence in an island lizard". ''Genome Biology and Evolution'' 8 (11): 3618–3626. *Cox SC, Carranza S, Brown RP (2010). "Divergence times and colonization of the Canary Islands by ''Gallotia'' lizards". ''Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution'' 56 (2): 747–757. *Thorpe RS, Brown RP (1989). "Microgeographic variation in the colour pattern of the lizard ''Gallotia galloti'' within the island of Tenerife: distribution, pattern and hypothesis testing". ''Biological Journal of the Linnean Society'' 38 (4): 303–322.External links
*Blanco, Juan Carlos; González, José Luis (editors) (1992).Libro rojo de los vertebrados de España
'. ICONA, Madrid. (in Spanish). *Maca-Meyer N, Carranza S, Rando JC, Arnold EN, Cabrera VM (2003). "Status and relationships of the extinct giant Canary Island lizard ''Gallotia goliath'' (Reptilia: Lacertidae), assessed using ancient mtDNA from its mummified remains". '' Biol. J. Linn. Soc.'' 80 (4): 659–670. (HTML abstract) *Herp.it
''Gallotia galloti''
Many photos, especially of ''G. g. eisentrauti''. *lacerta.de
image gallery. Retrieved 2007-FEB-25. *lacerta.de
image gallery. Retrieved 2007-FEB-25. *lacerta.de
image gallery. *lacerta.de
image gallery. Retrieved 2007-FEB-25. {{Taxonbar, from=Q739178 Gallotia Reptiles described in 1839 Reptiles of the Canary Islands Endemic fauna of the Canary Islands Taxa named by Paul-Louis Oudart