Species:

Podarcis peloponnesiacus  (BIBRON & BORY, 1833)

Synonyms:

Lacerta peloponnesiaca  BIBRON & BORY, 1833

Lacerta peloponnesiaca phryne  BUCHHOLZ, 1960

Lacerta peloponnesiaca lais  BUCHHOLZ, 1960

Podarcis peloponnesiaca  BISCHOFF & BISCHOFF, 1980

Podarcis peloponnesiacus  BÖHME & KÖHLER, 2005

Common names:

Peloponnese Wall Lizard (English)
Peloponnes-Mauereidechse (German)
Γουστέρα της Πελοποννήσου (Greek)

Types:

Holotype (Lacerta peloponnesiaca BIBRON & BORY, 1833): MNHN-RA 2706 (most likely holotype by monotypy).
Holotype (Lacerta peloponnesiaca lais BUCHHOLZ, 1960): ZFMK 12115 (59/300 in original description), paratypes in ZFMK, NMW, MM and MTD (= MTKD).
Holotype (Lacerta peloponnesiaca phryne BUCHHOLZ, 1960): ZFMK 59/578 (in original description).

Terra Typica:

Lacerta peloponnesiaca BIBRON & BORY, 1833: Restricta (BUCHHOLZ 1960) Mistras bei Sparti (Peloponnes).
Lacerta peloponnesiaca lais BUCHHOLZ, 1960: Kalavrita (Nordwest-Peloponnes).
Lacerta peloponnesiaca phryne BUCHHOLZ, 1960: Berg Velia, südlich Kalavrita, oberhalb des Waldgürtels.

Relevant taxonomic literature:

• Bibron, M. & Bory de Saint-Vincent, J.B. (1833) -  Description of Podarcis peloponnesiacus and Algyroides moreoticus. -  In: Vertébrés a sang froid. Reptiles et poissons. Reptiles. Geoffroy & Geoffroy, Expédition Scientifique de Morée, Tome III. 1re partie, Zoologie: pp. 57-76.  

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• Buchholz, K.F. (1960) -  Zur Kenntnis von Lacerta peloponnesiaca (Reptilia: Lacertidae). -  Bonner zoologische Beiträge, Bonn, 11 (1): 87-107.  

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• Mayer, W. (1986) -  Proteinelektrophoretische Untersuchungen zur subspezifischen Gliederung von Lacerta (Podarcis) peloponnesiaca. -  Bonner zoologische Beiträge, Bonn, 37: 123-129.  

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• Spilani, L. & Bougiouri, K. & Antoniou, A. Psonis, N. & Poursanidis, D. & Lymberakis, P. & Poulakakis, N. (2019) -  Multigene phylogeny, phylogeography and population structure of Podarcis cretensis species group in south Balkans. -  Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution, 138: 193-204.     

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  The evolutionary history of taxa with limited overseas dispersal abilities is considered to be majorly infl;uenced by vicariant events constituting them as model organisms for the interpretation of evolutionary processes. An excellent candidate are the wall lizards of the genus Podarcis exhibiting an impressive level of genetic and morphological diversification and harboring several cases of recently discovered cryptic diversity. In this study, we investigated the effect of palaeogeographic events on the wall lizards’ biodiversity patterns in the Aegean (Greece) as well as the evolutionary processes that acted both in space and time. To accomplish that we studied a group of three endemic Podarcis species (i.e., P. cretensis, P. levendis, and P. peloponnesiacus) both at the intra and interspecific levels employing mitochondrial and nuclear DNA sequence data as well as microsatellites. Furthermore, presence information coupled with bioclimatic data (i.e., species distribution modeling, and niche similarity analyses) shed light on the necessary ecological factors for the species’ occurrence. These approaches revealed yet another case of cryptic diversity for this group of lizards, with the existence of two slightly overlapping lineages within P. peloponnesiacus and highly structured populations within P. cretensis. Species diversification occurred during the Pliocene with P. peloponnesiacus divergence into the two lineages dating back to 1.86 Mya. Furthermore, temperature and precipitation related environmental parameters were the most important ones regarding the current distribution of the studied species. Based on the results, we propose a more detailed phylogeographic scenario where both the paleogeography of the area and several environmental parameters have shaped the genetic diversity and the current distribution pattern of this species group.

• Kiourtsoglou, A. & Kaliontzopoulou, A. & Poursanidis, D. & Jablonski, D. & Lymberakis, P. & Poulakakis, N. (2021) -  Evidence of cryptic diversity in Podarcis peloponnesiacus and re-evaluation of its current taxonomy; insights from genetic, morphological, and ecological data -  J Zool Syst Evol Res. 2021;00:1–21.  

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  The Peloponnese wall lizard, Podarcis peloponnesiacus, is endemic to the Peloponnese. Although the phylogeny and species diversity of the Balkan species of Podarcis have been extensively studied, the intraspecific relationships of P. peloponnesiacus are not yet well defined. The aim of this study was to investigate the intraspecific diversity in this species and clarify its taxonomic status by analyzing eight gene fragments (two mitochondrial and six nuclear) and several morphological traits, typically used for systematic inferences within the genus Podarcis. Together with ecological niche modeling, we provided an integrative evaluation of the differentiation between lineages. The combination of several phylogenetic, species delimitation, and chronophylogenetic analyses revealed the existence of two highly supported and divergent clades with a distinct geographical and parapatric distribution and high niche overlap. The differentiation of the two clades dates back to the Pleistocene and is probably correlated with the paleogeography of the Peloponnese. These clades also differed in several phenotypic traits, which, however, exhibit extensive overlap and are not fully diagnostic. The combination of the above results allowed us to identify the two revealed clades as distinct species.