Species:

Podarcis waglerianus  (GISTEL, 1868)

Subspecies (2):

Podarcis waglerianus waglerianus  (GISTEL, 1868)

Podarcis waglerianus marettimensis  (KLEMMER, 1956)

Synonyms:

Lacerta wagleriana  GISTEL, 1868

Podarcis wagleriana  ENGELMANN et al, 1993

Podarcis waglerianus  BÖHME & KÖHLER, 2005

Common names:

Sicilian Wall Lizard (English)
Sizilianische Mauereidechse (German)

Types:

waglerianus: Type: not in MNHN

Terra Typica:

waglerianus: Sicily.

marettimensis: Island Marettimo west of Sicily.

Relevant taxonomic literature:

• Gistel, J. (1868) -  Die Lurche Europas. Ein Beitrag zur Lehre von der geographischen Verbreitung derselben. -  In: Blicke in das Leben der Natur und des Menschen. Leipzig: Ed Wartig, 274 pp.  

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• Capula, M. (1994) -  Genetic variation and differentiation in the lizard, Podarcis wagleriana (Reptilia: Lacertidae). -  Biological Journal of the Linnean Society, 52 (2): 177-196.     

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  The electrophoretic variation at 26 presumptive gene loci was investigated in populations of Podarcis ivagleriana from Sicily, the Aegadian Islands, and the Aeolian Islands. For interspecific comparison, samples of the closely related lizard P. sicula from the same geographic area were also used. Population heterogeneity analyses carried out by the estimation of F-statistics and Nei`s standard genetic distance, showed a high genetic homogeneity within P. sicula, but a noticeable genetic differentiation within P. wagleriana. In the latter species, Nei`s D ranged from 0 to 0.212, and this is because the Aeolian populations were quite distinct from those inhabiting Sicily and the Aegadian Islands. Fixed differences identified at three loci (Ck, Ada, Gp-4) contributed to a relatively high value of Nei`s standard genetic distance between the two population groups (D= 0.147). This value is very similar to those found comparing pairs of well-recognized biological species included in the genera Podarcis and Lacerta. Estimation of the time of evolutionary divergence shows that the Aeolian and Sicilian populations of P. wagleriana have been isolated geographically for a long time (0.7 Myr according to Nei`s formula; 2 Myr according to Sarich`s calibration), indicating evolutionary divergence at the species level. Based on genetic and biogeographic data, it is suggested the recognition of full specific status for the Aeolian populations, for which the name P. rajfonei comb. nova (Aeolian wall lizard) is proposed. Electrophoretic data and comparative species distributions suggest that (1) Podarcis sicula recently colonized the Aeolian Islands, and (2) it has competed successfully with P. rajfonei in this area, greatly reducing the range of the latter and causing the extinction of most of its populations. In fact, P. sicula is widespread in the Aeolian Archipelago, while P. rajfonei is confined at present to one large island (Vulcano) and three tiny islands (Strombolicchio, Scoglio Faraglione, La Canna). This can be considered a classic example of competitive exclusion of a native form (P. rajfonei) by a species accidentally introduced by man (P. sicula).

• Podnar, M. & Mayer, W. (2005) -  Can mitochondrial DNA draw the phylogenetic picture of Central Mediterranean island Podarcis? -  Herpetozoa, Wien, 18 (1/2): 73-77.    

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  920 bp of the 12SrRNA mitochondrial gene was sequenced from several samples of the Podarcis species from the central Mediterranean region. These sequences were compared with these published before. For two species, P. wagleriana and P. tiliguerta, intraspecific divergences were found as usual for well separated species.