DESCRIPTION

For a long time, it was thought that this species is a subspecies of P. hispanica. However, molecular research showed it is a distinct species. The Andalusian wall lizard is the most common lizard in Andalusia. They are slim and have a long nose. Their head and body can be between 6 and 6.5 cm long. The head is flat with some black spots on the front part. Their belly is white or pale orange with black spots on the outer part. Their colour and patterns are varied. They display sexual dimorphism, which means that males are different in appearance than females: their head is studier and they are larger than female individuals.  During heat, they have bluish ocelli on the outside of their ventral side scales.

DISTRIBUTION AND HABITAT

They are distributed in western Andalusia and in the north of Africa. They can be found between rocks. They live in a variety of habitats, including towns and mountains (the Sierra de las Nieves), but always in the holes and cracks of rocks.

HOW THEY LIVE

Females lay from 2 to 4 eggs from the end of March to the middle of June. They feed off different invertebrates, such as beetles, flies and ants.

WHERE THEY CAN BE SEEN IN MÁLAGA

Their populations are spread all over the province.

CURIOSITIES

They have an important role in the ecosystem, as they are prey for a lot of species and they eat insects. According to the IUCN Red List, this species is of 'least concern', whereas it is not considered as an endangered species in Spain.

SIMILAR SPECIES

Lizards are one of the most difficult animals to identify, as many of the species are related and very similar. Moreover, the same population can be highly varied. However, different species have different range of distribution and they live in limited areas.