NATURAL HISTORY · CATALOGUE RECORD
Milos Wall Lizard
Podarcis milensis (Bedriaga, 1882)
Source-backed taxonomic record
Accepted species in Catalogue of Life’s 11 September 2026 base release. This preserves the source classification and available supporting data; it is not a completed species monograph.
Open encyclopedia reference
The Milos wall lizard (Podarcis milensis) is a small Mediterranean lizard.
The lizard's body length is no more than 6.5 cm, and the tail is twice as long. The lizard looks sturdy, and has a broad head. The male's appearance is characteristic for the species. The back is usually brown, and has a slight longitudinal line in the middle of it. Flanks, throat and the sides of the head are black with white, yellow, blue or light green spots. The belly has often black patterning. A typical female has white stripes on the edges of its back, and some distinctive spots in the throat.
The Milos wall lizard inhabits a few Aegean islands in Greece. They are Milos, Kimolos, Falkonera, Antimilos and Parapola. The species prefers cultivated lands. These lizards bask in the sun in the banks and piles of stones. They hunt in the open ground or among plants.
Subspecies:
Podarcis milensis milensis
Podarcis milensis gerakuniae
Podarcis milensis schweizeri
The species is becoming rare due to habitat loss.
Wikipedia contributors, Milos wall lizard; see linked history · CC BY-SA 4.0 . Plain-text lead excerpt, at most 180 words; no infobox or later sections Retrieved 2026-10-05T08:10:44.100229+00:00. This reference remains separate from the taxonomic record.
Identity & source status
- Scientific name
- Podarcis milensis (Bedriaga, 1882)
- Name authority
- (Bedriaga, 1882)
- Common name
- Milos Wall Lizard
- Rank
- species
- Accepted status
- accepted
- Kingdom
- Animalia
- Phylum
- Chordata
- Class
- Reptilia
- Order
- Squamata
- Family
- Lacertidae
- Genus
- Podarcis
- Extinction status
- Not supplied by this source
Classification family tree
Nested taxonomic groups from the source. This is not a direct-ancestor chain, a dated evolutionary tree or a phylogenetic reconstruction.
- domainEukaryota (Chatton, 1925) Whittaker & Margulis, 1978
- kingdomAnimalia
- phylumChordata
- subphylumVertebrata
- infraphylumGnathostomata
- parvphylumOsteichthyes
- megaclassTetrapoda
- classReptilia Laurenti, 1768
- orderSquamata Oppel, 1811
- suborderAutarchoglossa
- familyLacertidae
- genusPodarcis
- speciesPodarcis milensis (Bedriaga, 1882)
Close classified relatives
These entries share the source’s genus, Podarcis. They are not necessarily the closest relatives established by molecular evidence.
| Species | Classification | Source status |
|---|---|---|
| Cretan Wall LizardPodarcis cretensis (Wettstein, 1952) | LacertidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Filfola Wall LizardPodarcis filfolensis (Bedriaga, 1876) | LacertidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Skyros Wall LizardPodarcis gaigeae (Werner, 1930) | LacertidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Guadarrama Wall LizardPodarcis guadarramae (Boscá, 1916) | LacertidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Iberian Wall LizardPodarcis hispanicus (Steindachner, 1870) | LacertidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Lilford's Wall LizardPodarcis lilfordi (Günther, 1874) | LacertidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Catalonian Wall LizardPodarcis liolepis (Boulenger, 1905) | LacertidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Dalmatian Wall LizardPodarcis melisellensis (Braun, 1877) | LacertidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Peloponnese Wall LizardPodarcis peloponnesiacus (Bibron & Bory, 1833) | LacertidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Ibiza Wall LizardPodarcis pityusensis (Boscá, 1883) | LacertidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Italian Wall LizardPodarcis siculus (Rafinesque-Schmaltz, 1810) | LacertidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Podarcis vaucheri (Boulenger, 1905) | LacertidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
Names & synonyms
Names explicitly linked to this accepted taxon in the source. Synonymy can change with revision.
| Recorded name | Source status |
|---|---|
| Lacerta erhardii schweizeri Mertens, 1934 Mertens, 1934 | synonym |
| Lacerta muralis adolfjordansi Buchholz, 1962 Buchholz, 1962 | synonym |
| Lacerta muralis fusca Bedriaga, 1882 Bedriaga, 1882 | ambiguous synonym |
| Lacerta muralis fusca Werner, 1899 Werner, 1899 | ambiguous synonym |
Documented distribution
Source distribution statements, not a complete range map. A listed locality is not necessarily a place of origin.
Source literature & publication evidence
References attached to this source record, including nomenclatural citations where supplied. This is a selected bibliography; abbreviated citations remain in the source’s form.
- https://reptile-database.reptarium.cz/species?genus=Podarcis&species=milensis Source fields: Taxon.tsv dwc:namePublishedIn, Taxon.tsv dcterms:references
Origins, evidence & remaining research
Name authority and publication references document nomenclature where the source supplies it. They do not establish evolutionary origins or the earliest fossil occurrence.
Specimen-level evidence, morphology, ecological research, phylogenetic studies, a comprehensive bibliography and a located literary passage have not yet been compiled for this record. A suitable sourced image remains to be added.
Dataset citation & attribution
This exact taxon in ChecklistBank · Catalogue of Life 2026-09-11
Catalogue of Life 2026-09-11; dataset 316321; doi:10.48580/dgz5n. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ . Retrieved 5 October 2026.
Stable key: col:4KPJ2. Classification follows source parent identifiers. English common names may vary by region.