NATURAL HISTORY · CATALOGUE RECORD
Common Wall Lizard
Podarcis muralis (Laurenti, 1768)
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 common wall lizard (Podarcis muralis) is a species of lizard with a large distribution in Europe and well-established introduced populations in North America, where it is also called the European wall lizard. It can grow to about 20 cm (7.9 in) in total length. The animal has shown variation in the places it has been introduced to. Fossils have been found in a cave in Greece dating to the early part of the Holocene.
Wikipedia contributors, Podarcis muralis; see linked history · CC BY-SA 4.0 . Plain-text lead excerpt, at most 180 words; no infobox or later sections Retrieved 2026-10-05T08:13:59.088872+00:00. This reference remains separate from the taxonomic record.
Identity & source status
- Scientific name
- Podarcis muralis (Laurenti, 1768)
- Name authority
- (Laurenti, 1768)
- Common name
- Common 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 muralis (Laurenti, 1768)
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.
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=muralis 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:4KPJ3. Classification follows source parent identifiers. English common names may vary by region.