Added 6 January 2004. Last updated 18 May 2004: added distribution details for several subspecies, updated Bibliography and added the subspecies P. p. puercosensis, P. p. purroigensis and P. p. zenonis.

Podarcis pityusensis

Subspecies

Podarcis pityusensis has a bewildering array of subspecies, about most if not all of which there is very little readily available information. This list is therefore included for completeness as much as anything.

As the subspecies are all confined to the Balearic Islands, the Distribution column concentrates on their locality. The four main Balearic islands are Majorca, Minorca, Ibiza and Formentera.

Scientific Name	Common Name	Distribution	Size	Notes

P. p. ahorcadosi		?
P. p. calaesaladae		Cala Salada		Medium size and build, with long limbs and short head. High number of dorsals. Ventrum and sides reddish.
P. p. canensis		Canar		Large, with wide head. High number of dorsal scales. Ventrum orangish-green. Pattern not reduced.
P. p. caragolensis		Caragolé		Males vary dorsally between bluish- and olive-green, with brownish sides and yellow belly. Females have reddish dorsum with grey-brown sides.
P. p. carlkochi
P. p. formenterae		Formentera
P. p. frailensis		Fraile (Ibiza)
P. p. gastabiensis		Gastavi	?"
P. p. gorrae
P. p. hedwigkamerae		Ses Margalides (Ibiza)
P. p. hortae		S'Hort (Ibiza)		A little bigger and with head longer than Ibizan subspecies. Reticulated pattern, especially on the sides. Green dorsum, grey sides and clear blue ventrum.
P. p. kameriana
P. p. maluquerorum
P. p. muradae		Murada		Long with short head and short limbs, medium build. Melanism with reticulated pattern. Ventrum ultramarine and turquoise.
P. p. negrae		Negres		Similar to specimens from Penjats but more robust and greater number of dorsal scales. Pattern is more reticulated and more reddish.
P. p. pityusensis		Ibiza, Sal Rossa, Ses Illetes de Porroig, Caldes, Canaret and other islets	7cm SVL m.
P. p. puercosensis		Puercos (between Ibiza and Formentera)		This subspecies is cited by Santos et al (1998) but not by the EMBL database entry.
P. p. purroigensis		Purroig (Ibiza)		This subspecies is cited by Santos et al (1998) but not by the EMBL database entry.
P. p. ratae		Ses Rates (Ibiza)		Long and robust, with short limbs. Increased number of dorsals but lower number of gular scales. Olivish dorsum with very reduced pattern.
P. p. redonae
P. p. schreitmuelleri
P. p. tagomagensis		Tagomago		Long subspecies of medium build with short head. High number of dorsals. Reduced pattern with faint and coloration and whitish ventrum.
P. p. torretensis		Sa Torreta (Ibiza and Formentera)		Similar to specimens from Espalmador but with reduced pattern. Females have light grey dorsum with obvious bright lines. Males have a green dorsum and grey sides without a pattern.
P. p. vedrae		Vedrá, Vedranell		Long, medium buld, long limbs and short narrow head, bluish colour.
P. p. zenonsis		Escuí de Espartó		This subspecies is cited by Santos et al (1998) but not by the EMBL database entry.

Bibliography

Guia de campo de los anfibios y reptiles de la peninsula iberica, islas baleares y canarias [Field Guide to the Amphibians and Reptiles of the Iberian Peninsula, Balearic and Canary Islands], Alfredo Salvador, Madrid. ISBN: 84-86238-07-2. Excellent book covering all reptiles and amphibians in the aforementioned areas. The one drawback for English speakers is that the text is Spanish. This book is unfortunately now out of print, but well worth purchasing if you can get a second hand copy. Pertaining to this page, please note that Salvador listed the various morphs according to their geographical locations but did not give subspecies names. This is not as bad as it sounds, since it can be seen from above that many of the subspecies derive their trinomial name from their particular location (often an island or islet), and so it was not difficult to match some of the subspecies up. Nevertheless I will be looking for more sources and references to confirm these.

Inventario de las áreas importantes para los anfibios y reptiles de españa, Xavier Santos, Miguel A Carretero, Gustava A Llorente and Albert Montori, Colección Técnica, 1998. Very useful book covering the distribution and abundance of scarcity in herpetologically key areas of Spain, the Balearics and the Canaries. In Spanish.