Off to see the lizards…

She described the mysterious reptiles in a letter to The Sunday Times (11 July 2010): “We are very interested in wildlife, and take a delight in watching lizards in Malta. Until that time, we had only observed the small, swift goldish-green kind and the more rounded type with suckers on their feet.

“Walking back down from the higher temple, nearly to the official in the shelter box, we saw three lizards, new to us. They were bigger, plumper and black, with brightly coloured specks.

“I am sure this was a sighting of the Selmunett lizard. I do hope someone more knowledgeable that we are could go to this site and try to observe them…”

Following this letter and comments posted below on the website, I would like to clear a number of misconceptions that might have risen from this recorded sighting.

First of all, no one declared that the fresh Maltese crab is extinct, as this letter also fleetingly suggests. Only scientific studies can ensure the real status of the species which till now I am not aware of any being published. The Maltese ‘qabru’ may be rare, restricted or even endangered, but definitely not extinct.

Unfortunately, however, the same cannot be said for the Selmunett Wall Lizard, at least in its natural habitat. I must agree with J. Sciberras’ statement, posted on 12 July, that lizards are absent from the island North-East of Malta which gives the subspecies its name.

Technically, it is absent from Zurrieq coast up to Cirkewwa, excluding two recent introduced populations. Full studies on this status are still under way but this monitoring has been carried out since 1998. J. Schembri’s recorded sightings of lizards at Hagar Qim might be correct, as I am aware that locals have done their best to introduce this lizard illegally in this location although all results I knew when I visited last (approximately late 2008) have failed.

Regarding Downing’s description of the lizard, it hardly fits a mainland wall lizard, and resembles more the population of Selmunett or that mentioned of Filfla. From the natural habitat of that location, however, the sighting was most likely either an Ocellated skink (xahmet l-art) or, from the limb description, a Moorish or Turkish gecko.

While lizards are rare in this part of Malta, Western-Whip Leopard snakes and the Chameleon were also recorded in this locality. A note must be made though on the coloration of the Maltese Wall Lizard. As far as I am concerned, the naming of several subspecies is today invalid as we have five subspecies named from 17 definite separate populations (including those of the Pelagian islands) that I am aware of, and these are based only from morphological grounds (appearance).

If we place each population as a subspecies because of its coloration, we would need to have 17 subspecies, not five, because all of them have their unique coloration. To add to this, large islands like Malta have separate populations within itself and variations are more common within individuals than those of smaller islands and islets.

In a study published by the author in 2007 it emerges that coastal lizards vary from mainland lizards, and although I wish sincerely that a population of Selmunett lizards still exists somewhere, even if by human intervention, the possibility is highly unlikely.

I must point out, though, that lizards from Poala/Tarxien area are the closest specimens that resemble the Selmunett lizard, but are not identical. In addition, males and females also differ greatly from each other, and the same individual differs in coloration (but not patterns) even within seasons.

Only by molecular studies, as are currently being carried out, can we in the nearby future tell how genetically variable one population is from another, and only then will we be able to clearly distinguish their taxonomic rank.

Today, by human intervention and carelessness, everything is possible but what I suggested is the most reasonable thought. I hope that future recordings of sightings are supplied by photography or specimens, unless a permit is also required.

Lizards and their localities

The Maltese wall lizard (Podarcis filfolensis) belongs to the genus Podarcis that consists of at least 18 species with over 195 subspecies. It is endemic to the Maltese islands and the Prelagic islands (Linosa and Lampione), where a fifth known subspecies occurs.

The most common is the P. filfolensis maltensis, which is found on the three main islands: Malta, Gozo and Comino.
P. filfolensis filfolensis is confined to Filfla, and is the largest of the subspecies (males can reach up to 30cm). It is arguably the most diverse from the others, being much darker in colour and covered with small bluish specks.

P. filfolensis generalensis is confined to Fungus Rock off Dwejra (Gozo). P. filfolensis laurentiimuelleri is found on the Pelagic islands, and until 2005, P. filfolensis kieselbachi (Selmunett wall lizard) was confined to the Selmunett island, the smaller of the two St Paul’s islands), but is now extinct.

Where did they come from?

There are 16 reptile species in Malta, five of which being marine turtles (of which two were recorded only once). Of the rest, many were deliberately or accidentally imported.

Of Malta’s four species of snakes, two are believed to have been introduced by cargo ships during the First World War. These are the Cat snake (Telescopus fallax fallax) and the Algerian whipsnake (Coluber florulentus algiru). Both are believed to have been accidentally imported along with fire-wood shipments stored at Floriana between 1914 and 1918.

Our only resident species of Chameleon was reportedly introduced to Malta from North Africa in 1880 by a Jesuit priest, who released a few specimens in a St Julian’s garden. Within 20 years the chameleon spread to various parts of Malta.