AG magazine (in print)
Online magazine (pdf)
Online articles (html)
Literature- and poster projects
of the real lizards, family Lacertidae
Podarcis filfolensis kieselbachi (FEJERVARY, 1924)
Fejervary, G.J. (1924) -
Girard, F. (2004) -
Lanfranco, G.G. (1955) -
Mertens, R. (1968) -
Die letzte zusammenfassende Obersicht der Malta- Reptilien durch Lanfranco (1955) ist durch Chelonia mydas und Lepidochelys (wahrscheinlich kempii) zu ergiinzen. lm Gegensatz zu seiner und der Auffassung der iilteren Autoren sind die Mauereidechsen Maltas sicherlich keine Rassen von Lacerta 11111ralis, sondern bilden einen eigenen Rassenkreis, der von der sizilianischen Lacerta 1/Nigleriana abzuleiten ist. Da die Originalbe- schreibung von L
Mertens, R. (1969) -
Schlüter, U. (2002) -
Schlüter, U. (2005) -
A general portrait of the Maltese Wall Lizard (Podarcis filfolensis) is given including description, subspecies, distribution, ecology and reproduction. In particular the distribution and habitats of P. f. maltensis on Malta and Gozo are compared. While the Maltese wall lizard is abundant on Gozo it is rare or missing in many parts of the main island Malta. Reasons for this unexpected scattered distribution on Malta are discussed.
Sciberras, A. (2005) -
The Maltese Wall Lizard, Podarcis filfolensis, exists in a number of isolated populations, some of which have been given formal scientific names as subspecies. Special attention was given to the population of P.filfolensis kieselbachi, which is endemic to Selmunett Island due to the fact of its rapid decrease. The prime suspect for this matter is Rattus sp. Through the literature read it was noted that between the late 80`s to early 90`s, the population of P.filfolensis kieselbachi was very dense all over the island. Since the present author started visiting the island in late 1997, there was still quite a good stable population that scarcely could be found in all over the island. During these studies since 1999 the author divided the island in several sections in order to organise my observations. Today, lizards inhabit approximately only 1/10 of the island and they are all located in one particular section of the smaller islet that the author have designated as Area C. Here the maximum population is of the order of 30 to 35 lizards. This very small population is a matter of concern and some kind of action has to be taken to reverse this decline.
Sciberras, A. & Schembri, P.J. (2008) -
The population of the endemic Maltese wall lizard, Podarcis filfolensis, on the small island of Selmunett (10.9 ha), off the northeast coast of the island of Malta, has been described as a distinct subspecies P. f. kieselbachi. Selmunett is a protected site and its lizard is a protected species. Reports of a pronounced decline in the Selmunett lizard population were investigated by systematic visual estimates of lizard population density started in 1999. Since August 1999, population counts declined from a high of 18 individuals observed per hour to zero by August 2005. The rate of decline was greatest for juveniles and females. Numerous cases of predation of the lizards by rats were observed and such predation seemed to be the cause of the decline in lizard populations; visual counts of daytime-active rats, also started in 1999, showed a large rat popuation on Selmunett. In turn, the rat population appeared to have increased as a result of organic waste left by human visitors to the islet. A rat eradication programme implemented in 2006 2007 exterminated rats from Selmunett by the summer of 2007, when a few lizards captured in 2004 and kept in captivity since were released back to the islet to augment what remained of the population there (some lizards were spotted by casujal observers, even if none were recorded during the actual counts). It remains to be seen if this attempt at saving the Selmunett wall-lizard population has been successful.
Sciberras, J. & Sciberras, A. (2014) -
Different behavior in populations of Podarcis filflolensis on the Maltese and Pelagian islands are described and discussed.
Vassallo, R. (2010) -