Boettger's lizard

Boettger's lizard (Gallotia caesaris) is a species of wall lizard in the family Lacertidae. The species is endemic to the Canary Islands. There are two recognized subspecies.

Boettger's lizard
Young female of Gallotia caesaris gomerae
Conservation status
Least Concern  (IUCN 3.1)[1]
Scientific classification
Domain:	Eukaryota
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Reptilia
Order:	Squamata
Family:	Lacertidae
Genus:	Gallotia
Species:	G. caesaris
Binomial name
Gallotia caesaris (Lehrs, 1914)
Synonyms[2]
Lacerta caesaris Lehrs, 1914 Lacerta galloti caesaris — C. Boettger & L. Müller, 1914 Gallotia galloti caesaris — Bischoff, 1985 Gallotia caesaris — Bannert, 1998

Etymology

The specific name, caesaris, is in honor of German malacologist Caesar Rudolf Boettger, who was a nephew of German herpetologist Oskar Boettger.^[3]

Geographic range

G. caesaris is native to two of the western Canary Islands, El Hierro and La Gomera.^[2] On the neighboring islands Tenerife and La Palma it is replaced by its close relative Gallotia galloti.^[4] G. caesaris has been introduced by humans on the Portuguese island of Madeira.^[5]

Habitat

The preferred natural habitats of G. caesaris are rocky areas, shrubland, and forest, at altitudes from sea level to 1,500 m (4,900 ft).^[5]

Reproduction

G. caesaris is oviparous.^[2] A sexually mature female may lay three clutches per year, and each clutch may contain 1–5 eggs.^[5]

Subspecies

Two subspecies are recognized as being valid, including the nominotypical subspecies:^[2]

• Gallotia caesaris caesaris (Lehrs, 1914) – El Hierro
• Gallotia caesaris gomerae (C. Boettger & L. Müller, 1914) – La Gomera

Nota bene: A trinomial authority in parentheses indicates that the subspecies was originally described in a genus other than Gallotia.