Tenerife speckled lizard

The Tenerife speckled lizard (Gallotia intermedia) is a recently discovered lacertid (wall lizard) endemic to Tenerife in the Canary Islands.^[4] It is the smallest member of the clade containing the western islands' giant species.^[6]

Tenerife speckled lizard Temporal range: 3–0 Ma PreꞒ Ꞓ O S D C P T J K Pg N ↓ Late Pliocene–Recent[1]
Conservation status
Critically Endangered  (IUCN 3.1)[2]
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Reptilia
Order:	Squamata
Suborder:	Lacertoidea
Family:	Lacertidae
Genus:	Gallotia
Species:	G. intermedia
Binomial name
Gallotia intermedia Barbadillo, Lacomba, Pêrez-Mellado, Sancho & López-Jurado, 1999[3][a]

It was discovered in 1996 by biologist Efraín Hernández in the Macizo de Teno in the extreme northwest of Tenerife.^[5] Although it is believed that the species was once widespread throughout much of the island, nowadays it is only known from a small area of coastline in the extreme west of the island, and also from Montana de Guaza in the extreme south.^[2]

The total number of animals in the northwestern distribution area is 500 (estimated in 2008), in 40 isolated populations along altogether 9 km of coastline. In the south, there are about 100 animals. The main threat to this lizard is predation by feral cats and, to a lesser degree, by rats. The lizards are increasing in number since the turn of the century as a result of control of introduced mammals.^[2]

Notes

1. This species was first informally described in 1999 in a field guide, before being more formally described^[4] in 2000 by Hernández and colleagues.^[5] Whether the first description is valid remains in the grey zone of biological nomenclature.^[4]