You are here » home › advanced search › Acanthodactylus erythrurus

Acanthodactylus erythrurus (SCHINZ, 1833)

IUCN Red List - Acanthodactylus erythrurus - Least Concern, LC
iNaturalist logo

Can you confirm these amateur observations of Acanthodactylus erythrurus?

Add your own observation of
Acanthodactylus erythrurus »

Find more photos by Google images search: Google images

Higher TaxaLacertidae, Eremiadinae, Sauria, Lacertoidea, Squamata (lizards)
SubspeciesAcanthodactylus erythrurus atlanticus BOULENGER 1918
Acanthodactylus erythrurus belli GRAY 1845
Acanthodactylus erythrurus erythrurus (SCHINZ 1833)
Acanthodactylus erythrurus lineomaculatus (DUMÉRIL & BIBRON 1839) 
Common NamesE: Fringe-fingered Lizard
G: Europäischer Fransenfinger
D: Roodstaartfransjenhagedis 
SynonymLacerta erythrura SCHINZ 1833: 102
Acanthodactylus vulgaris DUMÉRIL & BIBRON 1839: 268
Acanthodactylus vulgaris — BOULENGER 1878: 195
Acanthodactylus vulgaris — BOULENGER 1891: 132
Acanthodactylus vulgaris — BOULENGER 1918
Acanthodactylus erythrurus — MERTENS 1929
Acanthodactylus vulgaris — WERNER 1931: 290
Acanthodactylus vulgaris — BELLAIRS & SHUTE 1954
Acanthodactylus erythrurus — ENGELMANN et al 1993
Acanthodactylus erythrurus — SCHLEICH, KÄSTLE & KABISCH 1996: 384
Acanthodactylus erythrurus — SPEYBROECK et al. 2020

Acanthodactylus erythrurus belli GRAY 1845
Acanthodactylus Bellii GRAY 1845: 36
Acanthodactylus erythrurus bellii — PAPENFUSS 1969: 295
Acanthodactylus erythrurus belli — SALVADOR 1982: 64
Acanthodactylus erythrurus ksourensis DOUMERGUE 1901: 187
Acanthodactylus erythrurus mauritanicus DOUMERGUE 1901: 187
Acanthodactylus erythrurus belli — BONS 1959
Acanthodactylus erythrurus belli — FONSECA et al. 2009

Acanthodactylus erythrurus atlanticus BOULENGER 1918
Acanthodactylus vulgaris var. atlantica BOULENGER 1918
Acanthodactylus erythrurus atlanticus — BISCHOFF 2007
Acanthodactylus erythrurus atlanticus — FONSECA et al. 2009

Acanthodactylus erythrurus lineomaculatus (DUMÉRIL & BIBRON 1839)
Acanthodactylus lineo-maculatus DUMÉRIL & BIBRON 1839: 276
Acanthodactylus vulgaris lineomaculatus — HEDIGER 1935
Acanthodactylus erythrurus lineomaculatus —SALVADOR 1982: 63
Acanthodactylus lineomaculatus — BONS & GENIEZ 1995
Acanthodactylus erythrurus tingitanus (fide SALVADOR 1982)
Acanthodactylus erythrurus lineomaculatus — SCHLEICH, KÄSTLE & KABISCH 1996: 386
Acanthodactylus lineomaculatus — HARRIS & ARNOLD 2000
Acanthodactylus lineomaculatus — SINDACO & JEREMČENKO 2008
Acanthodactylus erythrurus lineomaculatus — BARATA et al. 2011
Acanthodactylus lineomaculatus — GIOVANNOTTI et al. 2017
Acanthodactylus lineomaculatus — MOUHAJIR et al. 2019 
DistributionPortugal, Spain, Gibraltar, NW Morocco, N Algeria

atlanticus: Distribution (Fig. 7): Morocco only; Middle Atlas including the Central Plateau, northern slopes of the High Atlas, plains to the north and west of the Atlases, with the exception of an Atlantic coastal fringe.

belli: NE Morocco and Algeria.; Type locality: “Algiers”;

erythrurus: The southern two-thirds of the IberianPeninsula, extending northwards along the Mediterranean coast as far as the environs of Gerona. Type locality: “Spanien”

lineomaculatus: W/S Morocco; Type locality: "Mogador".  
Reproductionoviparous 
TypesHolotype: unlocated (SALVADOR 1982: 57)
Syntypes: BMNH 1946.9.3.8-11 [belli]
Syntypes: BMNH 1946.9.2.72-73 [atlanticus]
Syntypes: MNHN-RA 5912 (by monotypy; fide Brygoo 1988 in type catalogue Lacertidae, but unlocated by SALVADOR 1982: 63. Boulenger 1921 mentioned 10 syntypes in MNHN) [lineomaculatus] 
DiagnosisDiagnosis (erythrurus): Smooth dorsal scales (or weakly keeled on rear of back), rounded snout, barely concave frontal, entire internasal, usually no interprefrontal granules (exceptionally one), 1st supraocular generally fragmented into fewer than six scales on both sides (sometimes into six scales on both sides), subocular usually in contact with lip (sometimes it is separated from the lip by the 4th and 5th labials that are joined in this case) (from BONS & GENIEZ 1995).


Additional details (1522 characters) are available for collaborators and contributors. Please contact us for details. 
CommentSyonymy partly after SCHLEICH et al. (1996) and SALVADOR 1982. Genetically, A. lineomaculatus is nested within A. erythrurus. Further analysis may thus reveal that it is synonymous to the latter species (HARRIS et al. 2004). Recent molecular analyses do not support the specific differentiation of A. e. lineomaculatus and A. e. belli, indicating that both morphotypes are probably ecotypical adaptations to different habitats (Fonseca et al., 2009). Acanthodactylus lineomaculatus has been synonymized with A. erythrurus by TAMAR et al. 2016, confirming that this species nests withing erythrurus in molecular data. Boulenger 1881: 742 thought that A. e. bellii is a juvenile A. vulgaris.

Distribution: some mountain populations of A. erythrurus were split off as A. lacrymae and A. montanus by Miralles et al. 2020. See map in Miralles et al. 2020: 321 (Fig. 10).

NCBI taxonID: 282410 [lineomaculatus]

Karyotype: 2n = 38

Type species: Lacerta erythrura SCHINZ 1833: 102 is the type species of the genus Acanthodactylus SCHINZ 1833.

Reproduction: viviparous. 
EtymologyNamed after Greek erythros = red, reddish, presumably for the sometimes reddish looking skin in some specimens. 
References
  • Andrea Villa, Massimo Delfino 2019. A comparative atlas of the skull osteology of European lizards (Reptilia: Squamata). Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society 187 (3): 829–928 - get paper here
  • Barata, Mafalda; Ana Perera, D. James Harris, Arie van der Meijden, Salvador Carranza, Francisco Ceacero, Enrique García-Muñoz, Duarte Gonçalves, Sérgio Henriques, Fátima Jorge, Jonathan C. Marshall, Luis Pedrajas and Pedro Sousa 2011. New observations of amphibians and reptiles in Morocco, with a special emphasis on the eastern region. Herpetological Bulletin (116): 4 - get paper here
  • Beddek M, Zenboudji-Beddek S, Geniez P, Fathalla R, Sourouille P, Arnal V, et al. 2018. Comparative phylogeography of amphibians and reptiles in Algeria suggests common causes for the east-west phylogeographic breaks in the Maghreb. PLoS ONE 13(8): e0201218 - get paper here
  • Bellairs, A.; Shute, C.C.D. 1954. Notes on the herpetology of an Algerian beach. Copeia 1954 (3): 224-226 - get paper here
  • Bischoff, W. 2007. Auf der Suche nach Gebirgseidechsen in drei Erdteilen. Draco 7 (27): 54-73 - get paper here
  • Böhme, Wolfgang; Hendrik Hinkel & Harald Hinkel 2023. Aposematische Schwanzfärbung beim Jungtier von Adolfus africanus (boulenger, 1906) (Squamata: Lacertidae), mit Anmerkungen zur biologischen Bedeutung caudaler Signalfarben. Sauria 45 (1): 43-50
  • Bons, J. 1959. Les lacertiliens du sud-ouest Marocain; systematique, repartition geographique, ethologie, ecologie. Instit. Sci. Cherifien, Rabat, Trav. (Ser. Zool.) no. 18 130 pp.
  • Bons, J. & Geniez.,P 1996. Amphibiens et Reptiles du Maroc (Sahara Occidental compris), Atlas biogéographique [trilingual in French, Spanish and English]. Asoc. Herpetol. Espanola, Barcelona [ISBN 84-921999-0-3], 320 pp.
  • Bons,J. & Geniez,P. 1995. Contribution to the systematics of the lizard Acanthodactylus erythrurus (Sauria: Lacertidae) in Morocco. The Herpetological Journal 5: 271-280 - get paper here
  • BOUAZZA, ABDELLAH; EL HASSAN EL MOUDEN & ABDESLAM RIHANE 2021. Checklist of amphibians and reptiles of Morocco: A taxonomic update and standard Arabic names. Herpetology Notes 14: 1-14. - get paper here
  • Boulenger, G.A. 1878. Sur les espèces d'Acanthodactylus des bords de la Mediterranée. Bull. Soc. zool. France 3: 179-197 - get paper here
  • Boulenger, G.A. 1919. Sur les lézards du genre Acanthodactylus Wieg. Bull. Soc. zool. France 43: 143-155 [1918] - get paper here
  • Boulenger, George A. 1881. On the lizards of the genera Lacerta and Acanthodactylus. Proc. Zool. Soc. London 1881: 739-747 - get paper here
  • Boulenger, George A. 1891. Catalogue of the reptiles and batrachians of Barbary (Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia), based chiefly upon the notes and collections made in 1880-1884 by M. Fernand Lataste. Tr. Zool. Soc. 13: 93-164
  • Busack, S.D. 1976. Activity cycles and body temperatures of Acanthodactylus erythrurus. Copeia 1976(4): 826–830 - get paper here
  • Busack, S.D., and F.M. Jaksić. 1982. Autecological observations of Acanthodactylus erythrurus (Sauria:Lacertidae) in southern Spain. Amphibia-Reptilia 3(2/3): 237–255 - get paper here
  • Busack, S.D., and L. Klosterman. 1987. Reproduction in a Spanish population of Acanthodactylus erythrurus (Reptilia: Lacertilia: Lacertidae). Annals of Carnegie Museum 56(3): 97–102 - get paper here
  • Campos JC, Rodrigues S, Freitas T, Santos JA, Honrado JP, Regos A 2021. Climatic variables and ecological modelling data for birds, amphibians and reptiles in the Transboundary Biosphere Reserve of Meseta Ibérica (Portugal-Spain). Biodiversity Data Journal 9: e66509 - get paper here
  • CASTRO-EXPÓSITO, ARANCHA DE; ENRIQUE GARCÍA-MUÑOZ & FRANCISCO GUERRERO. 2021. Reptile diversity in a Mediterranean wetlands landscape (Alto Guadalquivir region, southeastern Spain): are they affected by human impacts? Acta Herpetologica 16(1): 27–36. - get paper here
  • Cooper Jr., W.E. 2005. Duration of movement as a lizard foraging movement variable. Herpetologica 61 (4): 363-372 - get paper here
  • Cortés, J.E. 1982. The herpetofauna of Gibraltar - status, recent history and current research. British Journal of Herpetology 6: 273-275 - get paper here
  • Cuervo, Jose J. and Josabel Belliure. 2013. Exploring the function of red colouration in female Spiny-footed Lizards (Acanthodactylus erythrurus): patterns of seasonal colour change. Amphibia-Reptilia 34 (4): 525-538 - get paper here
  • Drechsler, Robby Marcel and Juan Salvador Monrós 2019. Body growth and its implications in population dynamics of Acanthodactylus erythrurus (Schinz, 1834) in the Eastern Iberian peninsula. Amphibia-Reptilia 40 (3): 305–312 - get paper here
  • Duméril, A. M. C. and G. Bibron. 1839. Erpétologie Générale on Histoire Naturelle Complète des Reptiles. Vol. 5. Roret/Fain et Thunot, Paris, 871 pp. - get paper here
  • Engelmann, W.E. et al. 1993. Lurche und Kriechtiere Europas. Neumann Verlag (Radebeul, Germany), 440 pp.
  • Fernández-Ortín, Daniel; Gregorio Sánchez-Montes, Íñigo Martínez-Solano 2019. A catalogue of reptiles of Monfragüe National Park (Spain), with molecular characterization of populations of Blanus WAGLER, 1830 in this protected area. Basic and Applied Herpetology - get paper here
  • Fonseca, Miguel M.; José C. Brito, Octávio S. Paulo, Miguel A. Carretero, D. James Harris 2009. Systematic and phylogeographical assessment of the Acanthodactylus erythrurus group (Reptilia: Lacertidae) based on phylogenetic analyses of mitochondrial and nuclear DNA. Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution 51 (2): 131-142 - get paper here
  • FRANKE, E. 1995. Beobachtungen am Europäischem Fransenfinger in Südspanien. Die Eidechse 6 (14): 4-5 - get paper here
  • Fresnillo, Belén; Josabel Belliure, Diego Gil, José J Cuervo, 2019. Hormonal control of seasonal color change in female spiny-footed lizards: an observational and experimental approach. Current Zoology 65 (6): 633–642 - get paper here
  • Giovannotti M, Nisi Cerioni P, Slimani T, Splendiani A, Paoletti A, Fawzi A, Olmo E, Caputo Barucchi V. 2017. Cytogenetic Characterization of a Population of Acanthodactylus lineomaculatus Duméril and Bibron, 1839 (Reptilia, Lacertidae), from Southwestern Morocco and Insights into Sex Chromosome Evolution. Cytogenet Genome Res. 2017 Nov 29. doi: 10.1159/000484533 - get paper here
  • Gray, J. E. 1845. Catalogue of the specimens of lizards in the collection of the British Museum. Trustees of die British Museum/Edward Newman, London: xxvii + 289 pp. - get paper here
  • Guillén-Salazar, Federico, Enrique Font, Ester Desfilis 2007. Comportamiento de homing en la lagartija colirroja (Acanthodactylus erythrurus). Revista Española de Herpetología 21: 119-129 - get paper here
  • Harris, D. J., V. Batista and M. A. Carretero 2004. Assessment of genetic diversity within Acanthodactylus erythrurus (Reptilla: Lacertidae) in Morocco and the Iberian Peninsula using mitochondrial DNA sequence data. Amphibia-Reptilia 25 (2): 227-232 - get paper here
  • Harris, D. James; Josabel Belliure and José Javier Cuervo 2019. Melting pots and hotspots: genetic variation within Acanthodactylus erythrurus (Reptilia: Lacertidae) from the Iberian Peninsula. Amphibia-Reptilia 40 (2): 245–251 - get paper here
  • Hediger, H. 1935. Herpetologische Beobachtungen in Marokko. Verhandlungen der Naturforschenden Gesellschaft in Basel 46: 1-49
  • Kwet, A. 2010. Reptilien und Amphibien Europas. Kosmos-Verlag, Stuttgart, 252 pp.
  • Kwet, Axel & Benny Trapp 2014. Liste der Reptilien Europas. Draco 15 (60): 72-79 - get paper here
  • Malkmus, R. 1982. Beitrag zur Verbreitung der Amphibien und Reptilien in Portugal. Salamandra 18 (3-4): 218-299 - get paper here
  • Malkmus, R. 1983. Nachtrag zur Verbreitung der Amphibien und Reptilien Portugals. Salamandra 19 (1-2): 71-83 - get paper here
  • Malkmus, R. 1990. Herpetofaunistische Daten aus Nordostportugal. Salamandra 26 (2-3): 165-176 - get paper here
  • Malkmus, R. 1995. Die Amphibien und Reptilien Portugals, Madeiras und der Azoren. Die Neue Brehm-Bücherei, Bd. 621. Westarp Wissenschaften (Magdeburg)/Spektrum Akademischer Verlag (Heidelberg)
  • Malkmus, R. 2010. Landnutzungswandel und sein Einfluss auf die Herpetozönosen in Portugal. Elaphe 18 (4): 30-34
  • Malkmus, Rudolf 2003. Daten zur Winteraktivität portugesischer Echsen (Sauria). Die Eidechse 14 (2) - get paper here
  • Malkmus,R. 1989. Einige Neufunde zur Herpetofauna am portugiesischen Oberdouro. Salamandra 25 (2): 125-127 - get paper here
  • Martín, J. & P. López 2003. Changes in the escape responses of the lizard Acanthodactylus erythrurus under persistent predatory attacks Copeia 2003 (2): 408-413. - get paper here
  • Martínez del Mármol, Gabriel; D. James Harris, Philippe Geniez, Philip de Pous, and Daniele Salvi 2019. Amphibians and Reptiles of Morocco. Edition Chimaira, Frankfurt am Main, Germany, 478 pp - get paper here
  • Mediani, Mohamed; José Carlos Brito, Soumia Fahd 2015. Atlas of the amphibians and reptiles of northern Morocco: updated distribution and patterns of habitat selection. Basic and Applied Herpetology 29: - get paper here
  • MIRALLES, AURÉLIEN; PHILIPPE GENIEZ, MENAD BEDDEK, DANIEL MENDEZ ARANDA, JOSÉ CARLOS BRITO, RAPHAËL LEBLOIS, PIERRE-ANDRÉ CROCHET 2020. Morphology and multilocus phylogeny of the Spiny-footed Lizard (Acanthodactylus erythrurus) complex reveal two new mountain species from the Moroccan Atlas. Zootaxa 4747 (2): 302–326 - get paper here
  • Mouane, A., Harrouchi, A. K., Ghennoum, I., Sekour, M., & Chenchouni, H. 2024. Amphibian and reptile diversity in natural landscapes and human-modified habitats of the Sahara Desert of Algeria: A better understanding of biodiversity to improve conservation. Elementa: Science of the Anthropocene, 12(1) - get paper here
  • MOUHAJIR, Kaoutar; FEKHAOUI Mohammed ; BENHOUSSA Abdelaziz; TAMADOUNI Iradati, MATAAME Abderrahmane 2019. Study of Reptilian Species Inventoried In Two Moroccan Atlantic Lagoons: Oualidia and MerjaZerga. Journal of Applied Biological Sciences 13 (2): 31-35
  • Pérez I de Lanuza G, Font E 2016. The evolution of colour pattern complexity: selection for conspicuousness favours contrasting within-body colour combinations in lizards. J Evol Biol. doi: 10.1111/jeb.12835 - get paper here
  • Pfau, J. 1988. Beitrag zur Verbreitung der Herpetofauna in der Niederalgarve (Portugal). Salamandra 24 (4): 258-275 - get paper here
  • Pieh, Alexander P 2006. Bemerkungen zu den Echsen Marokkos. Die Eidechse 17(2): 33-41. - get paper here
  • Pough, F.H., and S.D. Busack. 1978. Metabolism and activity of the Spanish fringe–toed lizard (Lacertidae: Acanthodactylus erythrurus). Journal of Thermal Biology 3: 203–205 - get paper here
  • Rouag R, Ziane N, De Sousa M 2024. A tentative list of reptilian fauna of Algeria and their conservation status. Biodiversity Data Journal 12: e120471 - get paper here
  • Salazar, Federico Guillén; Enrique Font, Ester Desfilis 2007. Comportamiento de homing en la lagartija colirroja (Acanthodactylus erythrurus). Basic and Applied Herpetology 21: 119-129
  • Salvador, A 1982. A revision of the lizards of the genus Acanthodactylus (Sauria: Lacertidae). Bonner Zool. Monogr. (16): 1-167 - get paper here
  • Salvador, A. 1981. Acanthodactylus erythrurus - Europäischer Fransenfinger. Akademische Verlagsgesellschaft, Wiesbaden, pp. 376-388
  • Salvador, A. 1981. Acanthodactylus erythrurus - Europäischer Fransenfinger. In: Böhme,W. (ed.), Handbuch der Reptilien und Amphibien Europas, Band I., Echsen I. Akademische Verlagsgesellschaft, Wiesbaden, pp. 376-388
  • SANTOS, B. S., MARQUES, M. P., & CERÍACO, L. M. 2024. Lack of country-wide systematic herpetology collections in Portugal jeopardizes future research and conservation. Anais da Academia Brasileira de Ciências, 96, e20230622 - get paper here
  • Schinz,K.R. 1833. Naturgeschichte und Abbildungen der Reptilien. Wiedmann, Leipzig, 240 pp. - get paper here
  • Schleich, H.H., Kästle,W., Kabisch, K. 1996. Amphibians and Reptiles of North Africa. Koeltz, Koenigstein, 627 pp.
  • Schlüter, U. 2007. Fransenfingereidechsen (Acanthodactylus) in der Natur und im Terrarium. Teil 1: Allgemeines zur Ökologie und Verhalten. Reptilia (Münster) 12 (66): 68-76 - get paper here
  • Schlüter, U. 2007. Fransenfingereidechsen (Acanthodactylus) in der Natur und im Terrarium. Teil 2: Gundlagen der Terrarienhaltung und Reproduktionsbiologie. Reptilia (Münster) 12 (67): 56-65 - get paper here
  • Schlüter, U. 2013. Fransenfingereidechsen (Acanthodactylus) in der Natur und im Terrarium. Teil 7: Die Acanthodactylus-erythrurus-Gruppe und Fazit. Reptilia (Münster) 18 (100): 82-90 - get paper here
  • Sindaco, R. & Jeremcenko, V.K. 2008. The reptiles of the Western Palearctic. Edizioni Belvedere, Latina (Italy), 579 pp. - get paper here
  • Speybroeck, Jeroen; Wouter Beukema, Christophe Dufresnes, Uwe Fritz, Daniel Jablonski, Petros Lymberakis, Iñigo Martínez-Solano, Edoardo Razzetti, Melita Vamberger, Miguel Vences, Judit Vörös0, Pierre-André Crochet 2020. Species list of the European herpetofauna – 2020 update by the Taxonomic Committee of the Societas Europaea Herpetologica.. Amphibia-Reptilia 41: 139-189 - get paper here
  • Tamar, K; S Carranza, R Sindaco, J Moravec, JF Trape, S Meiri 2016. Out of Africa: Phylogeny and biogeography of the widespread genus Acanthodactylus (Reptilia: Lacertidae). Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution, doi:10.1016/j.ympev.2016.07.003 - get paper here
  • Trutnau, L. 1975. Europäische Amphibien und Reptilien. Belser Verlag, Stuttgart 212 pp.
  • van der Kuyl, Antoinette C.; Donato L. Ph. Ballasina, John T. Dekker, Jolanda Maas, Ronald E. Willemsen and Jaap Goudsmit 2002. Phylogenetic Relationships among the Species of the Genus Testudo (Testudines: Testudinidae) Inferred from Mitochondrial 12S rRNA Gene Sequences. Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution 22: 174-183 - get paper here
  • Werner,F. 1931. Ergebnisse einer zoologischen Forschungsreise nach Marokko. III. Unternommen 1930 mit Unterstützung der Akademie der Wissenschaften in Wien von Franz Werner und Richard Ebner. III. Amphibien und Reptilien. Sitzungsber. Akad. Wiss. Wien Mathem.-Naturw., Sect. 1, 140: 272-318 - get paper here
  • Zulueta, A. de 1909. Nota sobre reptiles de Melilla (Marruecos). Bol. Real Sociedad Esp. Hist. Nat. 9: 351-354
 
External links  
Is it interesting? Share with others:


Please submit feedback about this entry to the curator