A Lizard in Portugal: Algerian Sand Racer (Psammodromus algirus)

For some reason this common species of Spain and Portugal (as well as North Africa and part of the Mediterranean French coast) has appeared in the field guides with Large Psammodromus as the common name. I do not know why since the name I show above was in common use amongst professional and amateur herpetologists well before any of the modern field guides appeared. Hellmich in 1962 had it, straight from the German, as the Algerian Sand Racer. To confuse matters further, the popular Living Reptiles of the World by Schmidt and Inger (1957) had it named as ‘Plated Lacertid’. In English Englishas opposed to American, the term ‘plated lizard’ is taken to refer to gerrhosaurids from Africa and Madagascar.

Because of the use of mitochondrial DNA, the species was wrongly split a few years ago (still shown as split in the IUCN Red List for example) but the inconsistency was spotted and Psammodromus algirus for the form in Europe as well as North Africa is back.

Hellmich noted that it prefers dry sandy soil, strewn with stones but will climb into bushes or quickly burrow into the ground if threatened. Gadow in 1901 described the characteristics of the scales of the genus: ‘The back is covered with large, rhombic, strongly keeled and imbricating scales. The lateral scales pass gradually into the ventrals, which are smooth and arranged in six longitudinal rows’.

This one made a brief appearance for some of us in a flower bed near the car park at Quinta do Lago but quickly scuttled away. It was windy when we were in the Algarve* early last month and lizards are known to be very wary of basking or feeding when predators might not be heard in time.

*Naturetrek’s Spring in Southern Portugal led by Lara Broom and Glyn Evans.

Arnold EN. 2002. A Field Guide to the Reptiles and Amphibians of Britain and Europe. 2nd Edition. London: Collins.

Gadow H. 1901. Amphibia and Reptiles. The Cambridge Natural History Volume VIII. London: Macmillan.

Hellmich W. 1962. Reptiles and Amphibians of Europe. (English Editor Alfred Leutscher). London: Blandford.

Schmidt KP, Inger RF. 1957. Living Reptiles of the World. London: Hamish Hamilton.

Speybroeck J, Beukema W, Bok B, Voort J van der, Velikov I. 2016. Field Guide to the Amphibians and Reptiles of Britain and Europe. London: Bloomsbury.