Siculus/melisellensis?

[Kevin Byrnes]

Here are a few pictures that I took on Krk island of some wall lizards. Could you please cast your experienced eyes over them and tell me if they are P siculus and/or P melisellensis, the first 2 are near Ponkive dam and the rest are nearer the coast.

[Jeroen Speybroeck]

I'm going to make a sloppy guess, so Mario can tell me what's what
First one melisellensis, the rest siculus ?????

[Jürgen Gebhart]

For me all are siculus.

but as Jeroen said, we have to wait for Mario.

[Kristian Munkholm]

I second all siculus and third to defer to Mario

[Thomas Bader]

I think they are all siculus

[Tomaz Jagar]

Would agree, all are siculus.

[Mario Schweiger]

So - here I am
All are Italian wall lizards!

Mario

[Kevin Byrnes]

Thanks everybody for your help, what were the deciding factors in your answer?

[Jeroen Speybroeck]

Thanks everybody for your help, what were the deciding factors in your answer?

No single character does the trick, but this is what I compiled from discussions with Mario (!) and books:
* siculus never with 2 blue ventrolateral scales next to each other
* masseteric scale usually larger in melisellensis, often touching supratemporals
* smaller, smoother dorsal scales in melisellensis => glossy outlook
* pale dorsolateral (or ciliar) lines well-developed in melisellensis
* vertebral (or mid-dorsal) row of blotches or line, usually narrower & shorter in melisellensis, not reaching neck
* lower surface of siculus usually green or white and without spotted <=> can be yellow, orange, red in melisellensis
* snout melisellensis more blunt

meli


? bit less typical meli


sicu

[Berislav Horvatic]

* siculus never with 2 blue ventrolateral scales next to each other

"Next to each other" doesn't count, that is, a particular arrangement of blue scales
in the row doesn't count.
"Werner's rule" is more general and more precise:

siculus: percentage of blue scales less than (or at most equal to) 1/2 = 50%
melisellensis: percentage of blue scales greater than (or at least equal to) 2/3 = 66.7%

Or, in other words,

siculus: at most 1/2 of them blue
melisellensis: at most 1/3 of them NOT blue

Here is a siculus with two blue scales next to each other, but satisfying the rule:

And, yes, the rule should apply to males only.