Subspecies:

Podarcis erhardii naxensis  (WERNER, 1899)

Types:

Holotype: BMNH 1946.9.1.52-58, possibly other types in NMW

Terra Typica:

Naxos Island.

Taxonomic notes:

The populations from the Santorini archipelago are according WETTSTEIN (1953 and 1957) asigned to the subspecies ` naxensis `. By Dr. WERNER MAYER (Natural History Museum of Vienna) we received the following message, that is why we have the lizards from the Santorini archipelago not sorted under ` naxensis ` but under `ssp.`.

The ancient island of Santorini exploded during a massive volcanic eruption in the 17th century BC and has left today`s caldera. On the surface of today`s islands Thira (=Santorini ) and Thisasia, huge masses of pumice and ash were deposited. The survival of animals and plants is not expected. So the islands should have been repopulated again, certainly in part by distribution of humans.

DNA tests (POULAKAKIS et al. 2005 - Phylogenetic relationships and biogeography of Podarcis species from the Balkan Peninsula, by bayesian and maximum likelihood analyzes of mitochondrial DNA sequences - Phylogenetics Mol. Evol. 37: 845-857) and some own results, show the lizards on Thira originate from Andros and Anafi, and the lizards on Thirasia consistently originate from Anafi.

Relevant taxonomic literature:

• Werner, F. (1899) -  Beiträge zur Kenntniss der Reptilien- und Batrachierfauna der Balkanhalbinsel. -  Wissenschaftliche Mittheilungen aus Bosnien und die Hercegovina, Wien, 6: 817-841.  

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