Species:

Iberolacerta martinezricai  (ARRIBAS, 1996)

Synonyms:

Lacerta martinezricai  ARRIBAS, 1996

Iberolacerta cyreni martinezricai  MAYER & ARRIBAS 2003

Iberolacerta monticola martinezricai  CROCHET et al, 2004

Iberolacerta martinezricai  ARRIBAS & CARRANZA, 2004

Common names:

Martinez-Rica’s Rock Lizard (English)
Peña de Francia Rock Lizard (English)
Peña de Francia Gebirgseidechse (German)
Lagartija batueca (Spanish)

Types:

Holotype: IPE (CSIC), given as CA 3001, Male, M. MEUIDE leg.

Terra Typica:

Peña de Francia, Salamanca, W Spain.

Relevant taxonomic literature:

• Arribas, O.J. (1996) -  Taxonomic revision of the Iberian ´Archaeolacertae` I: A new interpretation of the geographical variation of ´Lacerta` monticola BOULENGER, 1905 and ´Lacerta` cyreni MÜLLER & HELLMICH, 1937 (Squamata: Sauria: Lacertidae). -  Herpetozoa, Wien, 9 (1/2): 31-56.    

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  The present morphological study analyzes the geographical variation of `Lacerta` monticola BOULENGER, 1905 and `L..` cyreni MÜLLER & HELLMICH, 1937 by means of univariate and multivariate statistical analyses. `L. ` monticola shows a low degree of morphological interpopulation differentiation (considerable overlap of the ranges of respective character states). Yet, one sample (Serra da Estrella) is separable from the rest of the Cantabric samples. The first corresponds to `L.` m. monticola BOULENGER, 1905, the second to `L.` m. cantabrica MERTENS, 1929. `L. ` cyreni forms several allopatric populations which have reached a considerable degree of divergence. The populations of Gredos seem to be subspecifically distinct from the Guadarrama ones `L. ` c. cyreni MÜLLER & HELLMICH, 1937) and the small endangered Pena de Francia population is strongly different from both.

• Mayer, W. & Arribas, O. (2003) -  Phylogenetic relationships of the European lacertid genera Archaeolacerta and Iberolacerta and their relartionships to some other ´Archaeolacertae´ (sensu lato) from Near East, derived from mitochondrial DNA sequences. -  Journal of Zoological Systematics and Evolutionary Research, Berlin, 41 (3): 157-161.    

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  Parts of the mitochondrial genes coding for 12SrRNA and 16SrRNA (together about 960 bp) were sequenced for all Mediterranean species of `Mountain lizards` of the genera Archaeolacerta (sensu lato) and Iberolacerta. All subspecies of the Iberian species Iberolacerta cyreni and I. monticola were included in this study. In addition, samples of Apathya cappadocica and Darevskia rudis were analysed to elucidate the relationships of the European `Mountain lizards` to their possible relatives in the Near East. Maximum parsimony and neighbour joining analyses lead to the following major conclusions: (i) the monophyly of the genus Iberolacerta is very well supported; (ii) Archaeolacerta bedriagae (the type species of the genus) is most basal with respect to the ingroup taxa. If we accept Iberolacerta as a genus, Archaeolacerta becames paraphyletic. Therefore, we propose to restrict Archaeolacerta to the type species and to treat A. mosorensis and A. oxycephala provisionally as members of the collective genus Lacerta; (iii) within the genus Iberolacerta three groups were found: a Pyrenean group, an Iberian group and I. horvathi. The relationships among these groups remain unresolved; and (iv) the Peña de Francia lizards, described originally as a subspecies of I. cyreni, are in fact more closely related to I. monticola.