Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I was wondering if anyone knows anything about the Italian wall lizards in Philadelphia. I was told there is a population there but im not sure maybe you guys can help.

I live in Philadelphia,and have been pretty much everywher ein the city,and have never seen any sort of wild lizard around here.

No lizards would survive a Philly winter. I grew up there. I live in Florida now. I go back to visit(in the summer) and eat
cheesesteaks. The bread is not the same anywhere else!

Why would no lizard survive a Philly Winter? There are several species of lizard....two or three I beleive...that are native to PA.

Brian

YES, there are thriving colonies of at least one species of European Lacertid in Phily, and on Long Island, in south eastern New York! I see them in many locations here on Long Island. They handle winters just fine.

the New York introduction began long ago. I caught my first one in 1976.

yeah they are mentioned in the first edition of the audobon field guide.

hello, i know here on long Island, Ny the introduced population is expanding to eastern LI, a professor russell burke, biology dept at hofstra university, uniondale(LI) ny, has been studying the wall lizards/lacerta's for years. you can probably contact him at the university. he is a really nice guy. i ope this helps somewhat. thanks dave

The last time I was up there was in '97. I also lived on L.I.
I haven't seen any lizards at either location. If they're there now they were not then. I still can't imagine a lacerta or any lizards making it through the ice, the snow, and way below freezing temperatures of a winter up there. If I'm wrong, I apologize. Jimmy

The viviparous lizard (a lacerta) is the only lizard whose range extends into the Arctic circle. Wall lizards can survive very cold winters; I would assume that they're blood contains large amounts of glycerol or some other 'anti freeze' during hibernation because many species live in Germany where the temp often gets to -10 C.

Come on, just because you haven't seen them does not mean they aren't there!

I have seen the italian wall lizards on LI. They are there. In fact they live in a a particularly nasty part of Nassau county (not suffolk which has more open spaces and trees and seems more hospitable to any wildlife) Further,i think their range is thought to be expanding. As far as Philly goes, i have read about them there but never seen them . There is a database of sighting of invasive species on the web which is pretty frequently updated. If i can find the link i'll post it; maybe they have more details there.

As far back as '76, they were as far east on long island as west islip(western suffolk county). Now they are at least as far east as farmingville.

Hi, as a follow-up, the Italian Wall Lizard certainly survives in the cold winters of both NY and the northeast. There are also colonies in a few other states. Approximately 7-10,000 on Long Island since their initial accidental release in the late 1960's.

A small colony was orinially reported in Copea in the 1930's and again in the 1950's, but urban development and repeated collection by teenagers eventually may have wiped them out. Rumors still turn up regarding the "lost" Philadelphia colony, but never confirmed and were most often skinks or recent escapee of another pet. I doubt any of the original colony still exist. Dr. Burke at Hofstra on LI has a good database and Newsday has an on-line feature from last year.

Regards
Rob Alvey
USEPA, NY

The species involved is the Italian Ruin Lizard Podarcis sicula campestris it seems to have been introduced in 1927 (Kauffeld,C.F. 1931 Copeia p 163-4) although it was identified as Lacerta melisellensis at the time. This article is quoted in Smith,H.M. 1946 Handbook of Lizards p.398-401.
A further article Conant,R. 1959 Copeia 1959 (4)335-6 Lacerta colony still extant at Philadelphia. The site was on the Pennsylvania Railroad and a nearby lumber yard. The species is included with a coloured photograph in Behler & King 1979 The Audubon field guide to North American Reptiles & Amphibians p 367. The species is widespread in Italy and along the Adriatic coast of Croatia.
The Long Island species is apparently Podarcis sicula sicula and there is an article by Gossweiler,W.A. 1975 European Lizards established on Long Island Copeia 1975 (3) 584-5 although the black & white photo does show the typical pattern of Podarcis sicula campestris to me and this was the one that was in the pet trade in Europe.
I hope this helps and that people may realise that these lizards will hibernate in the winter so snow or freezing is not a problem as long as they can get below the frost line. The Viviparous Lizard Lacerta vivipara lives above the Arctic circle in Europe so is even a tougher little beast.

Dave

Okay lets first start off about the Philadelphia population of wall lizards...I was fortunate enough to speak to Redger Conant about the population which did exist at one time...the fact is that intoduced population has been exinct for nearly 20 years now. They do seem to be thriving in Long Island however, and the poplualtion also does indeed seem to be spreading...there is also a population in Topeka Kansas which is thriving but not seeming to spread its' range.

Secondly as for whether or not a Lacertid would survive a Pennsylvania winter...Please note that for the most part Lacertids are temperate climate lizards...there are ssp. that actually occur in Scandinavia, the UK and in the high altitude of the Alps...many of these area have much harsher winter than PA and so the argument that the mid-atlantic states are too cold for lacertas or other lizards if wrong. Keep in mind that in NJ (just across the bridge from Philly) spiny lizards are quite common throughout the pine barrens...as are ground skinks, red headed skinks (which also occur in PA), and a few other species of lizards also occupy the area.