The Maltese wall lizard is the only wall lizard found on the Maltese islands. It is endemic to our islands and to two Italian ones, Linosa and Lampione.

Its scientific name, Podarcis filfolensis, comes from the island of Filfla, where a subspecies known as Podarcis filfolensis filfolensis exists. Four other subspecies are recognised.

The most widespread subspecies is P. filfolensis maltensis which is found on Malta, Gozo and Comino. P. filfolensis generalensis is found only on the Fungus Rock off Gozo, while P. filfolensis kieselbachi is found on Selmunet, or as it more popularly known, St Paul’s Islands. It is said that this subspecies is now extinct.

The lizards on the Italian islands of Linosa and Lampione are known as P. filfolensis laurentimulleri. It is probable that the lizards on these two islands arrived there with humans who travelled there thousands of years ago.

The subspecies started to change after they became isolated from each other on the different islands. The evolutionary process has been relatively fast, especially when one considers that the lizards on Linosa and Lampione arrived there on sea craft used by early humans to travel between Malta and the two islands thousands of years ago.

Island species are very vulnerable and in constant danger of extinction

Island species are very vulnerable and in constant danger of extinction. The Selmunet lizard disappeared in spite of the fact that the Maltese wall lizard is protected by Maltese and European legislation.

It is illegal to catch, keep or in any way harm this species but this did not stop rats from invading Selmunet and wreak havoc on its small lizard population. A similar fate could befall any of the other small island populations.

The population occurring on the three main islands is relatively large and it is not considered as vulnerable, although naturalists have been noticing that this species is disappearing from agricultural land and establishing itself in urban areas. So far, however, there has not been a scientific investigation to determine whether there has actually been a change in the number of lizards in the various areas of the Maltese islands and, if yes, why it is happening.

A similar but more serious decrease has also been noted, with several species of local butterflies – which until 20 years ago were common locally and which have become very rare or which have not been seen for many years. There might be more than one factor responsible for the decrease in population of these species, although probably the main cause of the decrease is the widespread use of pesticides, especially insecticides which do not distinguish between harmful insects and other wildlife.

There is an urgent need to investigate the dramatic decrease in several species of fauna from the Maltese islands and to take whatever action needs to be taken to stop and reverse this decline.

portelli.paul@gmail.com

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