Psammodromus algirus
Silhouette: Gustav Mützel · PhyloPic
In 3 days ~10% in a week ~30%
Psammodromus algirus, known commonly as the Algerian psammodromus or the large psammodromus, is a species of lizard in the family Lacertidae. The species is found in southwestern Europe and northwestern Africa. There are four subspecies:Psammodromus algirus algirus (Linnaeus, 1758)
Psammodromus algirus doriae Bedriaga, 1886 Psammodromus algirus nollii Fischer, 1887 Psammodromus algirus ketamensis Galán, 1931 Psammodromus algirus is found in North Africa (Morocco, Algeria, and Tunisia) and in Southwestern Europe (Iberian Peninsula: Portugal, Spain, Andorra, Gibraltar; southernmost France, and Italy near Lampedusa).
The IUCN assessment from 2009 treats Psammodromus algirus nollii and Psammodromus algirus ketamensis as full species and restricts Psammodromus algirus to North Africa. Psammodromus algirus typically occurs in dense bushy vegetation, but it can also venture to more open areas. It can be found at elevations up to 2,600 m (8,500 ft) above sea level, but it is more common at lower elevations.
Psammodromus algirus preys mainly on terrestrial arthropods, specifically Orthoptera, Formicidae, Coleoptera, Hemiptera... Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Sierra Nevada National Park | 🇪🇸 Spain | |
| 2 | Monfragüe National Park | 🇪🇸 Spain | |
| 3 | Doñana National Park | 🇪🇸 Spain | |
| 4 | Sierra de Guadarrama National Park | 🇪🇸 Spain | |
| 5 | Pyrénées National Park | 🇫🇷 France |
With luck
About 10% of wildlife watchers report a Large Psammodromus sighting in Porto on a given day, based on 8 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data. It is the 14th most-seen of the 16 reptiles we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 10%, and over a week to about 30%, if each day is a fresh chance.
May to September
In those months about 10% of wildlife watchers report a Large Psammodromus in Porto on a given day, against under 5% in October to April, the lowest months. Those are among Porto's driest months, with about 35 mm of rain a month against 140 mm in January.
Between 11 am and 2 pm
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Large Psammodromus sightings with a recorded time, and about 8 in 10 of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.
Among the best
Of the 5 cities where we can rate Large Psammodromus sightings, Porto ranks 5th at about 10%, level with the leaders once rounded. The best odds are in Algiers (Algeria, about 10%), Lisbon (Portugal, about 10%) and Barcelona (Spain, about 10%).
Same family: Lacertidae
The closest relatives of the Large Psammodromus that you can see in Porto (family Lacertidae, Wall Lizards) are Bocage's Wall Lizard (about 40%), Ocellated Lizard (about 20%) and Iberian Emerald Lizard (about 10%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Large Psammodromus is recorded against all the reptiles logged in Porto (8 verified sightings), calibrated against known sighting rates. Figures are rounded to the nearest 10% because citizen-science data supports honest approximations, not decimals, and months with records from fewer than five people show "—". How it works.
