The Colchis slow worm (Anguis colchica) is a legless anguid lizard. Tarkhnishvili et al. 2026 treat it as a candidate species: it belongs to the widespread western Eurasian A. fragilis complex; Gvoždík et al. (2010) elevated the Caucasian form (A. f. colchica) to species rank. It is likely allopatric with A. graeca and A. fragilis; cytochrome b difference from those relatives is 6.5–8%. That does not confirm species rank in this atlas — it remains a candidate. It is often confused with the European glass lizard or with snakes. The checklist figure is from Nigoeti; barcodes are from Mtisdziri environs, Baniskhevi, and Lanchkhuti. It is harmless to people.
Identification
How to identify Colchis Slow Worm
A legless lizard with eyelids — not a snake. Smaller and smoother than the glass lizard, without a side fold.
Often confused with
A legless lizard with a snake-like body but movable eyelids — snakes have none. Secretive; it is not a snake.
Smaller and smoother than the glass lizard; no clear side fold or lateral groove.
The glass lizard (Pseudopus apodus) often has a yellow belly and hind-limb rudiments near the cloaca. The slow worm is not read by those marks.
Harmless to people; neither the slow worm nor the glass lizard is a snake.
Often confused with the glass lizard or with snakes. In this atlas it remains a candidate in the A. fragilis complex — species rank is not treated as settled here.
Gallery
Colchis Slow Worm in photos
Questions
Frequently asked questions
Short answers to the most important questions about Colchis Slow Worm.
No — it is a legless lizard. Unlike a snake, it has movable eyelids.
The European glass lizard (Pseudopus apodus) is a large legless lizard with a clear side fold and often a yellow belly. The slow worm is smaller and smoother. Both are harmless.
Tarkhnishvili et al. 2026: it is in the A. fragilis complex; the Caucasian form was raised to species rank, but this atlas does not treat that rank as settled.
Harmless. It has no venom.
The checklist figure is from Nigoeti; barcodes are from Mtisdziri, Baniskhevi, and Lanchkhuti (Tarkhnishvili et al. 2026).
A legless lizard with eyelids — not a snake. Smaller and smoother than the glass lizard, without a side fold.
Small invertebrates; the checklist does not specify diet.
References
Sources
References
Sources
- Tarkhnishvili et al. 2026 — Annotated checklist of Georgia's amphibians and reptiles
- Gvoždík et al. 2010 — Anguis fragilis as a species complex
- Iankoshvili & Tarkhnishvili 2021 — Georgian herpetofauna records cited in Tarkhnishvili et al. 2026
- The Reptile Database
Species profiles are compiled from peer-reviewed literature and established biodiversity databases, and are reviewed as new taxonomic and conservation data become available.
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