Ajarian Rock Lizard
Darevskia adjarica
A harmless rock lizard of Adjara and Abastumani. Colour is not enough to identify it.
At a glance
Key facts in one look
Habitat
Adjara — Abastumani
Size
SVL ~4.5–6 cm
Activity
Diurnal
Venom
None — harmless
Conservation
LC (parvula, 2009)
Checklist
Candidate
Family
Lacertidae
A candidate species on the 2026 checklist — do not mark it as confirmed.
Human interaction: It is not venomous and poses no medical risk. If handled it may bite; the tail may break. Leave it where it is. Do not keep wild animals.
Overview
What is Ajarian Rock Lizard
The Ajarian rock lizard (Darevskia adjarica) occurs in Georgia as a harmless rock lizard of Adjara and the Abastumani area. It belongs to the true lizard family (Lacertidae). It has no venom and is not dangerous to people. Other English names include Adjarian rock lizard; red-bellied lizard is the older name for the whole D. parvula complex. The 2026 Georgian checklist treats it as a candidate species: it was long a geographic subspecies of D. parvula. Arribas and co-authors (2018, 2022) treat it as a full species, separate from Turkish D. parvula and from D. tuniyevi. The checklist still asks for population-level study of the contact zone, so free gene flow is not yet ruled out. This atlas follows the checklist rank: candidate, not confirmed. The type locality is in Georgia — Abastumani, at about 1,400 m. Do not assume it throughout the country. Named modern points are Shuakhevi and Abastumani; a close sequence from Ajaristskali is deposited as D. parvula. The checklist text sometimes spells ajarica — that is the same name, not another taxon.
Last updated
Identification
How to identify Ajarian Rock Lizard
A medium-sized rock lizard of southwestern Georgia. Colour is not enough. Field ID among Darevskia needs scalation, habitat and range.
It is a rock Darevskia with well-developed limbs and a relatively flat head — on stone and in crevices, not a forest-floor derjugini and not a large ground Lacerta. Compared with D. parvula the body is stockier (Darevsky & Eiselt 1980). The mid-back field often stands out clearly against dark temporal bands; pale lines or rows of whitish spots often sit on the band edges. Adult males often have an orange or brick-red belly; axillary blue spots are sometimes present. A greenish sheen, when present, is a physical gloss, not a separate pigment (Arribas et al. 2022). That is typical appearance and does not separate Georgian species by colour.
Snout–vent length is often about 5–5.5 cm. In the Arribas et al. 2022 sample (mainly Turkey, plus Abastumani and Shuakhevi) it is about 4.2–6.2 cm. A Georgian-only series is not on this page. The tail is usually longer than the body; total length is not tabulated here.
A practical scale mark is the sixth submaxillary plate: in the original description it is triangular with swollen edges in about 95% of animals, versus often flat in D. parvula. One large preanal scale sits in front of the anal plate in about half of animals, two in the rest. Checklist figures from Shuakhevi show head scalation and preanal plates, not colour. Without a lens these marks are hard in the field.
Clark’s rock lizard (D. clarkorum) is also in Adjara, in Charnali Gorge — a different lineage, confirmed in the checklist. Ground-dwelling D. derjugini may share a valley but lives on the forest floor and has a rounder head. The mixed rock lizard (D. mixta) is endemic to western Georgia and absent from Adjara; the old English name “Ajarian lizard” belonged to mixta and should not be used for this taxon. True D. parvula is not on the Georgian checklist. D. tuniyevi is Turkish; a narrow strip toward the Ajaristskali is mentioned as possible and is not confirmed in Georgia. Colour will not tell them apart.
The 2026 Georgian checklist treats it as a candidate species, not confirmed: it was long a geographic subspecies of D. parvula. The type locality is in Georgia — Abastumani. Named modern points are Shuakhevi and Abastumani. Do not assume it throughout the country. True D. parvula is not on the Georgian checklist. The mixed rock lizard (D. mixta) is absent from Adjara.
Quiz
Next: which lizard is it?
Ajarian Rock Lizard is in the Georgia lizard quiz. Ten field photos, four names — eye practice, not field ID.
Biology
Habitat, diet, behavior, and conservation
Habitat and range
It occurs in Georgia. Do not assume it on the dry eastern plains or along the whole Greater Caucasus. Tarkhnishvili et al. 2026 summarise the range as southwestern Georgia; distribution confidence is medium. The head-scale figure and COI barcodes (CaBOL 1027440, 1007137–1007139) are from Shuakhevi. A 2019 voucher from the same area is at about 600 m (Arribas et al. 2022). The type locality is Abastumani (about 1,400 m); a 2019 voucher is from the same area at about 1,300 m. The Ajaristskali sequence (NCBI MN015094, deposited as D. parvula) matches the Shuakhevi barcodes at 99.21% and is tied to this taxon in the checklist. This atlas map marks Adjara from the Shuakhevi records and Samtskhe — Javakheti from the Abastumani type and 2019 voucher. That does not mean the species is limited to two points, and it does not mean every suitable valley has been surveyed. The 1980 description is broader: the Black Sea coast from Trabzon to Batumi, the Chorokh below Borçka, Adjara, and Georgia between Meria (southeast of Poti) and Borjomi, plus an isolate near Bakuriani. Guria, Imereti and Bakuriani are not on this atlas map for now — that is historical literature, not a 2026 named barcode. Habitat is rock, stone and crevices in wooded valleys, often near a stream — not open steppe and not the forest floor where derjugini lives. In Turkish material the then-subspecies D. p. adjarica was taken in forest, near streams, by day (Ilgaz 2009); that is Turkish habitat, not a Georgian elevational table. Named Georgian points on this page run from about 600 m to 1,400 m.
Diet
This page has no Georgian stomach-content study. As in other rock Darevskia, small invertebrates — insects, spiders and similar prey — are expected. It has no venom; it seizes prey in the jaws.
Behavior
It is active by day. It is a rock lizard: it basks on stones and hides in crevices. A Georgian hourly calendar is not on this page. In Turkish samples the then-subspecies D. p. adjarica was taken between 08:00 and 15:30, in sunny or cloudy weather (Ilgaz 2009) — that is a Turkish timetable. The 2019 Shuakhevi and Abastumani samples were taken on 8 September: animals were still on the surface in late summer. It lays eggs. Clutch size for Georgian populations is not on this page. If grabbed, the tail may break and the lizard may bite. Watch it and leave it where it is. Do not pick it up.
Conservation
Tarkhnishvili et al. 2026 list it as a candidate. Species rank relative to D. parvula still needs contact-zone evidence. The checklist cites a cytochrome b difference of up to 3.7% between Georgian material and some northeastern Turkish D. parvula sequences; a 2018 paper reported about 14.4% between the two taxa. The figures are not interchangeable: sampling and the 2022 split of D. tuniyevi differ. The practical point is the same — rank is not settled for Georgia. IUCN assessed D. parvula as Least Concern in 2009 (Tuniyev and co-authors), then including this taxon. D. adjarica has no separate IUCN assessment. It is not on Georgia’s 2014 Red List (Resolution No. 190). A Georgian population trend is not measured here. It is not listed on CITES. Do not take wild lizards.
Questions
Frequently asked questions
Short answers to the most important questions about Ajarian Rock Lizard.
Yes. It is a candidate species in the 2026 checklist. Type locality: Abastumani. Barcodes and the head figure: Shuakhevi.
Named modern points are Shuakhevi (Adjara, about 600 m) and Abastumani (about 1,300–1,400 m). Look on rock and stone in wooded valleys. Do not assume it throughout Georgia.
It is a medium-sized rock lizard with a dark, contrasted pattern and often an orange or brick-red belly. Colour is not enough. Compare it with clarkorum at Charnali, forest-floor derjugini, and do not confuse it with mixta, which is absent from Adjara.
No. It has no venom. If grabbed it may bite; the tail may break. Leave it where it is.
Snout–vent length is often about 5–5.5 cm; about 4.2–6.2 cm in the measured sample. A Georgian-only series is not on this page.
The checklist treated it as a former subspecies of D. parvula and the contact zone has not been studied at population level. Arribas and co-authors treat it as a full species. This atlas keeps the checklist candidate rank.
mixta is absent from Adjara. D. parvula is not on the Georgian checklist — it is a Turkish taxon. An older Ajaristskali sequence is deposited as parvula but almost matches the Shuakhevi barcodes.
By day. A full Georgian seasonal calendar is not on this page. The Shuakhevi and Abastumani sample is from early September.
References
Sources
References
Sources
- Tarkhnishvili et al. 2026 — Annotated checklist of Georgia's amphibians and reptiles
- Arribas et al. 2018 — Reevaluation of Darevskia parvula
- Arribas et al. 2022 — A new cryptic species of the Darevskia parvula group
- Darevsky & Eiselt 1980 — Lacerta parvula adjarica, original description
- Tarkhnishvili & Iankoshvili 2023 — Geographic proximity and niche overlap in Caucasian rock lizards
- Ilgaz 2009 — Comparative morphology of D. parvula subspecies in northeastern Anatolia
- Tuniyev et al. 2009 — IUCN Red List, Darevskia parvula
- საქართველოს მთავრობის დადგენილება №190 (2014) — წითელი ნუსხა
- The Reptile Database — Darevskia adjarica
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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