Ajarian Rock Lizard

Darevskia adjarica

A candidate rock lizard in the D. parvula complex of southwestern Georgia; colour is not enough for identification.

Southwestern Georgia — ShuakheviRisk to humansHarmless

At a glance

Key facts in one look

Habitat

Southwestern Georgia

Venom

None

Status

Candidate

Family

Lacertidae

Overview

What is Ajarian Rock Lizard

The Ajarian rock lizard (Darevskia adjarica) is a candidate species in Tarkhnishvili et al. 2026: it was formerly treated as a geographic subspecies of D. parvula. The range extends over southwestern Georgia. Cytochrome b difference between Georgian D. ajarica and D. parvula from northeastern Turkey reaches 3.7%; the transition zone of the D. parvula complex has not been studied at population level, so free gene flow cannot yet be rejected. Barcoded specimens are from Shuakhevi; the closest homologous sequence is from Ajaristskali (deposited as D. parvula).

Last updated 24 August 2026

Gallery

Ajarian Rock Lizard in photos

Distribution

Where Ajarian Rock Lizard lives in Georgia

Highlighted regions show where this species has been recorded.

Identification

How to identify Ajarian Rock Lizard

Colour is not enough. Field ID among Darevskia needs scalation and range, not colour. This taxon sits in the D. parvula complex, not among the other Georgian rock lizards.

01
Colour and general appearance do not separate Darevskia species.
02
Formerly a subspecies of D. parvula; the contact zone is unstudied.
03
Checklist figures show head scalation and preanal plates, not colour.
04
Not D. mixta: mixta is endemic to western Georgia and absent from Adjara.

Biology

Habitat, diet, behavior, and conservation

Habitat and range

The checklist range is southwestern Georgia. Named places: Shuakhevi (figure and barcodes) and Ajaristskali (closest sequence).

Diet

The paper does not specify diet for this species.

Conservation

Candidate species in the checklist. Species rank relative to D. parvula still needs contact-zone and population-level evidence.

Questions

Frequently asked questions

Short answers to the most important questions about Ajarian Rock Lizard.

Colour will not tell you. Historically it is closest to D. parvula (Turkey; not on the Georgian checklist). D. mixta does not occur in Adjara.

Tarkhnishvili et al. 2026: formerly a subspecies of D. parvula; the transition zone has not been studied at population level.

Range over southwestern Georgia. Barcodes and figure: Shuakhevi; closest sequence: Ajaristskali.

Site classification Harmless. No venom.

References

Sources

Tarkhnishvili et al. 2026 — Annotated checklist of Georgia's amphibians and reptiles
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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