Clark's Rock Lizard

Darevskia clarkorum

A geographically isolated rock lizard; the Georgian form D. c. dryada is a subspecies, not a separate species — colour is not enough.

Southwestern Georgia — Charnali GorgeRisk to humansHarmless

At a glance

Key facts in one look

Habitat

Charnali / southwest

Venom

None

Status

Biologically confirmed

Family

Lacertidae

Overview

What is Clark's Rock Lizard

Clark’s rock lizard (Darevskia clarkorum) is biologically confirmed in Tarkhnishvili et al. 2026: a phenotypically and genetically distinct species, geographically isolated from its closest relatives D. mixta and D. caucasica. Nominal D. dryada has been proposed as a species on phenotype; here the southwestern Georgian form is kept as a geographic subspecies (D. c. dryada), because Cytochrome b differences from Turkish clarkorum fall in a high-similarity range (99.76–96.22%). Barcodes and the figure are from Charnali Gorge / river valley.

Last updated 24 August 2026

Gallery

Clark's Rock Lizard in photos

Distribution

Where Clark's Rock Lizard lives in Georgia

Highlighted regions show where this species has been recorded.

Identification

How to identify Clark's Rock Lizard

Colour is not enough. Field ID among Darevskia needs scalation and range, not colour. Phenotypic differences of dryada stay at subspecies rank in the paper.

01
Colour does not separate Darevskia species.
02
Isolated from D. mixta and D. caucasica — those are other species, not clarkorum by colour.
03
D. dryada is D. c. dryada here; phenotype is not enough for species rank in the paper.
04
Checklist figures show head scalation and preanal plates (Charnali).

Biology

Habitat, diet, behavior, and conservation

Habitat and range

Geographically isolated from mixta and caucasica. Named place: Charnali Gorge (figure and barcodes); nominal dryada from southwestern Georgia.

Diet

The paper does not specify diet for this species.

Conservation

Biologically confirmed in the checklist. dryada is a subspecies here until isolation is demonstrated.

Questions

Frequently asked questions

Short answers to the most important questions about Clark's Rock Lizard.

dryada is a subspecies here. mixta is the closest relative but is geographically isolated and absent from Adjara. adjarica is a candidate in the parvula complex at Shuakhevi — a different taxon. Colour will not tell them apart.

No. clarkorum is biologically confirmed; dryada is ranked as a subspecies.

Figure and barcodes: Charnali Gorge. Nominal dryada: southwestern Georgia.

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.

Related guides