Clark's Rock Lizard
Darevskia clarkorum
A harmless rock lizard of Adjara. It is not nationwide. Colour is not enough to identify it.
At a glance
Key facts in one look
Habitat
Adjara gorges
Size
SVL ~4.5–7 cm
Activity
Diurnal
Venom
None — harmless
Conservation
Endangered (EN)
Checklist
Confirmed
Family
Lacertidae
Human interaction: It is not venomous and poses no medical risk. If handled it may bite; the tail may break. It is on Georgia's Red List. Leave it where it is. Do not keep wild animals.
Overview
What is Clark's Rock Lizard
Clark's rock lizard (Darevskia clarkorum) is a harmless rock lizard of Adjara in southwestern Georgia. It belongs to the true lizards (Lacertidae). It has no venom and is not dangerous to people. The 2026 Georgian checklist treats it as biologically confirmed. Do not assume it throughout Georgia: named modern barcodes and head-scale figures are from the Charnali river valley (Khelvachauri Municipality). This atlas map marks Adjara from those records; it does not mean the species occurs in every gorge in the region. English names include Clark's lizard. The checklist Georgian name is ლაზური ხვლიკი (Laz lizard); this atlas keeps თურქული ხვლიკი, the name used on Georgia's 2014 Red List. The type locality is in Turkey (Cankurtaran Pass between Hopa and Borçka, Artvin), not in Georgia. IUCN listed it as Endangered in 2009. It is on Georgia's 2014 Red List as EN.
Last updated
Identification
How to identify Clark's Rock Lizard
A small rock lizard of Adjara gorges. Colour is not enough. Field ID among Darevskia needs scalation, body shape, and range.
It is a rock Darevskia with well-developed limbs — on stones and rock, not a large ground Lacerta. In Turkish series the back is ivy green, light green, brown, or grey-brown, often with small dark dots. A dark temporal stripe may hold a few pale-centred spots; one near the forelimb can be bluish. The belly is often bright yellow. That is typical appearance (Ilgaz 2007) and does not separate species by colour.
Snout–vent length in a large Turkish series was about 4.4–6.7 cm (mean near 5.9 cm); original measurements were slightly larger. The tail is often longer than the body; one male reached about 18.7 cm total length. Arribas and co-authors (2021) found the Charnali dryada form larger, with a longer head in adult males and more dorsal scales, than typical clarkorum. A full Georgian measurement series is not on this page.
The 2026 checklist keeps the southwestern Georgian form as D. c. dryada, a geographic subspecies, not a separate species page. Some authors (Arribas et al. 2021) still treat dryada as a valid taxon, more likely a subspecies; Schmidtler et al. (2002) treated it as an ecological race. Colour will not settle that argument in the field. Checklist figures show head scalation and preanal plates from Charnali.
The Ajarian rock lizard (D. adjarica) is a checklist candidate in the parvula complex; named barcodes are from Shuakhevi, not Charnali. Derjugin's lizard (D. derjugini) is a smaller ground-dwelling forest species — look for it in leaf litter and grass, not as a typical cliff lizard. The mixed rock lizard (D. mixta) is a close relative but the checklist treats it as absent from Adjara. Do not identify by colour in southwestern Georgia.
The 2026 Georgian checklist treats it as biologically confirmed. Do not assume it throughout Georgia: named modern barcodes and head-scale figures are from the Charnali river valley (Khelvachauri Municipality). This atlas map marks Adjara from those records; it does not mean the species occurs in every gorge in the region. The Ajarian rock lizard (D. adjarica) is a candidate on the checklist; named barcodes are from Shuakhevi, not Charnali.
Biology
Habitat, diet, behavior, and conservation
Habitat and range
It occurs in Georgia. Do not assume it in Kakheti, Javakheti, or the Greater Caucasus. Tarkhnishvili et al. 2026 figure a specimen from Charnali Gorge and barcode two animals from the Charnali river valley (CaBOL-IDs 1027431 and 1007143). Distribution confidence is medium. IUCN (2009) also names a small isolated part of the range on the western slopes of Mount Mtirala near Batumi. That is a second named Adjara area, not a proof that Charnali and Mtirala are the same site, and not a nationwide map. A 2021 Reptile Database note that the species may reach Kintrishi Gorge to the north is personal communication, not a named checklist locality. Habitat is damp, bushy ground near streams, with stones, rocky outcrops, and talus; animals also use mountain meadow with rock. In Adjara look along forested gorge slopes and stony stream sides, not in dry steppe. Species-wide elevation figures disagree: IUCN gives 1,500–2,200 m; Darevsky and Tuniyev (1997) give about 900–1,700 m; Turkish series include much lower sites (about 450–2,250 m). Charnali is a Colchic gorge; a measured Georgian elevational limit is not on this page. The 2009 IUCN text also lists Armenia, citing Baran and Atatür (1998). The 2026 checklist and The Reptile Database do not treat Armenia as part of the range. Do not assume it there from this atlas.
Diet
This page has no Georgian stomach-content study. Like other Darevskia it is expected to take small invertebrates — insects and similar prey — seized in the jaws, without venom. In Turkey, Franzen (1991) also recorded plant feeding in this species. That is a Turkish field note, not a Georgian menu.
Behavior
It is active by day. It is a rock lizard: it basks on stones and hides in crevices. In northeastern Turkey, Ilgaz (2007) collected animals from about 08:30 to 18:30, often in cloudy or rainy weather. That is a Turkish timetable, not a Georgian hourly table. It lays eggs. A Georgian clutch size, laying month, and overwintering calendar are not measured here. In Turkish populations, Bülbül and co-authors (2016) found sexual maturity at about 1–3 years depending on altitude, and maximum ages of about 10–12 years. Do not treat those figures as Georgian averages. 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
IUCN assessed it as Endangered in 2009 (Tuniyev and co-authors; EN B1ab(i,iii)) because the known extent of occurrence was under 5,000 km², records were in fewer than five locations, and habitat was judged to be declining through overgrazing. That assessment is old. IUCN still lists the Charnali form separately as Darevskia dryada, Critically Endangered (2009). This atlas follows the 2026 checklist and treats dryada as a subspecies, but that IUCN listing remains a signal that the Charnali population is highly threatened. Georgia's 2014 Red List (Resolution No. 190) includes it as EN, citing IUCN. The decree's remark that it is considered Vulnerable worldwide does not match the 2009 Endangered assessment. Tarkhnishvili et al. 2026 treat it as biologically confirmed. A 2019 Charnali field report (Barateli, Rufford) estimated about 256 ± 48 animals in one study area and named construction and habitat loss as local threats. That is a grant report for part of the gorge, not a national census. It is not listed on CITES. Do not take wild lizards.
Questions
Frequently asked questions
Short answers to the most important questions about Clark's Rock Lizard.
Yes. It is biologically confirmed in the 2026 checklist. Named barcodes and figures are from the Charnali river valley in Adjara. Do not assume it throughout Georgia.
In southwestern Georgia (Adjara). The named modern locality is Charnali Gorge (Khelvachauri). IUCN 2009 also names the western slopes of Mtirala near Batumi. Look on stony, bushy slopes near streams. This is not a Kakheti or Javakheti species.
On this atlas, dryada is a subspecies (D. c. dryada), not a separate Georgian species. Some papers still discuss species rank. The Charnali population is the form those papers mean.
It is a small green-to-brown rock lizard of Adjara gorges. Colour is not enough. Compare range and habit with adjarica (Shuakhevi, parvula complex) and derjugini (forest floor). Head scales in the checklist figures are more reliable than back colour.
No. It has no venom. If grabbed it may bite; the tail may break. It is Red-Listed in Georgia. Leave it where it is.
Snout–vent length in Turkish material is often about 4.5–7 cm. The Charnali dryada form is described as larger. A full Georgian series is not on this page.
There is no Georgian diet study on this page. It is expected to eat small invertebrates. Plant feeding has been noted in Turkey.
By day. A full Georgian seasonal calendar is not on this page. Turkish collections include daytime hours, including cloudy weather.
References
Sources
References
Sources
- Tarkhnishvili et al. 2026 — Annotated checklist of Georgia's amphibians and reptiles
- Darevsky & Vedmederja 1977 — original description of Lacerta clarkorum
- Darevsky & Tuniyev 1997 — Lacerta dryada and comments on L. clarkorum
- Arribas, Ilgaz & Kumlutaş 2021 — status of Darevskia dryada
- Schmidtler, Heckes, Bischoff & Franzen 2002 — clarkorum/dryada character variation
- Ilgaz 2007 — morphology and distribution in northeastern Turkey
- Bülbül et al. 2016 — body size and age structure in Turkey
- Franzen 1991 — plant feeding in Lacerta clarkorum (Turkey)
- Tuniyev et al. 2009 — IUCN Red List, Darevskia clarkorum
- Tuniyev et al. 2009 — IUCN Red List, Darevskia dryada
- Barateli 2019 — Charnali Gorge field report (Rufford)
- საქართველოს მთავრობის დადგენილება №190 (2014) — წითელი ნუსხა
- The Reptile Database — Darevskia clarkorum
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
Continue with related pages
Darevskia adjarica
Ajarian Rock Lizard
Adjara (Shuakhevi) and Abastumani
Darevskia derjugini
Derjugin's Lizard
Western Georgia and the forest belt of eastern Georgia
Darevskia mixta
Mixed Rock Lizard
Western Georgia (not Adjara) — Sairme, Tchkhorotskhu, Baniskhevi
Darevskia alpina
Alpine Rock Lizard
Western Greater Caucasus — literature; no named locality in the checklist