Lizards
Georgia has 56 reptiles and 12 amphibians — the 2026 checklist
The paper divides species recorded in Georgia into confirmed and candidate taxa — this is not a list of new discoveries.
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Derjugin's Lizard
Darevskia derjugini
A small, non-venomous, ground-dwelling forest Darevskia. Confirmed in western Georgia and the eastern forest belt; colour does not identify the species.
Western Georgia and the forest belt of eastern GeorgiaRisk to humansHarmless
At a glance
Key facts in one look
Habitat
Forest edge / ground
Body
SVL ~4–6.5 cm
Venom
None — harmless
Conservation
NT (IUCN)
Elevation
Species ~0–1,800 m
Family
Lacertidae
Human interaction: It has no venom and is medically harmless to people. It may bite if handled; the bite can hurt but is not venomous. Photograph from a distance and leave it in place.
Overview
What is Derjugin's Lizard
Derjugin's lizard (Darevskia derjugini) is a small, non-venomous, ground-dwelling forest lizard in western Georgia and the forest belt of the east. It belongs to the true lizards (Lacertidae). It is harmless to people: it has no venom. Snout–vent length is usually about 4–6.5 cm; the tail is often nearly twice as long. The 2026 Georgian checklist treats it as biologically confirmed — it stays distinct even where other Darevskia occur. Named modern points include Lagodekhi, Sioni, Mulakhi, Racha, Baniskhevi and Kintrishi. IUCN assessed it as Near Threatened in 2009. Do not look for it across the whole country: dry plains and open steppe are not expected habitat.
Last updated
Gallery
Derjugin's Lizard in photos
Photo: Zauri Khachidze
Borjomi-Kharagauli National Park ·
Photo: Zauri Khachidze
Borjomi-Kharagauli National Park ·
Photo: Zauri Khachidze
Borjomi-Kharagauli National Park ·
Photo: Zauri Khachidze
Borjomi-Kharagauli National Park ·
Identification
How to identify Derjugin's Lizard
A small, ground-dwelling forest lizard with a head that is not flattened. Among Darevskia, colour is not enough — use habitat, head shape and range.
The head is not flattened like that of rock Darevskia. Dorsal scales are rounded, smooth or weakly keeled toward the rear. Femoral pores are few (often about 6–12) and do not reach the knee. Do not handle the lizard to count scales.
The back is brown, olive or reddish-brown; pale flank stripes are common. Some animals have faint pale rings on the sides. Males often have a greenish belly with blue spots on the outer ventral plates; females are yellowish or whitish below. In juveniles the rear half of the tail is often turquoise-blue above. Colour does not separate species — it varies even within one population.
Meadow lizards (Darevskia praticola and D. pontica) are also ground-dwellers but different lineages: praticola in eastern and central Georgia, pontica in the north-western Pontic area. Rock Darevskia (for example D. mixta, D. brauneri, D. adjarica) may share a valley but live on rock and have a flatter head. The sand lizard (Lacerta agilis) is larger and differently patterned. The Colchic slow worm (Anguis colchica) has no legs.
The 2026 checklist’s Georgian name is კავკასიური ტყის ხვლიკი (Caucasian forest lizard); this atlas keeps Derjugin’s lizard / Artvin lizard — the type locality is Artvin in north-eastern Turkey. Described in 1898 (Nikolsky) as Lacerta derjugini. Genus Darevskia since 1997. D. mixta was once thought to be a hybrid of derjugini and a rock lizard; it is now a separate species.
The 2026 Georgian checklist treats it as biologically confirmed. Named modern points include Lagodekhi, Sioni, Mulakhi, Racha, Baniskhevi and Kintrishi. Do not look for it across the whole country: dry plains and open steppe are not expected habitat. Rock Darevskia may occur in the same gorge but are on rock, with a flatter head.
Darevskia adjarica
Ajarian Rock Lizard
Adjara (Shuakhevi) and Abastumani
Darevskia clarkorum
Clark's Rock Lizard
Adjara — Charnali Gorge (Khelvachauri)
Darevskia daghestanica
Daghestanian Rock Lizard
Tusheti; Akhmeta (Tbatana)
Darevskia praticola
Meadow Lizard
Eastern and central Georgia — Sioni, Tushurebi
Darevskia pontica
Pontic Meadow Lizard
Abkhazia — Gagra (type locality); northwestern Pontic populations
Darevskia mixta
Mixed Rock Lizard
Western Georgia (not Adjara) — Sairme, Tchkhorotskhu, Baniskhevi
Lacerta agilis
Sand Lizard
Western Georgia; east above 600–800 m
Quiz
Next: which lizard is it?
Derjugin's 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
You are likely to meet it in deciduous or coniferous forest, at edges, clearings, roadsides, stream or river banks, and other open patches — on the ground among grass and roots, not on vertical rock. Classic keys also note animals moving 100–150 m from forest into meadow. The 2026 checklist summarises the range as all of western Georgia and the forest belt of eastern Georgia. Named COI barcodes are from Lagodekhi, Sioni, Mulakhi (Mestia municipality), Racha, Baniskhevi and Kintrishi; the head-scale figure is from Mulakhi. This atlas map shows regional records; it does not mean the species is evenly present in every marked region. Literature records it from sea level in Adjara, from about 700 m in the Lagodekhi–Zaqatala area, and up to about 1,800 m on the Trialeti range. The IUCN band of 600–1,700 m does not fully cover those low coastal records. It has been noted as sheltering in some Greater Caucasus caves; that does not make it a cave species.
Diet
There is no separate Georgian diet study for this species. Classic keys treat it as a predator of small invertebrates — insects, spiders and similar prey. It has no venom; it seizes prey in the jaws.
Behavior
It is active by day: it basks and moves quickly at forest edges. A hour-by-hour calendar for Georgia has not been published; activity is expected in the warm season in forest. It lays eggs. IUCN reports a typical clutch of 4–8 eggs. In north-eastern Turkey (Artvin area) animals mature at about 2–3 years; females there were on average larger, and lifespan was about 6–7 years. Do not treat those figures as Georgian averages. When threatened it usually flees; it may shed the tail — that is defence, not venom.
Conservation
IUCN listed it as Near Threatened in 2009, mainly because of forest habitat loss and fragmentation. It is not on Georgia’s 2014 Red List. The 2026 checklist treats it as biologically confirmed; distribution confidence in this atlas is medium. For Georgian populations the checklist names subspecies abchasica, barani, orlowae and nominotypical derjugini. In Turkey, barani has been synonymised with the nominate form; that decision is not automatically applied in Georgia. Local threats include logging, roads and conversion of forest edge. Do not collect animals.
Questions
Frequently asked questions
Short answers to the most important questions about Derjugin's Lizard.
Yes. The 2026 checklist treats it as biologically confirmed. It occurs in western Georgia and the forest belt of the east. It is not nationwide.
At forest edges, clearings, roadsides and streams — in the west and in the eastern forest belt. Named modern points include Lagodekhi, Sioni, Mulakhi, Racha, Baniskhevi and Kintrishi. Do not search dry plains or open steppe.
No. It has no venom and is not a medical risk. It usually flees. It may bite if handled — do not pick it up.
This species lives on the ground in forest, with a head that is not flattened. Rock Darevskia are on rock and have a flatter head. Meadow lizards (praticola / pontica) are also terrestrial but different lineages and regions. Colour will not separate them.
Snout–vent length is usually about 4–6.5 cm; the tail is often nearly twice as long. A Georgia-specific measured maximum is not given on this page.
Diet has not been studied separately in Georgia. Classic sources list small invertebrates — insects and spiders.
It is active by day in the warm season. A precise Georgian calendar has not been published. It lays eggs; species-level accounts often give 4–8 eggs.
Watch from a distance, take a photo and leave it. Do not handle it. If the lizard is on vertical rock with a flattened head, it is another Darevskia, not necessarily this species.
References
Sources
References
Sources
- Tarkhnishvili et al. 2026 — Annotated checklist of Georgia's amphibians and reptiles
- Tarkhnishvili & Iankoshvili 2023 — Geographic proximity and niche overlap in Caucasian rock lizards
- Bannikov et al. 1977 — Определитель земноводных и пресмыкающихся фауны СССР
- Muskhelishvili 1970 — Пресмыкающиеся восточной Грузии
- Bischoff 1982 — Innerartliche Gliederung von Lacerta derjugini
- Bischoff 1984 — Verbreitung von Lacerta derjugini am Südkaukasus
- Orlova & Bischoff 1984 — Lacerta derjugini in the atlas of amphibians and reptiles of Europe
- Kurnaz et al. 2017 — Status of Darevskia derjugini barani in Turkey
- Altunışık & Eksilmez 2020 — Age and growth of Darevskia derjugini
- Tuniyev, Koval & Vargovitsh 2021 — Amphibians and reptiles in caves of the Greater Caucasus
- Tuniyev et al. 2009 — IUCN Red List account for Darevskia derjugini
- საქართველოს მთავრობის დადგენილება №190 (2014) — წითელი ნუსხა
- 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
Continue with related pages
Catalog
Lizard species
Every lizard in the index — Darevskia in its own block. An empty cell is a missing source.
IndexQuizWhich lizard is it?
A photo, four names, instant feedback — Georgia’s lizard catalog. This is not the field guide.
Start the quizRock lizardsDarevskia one by one
Colour is not identification. Each species opens its own profile.
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Photo, size, colour, range. For Darevskia, colour is not enough.
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