Obscure Rock Lizard
Darevskia obscura
A candidate in the D. rudis complex; all Georgian rudis s.l. are obscura here — colour is not enough.
Overview
What is Obscure Rock Lizard
The obscure rock lizard (Darevskia obscura) is a candidate species in Tarkhnishvili et al. 2026. It was elevated from the D. rudis complex mainly on a mitochondrial lineage separating Caucasus/Georgia populations from Anatolian D. rudis. On that logic all Georgian D. rudis s.l., including chechenica and svanetica, belong to obscura, not D. rudis s. str. Current species status rests solely on mtDNA, without morphology or nuclear genome; there is no evidence for or against gene flow across a contact zone with D. rudis. A hybrid zone with portschinskii is in the Tana River valley; with valentini there is a narrow contact and broad introgression. Subspecies (paper infra): obscura — upper Mtkvari, western Trialeti, eastern Meskheti; macromaculata — western Javakheti Plateau; bischoffi — southwestern Georgia; chechenica — eastern Greater Caucasus (east of the Enguri); svanetica — western Greater Caucasus (e.g. upper Enguri basin).
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Identification
How to identify Obscure Rock Lizard
Colour is not enough. Field ID among Darevskia needs scalation and range, not colour. Paper status is mtDNA-based, not colour; portschinskii is substantially smaller.
Colour does not separate Darevskia species.
Georgian rudis s.l. is obscura here; Anatolian D. rudis is a different taxon.
Hybrid zone with portschinskii in the Tana valley; introgression with valentini.
Checklist figures show head scalation and preanal plates (Akhaltsikhe/Meskheti; Rveli/Baniskhevi).
Colour is not enough: portschinskii is substantially smaller; Georgian rudis s.l. is obscura here.
Quiz
Next: which lizard is it?
Obscure Rock Lizard is in the Georgia lizard quiz. Ten field photos, four names — eye practice, not field ID.
Biology
Habitat, diet, behavior, and conservation
Questions
Frequently asked questions
Short answers to the most important questions about Obscure Rock Lizard.
Georgian rudis s.l. is obscura in the paper. portschinskii is substantially smaller and hybridises in the Tana valley. valentini is phenotypically distinct but introgression is broad. Colour will not tell them apart.
Elevation from rudis rests on mtDNA only; gene flow across a contact zone is neither shown nor ruled out.
Figures: Akhaltsikhe/Meskheti Range and Rveli, Baniskhevi. Barcode: Akhalkalaki, Saaghdgomo. Description: Borjomi Gorge. Infra: Trialeti, Meskheti, Javakheti Plateau, Enguri.
Site classification Harmless. No venom.
Colour is not enough. Field ID among Darevskia needs scalation and range, not colour. Paper status is mtDNA-based, not colour; portschinskii is substantially smaller.
The paper does not specify diet for this species.
References
Sources
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
Continue with related pages
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.
Darevskia guideIDWhat lizard is this?
Photo, size, colour, range. For Darevskia, colour is not enough.
ID guide
Darevskia adjarica
Ajarian Rock Lizard
Adjara (Shuakhevi) and Abastumani
Darevskia armeniaca
Armenian Rock Lizard
Southern Georgia — Ninotsminda (Saghamo), Akhalkalaki
Darevskia brauneri
Brauner's Rock Lizard
Western and central Greater Caucasus — Mestia (Manshura), Martvili, Ertso Lake
Darevskia derjugini
Derjugin's Lizard
Western Georgia and the forest belt of eastern Georgia