Portschinsky's Lizard
Darevskia portschinskii
Overview
Portschinsky's Lizard in Georgia
The Kura lizard (Darevskia portschinskii) is a harmless rock lizard of Georgia’s central Lesser Caucasus. It belongs to the lacertid family (Lacertidae). It has no venom and is not dangerous to people. English names include Kura lizard and Portschinsky’s lizard. The 2026 Georgian checklist treats it as biologically confirmed, not a candidate. It is bisexual: you see males and females in the field — the practical difference from parthenogenetic Dahl’s lizard (D. dahli), of which this species is one parent. In Georgian samples, adult snout–vent length is usually about 5.4–5.8 cm. The type locality is Tbilisi (Kessler, 1878), not Armenia. Do not expect it throughout Georgia: the named modern point is Kojori; a hybrid zone with D. obscura is in the Tana River valley. The species is endemic to the central Lesser Caucasus and also occurs in Armenia and Azerbaijan — it is not a Georgia-only endemic. IUCN lists it as Least Concern. It is not on Georgia’s 2014 Red List.
Last updated
Identification
How to identify Portschinsky's Lizard
A small rock lizard of Trialeti mountain forest. Colour is not enough. Field ID among Darevskia uses size, range, sex, and scalation — not dorsal colour.
The body is small and flattened, with well-developed limbs — it is on rock and stone, not a large ground lacertid (Lacerta) and not a Caucasian agama (Paralaudakia). In Georgian samples snout–vent length is usually about 5.4–5.8 cm; literature maxima reach about 67 mm. That is the checklist character versus obscura and valentini: those are substantially larger. The tail is longer than the body and breaks easily. Do not pick the lizard up to count scales.
The back is grey, brownish, or olive, often with dark spots. The belly may be yellowish. Subspecies nigrita is described with a much darker dorsum. These tones occur in other rock lizards — colour does not separate the species.
Dahl’s lizard (D. dahli) often shares the same rocks. Size in Georgian samples is similar. The difference: portschinskii is bisexual; dahli is almost only females. Reliable separation uses head scalation and the anal region; colour will not do it. Both are barcoded at Kojori — they are different taxa.
The Meskhetian rock lizard (D. obscura) is a candidate in the rudis complex in the checklist and is substantially larger. A hybrid zone is in the Tana valley — do not decide by colour in the contact zone. Valentin’s lizard (D. valentini) is on the Javakheti highlands (e.g. Lake Saghamo) and is also larger. The Georgian lizard (D. mixta) is a western Georgia endemic and the other parent of dahli; overlap with the Kura lizard is almost nil.
The 2026 Georgian checklist treats it as biologically confirmed, not a candidate. It is bisexual — the practical difference from parthenogenetic Dahl’s lizard (D. dahli). The type locality is Tbilisi. The named modern point is Kojori. Do not expect it throughout Georgia. The species is endemic to the central Lesser Caucasus and also occurs in Armenia and Azerbaijan — it is not a Georgia-only endemic.
Darevskia dahli
Dahl's Rock Lizard
Trialeti — Kojori
Darevskia obscura
Obscure Rock Lizard
Upper Mtkvari, Trialeti, Meskheti, Javakheti, Enguri — Akhaltsikhe, Rveli/Baniskhevi, Akhalkalaki
Darevskia valentini
Valentin's Lizard
Samtskhe — Javakheti — Ninotsminda (Saghamo Lake), Kirkhbulaki
Paralaudakia caucasia
Caucasian Agama
eastern and southern Georgia; locally in the west
Quiz
Next: which lizard is it?
Portschinsky'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
It occurs in Georgia. Do not assume it in western humid forest, Colchis, Adjara, or the Javakheti highlands. The 2026 checklist places it in the central Lesser Caucasus; distribution confidence is medium. The barcode is from Kojori (CaBOL-ID 1027436). On one rocky outcrop of about 1 ha near Tbilisi (1003–1042 m), known since the mid-1960s, it coexists with Dahl’s lizard; dahli was about five times more abundant there. In the 2008–2009 survey it shared 28 of dahli’s 82 sites, mainly in Trialeti mountain forest. Shared elevations are often about 800–1200 m; that is not a complete Georgian limit. IUCN gives 300–1700 m at species level, including Armenia and Azerbaijan. Habitat is rocky outcrops in mountain forest, riverside rock, and dry shrubby slopes — not wet Colchic forest and not bare desert. On the same rocks dahli is more tightly tied to a water source; the Kura lizard is more evenly spread and more often in suboptimal spots. Subspecies D. p. nigrita was described by Bakradze in 1976 from near Dmanisi (Kvemo Kartli) — a darker dorsum; the range is south-eastern Georgia and northern Armenia. IUCN 2009 names Gori as a western edge and an isolated population on the middle Iori; that assessment is old and is not independently checked on this page. This atlas map shows regional records, not even density inside a region.
Diet
There is no separate Georgian stomach-content study for this species. Rock lizards usually take small invertebrates — insects, spiders, and other arthropods. The 2010 study treats competition with Dahl’s lizard as food and cover, and notes no marked menu difference. The Georgian diet has not been measured on this page.
Behavior
It is active by day. It is a rock lizard: it basks on stone and hides in crevices. A study near Tbilisi observed animals from April to October, in spring and autumn activity periods. That is one site’s calendar, not a full Georgian timetable. It lays eggs; usually one clutch per season. Classic literature gives 2–5 eggs; Georgian samples from Kojori had 1–3. Dahl’s lizard has no males — instead, males of this species sometimes bite the parthenogen in mating attempts, which does not create a sexual population. If caught, the tail may break off; it may also bite. Watch it and leave it. Do not pick it up.
Conservation
IUCN assessed it as Least Concern in 2009 (Tuniyev and co-authors) because of a wide range; the account lists a decreasing trend. The assessment is old. The same account wrongly describes the species as parthenogenetic — that applies to Dahl’s lizard, not the Kura lizard. It is not on Georgia’s 2014 Red List (Decree No. 190); Dahl’s lizard is Vulnerable (VU) there. Tarkhnishvili et al. 2026 treat it as biologically confirmed. Gene flow (introgression) with obscura and valentini in narrow contact zones is described — that is a taxonomic issue, not a Red List category. Georgian population trend is not measured here. It is not on CITES. Do not take wild lizards.
Questions
Frequently asked questions
Short answers to the most important questions about Portschinsky's Lizard.
Yes. It is biologically confirmed in the 2026 checklist. The type locality is Tbilisi. The named modern point is Kojori. It does not occur throughout the country.
On rocky outcrops in mountain forest, mainly in the Trialeti area, often about 800–1200 m where it has been recorded with Dahl’s lizard. Kojori is the named modern point; the Tana valley is the contact with obscura. Do not look for it in Abkhazia, Adjara, or the Colchis lowlands.
No. It has no venom and poses no medical risk. Do not pick it up: the tail breaks easily.
A small rock lizard with males and females. Colour is not enough. On the same rocks Dahl’s lizard is almost only females. obscura and valentini are substantially larger and mostly in other ranges, except the Tana contact zone.
In Georgian samples adult snout–vent length is usually about 5.4–5.8 cm. Literature maxima reach about 67 mm. Total length is greater because of the tail; the tail breaks easily and changes length.
Diet has not been studied separately in Georgia. Rock lizards mainly take small invertebrates. It has no venom.
It is active by day. The study near Tbilisi watched it from April to October. It lays eggs; Kojori samples had 1–3 eggs, classic literature 2–5. Usually one clutch per season.
Colour will not tell you. dahli is parthenogenetic and often on the same rocks. obscura and valentini are larger; there is a hybrid zone with obscura in the Tana valley. It is not a candidate species.
References
Sources
References
Sources
- Tarkhnishvili et al. 2026 — Annotated checklist of Georgia's amphibians and reptiles
- Tarkhnishvili et al. 2010 — Unisexual rock lizard and its progenitors in Georgia
- Barateli et al. 2021 — habitat occupancy of D. portschinskii and D. dahli near Tbilisi
- Barateli et al. 2022 — Reproductive effort of unisexual and bisexual Darevskia
- Tarkhnishvili et al. 2013 — hybrid zone with D. obscura in the Tana valley, cited in Tarkhnishvili et al. 2026
- Murphy et al. 2000 — phylogenetic constraints on parthenogenesis in lacertids
- Bakradze 1976 — Lacerta portschinskii nigrita
- Darevsky 1967 — Rock lizards of the Caucasus
- Tuniyev et al. 2009 — IUCN Red List, Darevskia portschinskii
- საქართველოს მთავრობის დადგენილება №190 (2014) — წითელი ნუსხა
- The Reptile Database — Darevskia portschinskii
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 praticola
Meadow Lizard
Eastern and central Georgia — Sioni, Tushurebi
Darevskia adjarica
Ajarian Rock Lizard
Adjara (Shuakhevi) and Abastumani
Darevskia alpina
Alpine Rock Lizard
Western Greater Caucasus — literature; no named locality in the checklist
Darevskia armeniaca
Armenian Rock Lizard
Southern Georgia — Ninotsminda (Saghamo), Akhalkalaki