Radde's Lizard
Darevskia raddei
Overview
Radde's Lizard in Georgia
Radde's Lizard (Darevskia raddei) is a confirmed, harmless rock lizard in Georgia, known from the upper Mtkvari in Samtskhe-Javakheti. The 2026 Georgian checklist treats it as biologically confirmed, not as a candidate species. Confirmed Georgian material is linked to Aspindza Municipality: Pia, Tmogvi, and the Mtkvari Gorge near the Turkish border. That does not mean the species occurs across Georgia. Taxonomically, the group is difficult: the 2026 checklist does not accept a clear species-level split between D. raddei and D. nairensis, and places Georgian populations closer to the nairensis lineage while retaining nairensis as a subspecies. Globally, the IUCN assessment is Least Concern; a separate population trend for Georgia is not documented on this page.
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Identification
How to identify Radde's Lizard
A small rock lizard in the genus Darevskia. In Georgia, the strongest field clues are locality, body form, and scalation; colour alone is not enough.
It is a lacertid lizard: slim-bodied, with well-developed limbs and a long tail. Expect it around rock crevices and stony slopes, not in water and not as a legless lizard.
The back is often brown or olive-brown with darker and lighter markings. Colour varies, and Georgian Darevskia species cannot be separated by colour alone.
In Georgia, range is an important clue: confirmed records are from the upper Mtkvari, in the Pia-Tmogvi area. A similar lizard photographed elsewhere in Georgia should not automatically be called Radde's Lizard.
A close photograph or specimen is needed to assess head scales and preanal plates. The 2026 checklist illustrates these characters on an individual from Pia.
The most important similar species is the Obscure Rock Lizard, which is named more widely in the same basin. In this pair, colour is not a reliable separator; compare exact locality and scalation.
D. nairensis is not treated here as a separate Georgian species. The 2026 checklist does not accept a clear species-level split from raddei and retains nairensis as a subspecies.
Quiz
Next: which lizard is it?
Radde'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
The confirmed Georgian range is narrow: the upper Mtkvari in Samtskhe-Javakheti, near the Turkish border. Tarkhnishvili et al. 2026 names Aspindza (Pia) and Tmogvi, and illustrates an individual from Pia in the Mtkvari Gorge. The atlas map shows Samtskhe-Javakheti on the basis of these records; it should not be read as proof that every suitable rocky site in the region has been surveyed. Outside Georgia, the species is known from Armenia, southern Azerbaijan, northwestern Iran, and northeastern Turkey. IUCN gives a broad range of 600-2,500 m and lists forest, shrubland, grassland, and rocky habitats; that is range-wide information, not a measured Georgian elevation limit.
Diet
Published diet data from Georgia are not available on this page. The 2026 checklist does not specify prey, so no Georgian prey list is given here. Do not capture or feed wild individuals.
Behavior
A field encounter is most realistic on rocky ground, near crevices and stony slopes where the lizard has immediate cover. Exact Georgian seasonality, breeding months, and clutch size are not verified here from a published source. As with other small lacertids, observe and photograph from where the animal is; handling is unnecessary.
Conservation
Tarkhnishvili et al. 2026 accepts the species as biologically confirmed in Georgia. The global IUCN assessment is Least Concern, but that does not describe the size or trend of the Georgian population separately. The Reptile Database and the 2026 Georgian checklist do not present the subspecies list and the status of nairensis in exactly the same way; this page follows the practical conclusion of the Georgian checklist. Local threats in Georgia are not quantified here.
Questions
Frequently asked questions
Short answers to the most important questions about Radde's Lizard.
Yes. Tarkhnishvili et al. 2026 treats it as a biologically confirmed species in Georgia.
Confirmed records are from the upper Mtkvari in Samtskhe-Javakheti: Aspindza, Pia, and Tmogvi near the Turkish border. Other Georgian regions are not confirmed on this page.
No. It has no venom and is not a medical danger to people. If handled, it may bite or drop its tail, so it should be left undisturbed.
In the Radde's Lizard complex, snout-vent length is usually around 6-7 cm, with a longer tail. This is not a measured Georgian series, so precise local size needs verification.
Start with the location. In Georgia, reliable records are linked to the Pia-Tmogvi area. Then check the typical Darevskia rock-lizard build; final separation often needs close views of head and preanal scales.
Obscure Rock Lizard (Darevskia obscura) is named more widely in the same broad basin. Colour is unreliable; exact locality, size, and scalation are more useful.
Not in this atlas. The 2026 Georgian checklist does not accept a clear species-level split between D. raddei and D. nairensis and retains nairensis as a subspecies.
Published Georgian diet data and a complete seasonal calendar are not available on this page. Field encounters are most likely by day in rocky microhabitats where the lizard can retreat into crevices.
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
- Tuniyev et al. 2009 / 2017 errata — IUCN Red List account for Darevskia raddei
- Rastegar-Pouyani et al. 2011 — A new subspecies of Darevskia raddei from northwestern Iran
- Dehghani et al. 2014 — Sexual size dimorphism in Darevskia raddei from northwestern Iran
- 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 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