Valentin's Lizard
Darevskia valentini
A harmless rock lizard of the Javakheti highlands. Colour is not enough to identify it.
At a glance
Key facts in one look
Habitat
Javakheti highlands
Size
SVL ~6–8 cm
Activity
Diurnal
Venom
None — harmless
Conservation
Least Concern (LC)
Checklist
Confirmed
Family
Lacertidae
Human interaction: It is not venomous and poses no medical risk. If handled it may bite; the tail may break. Leave it where it is. Do not keep wild animals.
Overview
What is Valentin's Lizard
Valentin's lizard (Darevskia valentini) occurs in Georgia as a harmless rock lizard of the Samtskhe — Javakheti highlands. It belongs to the true lizard family (Lacertidae). It has no venom and is not dangerous to people. Other English names include Valentin's rock lizard and Caucasian rock lizard. The 2026 Georgian checklist treats it as biologically confirmed, not as a candidate species. The nominotypical subspecies is D. v. valentini. The type locality is in Armenia (Basarchay / Bazarkent), not in Georgia. Do not assume it throughout the country: named records are in Ninotsminda Municipality — Saghamo Lake and the Kirkhbulaki River. This atlas map marks Samtskhe — Javakheti from those records; it does not mean the species is limited to two points. IUCN lists it as Least Concern. It is not on Georgia’s 2014 Red List.
Last updated
Identification
How to identify Valentin's Lizard
A relatively large rock lizard of the Javakheti highlands. Colour is not enough. Field ID among Darevskia needs scalation, size and range.
It is a relatively large Darevskia with well-developed limbs — a rock lizard, not a large ground Lacerta. The back is often greenish-brown or bright green; the belly yellow or white. The temporal stripe has dark rings with pale centres. That is typical appearance from Darevsky and Galoyan et al. 2019 and does not separate species by colour.
Snout–vent length is often about 6–7 cm; in Armenian material females reached 7.9 cm. Unlike most lizards in this genus, females are often larger than males. A full Georgian measurement series is not on this page. Total length including the tail is not measured here.
The Armenian rock lizard (D. armeniaca) is a parthenogen: females reproduce without males. valentini is one parent (the other is D. mixta). They co-occur at the same Saghamo Lake. armeniaca often has a duller green back and pale flank spots; usually one scale row sits between the ear plate and the mid-temporal scale, versus several in valentini. Colour is still not enough.
The Kura lizard (D. portschinskii) is substantially smaller and is endemic to the central Lesser Caucasus (e.g. Kojori). The Meskhetian rock lizard (D. obscura) is a checklist candidate in the rudis complex. Narrow contact and broad gene flow among the three are described — do not decide by colour in a contact zone. Checklist figures show head scalation and preanal plates (Saghamo Lake).
The 2026 Georgian checklist treats it as biologically confirmed, not as a candidate species. Named records are in Ninotsminda Municipality — Saghamo Lake and the Kirkhbulaki River. Do not assume it throughout the country. The Armenian rock lizard (D. armeniaca) is parthenogenetic and co-occurs at the same Saghamo Lake; colour is still not enough.
Darevskia armeniaca
Armenian Rock Lizard
Southern Georgia — Ninotsminda (Saghamo), Akhalkalaki
Darevskia portschinskii
Portschinsky's Lizard
Central Lesser Caucasus — Kojori; hybrid zone in the Tana valley
Darevskia obscura
Obscure Rock Lizard
Upper Mtkvari, Trialeti, Meskheti, Javakheti, Enguri — Akhaltsikhe, Rveli/Baniskhevi, Akhalkalaki
Quiz
Next: which lizard is it?
Valentin'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 humid western forest, Colchis, or the eastern lowlands. Tarkhnishvili et al. 2026 figure a specimen from Ninotsminda Municipality, Saghamo Lake; barcodes are from Saghamo Lake and the Kirkhbulaki River. Distribution confidence is medium. The same Saghamo Lake site is also figured for the parthenogenetic Armenian rock lizard (Darevskia armeniaca) — a different taxon for which valentini is a parental species. Barateli and co-authors (2022) measure the Saghamo Lake population at about 2,015 m. At species level in the Lesser Caucasus it is often described from 1,900–3,110 m (Galoyan et al. 2019); IUCN gives 1,300–3,000 m, including Turkish records. That is not a measured Georgian elevational limit. The exact elevation of the Kirkhbulaki barcode is not given on this page. Habitat is high-elevation meadow and steppe with stony mounds, rocky outcrops, roadside and river cliffs, and lake shores — not barren desert and not wet Colchic forest. Look for it on stones used for basking and shelter. Petrosyan et al. 2019 model the range as several isolated highland meadow and steppe blocks, including southern Georgia — that is a prediction, not extra named Georgian points. This atlas does not currently map other administrative regions; that does not mean every suitable highland has been surveyed.
Diet
This page has no Georgian stomach-content study. In highland Armenian populations it eats arthropods: mainly beetles and flies, less often other insects and spiders, and rarely plant fragments (Galoyan et al. 2019). That is an Armenian menu, not a list for every Georgian site.
Behavior
It is active by day. It is a rock lizard: it basks on stones and hides in crevices. In Armenia it appears after winter from late April to mid-May, mates soon after emergence, and lays eggs in the second half of June; animals were still on the surface in late September (Galoyan et al. 2019). That is an Armenian calendar, not a Georgian hourly table. The Georgian Saghamo sample was taken in May–June (Barateli et al. 2022). Clutch size there was 2–6 eggs; Armenian material averages about six, up to 12. Both describe one clutch a season, as in Darevsky’s classic account. 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 Least Concern in 2009 (Tok and co-authors) because of a wide range and a presumably large population. That assessment is old. It is not on Georgia’s 2014 Red List (Resolution No. 190). Tarkhnishvili et al. 2026 treat it as biologically confirmed. Gene flow (introgression) with obscura and portschinskii in narrow contact zones is described — that is a taxonomic complication, not a Red List category. A Georgian population trend is not measured here. It is not listed on CITES. Do not take wild lizards.
Questions
Frequently asked questions
Short answers to the most important questions about Valentin's Lizard.
Yes. It is biologically confirmed in the 2026 checklist. Figure: Ninotsminda, Saghamo Lake. Barcodes: Saghamo Lake and the Kirkhbulaki River.
In the Samtskhe — Javakheti highlands, with named records in the Ninotsminda area: around Saghamo Lake and Kirkhbulaki. Look on stony meadow, rock and lake shore. Do not assume it throughout Georgia.
It is a relatively large rock lizard. Colour is not enough. Compare it with parthenogenetic armeniaca at the same lake, smaller portschinskii, and obscura. Scale rows by the ear and geography are more reliable than back colour.
No. It has no venom. If grabbed it may bite; the tail may break. Leave it where it is.
Snout–vent length is often about 6–7 cm; Armenian females reached 7.9 cm. A full Georgian measurement series is not on this page.
No. It is biologically confirmed in the checklist. obscura is a candidate in this complex; valentini is not.
armeniaca is a parthenogen (parent valentini). They occur at the same Saghamo Lake. armeniaca usually has one scale row between the ear plate and the mid-temporal scale, valentini several. Colour will not tell you reliably.
By day. A full Georgian seasonal calendar is not on this page. In Armenia it is described from spring to autumn; the Georgian Saghamo sample is from May–June.
References
Sources
References
Sources
- Tarkhnishvili et al. 2026 — Annotated checklist of Georgia's amphibians and reptiles
- Barateli et al. 2022 — Reproductive effort of unisexual and bisexual Darevskia
- Galoyan et al. 2019 — Natural history of Valentin’s rock lizard in Armenia
- Arribas et al. 2022 — Taxonomy of Darevskia valentini and D. rudis
- Tok et al. 2009 — IUCN Red List, Darevskia valentini
- Petrosyan et al. 2019 — Ecological modelling of D. armeniaca and parental species
- საქართველოს მთავრობის დადგენილება №190 (2014) — წითელი ნუსხა
- Darevsky 1967 — Rock lizards of the Caucasus
- The Reptile Database — Darevskia valentini
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 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 raddei
Radde's Lizard
Upper Mtkvari near the Turkish border — Aspindza (Pia), Tmogvi