Horvath's rock lizard
species of reptile
Horvath's rock lizard (Iberolacerta horvathi) is a species of lizard in the family Lacertidae. The species is endemic to Europe. Until 1997, this species had been assigned to the genus Lacerta, the same genus as the morphologically similar sand lizard (Lacerta agilis). The natural habitats of I. horvathi are temperate forests and shrublands, and rocky areas.
Etymology
The specific name, horvathi is in honor of Hungarian entomologist Géza Horváth.
Conservation status
The geographic range of I. horvathi in central and southern Europe, in mountainous areas of southern Austria, northeastern Italy, western Slovenia, and western Croatia, is fragmented, and believed to be a relict of a much larger range during the last ice age. The small, fragmented range of this species is the main cause of concern for the survival of this species, which is why it is given Near threatened status in the IUCN Red List and is also legally protected in the countries in which it lives.
Description
Horvath's rock lizard grows to a snout-to-vent length (SVL) of 6.5 cm (2.6 in). It has a blunt snout and is dorso-ventrally flattened. The upper surface is pale greyish-brown contrasting sharply with the dark brown sides and the unspotted white or yellowish belly.
This brief starts where responsible research should: with the source description of “Horvath's rock lizard” as species of reptile. Everything that follows is an evidence route, not borrowed authority.
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The subject matters to the science & nature register because the source frames it as species of reptile. Its deeper value depends on whether names, dates, institutions and citations support that framing.
Datasets, specimens, observations and peer-reviewed methods provide the appropriate test for the technical claims summarized here. The source revision retrieved here is dated May 17, 2026. The linked authority identifier is Q1789620. None of the 0 selected statements returned an explicit reference. The first chronological checks are 1997.
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This entry incorporates text from “Horvath's rock lizard” on English Wikipedia. Contributors are listed in the page history. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Selected authority identifiers and statements are retrieved from Wikidata under CC0; their references and qualifiers remain part of the verification path.