Roque Chico de Salmor Giant Lizard

__NOTOC__Taxobox
name = Roque Chico de Salmor Giant Lizard
status = EX
extinct = c.1930s
status_ref = [Blanco & González (1992)]
regnum = Animalia
phylum = Chordata
classis = Reptilia
ordo = Squamata
subordo = Sauria
familia = Lacertidae
subfamilia = Gallotiinae
genus = "Gallotia"
species = "G. simonyi"
subspecies = "G. s. simonyi"
trinomial = "Gallotia simonyi simonyi"
trinomial_authority = (Steindachner, 1889)

The Roque Chico de Salmor Giant Lizard ("Gallotia simonyi simonyi") was the nominate subspecies of the lacertid (wall lizard) "Gallotia simonyi". It was once present on a small islet near El Hierro in the Canary Islands.

"Gallotia simonyi simonyi" was only known from the Roque Chico de Salmor off northwestern Valverde municipality, El Hierro. It disappeared around the 1930s through unsustainable collecting of animals for scientific institutions and commercial interests, as well as predation by feral cats and possibly Herring Gulls (Diaz & Bischoff 1994, Miras & Pérez-Mellado 2005). Following this population's disappearance, the species was believed to be entirely extinct until "Gallotia simonyi machadoi" was discovered on El Hierro itself in 1974 (Böhme & Bings 1975).

The newly-discovered population is also most rare and might go extinct due to stochastic events. Presently however it seems to hold its own - not the least due to reintroduction to the Roque Chico de Salmor which is now a protected area (Miras & Pérez-Mellado 2005).

ee also

* List of extinct animals of Europe

References

* Blanco, Juan Carlos & González, José Luis (eds.) (1992): " [http://www.mma.es/portal/secciones/biodiversidad/especies_amenazadas/vertebrados/libro_rojo_vert/libro_rojo_vertebrados.htm Libro rojo de los vertebrados de España] ". ICONA, Madrid.

* Böhme, W. & Bings, Werner (1975): Zur Frage des Überlebens von "Lacerta s. simonyi" Steindachner. "Salamandra" 11(1): 39-46. [Article in German]

* Diaz, Carlos Naeslund & Bischoff, Wolfgang (1994): Studien am Roque Chico de Salmor bei El Hierro (Kanaren): 1. Mögliche Ursachen für das Aussterben von "Gallotia simonyi", 2. Die Artzugehörigkeit seiner Geckos ("Tarentola"). "Salamandra" 30(4): 246-253. [Article in German] [http://www.dghtserver.de/salamandra/artikelanzeige.php?nr=3028 HTML abstract]

* European Environment Agency (2006): [http://eunis.eea.europa.eu/ European Nature Information System (EUNIS)] : [http://eunis.eea.europa.eu/species-factsheet.jsp?idSpecies=15493&idSpeciesLink=15493 Species Factsheet: "Gallotia simonyi simonyi"] . Downloaded on 24 Feb 2007.

* Maas, Peter H.J. (2006): [http://extinct.petermaas.nl The Extinction Website] : Extinctions in Europe. Downloaded on 18 May 2006.

* Database entry includes a range map and justification for why this species is critically endangered

Footnotes

External links

* lacerta.de: [http://www.lacerta.de/Seiten_Bildarchiv/Gallotia_simonyi_machadoi_1_(Bilder).htm "Gallotia simonyi machadoi" image gallery] . Contains several good photos of habitat on Roque Chico de Salmor. Retrieved 2007-FEB-25.