Melanistic Common Lizard

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   I received this image and message, I've never seen a viviparous lizard displaying such obvious melanism myself and would be interested in others comments regarding how often this occurs and also if it is more common in Northerly populations.

Hi,
I looked on your site re lizards as my wife and I had spotted a black lizard.  We are use to seeing the normal common lizards around our house and woodland..
Your info states young common lizards are/can be black.
The question we have regarding the attached picture ;
..Is this a young lizard because it was about the size we normally having the more normal colouring.

The picture was taken in Glenborrodale  Ardnamurchan on 03 July 2004, 08:36:38

Hope the picture is of interest and we await your reply.

Regards

Geoff & Babs Lower
www.coille-creagach.co.uk

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administrator Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Admin Group Joined: 01 Jan 2007 Status: Offline Points: 10	Post Options Post Reply Quote administrator Report Post Thanks(0) Quote Reply Topic: Melanistic Common Lizard Posted: 17 Jul 2004 at 6:57pm
	I received this image and message, I've never seen a viviparous lizard displaying such obvious melanism myself and would be interested in others comments regarding how often this occurs and also if it is more common in Northerly populations. Hi, I looked on your site re lizards as my wife and I had spotted a black lizard. We are use to seeing the normal common lizards around our house and woodland.. Your info states young common lizards are/can be black. The question we have regarding the attached picture ; ..Is this a young lizard because it was about the size we normally having the more normal colouring. The picture was taken in Glenborrodale Ardnamurchan on 03 July 2004, 08:36:38 Hope the picture is of interest and we await your reply. Regards Geoff & Babs Lower www.coille-creagach.co.uk

Alan Hyde Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Senior Member Joined: 17 Apr 2003 Location: United Kingdom Status: Offline Points: 1437	Post Options Post Reply Quote Alan Hyde Report Post Thanks(0) Quote Reply Posted: 18 Jul 2004 at 7:34pm
	Hey , That's really Cool ! I've not seen any Melanistic common lizards . Thanks to Geoff and Babs for sharing this with us Al

j gaughan Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Senior Member Joined: 04 May 2003 Location: United Kingdom Status: Offline Points: 57	Post Options Post Reply Quote j gaughan Report Post Thanks(0) Quote Reply Posted: 18 Jul 2004 at 9:02pm
	Like Alan said, thanks for sharing this Geoff and Babs. What you have there is a beautiful full-melanic, adult 'gravid' female with a complete tail _at least i don't think the tip is missing. In 30-odd years of 'field herping', i've only seen these beauties on Hankley & Hurtwood Common's, Surrey (dry heath) and suburban Croydon (chalk downland). We have native Viviparous Lizard & Slow-worm on my local NR, being part of a railway corridoor in SE London, and recently (May 30) we found a young, 'melanistic Slow-worm' _pic's by Fred Holmes to follow soon John

j gaughan Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Senior Member Joined: 04 May 2003 Location: United Kingdom Status: Offline Points: 57	Post Options Post Reply Quote j gaughan Report Post Thanks(0) Quote Reply Posted: 19 Jul 2004 at 10:26pm
	Conversely, my dear wife preferred the term 'gravid' over the seemingly, old fashioned and slightly stuck-up 'being pregnant' label, while carrying our two neos (both female; still with complete tails). . . . i better stop there. John

Alan Hyde Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Senior Member Joined: 17 Apr 2003 Location: United Kingdom Status: Offline Points: 1437	Post Options Post Reply Quote Alan Hyde Report Post Thanks(0) Quote Reply Posted: 21 Jul 2004 at 1:00pm
	:�) Hehehe . When I was trying to breed nasicornis I did actually ask my wife if she would mind being surrogate by means of artifical insemination . I told her that if she fell gravid I would bring her breakfast in bed for the next year. This was back in the 90's , I recieved a slap and have brought her BIB for the last decade anyway. Yours very much under the thumbly , Al ;�)

Colin & Stella Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Member Joined: 17 Apr 2005 Location: United Kingdom Status: Offline Points: 1	Post Options Post Reply Quote Colin & Stella Report Post Thanks(0) Quote Reply Posted: 17 Apr 2005 at 1:11pm
	Thanks to this site and these photographs we have today confirmed that the reptile that we saw sitting under a broken manhole cover to a disused septic tank next to a pear orchard and pond on the High Weald of Sussex is a melanistic common lizard - undoubtedly gravid and resplendent in a jet black coat. But just how common are these please? Will offspring be black too? Any further information welcomed with thanks.
	Colin and Stella Knight

administrator Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Admin Group Joined: 01 Jan 2007 Status: Offline Points: 10	Post Options Post Reply Quote administrator Report Post Thanks(0) Quote Reply Posted: 18 Apr 2005 at 8:39pm
	I see many many viviparous lizards in a season and have yet to see a melanistic example. I think you were very lucky. I believe the colour of the offspring will be dependent on the genes carried by both parents, with the possibility of various outcomes including normal looking offspring that carry a recessive gene for melanism. As vivparous lizards appear black at birth and later develop their brown or greenish colouration, it would be quite a task to determine whether an animal was truly melanistic or not until it matured.

Mick Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Member Joined: 10 Jun 2005 Location: United Kingdom Status: Offline Points: 184	Post Options Post Reply Quote Mick Report Post Thanks(0) Quote Reply Posted: 13 Jun 2005 at 9:05am
	Over the years i've only so far seen one wholly melanistic Vivip', an adult male, about 7y'rs ago, at Tackley, north Oxfordshire. I've checked on the lizards there many times & they're just of the typical colours & markings, which just goes to show that, melanistic individuals can potentially crop up anywhere where there's Vivip's. I caught it for a really good look at for a few minutes & then let him go. But, Ooooooh!, he was gooooooooorgeous!