Waiting for the train that never came: establishing a new Podarcis muralis (Laurenti, 1768) railway population in Romania
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.24193/subbbiol.2025.2.02Keywords:
distribution, lizard, human-modified landscape, quarry, transportation infrastructureAbstract
Nowadays, man-made structures have become surrogate habitats for various species. Among them, lizards are often capable of using railways. In the autumn of 2024, we identified a new Podarcis muralis railway population on a railway abandoned for 11 years in southwestern Romania, near Voislova locality. On a 100-meter transect, we observed 13 P. muralis and 3 Lacerta viridis. Most wall lizards were subadults, indicating a breeding population on the railway. Probably, the lizards were introduced from the nearby marble quarry in Rușchița, where the species is present. Although P. muralis was mentioned in the mountains surrounding Voislova, the habitats near the railway are not favorable to it.
Article history: Received 29 August 2025; Revised 27 October 2025;
Accepted 1 December 2025; Available online 20 December 2025
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