About Algyroides moreoticus Bibron & Bory, 1833
Algyroides moreoticus, commonly known as the Greek algyroides, is a small lizard. It has the characteristic large, keeled scales on its back that are typical for the Algyroides genus. Males of this species are more colourful than the plain, brownish females, and different populations have distinct colour patterns on their flanks. Males from Zakynthos have yellow flanks, males from Kefalonia and Ithaka have blue flanks, and males from mainland Peloponnese have black and white flanks.
This species is endemic to Greece, occurring on the Peloponnese Peninsula, the Ionian Islands of Zakynthos, Kefalonia, Ithaka, and the Strofades. It inhabits open woods, hedgerows, and farmland margins that provide shade or partial shade. Greek algyroides prefer damp areas, and shelter among ground cover such as brushwood and leaf litter.
