TERENSKA NOTICA / FIELD NOTE 
 
59 
The lowest altitudinal record 
of Horvath's Rock Lizard 
(Iberolacerta horvathi) in 
Slovenia 
 
NAJNIŽJA VIŠINSKA NAJDBA HORVATOVE 
KUŠČARICE (IBEROLACERTA HORVATHI) V 
SLOVENIJI 
 
Anamarija ŽAGAR, Ul. Bračičeve brigade 10,  
SI-2310 Slovenska Bistrica, Slovenia; 
E-mail: anamarija.zagar@gmail.com 
 
During a reptile survey performed within the 
framework of the Biology Student Research Camp 
Kolpa 2008 from 16.7.2008 to 26.7.2008, nine 
autochthonous reptilian species were recorded 
(Anguis fragilis, Lacerta viridis/bilineata, Podarcis 
muralis, Iberolacerta horvathi, Natrix natrix, Natrix 
tessellata, Coronella austriaca, Zamenis 
longissimus and Vipera ammodytes). The most 
interesting were finds of 3 male and 1 female 
individuals of Horvath’s Rock Lizard (Iberolacerta 
horvathi) in front of the entrance of the Bilpa cave 
close to the Kolpa river (Gauss Krüger coordinates: 
y = 497408, x = 40941) (Fig. 1). This site is 
located 200 meters above sea level (measured 
with handheld GPS), owing to which these finds 
qualify as the lowest altitudinal records of 
Horvath’s Rock Lizard in Slovenia. Previously it had 
been assumed that its distribution is limited to high 
mountainous regions of the Julian Alps, Trnovski 
gozd and Mt. Snežnik (Brelih 1954, Tome 1996, 
Mršić 1997), considering that its minimal altitudinal 
find published in 1996 was 650 m a. s. l. (Tome 
1996). It is only in recent years that specimens 
have also been found outside this range in the 
Dinaric mountains and at lower locations, with the 
lowest record at 370 metres a. s. l. (Žagar et al. 
2008).  
 
In order to reliably determine the species, all 
individuals were captured with a noose. We took 
standard morphometric measurements and 
descriptions (Arnold et al. 2007) and detailed 
photographs (Fig. 2). Measurements for snout-vent 
length were 44 mm, 49 mm and 54 mm for males, 
and 48 mm for the female (taken with metal 
calipers to the nearest of 1 mm). Close to the 
locality of Horvath’s Rock Lizards, one individual of 
Common Wall Lizard (Podarcis muralis) was 
observed. Both species have been observed to 
occur in sympatry and syntophy before (Tome 
1996, Žagar et al. 2007, Žagar 2008). Here they 
were found at a distance of approximately 40 
meters from each other. Microclimatic conditions 
observed at the site where Horvath’s Rock Lizards 
were found differed from the ones where a 
Common Wall Lizard was observed: the entrance 
to the Bilpa cave was flat, more shady and moist, 
with rocks covered with moss (Fig. 1), when on 
the contrary the rocks with Common Wall lizard 
had a southern exposition, were sunny and dry 
and covered with scarce vegetation. Similar (shady 
and moist) conditions had also been recorded 
previously at the lower localities with Horvath’s 
Rock Lizards in 2006 at the entrance to the Planina 
cave and at Rakov Škocjan (Planinc & Žagar, 
unpublished data). 
 
New data on distribution of Horvath’s Rock 
Lizard in Slovenia in recent years indicate a poor 
knowledge on the distribution of this species in the 
past. Therefore it seems that distribution of 
Horvath’s Rock Lizard overlap much more with 
distribution of the Common Wall lizard than it had 
been believed in the past and also that two species 
occur together at several localities. However, from 
our preliminary data it seems that both species 
mostly live in different habitats. At present it is 
difficult to argue whether this is due to different 
preferences regarding abiotic factors of each 
species or if perhaps competition between the two 
or some other biotic factor might be involved. 
Additional research is needed to gain better 
understanding of the interspecific interactions 
within lizard communities in Slovenia. 
 
Literature 
 
Arnold E.N. (2004): A Field Guide to the Reptiles 
and Amphibians of Britain and Europe, 2. edition. 
Harper Collins Publishers, London, 288 pp. 
Arnold E.N., Arribas O., Carranza S. (2007): 
Systematics of the Palaeartic and Oriental lizard 
tribe Lacertini. Zootaxa 1430: 1-86. 
 
TERENSKA NOTICA / FIELD NOTE 
 
60 
Brelih S. (1954): Prispevek k poznavanju favne 
plazilcev slovenskega ozemlja. Biol. vest. 3: 128-
131. 
Gasc J.P., Cabela A., Crnobrnja-Isailovic J., Dolmen 
D., Grossenbacher K., Haffner P., Lescure J., 
Martens H., Martínez Rica J.P., Maurin H., 
Oliveira M.E., Sofianidou T.S., Veith M., 
Zuiderwijk A. (Eds.) (1997): Atlas of amphibians 
and reptiles in Europe. Collection Patrimoines 
Naturels 29, Societas Europaea Herpetologica, 
Muséum National d'Histoire Naturelle & Service 
du Petrimone Naturel, Paris, 496 pp. 
Mršić N. (1997): Plazilci (Reptilia) Slovenije. Zavod 
Republike Slovenije za šolstvo, Ljubljana, 167 pp. 
Tome S. (1996): Pregled razširjenosti plazilcev v 
Sloveniji. Annales 9/’96: 217-228. 
Tome S. (1999): Plazilci, Reptilia. In: Kryštufek B., 
Janžekovič F. (Eds.), Ključ za določevanje 
vretenčarjev Slovenije. DZS, Ljubljana, pp. 284-
305. 
Tome S. (2001): Plazilci (Reptilia). In: Kryštufek B., 
Kotarac M. (Eds.), Poročilo: Raziskava 
razširjenosti evropsko pomembnih vrst v 
Sloveniji. Prirodoslovni muzej Slovenije, 
Ljubljana, pp. 480-545. 
Tome S. (2001): Analiza stanja biotske 
raznovrstnosti za področje plazilcev. In: 
Ekspertne študije za Pregled stanja biotske 
raznovrstnosti in krajinske pestrosti v Sloveniji. 
MOP, ARSO, Ljubljana, pp. 265-271. 
Žagar A., Planinc G., Krofel M. (2007): Records of 
Horvath's Rock Lizard (Iberolacerta horvathi) 
from Notranjsko podolje region (central 
Slovenia). Natura Sloveniae 9(2), pp. 43-44. 
Žagar A. (2008): Importance of open areas for 
reptiles (Reptilia) in a forest landscape. 
University of Ljubljana, Biotechnical Faculty, 
Department of Biology, Ljubljana, 80 pp. 
Žagar A., Planinc G., Krofel M. (2008): New 
records of Horvath's Rock Lizard (Iberolacerta 
horvathi) from Slovenia. In: Pafilis P., Kotsakiozi 
P., Valakos E.D. (Eds.), 6th Symposium on the 
Lacertids of the Mediterranean Basin. Societas 
Hellenica Ferpetologica, Mythimna Lesvos, pp. 
68-69. 
 
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Figure 1. Habitat of Horvath’s Rock Lizard (Iberolacerta horvathi) at the entrance to the Bilpa cave in Southern Slovenia 
(photo: Anamarija Žagar). 
Slika 1. Habitat horvatove kuščarice (Iberolaceta horvathi) pred vhodom v jamo Bilpa, južna Slovenija (foto: Anamarija 
Žagar). 
 
 
Figure 2. Photograph of a dorsal view of the head of an individual Horvath’s Rock Lizard (Iberolacerta horvathi) (photo: 
Anamarija Žagar). 
Slika 2. Fotografija glave osebka horvatove kuščarice (Iberolacerta horvathi) s hrbtne strani (foto: Anamarija Žagar).