Metropolitan France refers to the area of France located on the European continent, including mainland France and Corsica. It is home to 20 native species of lizards, 13 species of snakes and 3 species of terrestrial and freshwater turtles. 3 species of marine turtles are regularly present in the region, while 3 other have a transient presence. Introduced species include the Italian wall lizard, the pond slider and the common snapping turtle.
Lizards + Native lizard species of Metropolitan France Common name Scientific name Range IUCN status(France) IUCN status(worldwide) Fitzinger's algyroides Algyroides fitzingeri(Wiegmann, 1834) Slow worm Anguis fragilisLinnaeus, 1758 Italian slow worm Anguis veronensisPollini, 1818 Bedriaga's rock lizard Archaeolacerta bedriagae(Camerano, 1885) Western three-toed skink Chalcides striatus(Cuvier, 1829) European leaf-toed gecko Euleptes europaea(Gené, 1839) Mediterranean house gecko Hemidactylus turcicus(Linnaeus, 1758) Aran rock lizard Iberolacerta aranica(Arribas, 1993) Aurelio's rock lizard Iberolacerta aurelioi(Arribas, 1994) Pyrenean rock lizard Iberolacerta bonnali(, 1927) Sand lizard Lacerta agilisLinnaeus, 1758 Western green lizard Lacerta bilineataDaudin, 1802 Columbretes wall lizard Podarcis liolepis(Boulenger, 1905) Common wall lizard Podarcis muralis(Laurenti, 1768) Tyrrhenian wall lizard Podarcis tiliguerta(Gmelin, 1789) Algerian psammodromus Psammodromus algirus(Linnaeus, 1758) East Iberian sand racer Psammodromus edwarsianus(Dugès, 1829) Common wall gecko Tarentola mauritanica(Linnaeus, 1758) Ocellated lizard Timon lepidus(Daudin, 1802) Viviparous lizard Zootoca vivipara(Lichtenstein, 1823)
Introduced species The Italian wall lizard is believed to have been introduced in Corsica in antiquity. It is a more recent introduction in other parts of Southern France.
+ Non-native lizard species of Metropolitan France Common name Scientific name Range IUCN status(France) IUCN status(worldwide) Italian wall lizard Podarcis siculus(Rafinesque, 1810)
Snakes + Snake species of Metropolitan France Common name Scientific name Range IUCN status(France) IUCN status(worldwide) Smooth snake Coronella austriacaLaurenti, 1768 Southern smooth snake Coronella girondica(Daudin, 1803) Green whip snake Hierophis viridiflavus(Lacépède, 1789) Montpellier snake Malpolon monspessulanus(Hermann, 1804) Iberian grass snake Natrix astreptophora(Seoane, 1885) Barred grass snake Natrix helvetica(Lacépède, 1789) Viperine water snake Natrix maura(Linnaeus, 1758) Ladder snake Rhinechis scalaris(Schinz, 1822) Asp viper Vipera aspis(Linnaeus, 1758) Common European adder Vipera berus(Linnaeus, 1758) Meadow viper Vipera ursinii(Bonaparte, 1835) Baskian viper Vipera seoaneiLataste, 1879 Aesculapian snake Zamenis longissimus(Laurenti, 1768)
Turtles + Native turtle species of Metropolitan France Common name Scientific name Range IUCN status(France) IUCN status(worldwide) Loggerhead sea turtle Caretta caretta(Linnaeus, 1758) Leatherback sea turtle Dermochelys coriacea(Vandelli, 1761) European pond turtle Emys orbicularis(Linnaeus, 1758) Kemp's ridley sea turtle Lepidochelys kempii(Garman, 1880) Spanish pond turtle Mauremys leprosaSchweigger, 1812 Hermann's tortoise Testudo hermanniGmelin, 1789
Transient species The green sea turtle (Chelonia mydas) has been sporadically reported in the French Mediterranean Sea. The olive ridley sea turtle (Lepidochelys olivacea) was observed for the first time in Metropolitan France in 2017, on the Atlantic coast near the Isle of Oléron. + Transient turtle species of Metropolitan France Common name Scientific name Range IUCN status(France) IUCN status(worldwide) Green sea turtle Chelonia mydas(Linnaeus, 1758) Hawksbill sea turtle Eretmochelys imbricata(Linnaeus, 1766) Olive ridley sea turtle Lepidochelys olivacea(Eschscholtz, 1829)
Introduced species The pond slider (Trachemys scripta) was introduced in France through the pet trade, having been imported in large numbers starting in the 1980s. It has since been reported in nearly all French departments, and acts as a competitor to the native European pond turtle, with which it shares an ecological niche. After import of pond sliders was banned in 1997, the common snapping turtle (Chelydra serpentina) was commercialized in France, with former pets being released in the wild. Nests and juveniles have been reported in the departments of Gard, Haute-Garonne, Gironde and Loire-Atlantique.
+ Non-native turtle species of Metropolitan France Common name Scientific name Range IUCN status(France) IUCN status(worldwide) Common snapping turtle Chelydra serpentina(Linnaeus, 1758) Pond slider Trachemys scripta(Thunberg and Schoepff, 1792)
See also Fauna of Metropolitan France List of amphibians and reptiles of Guadeloupe List of amphibians and reptiles of Martinique List of amphibians and reptiles of Saint Barthélemy List of amphibians and reptiles of Saint Martin
References
Works cited
External links The Reptile Database