The present study examines the genetic variability and the taxonomic relationships among five lacertid species, i.e. Podarcis taurica, P. milensis, P. peloponnesiaca, Lacerta graeca and Algyroides moreoticus, representing the three main genera of this family in Europe. The last four of the above species are endemic to Greece and three of them live sympatrically in Peloponnisos. These relationships were studied by allozyme analysis. Of the loci analyzed, the Mpi-1 locus was found to be a convenient molecular marker for discrimination of the genera Podarcis (allele a), Lacerta (allele b) and Algyroides (allele c). The values of Nei’s genetic distances between the examined species ranged from 0.025 to 0.484. According to the UPGMA-dendrogram plotted using the Nei’s genetic distances, two species groups are formed indicating that the genera Lacerta and Algyroides show a stronger relationship to one another than either does to Podarcis. These results are in agreement with DNA sequence data but are not in accordance with previous electrophoretic and immunological studies, which suggest that Lacerta is more closely related to Podarcis than to Algyroides. The studied Podarcis taxa were found to be close relatives (Nei’s distances <0.18), especially P. taurica and P. milensis. These values are lower than those usually given in the literature for the distinction of lacertid species.

The reproductive strategy of Podarcis milensis exhibits some peculiarities when compared with other congeners. Males and females attain sexual maturity at a minimum body size of 47 and 42 mm SVL, respectively, both at an age of about one year. Podarcis milensis has a very small clutch size, with a mean of 1.73 and a range of 1-3 eggs, and produces multiple clutches annually. Both sexes exhibit a prolonged reproductive period extending from January to August.

Data on the thermal ecology of the African Chameleon Chamaeleo africanus Laurenti, 1768 and the Common Chameleon Chamaeleo chamaeleon (Linnaeus, 1758) are reported from Greece. In the field the Tb values ranged from 10.4°C to 31.6°C for C. africanus and 23.5°C to 31°C for C. chamaeleon. There was a significant correlation between Tb and Ta in spring and summer for both species. There was also a significant correlation between Tb and Ts only in the spring and only for C. africanus. Cloacal temperatures differed significantly between spring and summer and so did substrate temperatures and air temperatures. As the months became hotter the animals reached higher temperatures. In a laboratory temperature gradient, the preferred body temperatures of C. africanus and C. chamaeleon were measured and compared with field body temperatures. The preferred body temperature in the laboratory gradient ranged from 26.0°C to 36.0°C for C. chamaeleon and from 25.0°C to 35.0°C for C. africanus. The mean Tb for C. africanus in the laboratory was 31°C while for C. chamaeleon it was 31.6°C. The results indicate that both chameleon species are thermoconformers. Cloacal temperatures differed significantly between the two species in the field but not in the laboratory. There was no difference between the Tb of the two sexes, both in the field and in the laboratory.