The endemic species and subspecies of this group have a number of characteristics that make them quite special within their family (Lacertidae); their only close relatives are the sandrunner lizards (Psammodromus) of the western Mediterranean region.

Gallotia are characteristic for eating significant quantities of plants, and several lineages are often presented as classic examples for insular gigantism.

This genus can be broadly divided into two groups - lineages originating from the colonization of the earliest Canary Islands of Lanzarote, Fuerteventura and Gran Canaria, probably between 10-20 million years ago, and a lineage that colonised the younger western islands probably less than 10 million years ago (Cox et al., 2010).

MtDNA analyses indicate that Lanzarote and Fuerteventura were colonized first and this led to the small body-sized G. atlantica which is present today (Cox et al., 2010).

Gran Canaria was the next island to have been colonized from Lanzarote/Fuerteventura, giving rise to the large body-sized species, G. stehlini (Cox et al., 2010).