Its members look very similar to lizards of the genus Lacerta, to which they were considered to belong until the 1970s.

While similar externally and ecologically, Podarcis form a distinct group differing from Lacerta by the construction of the skull and the hemipenis, and by the processes of the caudal vertebrae.

[5] Wall lizards are native to Europe and northern Africa, and most species are restricted to the Mediterranean region.

Wall lizards diversified and hybridized during the Messinian salinity crisis.

[6] The Italian wall lizard and the common wall lizard have been introduced to North America, where they have become intermediate hosts for some Acuariidae larvae.