Additional common names for T. lepidus include eyed lizard, and jeweled lacerta (in the pet trade).

It is found throughout the Iberian peninsula (Spain, Portugal, Gibraltar), and is patchily distributed in southern France and extreme northwestern Italy.

It is also found in northwest Tunisia, within the forests of Ain Soltane and El Feija in Ghardimaou, Jendouba.

The range for each subspecies is: Timon lepidus is found in various wild and cultivated habitats from sea level up to 2,100 m (6,900 ft) in southern Spain.

Timon lepidus feeds mainly on large insects, especially beetles, spiders, and snails, and also robs birds’ nests for eggs and nestlings and occasionally takes reptiles (other lizards and small snakes), frogs, and small mammals.

The female lays up to 22 eggs in June and July about three months after mating, hiding them under stones and logs or in leaf litter or in loose damp soil.