This species was formerly treated as a subspecies of Iberolacerta monticola, but genetic and morphological data support a full specific rank (Mayer and Arribas 2003, Arribas and Carranza 2004, Crochet et al. 2004).

This species is endemic to Europe, where it has a very restricted distribution in western Spain. It is assessed as Endangered (EN B1ab(iii)+2ab(iii)) because the species has an extent of occurrence (EOO) of approximately 248 km² and an area of occupancy (AOO) of at most ca.10% of this, at 16-26 km².based on available distribution records, although this may be an under-estimate. It is considered to occur in four locations defined by known and suspected threats, and there is a continuing decline in the quality of its habitat (and possibly in the number of mature individuals, although the main documented decline took place before the early 1980s and the current population trend is unknown) as a result of the combined effects of climate change and human impacts.

This species is endemic to western Spain, where it is restricted to two "very small" areas of Salamanca province, mainly in the Peña de Francia and adjacent mountaintops, but also on the summit and southern slope of Puerto El Portillo (Speybroeck et al. 2016). It has an AOO of 16-26 km² and an EOO of 248 km². Searches west of the known range have failed to record further subpopulations (Lizano and Carbonero 2007, Arribas 2013). Although Lizana-Cuidad et al. (2021) reported a number of additional localities, these appear to be in suboptimal habitats at low elevations, where densities are extremely low and subpopulations are at elevated risk of extinction. It occurs between 800 and 1,723 m, but is mostly found above 1,300 m asl, and occurs at lower densities at lower elevations (Lizana-Cuidad et al. 2021).

The species is considered to occur in four locations; 1. The summit of Peña de Francia, where the species is most abundant and direct human impacts are limited and the main threat is direct thermal stress from climate change; 2. The remainder of the Peña de Francia subpopulation, which is threatened by a range of human impacts and potential habitat shifts resulting from climate change; 3. Puerto El Portillo, where threats are not documented, and 4. La Hastiala peak - no documented threats. Although no threats are known for the latter two localities, we follow IUCN guidance (IUCN Standards and Petitions Committee 2022) in setting the number of locations in the unaffected areas to the number of subpopulations in those areas.

This species has been described as the rarest lizard species in continental Europe (Arribas 2013). Perez-Mellado (1982) reported a major decline in numbers in the already scarce rock lizard population in Peña de Francia over the preceding decade, corresponding to the period shortly after the development of the type locality. Arribas (1999) estimated a density of 45 individuals/ha at the summit of the mountain, corresponding to an estimate of no more than 30 individuals at the locality. More recent estimates at this and nearby localities have recorded densities no greater than 10 ind./ha (Arribas 2013). The population density in Puerto El Portillo, a subpopulation first identified in 2004, was estimated at 25-30 ind./ha by Lizana and Carbonero (2007). Carbonero et al. (2016) found that the species is slightly more abundant than previously recognised, but that densities are nonetheless much lower than for related species (a mean density across its range of 23.71 ± 18.04 /ha, and a maximum of 60 /ha, compared with densities which can exceed 200 ind./ha in Iberolacerta monticola and I. cyreni; Carbonero et al. 2016). The species is more abundant at Pico Hastiata than Peña de Francia, although the two sites are at the same elevation (J. Speybroeck pers. comm. 2022).

The global population has been estimated at 1,200-1,500 individuals, the most recent estimates based on surveys conducted in 2007 and 2008 (Lizana and Carbonero 2007, Arribas 2013, Carbonero et al. 2016).

The species may be dependent on a metapopulation structure within its core distribution, and connectivity appears to be important to compensate for local extinctions in individually small subpopulations (Lizana-Cuidad et al. 2021). The distribution of these subpopulations appears to be stable, with the distribution of presence records being similar to data collected 10 years apart (Lizana-Cuidad et al. 2021).

There is no published evidence of population decline except at the summit of Peña de Francia.

The species lives in rocky habitats at high elevations in temperate forest (Speybroeck et al. 2016). Observations suggest it is strictly saxicolous, being restricted to screes and large boulders even in areas of shrubland, oak or pine forest (Arribas 2013). Favoured habitats are characterised by gentle slopes and a dominance of large boulders with some moss or lichen cover, the latter likely reflecting a suitable humidity regime and geologic stability (Arribas 2013, Lizana-Cuidad et al. 2021).

Animals are active for 9-10 hours a day, but only bask in the morning and surface activity declines as the weather becomes hotter and drier in summer (Arribas 2013). Observations of animals running between crevices suggests that they may remain active within subterranean passages among boulders during especially hot conditions, indicating that this habitat structure is likely a vital buffer against both temperature extremes and predation (Arribas 2013).

It probably reaches sexual maturity at three years of age, and the longest lifespan recorded is eight years (Arribas 2014). The females lay a clutch of two to six eggs (mean 4.23) (Lizana-Cuidad et al. 2021).

Peña de Francia was asphalted in 1961, leading to "massive" car traffic to the summit of the mountain and the construction of an antenna (Arribas 2013), causing habitat fragmentation for this species (Lizana-Cuidad et al. 2021). Re-asphalting and road widening has since taken place, the latter as recently as 2013 (Carbonero et al. 2016). A monastery in the area is a popular tourist site, particularly in the summer during this lizard's active period (Arribas 1996). Although tourists have little direct access to the screes which this species inhabits, the increased supply of food debris and garbage is likely to attract predators such as foxes and rats (Lizana-Cuidad et al. 2021). Human activity also increases the incidence of forest fires, which are common in the area and may "irredeemably" alter microclimates in the lizard's habitat (Lizana-Cuidad et al. 2021).

While "almost no threats" from direct human impacts appear to exist close to the peak of Peña de Francia (Carbonero et al. 2016), even limited exposure to body temperatures above 40°C is lethal for members of this genus (Arribas 2007, 2013), and body temperatures close to - and, in a dead juvenile, above - this maximum were recorded by Arribas (2013). This suggests that the lizard may already live at the upper limit of its thermal tolerance for part of the year. Climate change may therefore threaten this species through heat stress, and as it is almost wholly restricted to mountain summits and immediately adjacent scree slopes it will not be able to adapt through upslope dispersal (Lizana-Cuidad et al. 2021). Additionally, climate modelling suggests that the area of suitable habitat for this species will decline significantly (Pleguezuelos 2015).

Two other lacertid lizards, the Ocellated Lizard (Timon lepidus) and the Guadarrama Wall Lizard (Podarcis guadarramae), have been encountered with an increasing frequency close to the summit of Peña de Francia, which may reflect upslope displacement of these species and, potentially, a future impact from the competition (particularly the latter, which has similar habitat preferences) (Lizana-Cuidad et al. 2021). M.A. Carretero (pers. comm. 2022) suggests that competition with both species is unlikely to be problematic under current climatic conditions, and the Peña de Francia Rock Lizard already overlaps with the range of the Guadarrama Wall Lizard. Nevertheless, he cautions that climate change may increase competition.

There appears to be no use of or trade in this species.

It occurs in the Parque Natural de las Batuecas y Sierra de Francia, encompassing the entire range of the species, but specific management for the recovery of this species is required. It was listed as Endangered in the Spanish National Catalogue of Threatened Species in 2019.

A full-scale recovery programme should be developed, which should probably include captive breeding as part of the overall strategy. There should be a strong emphasis on ensuring that conservation management either maintains or actively restores habitat connectivity between the discontinuous scree patches the lizard inhabits, as well as the protection of the largest - and presumed source - subpopulations (Lizana-Cuidad et al. 2021). Further research is needed into the lizard's thermal ecology and the impacts of climate change and predation (Lizana-Cuidad et al. 2021). Coordination between the different administrative regions is required.