Annotated checklist and distribution of the lizards of Iran | ResearchGate

Zootaxa 3855 (1): 001–097 www.mapress.com /zootaxa / Copyright © 2014 Magnolia Press

Monograph

ISSN 1175-5326 (print edition)

ZOOTAXA

ISSN 1175-5334 (online edition)

http://dx.doi.org/10.11646/zootaxa.3855.1.1 http://zoobank.org/urn:lsid:zoobank.org:pub:0E2D2B7C-7A96-4CAB-87F2-87A785F88D7F

ZOOTAXA 3855

Annotated checklist and distribution of the lizards of Iran JIŘÍ ŠMÍD1, 2, *, JIŘÍ MORAVEC1, PETR KODYM3, LUKÁŠ KRATOCHVÍL4, SEYYED SAEED HOSSEINIAN YOUSEFKHANI5, ESKANDAR RASTEGAR-POUYANI6 & DANIEL FRYNTA2 1

2

Department of Zoology, National Museum, Cirkusová 1740, Prague, Czech Republic. Department of Zoology, Faculty of Science, Charles University in Prague, Viničná 7, Prague, Czech Republic. 3 National Institute of Public Health, Šrobárova 48, Prague, Czech Republic 4 Department of Ecology, Faculty of Science, Charles University, Viničná 7, Prague, Czech Republic. 5 Department of Biology, Faculty of Science, Ferdowsi University of Mashhad, Mashhad, Iran. 6 Department of Biology, Faculty of Science, Hakim Sabzevari University, Sabzevar, Iran. * Corresponding author. E-mail: [email protected].

Magnolia Press Auckland, New Zealand

Accepted by S. Carranza: 1 Jul. 2014; published: 20 Aug. 2014

JIŘÍ ŠMÍD, JIŘÍ MORAVEC, PETR KODYM, LUKÁŠ KRATOCHVÍL, SEYYED SAEED HOSSEINIAN YOUSEFKHANI, ESKANDAR RASTEGAR-POUYANI & DANIEL FRYNTA Annotated checklist and distribution of the lizards of Iran (Zootaxa 3855) 97 pp.; 30 cm. 20 Aug. 2014 ISBN 978-1-77557-477-4 (paperback) ISBN 978-1-77557-478-1 (Online edition)

FIRST PUBLISHED IN 2014 BY Magnolia Press P.O. Box 41-383 Auckland 1346 New Zealand e-mail: [email protected] http://www.mapress.com/zootaxa/

© 2014 Magnolia Press All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored, transmitted or disseminated, in any form, or by any means, without prior written permission from the publisher, to whom all requests to reproduce copyright material should be directed in writing. This authorization does not extend to any other kind of copying, by any means, in any form, and for any purpose other than private research use. ISSN 1175-5326

(Print edition)

ISSN 1175-5334

(Online edition)

2 · Zootaxa 3855 (1) © 2014 Magnolia Press

ŠMÍD ET. AL.

Table of contents Abstract . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4 Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4 Aims of the study. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 Material and methods . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 Results . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7 Checklist . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7 Agamidae. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7 Calotes Cuvier, 1816 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7 Laudakia Gray, 1845 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8 Phrynocephalus Kaup, 1825 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9 Trapelus Cuvier, 1816 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12 Anguidae . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13 Anguis Linnaeus, 1758 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13 Pseudopus Merrem, 1820 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13 Eublepharidae . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14 Eublepharis Gray, 1827. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14 Gekkonidae . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15 Agamura Blanford, 1874. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15 Bunopus Blanford, 1874 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15 Crossobamon Boettger, 1888 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16 Cyrtopodion Fitzinger, 1843 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16 Hemidactylus Oken, 1817 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19 Mediodactylus Szczerbak & Golubev, 1977 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20 Microgecko Nikolsky, 1907. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23 Pseudoceramodactylus Haas, 1957. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24 Rhinogekko de Witte, 1973 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24 Stenodactylus Fitzinger, 1826 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25 Tenuidactylus Szczerbak & Golubev, 1984. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26 Tropiocolotes Peters, 1880 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27 Lacertidae . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27 Acanthodactylus Fitzinger, 1834 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27 Apathya Méhely, 1907. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29 Darevskia Arribas, 1997 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30 Eremias Fitzinger, 1834 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32 Iranolacerta Arnold, Arribas & Carranza, 2007. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37 Lacerta Linnaeus, 1758. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38 Mesalina Gray, 1838 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39 Ophisops Ménétriés, 1832. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39 Timon Tschudi, 1836 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40 Phyllodactylidae . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40 Asaccus Dixon & Anderson, 1973 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40 Scincidae . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 43 Ablepharus Fitzinger, 1823 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 43 Chalcides Laurenti, 1768 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 43 Eumeces Wiegmann, 1834 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 44 Eurylepis Blyth, 1854 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 45 Ophiomorus Duméril & Bibron, 1839 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 45 Scincus Laurenti, 1768 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 47 Trachylepis Fitzinger, 1843 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 47 Sphaerodactylidae . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 48 Pristurus Rüppell, 1835 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 48 Teratoscincus Strauch, 1863 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 49 Trogonophidae . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 49 Diplometopon Nikolski, 1907 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 49 Uromastycidae . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 50 Uromastyx Merrem, 1820 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 50 Varanidae . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 50 Varanus Merrem, 1820 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 50 Discussion . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 51 Acknowledgements . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 52 References . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 53 Appendix I . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 72

CHECKLIST AND DISTRIBUTION OF THE LIZARDS OF IRAN

Zootaxa 3855 (1) © 2014 Magnolia Press ·

3

Abstract We present a comprehensive summary of the distribution of the lizards of Iran accompanied by an annotated checklist. The updated maps of distribution of all 146 species of 41 genera of 11 families are based on all available bibliographic records, catalogues of museum collections and our own field observations. The final dataset used for the distribution maps contains 8525 georeferenced records and cover 41% of the country when plotted on a grid of 0.25° × 0.25° resolution. The dataset is publicly accessible through GBIF portal (http://www.gbif.org/dataset/7db4f705-61ae-4c6e-9de2-06674e7d46b2). Following the latest biogeographic division of the country, ~53% of the species (76 species) inhabit the Iranian Province, ~41% (60 species) the Western Asian mountain transition zone, ~9% (13 species) the Turanian Province, and ~18% (27 species) the Arabian Province. In addition, ~2% (3 species) reach Iran from the Indo-Malay biogeographic region and ~2% (3 species) are believed to have been introduced to Iran by humans. Endemic species (46) represent ~32% of the known species diversity. The most species-rich family of lizards in Iran is Lacertidae with 47 species, followed by Gekkonidae (41), Agamidae (18), Scincidae (15), Phyllodactylidae (10), Sphaerodactylidae (4), Eublepharidae and Uromastycidae (3), Anguidae and Varanidae (2), and Trogonophidae with one representative. Key words: Reptilia, Squamata, Agamidae, Anguidae, Eublepharidae, Gekkonidae, Lacertidae, Phyllodactylidae, Scincidae, Sphaerodactylidae, Trogonophidae, Uromastycidae, Varanidae, biogeography, zoogeography, Middle East

Abstract in Farsi

‫ ﻧﻘﺸﻪ ﻫﺎی‬.‫ﺩﺭ ﺍﻳﻦ ﻣﻄﺎﻟﻌﻪ ﺧﻼﺻﻪ ﺍی ﺟﺎﻣﻊ ﺍﺯ ﭘﺮﺍﮐﻨﺶ ﺳﻮﺳﻤﺎﺭﺍﻥ ﺍﻳﺮﺍﻥ ﻫﻤﺮﺍﻩ ﺑﺎ ﻟﻴﺴﺖ ﮐﺎﻣﻠﯽ ﺍﺯ ﺁﻧﻬﺎ ﺍﺭﺍﺋﻪ ﺷﺪﻩ ﺍﺳﺖ‬ ‫ ﻣﺠﻤﻮﻋﻪ ﻫﺎی ﻣﻮﺯﻩ ﺍی‬،‫ ﺧﺎﻧﻮﺍﺩﻩ ﺑﺮﺍﺳﺎﺱ ﺁﺧﺮﻳﻦ ﻣﻨﺎﺑﻊ ﻣﻨﺘﺸﺮ ﺷﺪﻩ‬١١ ‫ ﺟﻨﺲ ﻭ‬۴١ ‫ ﮔﻮﻧﻪ ﻣﺘﻌﻠﻖ ﺑﻪ‬١۴۶ ‫ﭘﺮﺍﮐﻨﺶ ﺗﻤﺎﻡ‬ ‫ ﺩﺍﺩﻩ ﻫﺎی ﻧﻬﺎﻳﯽ ﺷﺪﻩﺍی ﮐﻪ ﺑﺮﺍی ﻧﻘﺸﻪ ﻫﺎی ﭘﺮﺍﮐﻨﺶ‬.‫ ﺑﻪ ﺭﻭﺯ ﺷﺪﻩ ﺍﺳﺖ‬،‫ﺷﻤﺎﺭﻩ ﮔﺬﺍﺭی ﺷﺪﻩ ﻭ ﻣﺸﺎﻫﺪﺍﺕ ﻣﺴﺘﻘﻴﻢ ﺧﻮﺩﻣﺎﻥ‬ ۴١ ،‫ ﺩﺭﺟﻪ ﺗﻘﺴﻴﻢ ﻣﯽ ﮐﻨﻴﻢ‬٠٫٢۵ ‫ ﺩﺭ‬٠٫٢۵ ‫ ﻧﻘﻄﻪ ﺍﺳﺖ ﮐﻪ ﻭﻗﺘﯽ ﮐﻞ ﮐﺸﻮﺭ ﺭﺍ ﺑﻪ ﺷﺒﮑﻪ‬٨۵٢۵ ‫ﺍﺳﺘﻔﺎﺩﻩ ﺷﺪﻩ ﺍﺳﺖ ﺷﺎﻣﻞ‬ ‫ ﻗﺎﺑﻞ ﺩﺳﺘﺮﺱ ﺍﺳﺖ‬GBIF ‫ ﺍﻳﻦ ﺩﺍﺩﻩ ﻫﺎ ﺑﺮﺍی ﻋﻤﻮﻡ ﺍﺯ ﻁﺮﻳﻖ ﻟﻴﻨﮏ ﺯﻳﺮ ﺩﺭ ﭘﻮﺭﺗﺎﻝ‬.‫ﺩﺭﺻﺪ ﺳﻄﺢ ﺁﻥ ﺭﺍ ﻣﯽﭘﻮﺷﺎﻧﺪ‬ ‫ﺗﻘ ﺴﻴﻤﺒﻨﺪی‬ ‫ﺑﺮﺍﺳﺎﺱ‬ .(http://www.gbif.org/dataset/7db4f705- 61ae- 4c6e- 9de2- 06674e7d46b2) ۴١ ‫ ﮔﻮﻧﻪ( ﺩﺭ ﻣﺤﺪﻭﺩﻩ ﺍﻳﺮﺍﻥ ﺟﺎی ﻣﻴﮕﻴﺮﻧﺪ ﻭ ﺑﻪ ﺩﻧﺒﺎﻝ ﺁﻥ ﺣﺪﻭﺩ‬٧٧) ‫ ﺩﺭﺻﺪ ﮔﻮﻧﻪ ﻫﺎ‬۵٣ ً ‫ ﺗﻘﺮﻳﺒﺎ‬،‫ﺑﻴﻮﺟﻐﺮﺍﻓﻴﺎﻳﯽ ﮐﺸﻮﺭ ﺍﻳﺮﺍﻥ‬ ١٨ ‫ ﻭ ﺣﺪﻭﺩ‬،‫ ﮔﻮﻧﻪ( ﺩﺭ ﻧﺎﺣﻴﻪ ﺗﻮﺭﺍﻧﯽ‬١٣) ‫ ﺩﺭﺻﺪ‬٩ ‫ ﺣﺪﻭﺩ‬،‫ ﮔﻮﻧﻪ( ﺩﺭ ﻧﺎﺣﻴﻪ ﺗﺒﺎﺩﻟﯽ ﮐﻮﻩ ﻫﺎی ﻏﺮﺏ ﺁﺳﻴﺎ‬۶٠) ‫ﺩﺭﺻﺪ‬ ‫ ﮔﻮﻧﻪ(ﺁﻧﻬﺎ ﺍﺯ ﻧﺎﺣﻴﻪ ﺑﻴﻮﺟﻐﺮﺍﻓﻴﺎﻳﯽ ﺟﻨﻮﺏ‬٣) ‫ ﺩﺭﺻﺪ‬٢ ،‫ ﻋﻼﻭﻩ ﺑﺮ ﺍﻳﻨﻬﺎ‬.‫ ﮔﻮﻧﻪ( ﺩﺭ ﻧﺎﺣﻴﻪ ﻋﺮﺑﯽ ﺣﻀﻮﺭ ﺩﺍﺭﻧﺪ‬٢٧) ‫ﺩﺭﺻﺪ‬ ‫ ﮔﻮﻧﻪ( ﺗﻮﺳﻂ ﺍﻧﺴﺎﻥ ﭘﺮﺍﮐﻨﺪﻩ ﺷﺪﻩ‬٣) ‫ ﺩﺭﺻﺪ‬٢ ‫ﺷﺮﻕ ﺁﺳﻴﺎ )ﻫﻨﺪ ﻭ ﻣﺎﻟﺰی( ﺧﻮﺩ ﺭﺍ ﺑﻪ ﺍﻳﺮﺍﻥ ﺭﺳﺎﻧﺪﻩ ﺍﻧﺪ ﻭ ﻣﻌﺘﻘﺪﻧﺪ ﮐﻪ ﺣﺪﻭﺩ‬ ‫ ﻏﻨﯽ ﺗﺮﻳﻦ ﺧﺎﻧﻮﺍﺩﻩ‬.‫ ﺩﺭﺻﺪ ﮐﻞ ﺗﻨﻮﻉ ﮔﻮﻧﻪ ﺍی ﺷﻨﺎﺧﺘﻪ ﺷﺪﻩ ﺭﺍ ﺷﺎﻣﻞ ﻣﯽ ﺷﻮﺩ‬٣٢ ،‫ ﮔﻮﻧﻪ ﺑﻮﻣﺰﺍﺩ ﻣﻮﺟﻮﺩ ﺩﺭ ﺍﻳﺮﺍﻥ‬۴۶ .‫ﺍﻧﺪ‬ ‫ ﺁﮔﺎﻣﻴﺪﻩ‬،‫ ﮔﻮﻧﻪ‬۴١ ‫ ﮔﻮﻧﻪ ﻭ ﺑﻪ ﺩﻧﺒﺎﻝ ﺁﻥ ﺟﮑﻮﻧﻴﺪﻩ ﺑﺎ‬۴٧ ‫ﺳﻮﺳﻤﺎﺭﺍﻥ ﺍﻳﺮﺍﻥ ﺍﺯ ﻟﺤﺎﻅ ﺗﻌﺪﺍﺩ ﮔﻮﻧﻪ ﻣﺮﺑﻮﻁ ﺑﻪ ﺧﺎﻧﻮﺍﺩﻩ ﻻﺳﺮﺗﻴﺪﻩ ﺑﺎ‬ ‫ ﻳﻮﺑﻠﻔﺎﺭﻳﺪﻩ ﻭ ﻳﻮﺭﻭﻣﺎﺳﺘﻴﺴﻴﺪﻩ‬،‫ ﮔﻮﻧﻪ‬۴ ‫ ﺍﺳﻔﺎﺭﻭﺩﺍﮐﺘﻴﻠﻴﺪﻩ ﺑﺎ‬،‫ ﮔﻮﻧﻪ‬١٠ ‫ ﻓﻴﻠﻮﺩﺍﮐﺘﻴﻠﻴﺪﻩ ﺑﺎ‬،‫ ﮔﻮﻧﻪ‬١۵ ‫ ﺳﻴﻨﺴﻴﺪﻩ ﺑﺎ‬،‫ ﮔﻮﻧﻪ‬١٨ ‫ﺑﺎ‬ .‫ ﮔﻮﻧﻪ ﻭ ﺗﺮﻭﮔﻮﻧﻮﻓﻴﺪﻩ ﺑﺎ ﻳﮏ ﮔﻮﻧﻪ ﺣﻀﻮﺭ ﺩﺍﺭﻧﺪ‬٢ ‫ ﺁﻧﮕﻮﺋﻴﺪﻩ ﻭ ﻭﺍﺭﺍﻧﻴﺪﻩ ﻫﺮ ﮐﺪﺍﻡ ﺑﺎ‬،‫ ﮔﻮﻧﻪ‬٣ ‫ﻫﺮﮐﺪﺍﻡ ﺑﺎ‬ Introduction Systematic research on the lizards of the Islamic Republic of Iran (henceforth Iran) has a long tradition reaching back to the early 19th century when Olivier (1804) described Agama ruderata (= Trapelus ruderatus) based on material collected in Persia (Iran). A literal burst of species descriptions came by the end of the 19th and the beginning of the 20th century with the catalogues and accounts on the Persian herpetofauna by Blanford (1874a, 1874b, 1876, 1881), Boulenger (1885, 1887, 1918, 1920, 1921), Werner (1895, 1904, 1917, 1929, 1936), and Nikolsky (1896, 1903, 1907, 1915) when the number of lizard species known to Iran exceeded 90 (Fig. 1). During the 20th century the explorations continued and resulted in the studies by Karl P. Schmidt (1939, 1952, 1955) and, most of all, Steven C. Anderson, whose crucial contributions to the Iranian reptile research (Anderson 1963, 1968, 1973, 1974, 1979, 1993; Anderson & Leviton 1966a, 1966b; Minton et al. 1970; Leviton & Anderson 1972; Dixon & Anderson 1973; Leviton et al. 1992) reached their climax in the monumental book The Lizard of Iran (Anderson 1999). Maps of the distribution of the lizards of Iran have been published by several authors, the most notable ones by Tuck (1971a), Schleich (1977), and Anderson (1999). Within the last two decades, the biggest influence on the taxonomic knowledge of the Iranian lizards has been made by numerous, mostly Iranian herpetologists, most notably by F. Ahmadzadeh, N. Rastegar-Pouyani, and F. Torki, who in total described 23 currently valid lizard species (Rastegar-Pouyani 1996, 1998a; Rastegar-Pouyani & Nilson 1998; Rastegar-Pouyani & Rastegar-Pouyani 2001, 2005; Nilson et al. 2003; Rastegar-Pouyani et al. 2006;


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Torki 2010e; Ahmadzadeh et al. 2011, 2013a; Fathinia et al. 2011a; Mozaffari et al. 2011b; Torki 2011; Torki et al. 2011a,b,c; Heidari et al. 2013; Krause et al. 2013). Besides, more than 200 papers bringing new species descriptions, taxonomic revisions, range extensions, new country records, and notes on the ecology or diversity of particular areas have appeared within the last 15 years. Their contemporary and comprehensive overview was until now lacking. To date, there are more than 240 reptile species occurring within the territory of Iran, out of which 146 species are lizards (Uetz 2013). This outstanding species richness exceeding more than twice the average of the other Middle Eastern countries is caused by two factors: (1) marked geomorphological structuring of the country segregating physically and climatically the middle of the country (the Iranian Plateau) from the border regions, and (2) the position of Iran on the boundary of the Palearctic, Afrotropic and Indo-Malay biogeographic realms. This results in a very high endemicity in central Iran in combination with a high number of species reaching Iran only marginally in their distribution and not extending onto the Plateau (Anderson 1968). Distributional patterns of the Iranian lizards as well as the biogeography of the Middle East cannot be understood without a deeper knowledge of the complex geomorphology of the Iranian territory (area of 1.6 million km2, divided politically into 31 provinces; Fig. 2). The area is primarily characterized by a complex of interconnected mountain chains which rise steeply from the sea level and enclose the interior basins of the Iranian Plateau that lie at altitudes of 300-1500 m (Fisher 1968). The central basins are clearly delimited from the west and north where they are bordered by the Zagros and Alborz Mountain ranges, respectively (Fig. 3). The Zagros, with its total length of about 1500 km, is the longest Iranian ridge. It begins in northwest Iran and runs in south-eastern direction along the western Iranian border and the Persian Gulf up to the Strait of Hormuz and separates the highland Iranian Plateau in the east from the lowlands of the Mesopotamian Plain in the west. In the north, the Alborz Mountains rise abruptly from the Caspian Sea coasts and stretch longitudinally from the Talysh Mountains in the northwest of the country along the Caspian shore. South of the Turkmen border up to the borders with Afghanistan the ridges continue in the Kopet Dagh mountain range. Towards the east to Afghanistan and Pakistan the Iranian Plateau extends more continuously, the mountains in eastern Iran represent only isolated clusters protruding from the basins. There are two major deserts on the plateau, Dasht-e Kavir in the north nested within the angle between the Zagros and Alborz, and Dasht-e Lut, stretching in a north-south direction in eastern Iran. Both are very sparse of vegetation and considerable parts of them are formed by salt flatlands (Bobek 1968).

FIGURE 1. Cumulative number of described lizard species known to occur in Iran. Species appear in the graph in the year of their description, not the year of their first record in Iran. The red line marks the book by Anderson (1999).



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Aims of the study The main goals of this paper are: 1) To provide an annotated checklist of the lizards of Iran; 2) To summarize and review available records of the lizards of Iran into up-to-date distribution maps; 3) To create an open access dataset containing all published and available museum records.

Material and methods To provide a comprehensive and up-to-date overview of the species richness and distribution of the lizards of Iran we assembled all available records that have been published until now (29.VI.2014). Records prior to 1999 were summarized by Anderson (1999), who also provided a detailed gazetteer of geographic names including exact coordinates of most localities. All these records were included in our dataset. In cases of discrepancies in the gazetteer, the original sources were consulted. After 1999, all published studies containing precisely described or, at best, georeferenced localities known to us were gathered. When coordinates were not available, localities were georeferenced by using Geographical Names (http://www.geographic.org/geographic_names/) or Google Earth (http://www.google.com/earth/). We did not include localities of uncertain origin, vaguely or imprecisely described places or places with frequent names without being more closely specified. In total, this study was based on a critical review of more than 470 publications. Second source of data was represented by herpetological collection catalogues either available online through database portals HerpNET2 (http://www.herpnet2.org/) and Global Biodiversity Information Facility (GBIF; http:/ /www.gbif.org/, both accessed 03.VII.2013) or to which access was granted by responsible curators and their colleagues (see Acknowledgements). The catalogues searched were the following: AMNH—American Museum of Natural History, New York, USA; BMNH—Natural History Museum, London, UK; CAS—California Academy of Science, San Francisco, USA; CM—Carnegie Museum of Natural History, Pittsburgh, USA; CUP—Charles University, Prague, Czech Republic; FMNH—Field Museum Natural History, Chicago, USA; MCCI—Museo Civico di storia naturale di Carmagnola, Italy; MCZ—Museum of Comparative Zoology, Cambridge, USA; MNHN (MNHNP)—Muséum national d'Histoire naturelle, Paris, France; MRSN (MZUT, TZM)—Museo Regionale di Scienze Naturali, Torino, Italy; MVZ—Museum of Vertebrate Zoology, Berkeley, USA; MZUF—Museo di storia naturale dell'Università di Firenze “La Specola”, Firenze, Italy; MZUR—Museo Civico dell'Università di Roma “La Sapienza”, Roma, Italy; NHMW (NMW)—Museum of natural history, Vienna, Austria; NMP (NMP6V)—National Museum in Prague, Czech Republic; SMNS—Staatliches Museum für Naturkunde Stuttgart, Germany; SUHC—Sabzevar University Herpetological Collection, Khorasan Razavi, Iran; UMMZ—University of Michigan Museum of Zoology, Michigan, USA; USNM—United State National Museum, Washington, USA; ZMB—Museum für Naturkunde, Berlin, Germany; ZMUC (SNM)—Zoological Museum, University of Copenhagen, Denmark. Abbreviations of institutions where the name-bearing type specimens listed in the checklist are deposited and which are not listed above are as follows: ZISP (ZIL, ZIS)—Zoological Institute of the Russian Academy of Sciences, St. Petersburg, Russia; FTHM—Farhang Torki Herpetology Museum, Nourabad, Iran;


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GNHM (GNM)—Gothenburg Natural History Museum, Gothenburg, Sweden; ICSTZ—Institute of Environmental Science, International Centre for Science, High Technology & Environmental Science, Kerman, Iran; IRSNB—Institut Royal des Sciences Naturelles de Belgique, Bruxelles, Belgium; MLSU—Leningrad State University Zoological Museum Leningrad (now Zoological Museum in St. Petersburg), Russia; MMTT—Tehran Natural History Museum, Tehran, Iran; MSNM—Museo Civico di Storia Naturale, Milano, Italy; NHRM—Naturhistoriska Riksmuseet, Stockholm, Sweden; RUZM—Razi University Zoological Museum, Kermanshah, Iran; SMF—Senckenberg Forschungsinstitut und Naturmuseum, Frankfurt, Germany; SNP—Sochi National Park, Sochi, Russia; TUZM—Tehran University Zoological Museum, Tehran, Iran; ZDEU—Zoology Department, Ege University, Bornova, Turkey; ZFMK—Zoologisches Forschung Institut und Museum Alexander Koenig Bonn, Germany; ZIK—Ukrainian Academy of Science Zoological Institute, Kiev, Ukraine; ZMGU—Zoological Museum Gorgan University, Gorgan, Iran; ZMMU—Zoological Museum of M. V. Lomonosov Moscow State University, Moscow, Russia; ZSI—Zoological Survey of India, Kolkata, India; ZSM—Zoologischen Staatssammlung, Munich, Germany. Some distributional records may come both from the museum catalogues and publications referring to them and are therefore doubled in the dataset. Additional personal observations with reliable species determinations made by the authors and colleagues (see Acknowledgements) were also added to the dataset. In order to avoid overabundance of distributional records in the maps in areas where intense herpetological surveys have been carried out (e.g. Khuzestan, Tehran or Esfahan Province, Fig. 4) we aggregated the records and mapped them on a grid of 0.25° × 0.25° (~28 latitudinal km × 22–25 longitudinal km) resolution. Such resolution produced a grid with 2690 grid cells. GIS layers of Iran and its political subdivision were downloaded from www.diva-gis.org/Data. The checklist presented below contains the following information for each species: (i) Collection code and catalogue numbers of the name-bearing type specimens including subspecies occurring in Iran; (ii) Type locality; (iii) Distribution - global distribution of the species; (iv) Distribution in Iran; (v) Habitat; (vi) Remarks—including mostly taxonomic, systematic, and biogeographic notes (not in all species); and (vii) References—comprising pertinent references for each species.

Results We assembled a dataset that consisted of in total 8525 records (Fig. 4) representing all 146 lizard species from 41 genera from 11 families known to occur within the territory of Iran. Our dataset is available at GBIF (http:// www.gbif.org/dataset/7db4f705-61ae-4c6e-9de2-06674e7d46b2). Of the total number of 2690 cells of the grid map, 1091 cells (~41 %, Fig. 5) contained at least one distributional record. Families, genera, and species are sorted alphabetically in the checklist that follows. The distribution maps provided at the end of this publication show currently known ranges of all the Iranian lizards with red squares denoting type localities of the species or its nominotypical subspecies (if more subspecies recognized), blue squares of the non-nominotypical subspecies and question marks indicating dubious data.

Checklist Agamidae Calotes Cuvier, 1816



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Calotes versicolor (Daudin, 1802) HOLOTYPE. Presumably in the Paris museum, but apparently lost (Auffenberg & Rehman 1993). TYPE LOCALITY. Not given by the author; designated to Pondicherry, India by Smith (1935). DISTRIBUTION. A tropical Asian lizard widely distributed from the extreme SE Iran through Pakistan and India, S China and SE Asia including Sumatra. Introduced to Borneo, S Oman, Kenya, and USA (Arnold 1986a; Das et al. 2008; Šandera & Starostová 2009; Meshaka 2011). DISTRIBUTION IN IRAN. Fig. 6. Sistan and Baluchistan Prov. HABITAT. An arboreal lizard occurring wherever there are trees or shrubs available, most common by water streams and riversides. Although it can tolerate considerable aridity, in desert habitats it is confined to oases and vegetation along the water courses (Khan 2006). SE Iran represents the westernmost projection of the species’ autochthonous range, however, it is found here only on date palms and its presence may be caused by humanmediated transfer (Anderson 1999). REFERENCES. Minton (1966); Anderson (1974, 1999); Auffenberg & Rehman (1993); Hallermann (2000); Mobaraki et al. (2013). Laudakia Gray, 1845 The genus Laudakia was recently divided into three genera (Stellagama, Paralaudakia, and Laudakia) with three Iranian species (L. caucasia, L. erythrogaster and L. microlepis) being reassigned to the genus Paralaudakia while L. melanura and L. nupta retained their generic assignment (Baig et al. 2012). Despite this taxonomic revision was based on detailed examination of cranial morphology and dentition characters it was supported only by secondary and partial phylogenetic analysis of genetic data. The supposed paraphyly of the genus (Melville et al. 2009; Edwards & Melville 2011) originated probably by an error (Baig et al. 2012). Monophyletic status of the genus was confirmed by Pyron et al. (2013). Here we adhere to the suggestion of Pyron et al. to retain the generic name Laudakia for all its previously defined members in order to preserve nomenclatural stability in this group. Laudakia caucasia (Eichwald, 1831) TYPE. Not located (Baig et al. 2012). TYPE LOCALITY. Restricted to Baku, Azerbaijan by Anderson (1999); originally Tiflisium [= Tbilisi, Georgia] and Bacuam [= Baku] (Eichwald 1831). DISTRIBUTION. From E Anatolia and Transcaucasia through N Iran to Afghanistan, Turkmenistan, Tajikistan and Pakistan. DISTRIBUTION IN IRAN. Fig. 7. The Alborz and Kopet Dagh ranges. The range extends to the south along the inner Zagros up to Fars Prov. and south along the Afghan border to northernmost Sistan and Baluchistan Prov. HABITAT. Mountainous and upland areas up to 4000 m covered by xerophytes and other herbaceous vegetation, associated with rocky outcrops, scree and clay slopes, large boulders in river beds, stony fences and walls. Found at low elevations by the Caspian Sea as well (Anderson 1999). REMARKS. The uplifting in the Lesser Caucasus and Alborz Mountains which took place 2–3 million years ago (Mya) separated the Caucasian and more eastern (E Alborz, Kopet Dagh) populations (Macey et al. 1998, 2000a). REFERENCES. Ananjeva & Orlova (1979); Anderson (1999); Rastegar-Pouyani & Nilson (2002); Cheatsazan et al. (2006); Rastegar-Pouyani & Torki (2007); Baig et al. (2012); Dezfoulian et al. (2012); Hosseinian Yousefkhani et al. (2013a). Laudakia erythrogaster (Nikolski, 1896) LECTOTYPE. ZISP 8760, designated by Rastegar-Pouyani & Nilson (2002). TYPE LOCALITY. Originally Kalender-Abad and Fariman, Khorasan Razavi Prov., Iran (Nikolsky 1896). Restricted to Fariman by Rastegar-Pouyani & Nilson (2002) by lectotype designation. DISTRIBUTION. NE Iran, SE Turkmenistan and NW Afghanistan. DISTRIBUTION IN IRAN. Fig. 8. Eastern part of Khorasan Razavi Prov., one locality in Northern Khorasan Prov. HABITAT. Unlike other members of the genus, L. erythrogaster avoids vertical slopes and rocky outcrops. Instead it is found on clayey and sandy substrates in areas up to 1800 m wherever there are colonies of gerbils (Rhombomys), whose burrows serve as retreats for the lizards (Anderson 1999).


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REMARKS. A sister species to L. caucasia (Macey et al. 2000a; Edwards & Melville 2011; Pyron et al. 2013). REFERENCES. Anderson (1999); Rastegar-Pouyani & Nilson (2002); Aghili et al. (2010). Laudakia melanura Blyth, 1854 TYPE. Not located (Baig et al. 2012). TYPE LOCALITY. Salt Range, Punjab, Pakistan fide Smith (1935). DISTRIBUTION. NW Punjab, Sind and Baluchistan (Pakistan). DISTRIBUTION IN IRAN. Fig. 9. Only a putative member of the Iranian herpetofauna for long until Rajabizadeh & Rastegar-Pouyani (2009) confirmed its occurrence in Sistan and Baluchistan Prov. HABITAT. Cliffs, boulders and rock crevices. Syntopic with L. nupta in SW Pakistan. REMARKS. The existence of the subspecies L. m. lirata (Blanford) to which all Iranian specimens have been referred is not supported by Baig et al. (2012). The distinguishing characters (carinated scales and coloration) are apparently inconsistent and therefore not sufficient to recognize this form as an independent subspecies. REFERENCES. Heidari & Kami (2009); Rajabizadeh & Rastegar-Pouyani (2009); Heidari et al. (2010). Laudakia microlepis (Blanford, 1874) LECTOTYPE. BMNH 1946.8.28.74, designated by Rastegar-Pouyani & Nilson (2002). TYPE LOCALITY. Originally Khan-i-Surkh pass north of Sarjan between Kerman and Shiraz and Kushkizard between Shiraz and Esfahan. Restricted to Khaneh-Sorkh Pass [= Khan-i-Surkh] by Rastegar-Pouyani & Nilson (2002); however Boulenger (1885) mentions only “Kushkizard, N of Shiraz” as the type locality. DISTRIBUTION. Widely distributed in S and E Iran, also in W Afghanistan, marginally in NW Pakistan. DISTRIBUTION IN IRAN. Fig. 10. Along the southern Zagros and mountains by Afghan borders. Its distribution is parapatric with L. caucasia with contact zones in the central Zagros and Khorasan Razavi Prov. Both species are missing in the central Iranian deserts. HABITAT. A rock-dwelling species with similar habitat preferences as L. caucasia (Anderson (1999), a probable cause of their mutually exclusive distribution. REFERENCES. Anderson (1999); Rastegar-Pouyani & Nilson (2002); Cheatsazan et al. (2008a). Laudakia nupta (de Filippi, 1843) HOLOTYPE. MSNM, collection number unknown; Lectotype BMNH 74.11.23.11 (L. n. fusca). TYPE LOCALITY: Persepolis, Fars Prov., Iran. DISTRIBUTION. E Iraq, S and C Iran, Afghanistan and Pakistan. The river Indus seems to form a natural boundary in the east. DISTRIBUTION IN IRAN. Fig. 11. Along the Zagros eastwards continuously up to the Pakistani border. Very common particularly in the western Zagros foothills. Isolated records from Semnan and Khorasan Razavi Prov. HABITAT. Rocks of limestone and other outcrops, very often also found near human settlements, abandoned buildings, on walls, monuments and other man-made habitats; observed also in oak forests climbing trees. REMARKS. Eastern populations in SE Iran and Pakistan belong to the subspecies L. n. fusca. Despite some authors consider this taxon a full species (Khan 2006; Cheatsazan et al. 2008b; Rastegar-Pouyani et al. 2008), the latest taxonomic revision by Baig et al. (2012) relegated it back to the status of a subspecies of L. nupta. REFERENCES. Rastegar-Pouyani (1996); Anderson (1999, 2000); Rastegar-Pouyani & Nilson (2002); Mahjoorazad et al. (2005); Rastegar-Pouyani et al. (2006); Cheatsazan et al. (2008b); Mohammadi & Naderi (2012). Phrynocephalus Kaup, 1825 Phrynocephalus ananjevae Melnikov, Melnikova, Nazarov & Rajabizadeh, 2013 HOLOTYPE. ZISP 10256.1. TYPE LOCALITY. Qahferokh, vicinity of Farokhshahr, Chahar Mahal and Bakhtiari Prov., Iran. DISTRIBUTION. Endemic to Iran. DISTRIBUTION IN IRAN. Fig. 12. With certainty known only from the type locality and Abadeh (Fars Prov.), but populations of P. persicus previously reported from adjacent areas may also represent this species. HABITAT. Not given in the original description nor by Nikolsky (1907), who collected the type series.



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REMARKS. The existence of this species was first discovered by Melnikov et al. (2008) in their genetic study of P. persicus and P. helioscopus. REFERENCES. Melnikov et al. (2008, 2013). Phrynocephalus arabicus Anderson, 1894 SYNTYPES. BMNH 1946.8.28.33 (ex. BMNH 97.3.11.51), BMNH 1946.8.28.34 (ex. BMNH 97.3.11.52). TYPE LOCALITY. Plateau of the Hadramut [= Hadramaut, Yemen]. DISTRIBUTION. Widely distributed in the Arabian Peninsula, extends northward to S Jordan (Wittenberg 1992), Iraq and marginally SW Iran. DISTRIBUTION IN IRAN. Fig. 13. Khuzestan Prov. HABITAT. Fine, windblown sand, sloping sand between mounds of vegetation and foot of large dunes. If threatened, it buries itself rapidly by lateral body oscillations. REMARKS. Observations of P. arabicus in Oman showed that wherever suitable habitat appears this species can reach very high population densities (pers. obs.). There are no data available regarding the biology and natural history of this species in Iran. REFERENCES. Anderson (1999). Phrynocephalus helioscopus (Pallas, 1771) LECTOTYPE. ZMB 781, designated by Denzer et al. (1997). TYPE LOCALITY. Originally “in deserti australioris collibus ardentissimis” (Pallas 1771); restricted to the “Inderskija Gory, Gebiet des unteren Uralflusses” [region of lower Ural River, W Kazakhstan] by Mertens & Müller (1928). This restriction was not accompanied by a lectotype or neotype designation and is therefore not valid as such (Uetz 2013). DISTRIBUTION. SE part of European Russia, Kazakhstan, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, NW China and Mongolia. DISTRIBUTION IN IRAN. Fig. 14. Occurs only by the borders with Turkmenistan by the Caspian Sea. HABITAT. Clay and stony deserts, sometimes sandy areas with high admixture of pebbles, usually in areas of sparse vegetation. REMARKS. Phrynocephalus persicus was separated from P. helioscopus on the basis of the analysis of allozyme variation (Mezhzherin & Golubev 1989). There is an immense chaos regarding the form horvathi Méhely which was originally described as a subspecies of P. helioscopus from the foothills of Ararat, Armenia (Méhely 1894) and which is endemic to E Anatolia, S Armenia, Azerbaijan and NW Iran. In Iran it is restricted to the vicinity and north of the Lake Urmia (Melnikov et al. 2008). Some authors treat this form as it was described—a subspecies of P. helioscopus (Rastegar-Pouyani et al. 2008; Tosunoğlu et al. 2011), some as a subspecies of P. persicus (Barabanov & Ananjeva 2007; Arakelyan et al. 2011; Solovyeva et al. 2011; Milto & Barabanov 2012) and yet others as a full species (Çiçek et al. 2011). According to Anderson (1999), P. horvathi appears to be a younger synonym of P. persicus. This assumption is in accordance with the results of mtDNA analyses of P. helioscopuspersicus complex by Solovyeva et al. (2011) which proved horvathi to be an inner lineage of P. persicus. The name horvathi was stabilized by Melnikov et al. (2013), who designated neotype (see remarks by P. persicus below). REFERENCES. Anderson (1999); Ananjeva et al. (2006); Melnikov et al. (2008); Arakelyan et al. (2011); Solovyeva et al. (2011). Phrynocephalus maculatus Anderson, 1872 HOLOTYPE. ZSI 4825. TYPE LOCALITY. Awada, Shiraz, Persia; a misprint corrected to Abádeh, Fars Prov., by Blanford (1876). DISTRIBUTION. E Arabian Peninsula (Saudi Arabia, Oman, UAE) through Iraq to Iran, S Turkmenistan, S Afghanistan and Pakistan. The Arabian populations are recognized as a distinct subspecies, P. m. longicaudatus Haas. DISTRIBUTION IN IRAN. Fig. 15. Most of the central plateau to elevations up to 3000 m. HABITAT. Flat deserts with rather hard-packed, sandy clay soils or gravel-strewn hammadas (Minton 1966). Observed on a sun-dried mud by a salt lake. REMARKS. Mountain massifs in the east (Afghanistan, Pakistan) form natural boundaries confining P. maculatus to the Iranian plateau. Since no other Phrynocephalus species crosses the Zagros Mountains, the ranges of the


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nominotypical form east of the Zagros and P. m. longicaudatus in the west may also be disjunct. The latter taxon will probably prove to be specifically distinct (Anderson 1999, p. 91). REFERENCES. Anderson (1999, 2000); Khan (1999); Mozaffari & Parham (2007); Kazemi et al. (2011). Phrynocephalus mystaceus (Pallas, 1776) NEOTYPE. ZISP 8735.1, designated by Barabanov & Ananjeva (2007). TYPE LOCALITY. Originally “arenosis Naryn et deserti Comani” (Pallas 1776); restricted to Naryn Steppe on the north coast of the Caspian Sea by Mertens & Müller (1928); given as Ryn Peski (Ryn Sands), Uralskaya Region, north-western Kazakhstan by Barabanov & Ananjeva (2007). DISTRIBUTION. Its global distribution resembles that of P. helioscopus. SE European Russia N of the Caucasus, Kazakhstan, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, Kyrgyzstan, NW China, south to Afghanistan and NE Iran. DISTRIBUTION IN IRAN. Fig. 16. South Khorasan, Khorasan Razavi and Semnan Prov. HABITAT. Sand dunes, Anderson (1999) found P. mystaceus associated with Tamarix and other psammophilous shrubs. REFERENCES. Anderson (1999); Khan (1999); Barabanov & Ananjeva (2007); Hosseinian Yousefkhani & Rastegar-Pouyani (2013a); Khani et al. (2013), Molavi et al. (2014). Phrynocephalus ornatus Boulenger, 1887 LECTOTYPE. BMNH 1946.8.28.20 (ex. BMNH 86.9.21.49), designated by Anderson & Leviton (1967); Holotype CAS 141204 (P. o. vindumi). TYPE LOCALITY. Originally northern Baluchistan; restricted to “between Nushki and Helmand, Afghanistan” by Anderson & Leviton (1967). DISTRIBUTION. E Iran, SW Afghanistan, W Pakistan. DISTRIBUTION IN IRAN. Fig. 17. Khorasan Razavi and South Khorasan Prov. HABITAT. Sand dunes and sand heaps in the same habitat as P. mystaceus (Anderson 1999). REMARKS. The subspecies P. o. vindumi Golubev (type locality: 35 km N of Gonabad on road to Torbat-e Heydariyeh, Khorasan Razavi Prov.) occurs in Iran. REFERENCES. Anderson & Leviton (1967); Leviton & Anderson (1970); Golubev (1998); Anderson (1999). Phrynocephalus persicus de Filippi, 1863 LECTOTYPE. ZISP 8844; Neotype ZISP 5544.1 (P. p. horvathi), both designated by Melnikov et al. (2013). TYPE LOCALITY. “Campagne deserte dall'Armenia fino a Teheran” [along the route between Armenia and Tehran], Iran. For discussion on the type locality, see Melnikov et al. (2013). DISTRIBUTION. From the Caucasus (extreme E Anatolia, Armenia, Georgia) SE into Iran. DISTRIBUTION IN IRAN. Fig. 18. Along the Zagros range from West Azerbaijan and Ardabil south-eastwards up to Fars Prov. HABITAT. Open gravel or stony plains with scattered bushes, desert steppe with sparse vegetation up to 2700 m a.s.l. (Anderson 1999). REMARKS. The taxon horvathi is considered a subspecies of P. persicus based on genetic analyses (Solovyeva et al. 2011; see remarks by P. helioscopus). The record from Naìmabad, Semnan Prov. by Nikolsky (1907) is doubtful. Material from S Esfahan and N Fars Prov. requires redetermination due to recent description of P. ananjevae, a species potentially present in these areas. REFERENCES. Anderson (1999); Sindaco et al. (2000); Melnikov et al. (2008, 2013); Rezazadeh et al. (2010); Arakelyan et al. (2011); Solovyeva et al. (2011). Phrynocephalus scutellatus (Olivier, 1807) HOLOTYPE. MNHN 6947. TYPE LOCALITY. “Au pied de la montagne” [= Mt. Sophia, near Esfahan, Esfahan Prov., Iran]. DISTRIBUTION. Iran, Afghanistan and Pakistan up to the Makran and Sulaiman Mountain ranges. DISTRIBUTION IN IRAN. Fig. 19. Widely distributed all over the central Iranian Plateau but not crossing the Zagros in the west and the Alborz in the north.



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HABITAT. Flat gravel desert plains with very little vegetation. Avoids sandy or clayey substrates. Found up to 2300 m elevation (Anderson 1999). REMARKS. A single record from Kermanshah Prov. (USNM 69902) is most probably a misidentified animal. REFERENCES. Anderson (1999, 2000). Trapelus Cuvier, 1816 Trapelus agilis (Olivier, 1804) SYNTYPES. MNHN 5708, MNHN 1994.1178 (ex. MNHNP 5708A); Holotype GNHM Re. ex. 5224 (T. a. khuzistanensis); Holotype SMF 63258 (T. a. pakistanensis). TYPE LOCALITY. Neighbourhood of Baghdad, Iraq. Rastegar-Pouyani (1999a) designated the east-central regions of the central Iranian Plateau, about 110 km SE of Esfahan city, as the ‘terra typica designata’ because, as he claimed, there have been no genuine records of T. agilis from Iraq. But since the syntypes are still extant and bear a precise locality that cannot be rejected or modified, Ananjeva et al. (2013) declared his designation as invalid and retained the original type as it appears in Olivier’s (1804) description. DISTRIBUTION. Iraq, Iran, Turkmenistan, Afghanistan, Pakistan and NW India. DISTRIBUTION IN IRAN. Fig. 20. Across all Iran except the NW part of the Zagros. There are three recognized subspecies, two of which occur in Iran: the nominotypical one from most of Iran, SW Pakistan and Afghanistan; T. a. khuzistanensis from the Mesopotamian plain in SW Iran and adjoining areas; and T. a. pakistanensis from SE Pakistan and NW India (Rastegar-Pouyani 1999a, b). HABITAT. Flat, open plains and semideserts of clay or gravel substrate with scattered shrubs or vegetation-covered mounds. Although not a vertical climber like Laudakia, it climbs readily on shrubs, rocks and rock piles to use them as observation posts. Observed to retreat into shallow burrows. REMARKS. Rastegar-Pouyani (1999a) synonymized T. a. isolepis with T. a. agilis. The distribution of T. a. khuzistanensis is supposed to be restricted to Khuzestan and Bushehr Prov. (Rastegar-Pouyani 1999b), however, exact boundary between this and the nominotypical subspecies has not been studied in details yet. REFERENCES. Blanford (1881); Rastegar-Pouyani (1998a, b; 2005); Anderson (1999); Macey & Ananjeva (2004); Ananjeva et al. (2006, 2013). Trapelus persicus (Blanford, 1881) SYNTYPES. BMNH 1946.8.11.30 (ex. BMNH 79.8.15.43), BMNH 1946.8.11.39-42 (ex. BMNH 79.8.15.39-42). TYPE LOCALITY. Dehbid and Kazerun, Fars Prov., Iran. DISTRIBUTION. Jordan, Syria, Iraq, NE Saudi Arabia, SW Iran. DISTRIBUTION IN IRAN. Fig. 21. Most of the western provinces in the Mesopotamian Plain and along the Zagros range up to western Kerman and Hormozgan Prov. HABITAT. Sandy areas, on sand dune foothills and near shrubs where they seek refuge (Anderson 1999). REMARKS. Rastegar-Pouyani (2000) synonymized T. persicus with T. ruderatus, however this change was rejected by Ananjeva et al. (2013). The distribution of T. persicus overlaps partially with T. ruderatus in Bushehr, Fars, Esfahan, and Ilam Prov. (Fathinia & Rastegar-Pouyani 2011). REFERENCES. Rastegar-Pouyani (1998a, 2000); Anderson (1999); Fathinia & Rastegar-Pouyani (2011); Fathinia et al. (2011b); Ananjeva et al. (2013). Trapelus ruderatus (Olivier, 1804) NEOTYPE. MZUT R307, designated by Ananjeva et al. (2013). TYPE LOCALITY. Near Esfahan, Esfahan Prov., Iran. DISTRIBUTION. The range encompasses the Mesopotamian Fertile Crescent area from Jordan, Syria and Lebanon through Iraq and S Turkey to W Iran, westwards extends to central Anatolia. DISTRIBUTION IN IRAN. Fig. 22. The Zagros Mountains in most of the western provinces, particularly well documented in Ilam, Kermanshah and Lorestan Prov.; near Tehran penetrates to the Alborz range. HABITAT. Exposed stony habitats with a little vegetation cover up to 2100 m of elevation (Anderson 1999). REMARKS. The nomenclatural status of the name Trapelus ruderatus and T. lessonae (the latter included now into the synonymy of the former) is extremely convoluted and has been thoroughly discussed within the last years. In 2000, Rastegar-Pouyani designated a lectotype of T. ruderatus (MNHN 2610), a specimen recognized by him to be similar to a conventional population of T. persicus. Since the name ruderatus antedates the name persicus he


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synonymized T. persicus with T. ruderatus and restricted the type locality to that where animals most similar to the holotype occur (Iran: Bushehr Prov.: between Bandar-e-Ganaveh - Borazjan (50°45'E, 29°35'N)). In the same paper the author recognized that the holotype of T. lessonae is morphologically identical to T. r. ruderatus and since the name ruderatus was applied to the former persicus populations, he revalidated the species status of T. lessonae. However, Ananjeva et al. (2013) pointed out that the specimen designated by Rastegar-Pouyani (2000) as a lectotype of T. ruderatus was not originally a syntype of Agama ruderata (and as such could therefore not be elevated to a lectotype according to ICZN criteria) and disregarded it to be the name-bearing type. Instead, they designated as the lectotype of Agama ruderata a specimen depicted by Olivier (1804). However, the specimen number was not given and the voucher is apparently lost. Therefore Ananjeva et al. (2013) designated the neotype of T. ruderatus, which was selected to be the holotype of Agama lessonae (MZUT R307) in order to avoid further nomenclature complications. Thus they fixed the status of A. lessonae as an objective junior synonym of A. ruderata. As a result, for the time being, the name Trapelus ruderatus is valid. Although not specifically stressed by Ananjeva et al. (2013), their taxonomic change in the T. ruderatus complex leads to re-recognition of T. persicus as a valid species. Yet another species of Trapelus described from Iran, T. microtympanum (Werner) (type locality: Persia), is considered a younger synonym of T. ruderatus by Anderson (1999, p. 109). REFERENCES. Rastegar-Pouyani (1998a, 2000); Anderson (1999); Torki (2006, 2007a); Fathinia & RastegarPouyani (2011); Fathinia et al. (2011b); Ananjeva et al. (2013); Rastegar-Pouyani et al. (2013a). Trapelus sanguinolentus (Pallas, 1814) TYPE. Not located (Anderson 1999); Syntypes: ZMB 753-758, ZMB 54811-12 (T. s. aralensis). TYPE LOCALITY. Kum-Ankatar on Terek River, Russia. DISTRIBUTION. S Russia, Dagestan, Central Asian Republics, N Iran. DISTRIBUTION IN IRAN. Fig. 23. So far known only from three localities in Golestan and one in Khorasan Razavi Prov., but other animals from NE Iran determined by now as T. agilis are also likely to belong to this species. HABITAT. Semideserts with scattered vegetation which the species uses as a refuge and to observe the surroundings. REMARKS. Formerly treated as a subspecies of T. agilis, but the latest phylogenetic study indicates that these two are not even closely related (i.e. sister) taxa (Pyron et al. 2013). The nominotypical subspecies occurs W of the Caspian Sea in isolation from the main distribution range in Central Asia, where the subspecies T. s. aralensis (Lichtenstein) occurs. Based on the distribution of both subspecies the Iranian populations should be assigned to the latter. REFERENCES. Rastegar-Pouyani (1998a, 1999a, b, 2005); Ananjeva et al. (2006). Anguidae Anguis Linnaeus, 1758 Anguis colchica (Nordmann, 1840) SYNTYPES. Not located (Anderson 1999); Holotype ZIS 4829 (A. c. orientalis). TYPE LOCALITY. “Abasien” [= Kuban’ region, S Russia] and “Mingrelien” [= region in W Georgia]. DISTRIBUTION. E Europe and European Russia through E Balkans, N Turkey and Transcaucasia to N Iran. DISTRIBUTION IN IRAN. Fig. 24. Along the Caspian coast, the distribution stretches eastwards up to the central Kopet Dagh. No record from the Caspian coast is more than 60 km inland from the shoreline; the species is there limited to the foothills and northern slopes of the Alborz. HABITAT. Deciduous Hyrcanian forests in the Alborz, in or on the leaf litter on the ground, under stones and logs. REMARKS. Anguis colchica was assigned the status of full species by Gvoždík et al. (2010). In the same publication the Iranian populations were attributed to the subspecies A. c. orientalis Anderson. REFERENCES. Anderson (1999); Gvoždík et al. (2010). Pseudopus Merrem, 1820 Pseudopus apodus (Pallas, 1775) TYPE. Not located (Anderson 1999). TYPE LOCALITY. Naryn Steppe on the north coast of the Caspian Sea, Russia. This locality seemed unlikely to Obst (1978), who made a correction to the region of the Terek River, Russia.



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DISTRIBUTION. The Balkans, Turkey, Levant south to Israel and Jordan, Iraq, Transcaucasia, N and W Iran, Turkmenistan, N Afghanistan, Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan, S Kazakhstan; an isolated range on the northern coast of the Black Sea. DISTRIBUTION IN IRAN. Fig. 25. From NW Iran by the Turkish borders through the Caspian region to the Kopet Dagh; a single record from the central Zagros. HABITAT. Open grassy habitats, near streams and in the Hyrcanian forests (Anderson 1999; Ahmadzadeh et al. 2008). The latter authors observed P. apodus in a pond during a sunny day. REMARKS. A very outlying record (FMNH 69297) by Schmidt (1955) from Istgah-e Bisheh [Bisheh-Porem] (Lorestan Prov.) situated about 390 km from the closest Caspian localities together with records from adjacent Iraq (Reed & Marx 1959) indicates a more continuous distribution of P. apodus in the western Zagros area. REFERENCES. Obst (1978); Anderson (1999); Ahmadzadeh et al. (2008). Eublepharidae Eublepharis Gray, 1827 For the time being there are five valid species within this genus, three of which occur in Iran (Uetz 2013). Mutual relationships among Eublepharis were partially resolved by Grismer (1991), who, by using morphological characters, identified E. turcmenicus as a sister species to E. macularius; the clade of these two is further sister to E. angramainyu. Despite several attempts to reconstruct the phylogeny of the family Eublepharidae using genetic data, the relationships within Eublepharis have never been resolved because only E. macularius and E. turcmenicus were included in the analyses (Ota et al. 1999; Jonniaux & Kumazawa 2008). Eublepharis angramainyu Anderson & Leviton, 1966 HOLOTYPE. CAS 86384. TYPE LOCALITY. Between Masjid-i-Suleiman and Batwand, Khuzistan Prov., Iran. DISTRIBUTION. Syria, SE Turkey, Iraq, Iran. DISTRIBUTION IN IRAN. Fig. 26. Western foothills of the Zagros from Ilam to Bushehr Prov. Moradi & Shafiei (2011) provided a record from SW Kerman Prov. by which they extended the range for more than 450 km eastwards. HABITAT. Dry karst-like regions with extensive gypsum deposits, stony hillsides with numerous caverns and crevices and a cover of shrubby vegetation and scattered grass tussocks. Encountered on the surface at night, never found hiding under stones (Anderson 1999). REMARKS. Eublepharis ensafi Baloutch & Thireau (type locality Fakke, ca. 150 km N of Ahvaz) was synonymized with E. angramainyu by Grismer (1989). REFERENCES. Anderson & Leviton (1966a); Grismer (1988); Anderson (1999); Fathinia et al. (2009); Karamiani & Rastegar-Pouyani (2010); Torki (2010a); Moradi & Shafiei (2011). Eublepharis macularius (Blyth, 1854) HOLOTYPE. ZSI 6224. TYPE LOCALITY. Salt Range, Punjab, NW India. DISTRIBUTION. NE India, Pakistan, SE Afghanistan, E Iran. DISTRIBUTION IN IRAN. Fig. 27. Eastern South Khorasan Prov., the only known locality needs to be verified (see below). HABITAT. Clay-gravel soil covered by sand and abounding in bushes of Zygophyllum (Zarudny ex. Szczerbak & Golubev 1996). REMARKS. The only Iranian record is based on two specimens collected by Zarudny, who assigned them superficially to E. macularius on the basis of tail morphology. Both specimens were lost before they could be deposited in the collections (Anderson 1999). This record lies isolated by ca. 500 km W from the nearest confirmed locality of the species in Afghanistan (Sindaco & Jeremčenko 2008). Because the vouchers do not exist it is impossible to decide whether they really belonged to E. macularius or to geographically similarly distant E. turcmenicus occurring in Turkmenistan. REFERENCES. Anderson & Leviton (1966a); Grismer (1988); Szczerbak & Golubev (1996); Anderson (1999).


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Eublepharis turcmenicus Darevsky, 1977 HOLOTYPE. ZIL 10103. TYPE LOCALITY. Bakharden, Turkmenistan. DISTRIBUTION. Slopes of the Kopet Dagh in Turkmenistan, N Iran. DISTRIBUTION IN IRAN. Fig. 28. So far confirmed only from two localities by the Turkmen borders in North Khorasan and Khorasan Razavi Prov. (Darevsky 1978; Auer et al. 2008). HABITAT. Stony foothills with fragments of rocks. Vegetation cover dominated by Artemisia and Ephedra bushes. In Turkmenistan found up to 812 m of altitude (Szczerbak & Golubev 1996). REMARKS. Second locality confirming the presence of this species in Iran was published relatively recently (Auer et al. 2008). It seems to be extremely rare in Iran. REFERENCES. Darevsky (1978); Grismer (1988, 1991); Szczerbak & Golubev (1996); Anderson (1999); Rösler (1999); Auer et al. (2008). Gekkonidae Agamura Blanford, 1874 Agamura persica (Duméril, 1856) SYNTYPES. MNHN 6761 (3 spec.) (Anderson 1999), although no such number in the MNHN catalogue. TYPE LOCALITY. Persia. DISTRIBUTION. Iran, Afghanistan, Pakistan. DISTRIBUTION IN IRAN. Fig. 29. Throughout most of the Iranian Plateau W of the Zagros and S of the Alborz and Kopet Dagh; apparently absent from the central desert system; isolated records from coastal Hormozgan Prov. HABITAT. Stony terrain, cliffs and rocky terraces, hillsides also barren plains and gravely alluvium with sparse shrubby vegetation (Minton 1966; Anderson 1999) REMARKS. Agamura is a monotypic genus phylogenetically close to Bunopus, Crossobamon, Cyrtopodion, and Tenuidactylus. Červenka et al. (2008) placed Agamura to a sister position with Cyrtopodion. Nevertheless, Bauer et al. (2013) recognized Bunopus and Crossobamon being closer to Agamura, and yet another study came up with Agamura as a sister genus to a clade consisting of all the other four above listed genera (Gamble et al. 2012). REFERENCES. Anderson (1999, 2000); Červenka et al. (2008); Gamble et al. (2012); Bauer et al. (2013). Bunopus Blanford, 1874 Bunopus crassicauda Nikolsky, 1907 LECTOTYPE. ZIL 10233, designated by Szczerbak & Golubev (1986). TYPE LOCALITY. Restricted to Khara-Magommed-Abad by lectotype designation by Szczerbak & Golubev (1986); originally Kum [= Qom], Maljat-Abad and Khara-Magommed-Abad, Irak-Adschemi Prov. [today Esfahan Prov.], Iran (Nikolsky 1907). DISTRIBUTION. Endemic to Iran. DISTRIBUTION IN IRAN. Fig. 30. Central Iranian Plateau in the area around Tehran, Qom, Esfahan, Yazd, and Kerman; also S of the Kopet Dagh. HABITAT. Cultivated alluvial plains, gravely and sandy areas with vegetation containing Alhagi, Artemisiam, Prosopis, and Tamarix (Mozaffari et al. 2011a). REMARKS. Bunopus crassicauda was confirmed to occur syntopically with B. tuberculatus in NE Iran (Kamali & Mozaffari 2013). REFERENCES. Szczerbak & Golubev (1986, 1996); Anderson (1999); Kamali & Mozaffari (2013). Bunopus tuberculatus Blanford, 1874 LECTOTYPE. BMNH 1946.8.22.84 (ex. BMNH 74.11.23.85), designated by Szczerbak & Golubev (1986). TYPE LOCALITY. Originally “Gedrosia Persiaque meridionali” (Blanford 1874), restricted to Baluchistan by Smith (1935); further restricted to “near Bampur, Baluchistan” by Szczerbak & Golubev (1986). DISTRIBUTION. The whole of the Arabian Peninsula, Levant, Iraq, Iran, SW Afghanistan, Pakistan. DISTRIBUTION IN IRAN. Fig. 31. From the Mesopotamian plain in Khuzestan to Bushehr Prov.; the Iranian Plateau from S of the Kopet Dagh to the coastal areas around the Strait of Hormuz and Gulf of Oman. Absent from the Zagros mountain range.



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HABITAT. Usually sandy habitats from blowing sand dunes to sand mixed with gravel or pastures, associated with desert and steppe vegetation such as Tamarix (Anderson 1999). REMARKS. There are large genetic distances between populations from central and SE Iran, the latter being closely related to the populations from Syria and Kuwait (Červenka et al. 2008). This intraspecific diversification which is similar to that between B. tuberculatus and B. crassicauda suggests a cryptic diversity of Bunopus geckos with potentially undescribed species in the central part of its range. REFERENCES. Szczerbak & Golubev (1986, 1996); Anderson (1999); Červenka et al. (2008); Bauer et al. (2013); Kamali & Mozaffari (2013). Crossobamon Boettger, 1888 Crossobamon eversmanni (Wiegmann, 1834) HOLOTYPE. ZMB 435. TYPE LOCALITY. Agytme, Kyzyl-Kum Desert, Uzbekistan. DISTRIBUTION. Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan, Tajikistan, Afghanistan, NE Iran, W Pakistan. DISTRIBUTION IN IRAN. Fig. 32. The easternmost provinces by the Afghan borders (Khorasan Razavi, South Khorasan, Sistan and Baluchistan Prov.). HABITAT. A psammophilous species bound to sandy habitats, even sand dunes but stabilized with shrubby vegetation (Convolvulus, Haloxylon, Salivornia) (Szczerbak & Golubev 1996). REMARKS. There are disputes concerning the validity of the taxon lumsdenii (Boulenger) from northern Baluchistan. Anderson (1999) places it in the synonymy of Bunopus tuberculatus whereas Szczerbak & Golubev (1986, 1996) consider it a subspecies of C. eversmanni. In addition, the latter authors place (without examining the types) an Afghan taxon C. maynardi Smith in the synonymy of C. eversmanni. Recent authors follow Szczerbak & Golubev’s taxonomy and use the trinomen C. e. lumsdenii (Bauer et al. 2013; Khani et al. 2013). REFERENCES. Szczerbak & Golubev (1996); Anderson (1999); Bauer et al. (2013); Khani et al. (2013). Cyrtopodion Fitzinger, 1843 A relatively species-rich genus (26 species; Uetz 2013) that previously encompassed also members of Mediodactylus and Tenuidactylus, in some studies treated as subgenera but currently recognized as distinct (see below). The Iranian species of Cyrtopodion (sensu stricto) were on the basis of morphological differentiation divided into two groups: the agamuroides group and the scabrum group (Szczerbak & Golubev 1986; Anderson 1999). The agamuroides group currently contains five species: C. agamuroides, C. gastropholis, C. golubevi, C. kiabii, and C. persepolense; four species are known to belong to the scabrum group: C. brevipes, C. kachhense, C. scabrum, and C. sistanense (Nazarov & Rajabizadeh 2007; Bauer et al. 2013). Cyrtopodion hormozganum was recognized as an intermediate form between the two groups (Nazarov et al. 2012), and the assignment of C. kirmanense is unknown. Cyrtopodion agamuroides (Nikolsky, 1900) LECTOTYPE. ZIL 9327, designated by Szczerbak & Golubev (1986). TYPE LOCALITY. Originally Neizar, Sistan, and Duz-Abad and Pendsch-Sara, Kerman Prov., Iran; restricted to Pensareh [= Pendsch-Sara], E Kerman Prov., Iran by Szczerbak & Golubev (1986). DISTRIBUTION. Iran, Afghanistan, Pakistan. DISTRIBUTION IN IRAN. Fig. 33. S Iran south of the 31.5° latitude. The record from Khorasan Razavi Prov. by Hosseinian Yousefkhani et al. (2012a) was a misidentified Tenuidactylus longipes (Rajabizadeh, in litt.). HABITAT. Known to climb ruins of earthen buildings in habitats with sandy and clayey soils; reported active also during the day (Szczerbak & Golubev 1996). REMARKS. Cyrtopodion agamuroides was found to be syntopic with ecologically similar C. sistanense (Nazarov & Rajabizadeh 2007). By the time of the phylogenetic analysis published by Červenka et al. (2008), C. agamuroides was paraphyletic with respect to C. gastropholis and might in fact be a complex of more species. Since then, two new species from to the agamuroides-group have been described (Nazarov et al. 2009; Ahmadzadeh et al. 2011). No additional phylogenetic study comprising these taxa was performed so the relationships of the above species remain unknown.


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REFERENCES. Szczerbak & Golubev (1986, 1996); Anderson (1999); Nazarov & Rajabizadeh (2007); Červenka et al. (2008, 2010); Ahmadzadeh et al. (2011). Cyrtopodion brevipes (Blanford, 1874) HOLOTYPE. ZSI 3465. TYPE LOCALITY. Originally Gedrosia, Baluchistan; restricted to Aptan near Bampur, Persian Baluchistan [= Sistan and Baluchistan Prov.] by Annandale (1913). DISTRIBUTION. Endemic to Iran. DISTRIBUTION IN IRAN. Fig. 34. So far known with certainty only from the region of the type locality in Sistan and Baluchistan Prov. and eastern Hormozgan Prov. (CUP collection: CUP\REPT\IRA\875). Murray (1884) provided two localities from the vicinity of Bushehr, but Anderson (1999) was sceptical of Murray’s identifications and considered the presence of this species in Bushehr Prov. unlikely. HABITAT. Virtually nothing is known about this species’ preferred habitat. The only available information is from where the types were collected—an open sandy plain with scattered vegetation (Anderson 1999). REFERENCES. Murray (1884); Annandale (1913); Anderson (1999). Cyrtopodion gastropholis (Werner, 1917) HOLOTYPE. ZFMK 27095 (Nr. 74 in the original description). TYPE LOCALITY. Fars Prov., Iran. DISTRIBUTION. Endemic to Iran. DISTRIBUTION IN IRAN. Fig. 35. Bushehr, Hormozgan, Fars, and Kohgiluyeh and Boyer Ahmad Prov. The distribution of C. gastropholis was reviewed by Ahmadzadeh et al. (2011). The authors doubt the record from Hormozgan Prov. (Červenka et al. 2008) to belong to this species. Nevertheless, the occurrence of C. gastropholis in central Hormozgan Prov. is independently confirmed by a CAS record from the vicinity of Bandar Abbas (CAS 86370). HABITAT. Anderson (1999) collected his specimen on a wall of a mud-brick building; otherwise there are no habitat-related data to this species. REMARKS. Assigned to the genus Agamura by Szczerbak & Golubev (1986). Ahmadzadeh et al. (2011) put right the problems associated with the spelling of the species epithet. The name “gastropholis” is a noun in apposition and must not be conjugated to “gastrophole”, as some authors do (Anderson 1999; Bauer et al. 2013). REFERENCES. Szczerbak & Golubev (1986, 1996); Anderson (1999); Červenka et al. (2008); Ahmadzadeh et al. (2011); Bauer et al. (2013). Cyrtopodion golubevi Nazarov, Ananjeva & Radjabizadeh, 2009 HOLOTYPE. ZMMU R-12624. TYPE LOCALITY. 100 km NW from Iranshehr [= Iranshahr], near Bazman, Sistan and Baluchistan Prov., Iran. DISTRIBUTION. Endemic to Iran, but likely to be also found in the bordering regions of Pakistan (Nazarov et al. 2009). DISTRIBUTION IN IRAN. Fig. 36. Known only from the type locality and the locality of the paratypes, about 1 km apart. HABITAT. The type locality is a humid canyon with dense vegetation in the otherwise dry clayey foothills with a poor shrubby cover. REFERENCES. Nazarov et al. (2009). Cyrtopodion hormozganum Nazarov, Bondarenko & Radjabizadeh 2012 HOLOTYPE. ICSTZ M6H1290. TYPE LOCALITY. 27 km NW from Minab, Hormozgan Prov., Iran. DISTRIBUTION. Endemic to Iran. DISTRIBUTION IN IRAN. Fig. 37. Known only from the type locality. HABITAT. Reported by Nazarov et al. (2012) as “...desert plateau with isolated low-mountains and ranges which can be considered as a transitional zone from the coastal plains of Garmsir on the Persian Gulf up the East Iranian Mts. Gecko habitats are located in low mountains dissected by dry riverbeds (wadi) and almost devoid of



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vegetation at an altitude of 77–90 m a.s.l. Sparse vegetation consists of rare ephemeral grasses (genus Poa) and xerophytic shrubs (Astragalus, Convolvulus, Gailonia, Hammada, Salsola), growing in the intermountain sites and along wadi.” REFERENCES. Nazarov et al. (2012). Cyrtopodion kachhense (Stoliczka, 1872) LECTOTYPE. ZSI 5162, designated by Annandale (1913). TYPE LOCALITY. Kachh Prov., South-east of Sind, between the eastern branches of the Indus and Kathíwár [S Pakistan or NW India].The lectotype designated by Annandale (1913) remains valid despite the later lectotype designation made by Szczerbak & Golubev (1986). DISTRIBUTION. Pakistan, India, Iran. DISTRIBUTION IN IRAN. Fig. 38. The only known record from Bushehr is considered doubtful by many authors (Anderson 1999; Rastegar-Pouyani et al. 2008; Sindaco & Jeremčenko 2008). The species has never been confirmed from Iran again and is claimed that it might have been introduced there. HABITAT. No information for the Iranian specimen available. In Pakistan reported from hard rocky terrain where it lives in cracks and holes in the ground and also colonizes nearby houses (Khan 2006). REFERENCES. Annandale (1913); Szczerbak & Golubev (1986, 1996); Anderson (1999). Cyrtopodion kiabii Ahmadzadeh, Flecks, Torki & Böhme, 2011 HOLOTYPE. ZFMK 91834. TYPE LOCALITY. 5 km SW of Nayband village at a distance of approx. 300 m to coast of Persian Gulf, Bushehr Prov., Iran. DISTRIBUTION. Endemic to Iran. DISTRIBUTION IN IRAN. Fig. 39. Coastal areas of Bushehr Prov. HABITAT. The types were found in two abandoned buildings in a cliffy area approximately 100 m from the Persian Gulf coast. REFERENCES. Ahmadzadeh et al. (2011). Cyrtopodion kirmanense (Nikolsky, 1900) LECTOTYPE. ZIL 9330, designated by Szczerbak & Golubev (1986). TYPE LOCALITY. Kuh-e Taftan, Sargad, Sistan and Baluchistan Prov., Iran; restricted to Kuh-e Taftan by Szczerbak & Golubev (1986). DISTRIBUTION. Endemic to Iran. DISTRIBUTION IN IRAN. Fig. 40. Sistan and Baluchistan Prov. There are uncertain records from Kerman, Kerman Prov. (NHMW specimen) and Persepolis, Fars Prov., reported by Schmidt (1939) which lack any details concerning the specimens determination. HABITAT. “... sheer rocky cliffs in the mountains, river banks and dry channels; shady terraces, cracks, niches; occasionally, on loose fragments of rock boulders. It is most frequently found on granites and, less often, on conglomerates and other rocks.” (Szczerbak & Golubev 1996). REFERENCES. Szczerbak & Golubev (1986, 1996); Anderson (1999). Cyrtopodion persepolense Nazarov, Ananjeva & Radjabizadeh, 2009 HOLOTYPE. ZMMU R-12626. TYPE LOCALITY. Takht-e-Jamshid [Persepolis], 60 km NE from Shiraz, Fars Prov., Iran. DISTRIBUTION. Endemic to Iran. DISTRIBUTION IN IRAN. Fig. 41. Known only from the type locality. HABITAT. Stony to rocky habitat where it inhabits vertical surfaces with a plenty of shelters (Nazarov et al. 2009). REFERENCES. Nazarov et al. (2009); Bauer et al. (2013). Cyrtopodion scabrum (Heyden, 1827) LECTOTYPE. SMF 8180, designated by Mertens (1967). TYPE LOCALITY. Tor, Sinai, Egypt and Abyssinian [= Eritrean] coast; restricted to Tor by Mertens (1967).


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DISTRIBUTION. West from Egypt along the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden, Arabian Peninsula, Iraq, Syria, S Turkey, Iran, Afghanistan, Pakistan, NW India. DISTRIBUTION IN IRAN. Fig. 42. Most of Iran including the Mesopotamian Plain in the west through the Zagros and the central Plateau continuously to Afghanistan and Pakistan in the east. A recent record from the logistically important city of Rasht, Gilan Prov. could be explained as a range expansion facilitated by human mediated dispersal (Rastegar-Pouyani et al. 2010a). HABITAT. A typical synanthropic gecko with strong affinity to human habitations. In Iran found on walls of inhabited and abandoned buildings, brick fences, garden walls or in dumping grounds; also dry scrubland and stony hillsides where it seeks refuge in crevices and fissures (Anderson 1999; Khan 2006). REMARKS. Based on available phylogenetic studies there are apparently some yet undescribed species closely related to C. scabrum (Červenka et al. 2008; Bauer et al. 2013). REFERENCES. Anderson (1999); Červenka et al. (2008, 2010); Fathinia et al. (2009); Rastegar-Pouyani et al. (2010a); Bauer et al. (2013). Cyrtopodion sistanense Nazarov & Rajabizadeh, 2007 HOLOTYPE. ZMMU R-12390. TYPE LOCALITY. Nosratabad, 90 km W from Zahedan, Sistan and Baluchistan Prov., Iran. DISTRIBUTION. Endemic to Iran. DISTRIBUTION IN IRAN. Fig. 43. Sistan and Baluchistan Prov. HABITAT. Dry low clay hills with poor shrubby vegetation. One of the paratypes was collected in a “small, more humid intermountain valley, filled by coarse-grained alluvium and covered with rather dense shrub vegetation” (Nazarov & Rajabizadeh 2007). REMARKS. Closely related to C. scabrum (Pyron et al. 2013). REFERENCES. Nazarov & Rajabizadeh (2007); Červenka et al. (2008). Hemidactylus Oken, 1817 The genus Hemidactylus is divided into four genetically distinct and geographically almost exclusive clades (Carranza & Arnold 2006). The species living in Iran belong to the arid clade (H. persicus, H. robustus, H. turcicus, and probably also H. romeshkanicus) and to the tropical Asian clade (H. flaviviridis). Hemidactylus flaviviridis Rüppell, 1835 LECTOTYPE. SMF 8772, designated by Mertens (1967). TYPE LOCALITY. Insel Masaua, Abyssinien [= Massawa Island, Eritrea]. DISTRIBUTION. Coastal Red Sea from Egypt to Yemen and Somalia, around the shores of the Arabian Peninsula, Persian Gulf coast, Pakistan, E Afghanistan, N India. DISTRIBUTION IN IRAN. Fig. 44. Mostly along the Persian Gulf coast; a more inland record recently reported from Fars Prov. (Gholamifard et al. 2010). HABITAT. A typical house gecko bound to human settlements, ports, railway junctions etc. (Gallagher 1971; Khan 2009; Das et al. 2011; pers. obs). REMARKS. Given the high affinity of H. flaviviridis to urban areas and human settlements it is likely that this gecko has been introduced to the western parts of its range probably from India by humans (Anderson 1999). This assumption is in agreement with the coastal distribution and low genetic variability among animals from Ethiopia, Yemen, Oman, Pakistan, and India (Šmíd et al. 2013a). REFERENCES. Gallagher (1971); Anderson (1999); Gholamifard et al. (2010); Das et al. (2011); Gholamifard & Rastegar-Pouyani (2011). Hemidactylus persicus Anderson, 1872 HOLOTYPE. ZSI 5961. TYPE LOCALITY. Originally Persia; restricted to Shiraz, Fars Prov. by Smith (1935). DISTRIBUTION. Countries by the Persian Gulf—from Iraq, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, UAE, Oman, Iran to Pakistan and India.



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DISTRIBUTION IN IRAN. Fig. 45. About 300 km wide belt along the Persian Gulf coast in Ilam, Lorestan, Khuzestan, Fars, Bushehr, Hormozgan, and Sistan and Baluchistan Prov. HABITAT. Inhabits trees, rocks and building wall in xerophytic areas. Anderson (1999) collected his specimens at night on surfaced roads. In Qatar found on the ground under wood, rocks and dry leaves (Castilla et al. 2013). REMARKS. Deep intraspecific diversification within Iranian specimens of H. persicus (Šmíd et al. 2013a) and its close relation with an unidentified species from NW India (Bauer et al. 2010) indicate that H. persicus forms a complex of several cryptic species that needs to be revised with material from other parts of the species’ distribution. REFERENCES. Anderson (1999); Gholamifard & Rastegar-Pouyani (2011); Heidari et al. (2011); Šmíd et al. (2013a). Hemidactylus robustus Heyden, 1827 LECTOTYPE. SMF 8720, designated by Mertens (1967). TYPE LOCALITY. Egypten, Arabien, und Abysinien [= Egypt, Arabia, Ethiopia]; restricted to Abyssinia by Mertens (1967). DISTRIBUTION. Arabian Peninsula, shores of the Red Sea, Ethiopia, Somalia, Kenya, Iraq, Iran, Pakistan. DISTRIBUTION IN IRAN. Fig. 46. Coastal areas by the Persian Gulf in Hormozgan and Sistan and Baluchistan Prov. including Qeshm and Larak islands; the Mesopotamian Plain and probably also Qazvin Prov. Its occurrence in Iran was first indicated by Moravec & Böhme (1997) and confirmed by Bauer et al. (2006). HABITAT. Usually found near human settlements, on walls of abandoned as well as inhabited buildings, under wooden and rocky debris. REMARKS. There has been an ongoing discrepancy regarding the presence of H. turcicus in Iran. Hemidactylus turcicus was for long believed to occupy large territory from the western Mediterranean across the Arabian Peninsula and Mesopotamian Plain to Iran and Pakistan, until H. robustus was revalidated as a full species (Lanza 1990; Moravec & Böhme 1997) and the eastern parts of the formerly large range were assigned to the latter species. Morphologically these two species are very similar and can be easily confused. However, they are not closely related. Hemidactylus robustus belongs to a species group with mostly S Arabian distribution whereas H. turcicus is a member of a species group of Levant origin (Moravec et al. 2011; Šmíd et al. 2013a). Based on the latest summarization of the distribution of both species (Sindaco & Jeremčenko 2008) we believe that the records of H. turcicus from Iran should be referred to as H. robustus, although we have not seen the material. Also, recent records of H. turcicus from Iran (Werner 2006; Gholamifard & Rastegar-Pouyani 2011) are more likely misidentified specimens of H. robustus (see Fig. 2 in Gholamifard & Rastegar-Pouyani, 2011). Therefore all specimens determined in the source reference as H. turcicus are depicted in the map of H. robustus in Fig. 46 as dubious records. A single remote record from Turkmenistan by Obst (1984) was rejected as an accidentally imported specimen or museum error (Szczerbak & Golubev 1996). Peculiar remain also two animals collected near Qazvin by Guibé (1957) which are, however, also considered only accidental introductions along caravan routes (Anderson 1999). REFERENCES. Moravec & Böhme (1997); Anderson (1999); Bauer et al. (2006); Gholamifard & Rastegar-Pouyani (2011); Šmíd et al. (2013a, b). Hemidactylus romeshkanicus Torki, Manthey & Barts, 2011 HOLOTYPE. ZMB 75020. TYPE LOCALITY. Western slope of the central Zagros Mountains, Romeshkan region, Lorestan Prov., Iran. DISTRIBUTION. Endemic to Iran. DISTRIBUTION IN IRAN. Fig. 47. Known only from the type locality in Lorestan Prov. HABITAT. The only available information says the habitat “...is mountainous and covered with scattered oak forest. The specimen ... was found under a large stone.” (Torki et al. 2011a). REMARKS. The species is believed to be a member of the arid clade of Hemidactylus (Šmíd et al. 2013a). REFERENCES. Torki et al. (2011a). Mediodactylus Szczerbak & Golubev, 1977 Mediodactylus aspratilis (Anderson, 1973) HOLOTYPE. USNM 193961.


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TYPE LOCALITY. 35 km E Gach Saran, Fars Prov., Iran. DISTRIBUTION. Endemic to Iran. DISTRIBUTION IN IRAN. Fig. 48. SW Iran W of the Zagros. This gecko was for long thought to be distributed only in Fars and Kohgiluyeh and Boyer Ahmad Prov. (Anderson 1999; Sindaco & Jeremčenko 2008), but recent extensive field work in western Iran resulted in numerous new records from Kermanshah, Hamadan, and Lorestan Prov. (Kami 1999; Nazari-Serenjeh & Torki 2008a; Torki 2010b; Karamiani & Rastegar-Pouyani 2011). HABITAT. Rocky Zagros foothill regions with sparse vegetation where the geckos seek for shelter in rock crevices and between boulders; also found on a wall of a residential building (Kami 1999; Karamiani & Rastegar-Pouyani 2011). REMARKS. Originally described as Bunopus, but later on reassigned to the genus Carinatogecko (Golubev & Szczerbak 1981), which has been, in turn, synonymized with Mediodactylus by Červenka et al. (2010). However, many authors do not accept this later synonymization and consider Carinatogecko a valid genus (see comments by Torki (2011)), but without any support from phylogenetic analyses. Based on a distribution of key characters among examined specimens, Červenka et al. (2010) also tentatively concluded that M. aspratilis might be a junior synonym of M. heteropholis. REFERENCES. Anderson (1973, 1999); Golubev & Szczerbak (1981); Kami (1999); Nazari-Serenjeh & Torki (2008a); Červenka et al. (2010); Karamiani & Rastegar-Pouyani (2011). Mediodactylus heterocercum (Blanford, 1874) LECTOTYPE. TZM R2532, designated by Szczerbak & Golubev (1986). TYPE LOCALITY. “Hamadán in Persia occidentali” [= Hamadan, Hamadan Prov., Iran]. DISTRIBUTION. Turkey, Syria, Iraq, Iran. DISTRIBUTION IN IRAN. Fig. 49. West of the Zagros, most records are from Ilam, Lorestan, Kermanshah, and Hamadan Prov. There is an isolated record from Persepolis (Fars Prov.) doubted by many authors (Szczerbak & Golubev 1996; Anderson 1999; Sindaco & Jeremčenko 2008), but latest findings confirm the presence of M. heterocercum also in Esfahan Prov. (Rastegar-Pouyani et al. 2009a) and make this record more plausible. The Iranian part of the species range is occupied by the nominotypical subspecies; Turkey, Syria, and Iraq are inhabited by M. h. mardinensis Mertens. HABITAT. Occurs on boulders or under stones in rocky areas but also on walls of both abandoned and inhabited buildings. REFERENCES. Szczerbak & Golubev (1986, 1996); Anderson (1999); Fathinia et al. (2009); Rastegar-Pouyani et al. (2009a); Rösler et al. (2012). Mediodactylus heteropholis (Minton, Anderson & Anderson, 1970) HOLOTYPE. FMNH 74549. TYPE LOCALITY. Pirman Hotel, Salahedin, Salahedin Nahiya, Erbil Governorate, Iraq. DISTRIBUTION. Iraq and Iran. DISTRIBUTION IN IRAN. Fig. 50. Only four known localities in Ilam, Kermanshah, and Lorestan Prov. HABITAT. In Iran collected in semihumid Zagrosian oak forest, the types from Iraq were collected on the floor of a hotel porch. REMARKS. Červenka et al. (2010) placed the genus Carinatogecko, which formerly contained C. aspratilis and C. heteropholis, in the synonymy of Mediodactylus. This taxonomic action, however, has not been accepted by many authors (Fathinia et al. 2011a, c; Karamiani & Rastegar-Pouyani 2011; Sadeghi & Torki 2011; Torki 2011, 2012). Torki (2011) suggested that the specimen included by Červenka et al. (2010) and determined as Carinatogecko cf. heteropholis might by a misidentified specimen of M. heterocercum. If Torki’s assumption is correct, the validity of Carinatogecko might be maintained at least until more species of this genus are sequenced. Nevertheless, here we agree with Bauer et al. (2013) and follow the concept of Červenka et al. (2010). REFERENCES. Anderson (1999); Červenka et al. (2010); Fathinia et al. (2011c); Torki (2011, 2012); Bauer et al. (2013). Mediodactylus ilamensis (Fathinia, Karamiani, Darvishnia, Heidari & Rastegar-Pouyani, 2011) HOLOTYPE. RUZM-GC120.1.



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TYPE LOCALITY. Zarin-Abad region, Dehloran Township, Ilam Prov., Iran. DISTRIBUTION. Endemic to Iran. DISTRIBUTION IN IRAN. Fig. 51. Known only from two specimens from the type locality. HABITAT. The type locality lies in an area of gypsum and lime deposits and is covered with different vegetation types mainly including grasses, bushes and shrubs (Capparidaceae: Capparis spinosa, Cleome oxypetala; Caryophyllaceae: Gypsophyla linearifolia, G. pallida; Chenopodiaceae: Halocharis sulphurea, Noaea mucronata, Salsola imbricate; Compositae: Achillea conferta; Rosaceae: Amygdalus arabica), and sparse trees (Pistachia atlantica and Quercus brantii). The specimens were collected on foothills heavily grazed by sheep and goats. REMARKS. Originally described under the genus Carinatogecko. For discussion on synonymization with Mediodactylus see Bauer et al. (2013) and remarks by M. heteropholis above. REFERENCES. Fathinia et al. (2011a); Bauer et al. (2013). Mediodactylus russowii (Strauch, 1887) LECTOTYPE. ZIL 3658; Lectotype ZIL 9334a (M. r. zarudnyi), both designated by Szczerbak & Golubev (1986). TYPE LOCALITY. Originally Novo-Aleksandorvsk, Chodschent, Mangyschlak, Murza-Robat, Mohal-tau, Tschimkent, Tschinaz, des. Golodnaja, Utsch-Kurgan ad Naryn, Chark-Ukjur (ex. Nikolsky (1915)). Restricted to Nowo-Aleksandrowsk by Mertens & Wermuth (1960); further restricted to “ruins of old fortress at NovoAleksandrovskoye” by Szczerbak & Golubev (1986) who also provide a detailed discussion on the type locality. DISTRIBUTION. S Russia, Kazakhstan, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Afghanistan, NE Iran, China. DISTRIBUTION IN IRAN. Fig. 52. Eastern and northeastern Iran; new localities were recently published by Mahroo et al. (2013). HABITAT. Restricted to flatland desert and semidesert areas where it lives on tree trunks, cliffs in river and ravine plains, under rocks and on walls of ruined and inhabited buildings made of clay and stone. REMARKS. Eastern Iran is inhabited by the subspecies M. r. zarudnyi (Nikolsky). According to the latest phylogenetic studies (Gamble et al. 2012; Pyron et al. 2013), M. russowii together with its sister species, M. spinicauda, form a group isolated from other Mediodactylus and nested closer to a clade of Pseudoceramodactylus, Tropiocolotes, and Stenodactylus thus rendering the genus Mediodactylus paraphyletic. REFERENCES. Szczerbak & Golubev (1986, 1996); Anderson (1999); Gamble et al. (2012); Bauer et al. (2013); Mahroo et al. (2013). Mediodactylus sagittifer (Nikolsky, 1900) LECTOTYPE. ZIL 9331, designated by Szczerbak & Golubev (1986). TYPE LOCALITY. Originally Bampur and Farra, SE Iran; restricted to Bampur, Sistan and Baluchistan Prov., Iran by Szczerbak & Golubev (1986). DISTRIBUTION. Iran and Pakistan. DISTRIBUTION IN IRAN. Fig. 53. Hormozgan and Sistan and Baluchistan Prov. HABITAT. Specimens were caught on tree trunks in an acacia forest and on a wall of a subterranean house (Szczerbak & Golubev 1996). REMARKS. Mediodactylus sagittifer is considered a younger synonym of Cyrtopodion brevipes by Nazarov et al. (2012). It was recovered as closely related to M. kotschyi (Červenka et al. 2008). REFERENCES. Szczerbak & Golubev (1986, 1996); Anderson (1999); Červenka et al. (2008); Červenka & Kratochvíl (2010). Mediodactylus spinicauda (Strauch, 1887) HOLOTYPE. ZIL 4047. TYPE LOCALITY. Shahrud, Semnan Prov., Iran. DISTRIBUTION. Iran, Turkmenistan, Afghanistan. DISTRIBUTION IN IRAN. Fig. 54. N and NE parts of the country, reported from Tehran, Semnan, Khorasan Razavi and South Khorasan Prov. HABITAT. The only information available from Iran is by Nazarov (2005), who found M. spinicauda in an intermontane argillaceous rubble plain with sparse vegetation consisting of wormwood and some species of


ŠMÍD ET. AL.

saltwort and subshrub, which is in agreement with data from the Kopet Dagh piedmont in Turkmenistan (Szczerbak & Golubev 1996). REMARKS. A sister species to M. russowii (Macey et al. 2000b; Pyron et al. 2013). For discussion on the phylogenetic relationships among Mediodactylus and the paraphyly of the genus see remarks by M. russowii above. REFERENCES. Szczerbak & Golubev (1996); Anderson (1999); Nazarov (2005); Gamble et al. (2012); Bauer et al. (2013). Mediodactylus stevenandersoni (Torki, 2011) HOLOTYPE. ZFMK 91901. TYPE LOCALITY. Tang-e-Gavshomar region (Ganj-Dare), Delphan City, Lorestan Prov., Iran. DISTRIBUTION. Endemic to Iran. DISTRIBUTION IN IRAN. Fig. 55. The central Zagros Mountains (Lorestan and Markazi Prov.). HABITAT. Mountainous area with numerous rocks and stones which provide natural day shelters for the geckos. All localities from which M. stevenandersoni has been reported are covered with oak forest. REMARKS. Originally described under the genus Carinatogecko. REFERENCES. Sadeghi & Torki (2011); Torki (2011). Microgecko Nikolsky, 1907 The genus Microgecko contains four species and is restricted to Iran, Pakistan, and India. Its former rank under Tropiocolotes has been intensely debated in the herpetological literature (Anderson 1961, 1999; Minton & Anderson 1965; Guibé 1966a; Minton et al. 1970; Kluge 1983; Leviton et al. 1992; Szczerbak & Golubev 1996), but recent phylogenetic studies clearly show the distinctness of these genera (Bauer et al. 2013; Pyron et al. 2013). Microgecko helenae Nikolsky, 1907 LECTOTYPE. ZIL 10242, designated by Szczerbak & Golubev (1986); Holotype ZSM 501/68 (M. h. fasciatus). TYPE LOCALITY. Syntypes collected at Alchorschir [Alkhorshid], Aguljaschker [Ab-e Lashkar? (locality position based on map by Szczerbak & Golubev (1996), Fig. 52)], Isfagan [Esfahan], and Bidezar [Bid Zard]; restricted to Bid Zard by Schmidtler & Schmidtler (1972) who, however, did not designate any lectotype, and again to Alkhorshid by Szczerbak & Golubev (1986) by lectotype designation. Therefore the restriction made by Szczerbak & Golubev is valid. DISTRIBUTION. Endemic to Iran. DISTRIBUTION IN IRAN. Fig. 56. The Mesopotamian Plain and western foothills of the Zagros (Kermanshah, Ilam, Lorestan, Markazi, Khuzestan, Esfahan, Kohgiluyeh and Boyer Ahmad, and Fars Prov.). A single record (SUHC collection) from Sistan and Baluchistan Prov. is dubious. HABITAT. Collected in an area characterized by rolling hills with limestone and gypsum outcroppings, ground with flat stones and vegetation consisting of scattered grasses, mosses, thorny shrubs, euphorbs, and scattered oaks. REMARKS. Microgecko h. fasciatus (Schmidtler & Schmidtler) (type locality Dize [Sorkheh Dizeh], Kermanshah Prov.) occurs in the NW portion of the species range. However, it overlaps with the nominotypical subspecies in Lorestan Prov. Two records from the CUP collection from the central and southern part of the distribution have a high number of dorsal scales (character of M. h. fasciatus), indicating that this trait characterizes more intraspecific individual variability and that the subspecies M. h. fasciatus may not be valid, as also stated by Szczerbak & Golubev (1996). REFERENCES. Tuck (1971b); Schmidtler & Schmidtler (1972); Szczerbak & Golubev (1986, 1996); Anderson (1999); Torki (2007b); Torki & Gharzi (2008); Karamiani & Rastegar-Pouyani (2012). Microgecko latifi (Leviton & Anderson, 1972) HOLOTYPE. CAS 134365. TYPE LOCALITY. Kerman, Kerman Prov., Iran. DISTRIBUTION. Endemic to Iran. DISTRIBUTION IN IRAN. Fig. 57. The central Iranian Plateau and the eastern and southern Zagros foothills.



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HABITAT. Specimens reported by Moravec & Černý (1994) were found under stones on the shore of a small stream, in a wadi and on a mountain ridge. Animals in Mahan, Kerman Prov. were found under large dirt boulders near cultivated gardens (pers. obs.). REFERENCES. Moravec & Černý (1994); Kami & Vakilpoure (1996); Anderson (1999); Rastegar-Pouyani et al. (2009b); Mirghazanfari (2013). Microgecko persicus (Nikolsky, 1903) HOLOTYPE. ZIL 10005; Holotype CAS 86408 (M. p. bakhtiari). TYPE LOCALITY. Vicus Degak in terra Dizak, Persia orient. [= Dehak, Sistan and Baluchistan Prov., Iran]. DISTRIBUTION. Iran, Pakistan, India. DISTRIBUTION IN IRAN. Fig. 58. S Iran from Khuzestan to Sistan and Baluchistan Prov. in a belt of about 300 km along the Persian Gulf shores. HABITAT. Found in various types of habitats from mountain or hilly regions with various degree of forestation to sand dunes on sedimentary plains. Karamiani et al. (2013) collected specimens of M. p. bakhtiari Minton, Anderson & Anderson on gypsum foothills with scarce vegetation. REMARKS. There are two subspecies occurring in Iran: the nominotypical one in the east of the country and M. p. bakhtiari in Khuzestan and Bushehr Prov. The two subspecies can be distinguished on the basis of different dorsal colour pattern, M. p. bakhtiari having dark crossbars broader than interspaces while the pattern in M. p. persicus is the opposite. However, Rajabizadeh et al. (2010a) found varying dorsal pattern among specimens from a locality in Hormozgan Prov. and assumed that there is a clinal variation in the width of dorsal bands across Iran. There is a single specimen in the MCZ collection (MCZ R-127395) from “35 km E of Gach Saran”, Fars Prov., supposedly belonging to M. p. euphorbiacola Minton, Anderson & Anderson, a subspecies distributed in S Pakistan and NW India, which we consider wrongly determined based on its location, but closer examination of the specimen is needed. REFERENCES. Minton et al. (1970); Anderson (1999); Rajabizadeh et al. (2010a); Torki (2010c); Karamiani et al. (2013). Pseudoceramodactylus Haas, 1957 Pseudoceramodactylus is a monotypic genus. Kluge (1967) synonymized it with Stenodactylus, but Fujita and Papenfuss (2011) based on molecular data resurrected the original genus name which is in agreement with the latest phylogenetic studies (Metallinou et al. 2012; Pyron et al. 2013). Pseudoceramodactylus khobarensis Haas, 1957 HOLOTYPE. CAS 84458. TYPE LOCALITY. Al Khobar, Eastern Region, Saudi Arabia. DISTRIBUTION. Regions around the Persian Gulf (Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, UAE, Oman, Iran). DISTRIBUTION IN IRAN. Fig. 59. Qeshm Island in the Strait of Hormuz (Dakhteh et al. 2007). HABITAT. A typical flatland dweller living on sandy or compact saline soils with widely spaced bushes. REFERENCES. Haas (1957); Arnold (1980a); Dakhteh et al. (2007). Rhinogekko de Witte, 1973 A very little known genus containing only two species with the distribution restricted to Iran and Pakistan. Szczerbak & Golubev (1986) placed it in the synonymy of Agamura. Contrary to them, Anderson (1999) did not find any of the representatives closely related to A. persica and considered the genus Rhinogekko justified. Most authors misspell the genus name to Rhinogecko [sic] (Khan 2002, 2004; Rastegar-Pouyani et al. 2008; Sindaco & Jeremčenko 2008; Moradi et al. 2011; Masroor 2012; Bauer et al. 2013). Nevertheless, the name is derived from the etymon Gekko and must be spelled Rhinogekko as given in the original description. Rhinogekko femoralis (Smith, 1933) HOLOTYPE. BMNH 1946.8.20.48 (ex. BMNH 12.3.26.12). TYPE LOCALITY. Kharan, Baluchistan, Pakistan. DISTRIBUTION. Iran and Pakistan.


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DISTRIBUTION IN IRAN. Fig. 60. Extreme eastern Sistan and Baluchistan Prov. HABITAT. The only available information is from Pakistan by Minton (1966) who collected his specimens near rocky outcrops in sandy habitats. REMARKS. The two Iranian localities of R. femoralis mentioned by Szczerbak & Golubev (1986; Koh-i Taftan and Mirjawe [Meer Jawe]), are doubted to be situated in Iran by Anderson (1999). The species is also not listed in the last country checklist (Rastegar-Pouyani et al. 2008). The Koh-i Taftan specimens were apparently collected at Taftan, a railway station in Pakistan about 2 km east of the border. Also de Witte (1980), who studied the material, states that all specimens were from W Pakistan. However, Mirjawe is a city in Iran about 2 km west of the Pakistani border and because precise location of the specimens cannot be specified, and the Iranian Mirjawe cannot be ruled out, we tentatively include this locality here as the only place in Iran this species is known from. REFERENCES. Minton (1966); de Witte (1980); Szczerbak & Golubev (1996); Anderson (1999). Rhinogekko misonnei de Witte, 1973 HOLOTYPE. IRSNB 2514. TYPE LOCALITY. Dasht-e Lut (30° 13' N, 58° 47' E), Kerman Prov., Iran. DISTRIBUTION. Iran and Pakistan. DISTRIBUTION IN IRAN. Fig. 61. Known only from the Dasht-e Lut desert from South Khorasan and Kerman Prov. HABITAT. The types were caught in an area devoid of vegetation. Moradi et al. (2011) collected three specimens on gravel plains with sparse vegetation dominated by Seidlitzia rosmarinus and Tamarix sp. REMARKS. Anderson (1999) found R. misonnei doubtfully distinct from R. femoralis. REFERENCES. de Witte (1973, 1980); Anderson (1999); Moradi et al. (2011). Stenodactylus Fitzinger, 1826 Stenodactylus affinis (Murray, 1884) SYNTYPES. BMNH 1946.8.23.33 (ex. BMNH 84.7.25.1), BMNH 1946.8.23.60 (ex. BMNH 87.9.22.2). TYPE LOCALITY. Tanjistan, Persia [Tangestan, Bushehr Prov., Iran]. DISTRIBUTION. Iraq, Kuwait, Iran. DISTRIBUTION IN IRAN. Fig. 62. Restricted to the Mesopotamian Plain (Ilam, Khuzestan Prov.) and areas along the Persian Gulf coast (Bushehr and Hormozgan Prov.). HABITAT. The Iranian specimens were caught in “... a gravelled site on gypsum foothills with Alhagi camelorum vegetation” (Fathinia et al. 2009), under stones in a cultivated field and on an unpaved road (Anderson 1999). REMARKS. The closest relatives of S. affinis are S. grandiceps from the Levant and S. slevini from the Arabian Peninsula (Metallinou et al. 2012). REFERENCES. Arnold (1980a); Anderson (1999); Torki (2010d); Metallinou et al. (2012); Hosseinian Yousefkhani et al. (2013b); Kamali (2013a). Stenodactylus arabicus (Haas, 1957) HOLOTYPE. CAS 84321. TYPE LOCALITY. Abqaiq, Eastern Region, Saudi Arabia. DISTRIBUTION. The southeastern Arabian Peninsula (Yemen, Saudi Arabia, Oman, UAE, Qatar, Kuwait, Iran). DISTRIBUTION IN IRAN. Fig 63. Known only from one recently recorded locality in Khuzestan Prov. (Fathinia et al. 2014). HABITAT. Areas of windblown sand and sand dunes with sparse shrubby vegetation. REMARKS. A sister species to S. sharqiyahensis Metallinou & Carranza from eastern Oman (Metallinou & Carranza 2013). REFERENCES. Arnold (1980a); Metallinou et al. (2012); Metallinou & Carranza (2013); Fathinia et al. (2014). Stenodactylus doriae (Blanford, 1874) HOLOTYPE. MZUT R3011. TYPE LOCALITY. Originally Bandar Abbas, later on corrected by the same author (Blanford 1876) to “one [day’s] march from Bandar Abbas on road to Kerman” [Bushehr Prov., Iran]. DISTRIBUTION. Israel, Jordan, Iraq, Kuwait, Iran, and the Arabian Peninsula.



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DISTRIBUTION IN IRAN. Fig. 64. Along the Persian Gulf shore in Khuzestan, Bushehr and Hormozgan Prov. HABITAT. Bound to loose sand, sand dunes with scattered low shrubs, sandy torrent beds and other habitats with loose substrates. REMARKS. Arnold’s (1980a) phylogenetic hypothesis based on morphological characters is in agreement with the latest DNA analyses (Metallinou et al. 2012; Pyron et al. 2013) in placing S. doriae to the sister position to S. leptocosymbotes (Leviton & Anderson). REFERENCES. Arnold (1980a); Anderson (1999); Metallinou et al. (2012). Tenuidactylus Szczerbak & Golubev, 1984 Although described as a separate genus, it was for long treated as a subgenus of Cyrtopodion (Böhme 1985; Anderson 1999; Sindaco & Jeremčenko 2008). Recent phylogenetic studies show the distinctness of Tenuidactylus and prove its genus level is justified (Gamble et al. 2012; Bauer et al. 2013). However, its phylogenetic position with respect to Cyrtopodion has not been satisfactorily resolved. Červenka et al. (2008) and Pyron et al. (2013) placed it between the agamuroides and scabrum groups of Cyrtopodion, thus rendering Cyrtopodion paraphyletic. Tenuidactylus caspius (Eichwald, 1831) LECTOTYPE. ZIL 3182, designated by Szczerbak & Golubev (1986). TYPE LOCALITY. Baku, Azerbaijan. DISTRIBUTION. Transcaucasia, S Russia, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, N Afghanistan, and N and E Iran. DISTRIBUTION IN IRAN. Fig. 65. W of the Caspian Sea, the eastern Alborz and Kopet Dagh ranges, along the Afghan border to the Zabol region in Sistan and Baluchistan Prov. Two isolated and dubious records from Kermanshah and Fars Prov. require further confirmation (Szczerbak & Golubev 1996). HABITAT. Vertical cliffs and rocky faces; also found in anthropogenic habitats on brick walls, stone fences, and other abandoned structures as well as on inhabited buildings. REFERENCES. Szczerbak & Golubev (1986, 1996); Kami (2005a); Červenka et al. (2008); Ahmadzadeh et al. (2008, 2010); Bauer et al. (2013); Hojati et al. (2013). Tenuidactylus longipes (Nikolsky, 1896) LECTOTYPE. ZIL 8810, designated by Szczerbak & Golubev (1986). TYPE LOCALITY. Neh [Nehbandan], South Khorasan Prov., Iran. DISTRIBUTION. Turkmenistan, E Iran, W Afghanistan. DISTRIBUTION IN IRAN. Fig. 66. Border region by Afghanistan and Pakistan (Khorasan Razavi, South Khorasan, Sistan and Baluchistan Prov.); two records from the central deserts (extreme eastern Yazd and Khorasan Razavi Prov.). HABITAT. Iranian specimens were collected on walls of mud-brick buildings and between rocks on bare, rocky hills in dry, open country (Anderson 1999). REMARKS. The Iranian populations are assigned to the subspecies T. l. longipes. Tenuidactylus voraginosus (Leviton & Anderson), an Afghan species previously considered a subspecies of T. longipes, is now regarded a full species (Bauer et al. 2013). REFERENCES. Leviton & Anderson (1984); Szczerbak & Golubev (1986, 1996); Anderson (1999); Bauer et al. (2013). Tenuidactylus turcmenicus (Szczerbak, 1978) HOLOTYPE. ZIK Re No. 10. TYPE LOCALITY. Agashly near Kushka, Badghyz, Turkmenistan. DISTRIBUTION. Iran, Turkmenistan, Afghanistan. DISTRIBUTION IN IRAN. Fig. 67. Known only from an unverified record from Gorgan, Golestan Prov. (NHMW specimen), a locality remarkably distant from the rest of the species range in N Afghanistan. HABITAT. In Turkmenistan this gecko inhabits vertical limestone cliffs with predominantly southern exposure, it is absent from taluses and individual rocky boulders (Szczerbak & Golubev 1996).


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REMARKS. The actual occurrence of T. turcmenicus in Iran needs to be proven. REFERENCES. Szczerbak & Golubev (1996); Anderson (1999).

Tropiocolotes Peters, 1880 Tropiocolotes naybandensis Krause, Ahmadzadeh, Moazeni, Wagner & Wilms, 2013 HOLOTYPE. ZFMK 92344. TYPE LOCALITY. Nayband, Asalouyeh, Bushehr Prov., Iran. DISTRIBUTION. Endemic to Iran. DISTRIBUTION IN IRAN. Fig. 68. Known with certainty only from Bushehr and Fars Prov. HABITAT. The types were collected under stones in a semi desert habitat vegetated with Calotropis procera, Ficus religiosa, Lycium edgewothii, Prosopis cineraria, P. juliflor, Ziziphus spina-christi, and Zygophyllum atriplicoides. Another specimen from Fars Prov. was collected on a hillside amongst sparse xerophytic vegetation (Gholamifard et al. 2010). REMARKS. Tropiocolotes naybandensis is a member of the T. steudneri/ nattereri species group with the centre of distribution in NW Africa (Egypt, Sudan) and the Levant (Krause et al. 2013). REFERENCES. Gholamifard et al. (2010); Krause et al. (2013). Tropiocolotes sp. DISTRIBUTION. Known only from S Iran. DISTRIBUTION IN IRAN. Fig. 69. Fars, Bushehr, and Hormozgan Prov. including Qeshm Island. HABITAT. Mainland Iranian localities are situated in coastal sedimentary steppe between the Zagros and the sea. The inland localities reported by Rajabizadeh et al. (2010b) were of various vegetation and soil type, a steep flood plain with sandy soil admixed with sandstone and sparse vegetation dominated by Acacia and Ziziphus trees, a salty clayey valley with a sparsely scattered Tamarix, and a highly eroded mountain side plain characterized by sandy to clayey soil and sparse vegetation comprising Halocnemum, Salsola, and Salsoletum shrubs and Acacia, Calotropis, Prosopsis, and Ziziphus trees. REMARKS. This species has been referred to as T. cf. steudneri in previous studies. After the populations from the central Saudi Arabia were recognized as a separate species, T. wolfgangboehmei Wilms, Shobrak & Wagner, and the distribution of T. steudneri (Peters) was confined to Africa (Wilms et al. 2010; Sindaco et al. 2013) it became obvious that it is zoogeographically extremely unlikely that the Iranian populations belong to T. steudneri. Moreover, recent morphological analysis recovered this species very distinct from T. steudneri, being closer to T. wolfgangboehmei and T. bisharicus (Krause et al. 2013). Based on this evidence we therefore do not consider this species even closely related to T. steudneri. It still awaits its description. REFERENCES. Guibé (1966b); Anderson (1999); Kamali & Dakhteh (2006); Gholamifard et al. (2010); Rajabizadeh et al. (2010b); Wilms et al. (2010); Krause et al. (2013). Lacertidae Acanthodactylus Fitzinger, 1834 Acanthodactylus blanfordii Boulenger, 1918 SYNTYPES. BMNH 1946.9.3.54–55, BMNH 1946.9.8.33–34, BMNH 1946.9.8.43–44. TYPE LOCALITY. Originally “Perse et Béloutchistan”; syntypes from Bam and Jask [Iran] and Dasht and Mand [Pakistan], although Boulenger (1921) listed only Bam and Mand. DISTRIBUTION. SE Iran, Afghanistan, Pakistan, and N Oman. DISTRIBUTION IN IRAN. Fig. 70. Hormozgan, Kerman, and Sistan and Baluchistan Prov. HABITAT. In Iran confined to lowland sandy habitats with scattered Acacia and Tamarix (Anderson 1999; Heidari & Kami 2009). REMARKS. Both morphology and DNA data recover A. blanfordii as a sister species of A. schmidti (Arnold 1983; Harris & Arnold 2000). REFERENCES. Salvador (1982); Arnold (1983); Anderson (1999); Rastegar-Pouyani et al. (2011a); Heidari et al. (2012a).



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Acanthodactylus boskianus (Daudin, 1802) HOLOTYPE. MNHN 2762; Syntypes BMNH 1946.8.4.83–90 (A. b. euphraticus). TYPE LOCALITY. “L’Ile Saint-Dominigue”, in error according to Anderson (1999), who considers Mediterranean Egypt more probable. DISTRIBUTION. An extensive range from Western Sahara and Mauritania through all North African countries to the Levant, S Turkey, Iraq, the whole Arabian Peninsula, and marginally W Iran. DISTRIBUTION IN IRAN. Fig. 71. Kermanshah, Ilam, Lorestan, Khuzestan Prov. HABITAT. The first specimens reported from Iran were collected on sandy hills covered by Astragalus (RastegarPouyani 1999c). Hosseinian Yousefkhani et al. (2012b) reports habitat composed of gypsum and limestone deposits with deep crevices and holes. Associated with annual grasses, Amygdalus and Graminaceae (Nazarov et al 2011). REMARKS. The only available phylogenetic study which compared A. boskianus specimens from a larger part of its immense range suggests that the species is formed by several isolated evolutionary lineages (Harris & Arnold 2000). The subspecies A. b. euphraticus Boulenger (type locality Ramadieh [=Ramadi, Al-Anbar Governorate, Iraq]) occurs in Iran. REFERENCES. Salvador (1982); Arnold (1983); Anderson (1999); Rastegar-Pouyani (1999c); Harris & Arnold (2000); Wilms & Hulbert (2003); Nazarov et al. (2011); Gharzi et al. (2012). Acanthodactylus cantoris Günther, 1864 SYNTYPES. BMNH 1946.8.4.15–20. TYPE LOCALITY. Ramnuggar [= Ramnagar], India. DISTRIBUTION. Extreme SE Iran, Pakistan, Afghanistan, NW India. DISTRIBUTION IN IRAN. Fig. 72. Sistan and Baluchistan Prov. HABITAT. Loose sand with vegetation dominated by Tamarix and annual shrubs. REMARKS. Recorded from Iran relatively recently (Mozaffari 2010). Acanthodactylus cantoris was thought to be closely related to A. blanfordii which was, in fact, originally described as a variety of the former. Although the species differ only in minor osteological and hemipenial features, phylogenetic analysis of the genus suggests that A. cantoris is sister to A. masirae Arnold from Oman (Harris & Arnold 2000). REFERENCES. Salvador (1982); Arnold (1983); Harris & Arnold (2000); Mozaffari (2010); Heidari et al. (2012b). Acanthodactylus grandis Boulenger, 1909 SYNTYPES. BMNH 1946.9.2.69–70 (ex. BMNH 1909.4.20.27–29) and MNHN 23.8–11. TYPE LOCALITY. Jerud and Ataïbé, E of Damascus, and near Khun Agach, between Damascus and Kutaïfé, Syria. DISTRIBUTION. The Mesopotamian Plain from Israel and Jordan to Syria, N Saudi Arabia, Iraq, Kuwait and W Iran. DISTRIBUTION IN IRAN. Fig. 73. Khuzestan and Bushehr Prov. HABITAT. Active sand dunes with low thorny shrubs. REFERENCES. Salvador (1982); Arnold (1983); Anderson (1999); Harris & Arnold (2000). Acanthodactylus khamirensis Heidari, Rastegar-Pouyani, Rastegar-Pouyani & Rajabizadeh, 2013 HOLOTYPE. RUZM 146. TYPE LOCALITY. 7 km E of Khamir port, Hormozgan Prov., Iran. DISTRIBUTION. Endemic to Iran. DISTRIBUTION IN IRAN. Fig. 74. Known only from the type locality. HABITAT. Calcareous mountains and mountain foothills void of any vegetation except isolated scattered shrubs of Peganum (Zygophyllaceae) under and inside which the lizards take refuge. REMARKS. Acanthodactylus khamirensis belongs to the micropholis species group (Heidari et al. 2013). REFERENCES. Heidari et al. (2013). Acanthodactylus micropholis Blanford, 1874 SYNTYPES. BMNH 1946.9.3.71–72, ZMB 9333, ZSI 5301. TYPE LOCALITY. Originally Gedrosia, Baluchistan; specified by Smith (1935) to Magas, Sistan and Baluchistan Prov., Iran.


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DISTRIBUTION. SE Iran, W Pakistan. DISTRIBUTION IN IRAN. Fig. 75. Sistan and Baluchistan, Hormozgan Prov. So far only a single record from Kerman Prov. (specimen deposited in the Tehran museum, see Anderson (1999)) has been published. Nevertheless, it is very likely that the species distribution spans across this province continuously. Recently, Kamali (2013b) reported the first record of A. micropholis from Bushehr Prov. situated 480 km W of the previously confirmed westernmost locality. HABITAT. Unlike most other members of the genus confined to sand, A. micropholis is in Iran mostly found on gravel or hard soil substrate with scattered shrubby vegetation. On the other hand, Pakistani populations inhabit sandy stream beds and canyons (Minton 1966; Khan 2006). REFERENCES. Salvador (1982); Arnold (1983); Anderson (1999); Harris & Arnold (2000); Kamali (2013b). Acanthodactylus nilsoni Rastegar-Pouyani, 1998 HOLOTYPE. GNHM 5145. TYPE LOCALITY. 5 km S of Qasr-e-Shirin, Kermanshah Prov., Iran. DISTRIBUTION. Endemic to Iran. DISTRIBUTION IN IRAN. Fig. 76. Known only from the type locality and its vicinity. HABITAT. Sandy and stony hills with luxuriant bushes including Alhagi, Artemisia, Astragalus, Euphorbia, Tamarix, and Zygophyllum. REMARKS. The type locality lies about 7 km E of the borders with Iraq, therefore the occurrence of A. nilsoni in Iraq can be expected. REFERENCES. Rastegar-Pouyani (1998a); Anderson (1999). Acanthodactylus schmidti Haas, 1957 HOLOTYPE. CAS 84599. TYPE LOCALITY. Dhahran, Eastern Region, Saudi Arabia. DISTRIBUTION. The Arabian Peninsula including S Jordan, Iraq, and westernmost Iran. DISTRIBUTION IN IRAN. Fig. 77. Khuzestan and Bushehr Prov. HABITAT. Active sand dunes with sparse vegetation. REMARKS. Described by Haas (1957) as a subspecies of A. cantoris, subsequently elevated to a species level by Arnold (1980b). Its closest relative seems to be A. blanfordii (Harris & Arnold 2000). REFERENCES. Salvador (1982); Arnold (1983); Anderson (1999); Harris & Arnold (2000). Apathya Méhely, 1907 This genus consists of only two species—A. cappadocica and A. yassujica. Recent phylogenetic study of the genus brought an evidence of exceptionally high level of intraspecific variation among populations (recognized as distinct subspecies) of A. cappadocica (Kapli et al. 2013). Even more interesting was the phylogenetic position of A. yassujica which was nested within A. cappadocica urmiana as a sister group to its Iranian populations and rendering A. cappadocica paraphyletic with respect to A. yassujica. Apathya cappadocica (Werner, 1902) HOLOTYPE. Lost (Eiselt 1979); Holotype ZIL 12657b (A. c. urmiana). TYPE LOCALITY. Erdschias-Dagh [= Mount Erciyes, Kayseri Prov., Turkey]; the second syntype from Burdur [Buldur], Turkey, is misidentified Anatololacerta danfordi (Günther) (Eiselt 1979); type locality of the Iranian subspecies A. c. urmiana is Kherra, Berdesur River Gorge, West Azerbaijan Prov., Iran. DISTRIBUTION. S Turkey, N Syria, N Iraq, W Iran. DISTRIBUTION IN IRAN. Fig. 78. Confined to the provinces adjoining Iraq (West Azerbaijan, East Azerbaijan, Kordestan, Kermanshah, Ilam Prov.). HABITAT. Vertical rock walls and rocky outcrops. Anderson (1999) observed this species in a narrow gorge with steep, loose, rocky slopes with overgrazed steppe vegetation with Crataegus, Juglans, Olea, and Pistacia trees. REMARKS. All Iranian populations are attributed to A. c. urmiana Lantz & Suchow (for map of the distribution of all A. cappadocica subspecies see Kapli et al. (2013)).



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REFERENCES. Lantz & Suchow (1934); Eiselt (1979); Anderson (1999); Arnold et al. (2007); Rajabizadeh et al. (2010c); Kapli et al. (2013). Apathya yassujica (Nilson, Rastegar-Pouyani, Rastegar-Pouyani & Andrén, 2003) HOLOTYPE. GNM 5612. TYPE LOCALITY. 30 km SW Yasuj, Kohgiluyeh and Boyer Ahmad Prov., Iran (coordinates given by the authors are situated in Fars Prov.). DISTRIBUTION. Endemic to Iran. DISTRIBUTION IN IRAN. Fig. 79. Kohgiluyeh and Boyer Ahmad, Chahar Mahal and Bakhtiari, and Fars Prov. HABITAT. Vertical rock faces on rocky slopes in open Quercus forests (Nilson et al. 2003). REFERENCES. Nilson et al. (2003); Arnold et al. (2007); Rajabizadeh et al. (2010c); Kapli et al. (2013). Darevskia Arribas, 1997 The name Darevskia became officially public in 1999 (Arribas 1999), but it was first used in an unpublished PhD thesis by the same author handed in 1997, and as such should be referred to (Arribas, in litt.). Darevskia caspica Ahmadzadeh, Flecks, Carretero, Mozaffari, Böhme, Harris, Freitas & Rödder, 2013 HOLOTYPE. ZFMK 94109. TYPE LOCALITY. Beliroon, Amol, Mazandaran Prov., Iran. DISTRIBUTION. Endemic to Iran. DISTRIBUTION IN IRAN. Fig. 80. The Hyrcanian forest in Mazandaran Prov. HABITAT. Tree trunks and forest floor. REMARKS. Recently recognized as a distinct species in the D. chlorogaster complex. REFERENCES. Ahmadzadeh et al. (2013a). Darevskia chlorogaster (Boulenger, 1908) LECTOTYPE. BMNH 1946.9.2.29, designated by Ahmadzadeh et al. (2013a). TYPE LOCALITY. Enzeli [= Bandar Anzali, Gilan Prov., Iran]. DISTRIBUTION. Azerbaijan, N Iran. DISTRIBUTION IN IRAN. Fig. 81. Western part of the Caspian Sea coast (Gilan and Mazandaran Prov.). HABITAT. A forest species inhabiting the deciduous Hyrcanian forests on the northern foothills of the Alborz. It readily climbs tree trunks and rock walls in search of patches of sunlight. REMARKS. Prior to the taxonomic changes proposed by Ahmadzadeh et al. (2013a) D. chlorogaster was considered widely distributed along the Caspian Sea coasts from Azerbaijan up to the central Kopet Dagh. However, Ahmadzadeh et al. (2013a) recognized the eastern populations as two distinct species (D. caspica and D. kamii) and restricted D. chlorogaster to the western part of the coast (Gilan and Mazandaran Prov.). Aside from the Caspian range there is a single record from Qom from the city gardens which is believed to be a result of an inadvertent import with vegetation from the Caspian area (Anderson 1999). REFERENCES. Eiselt (1995); Anderson (1999); Arnold et al. (2007); Hosseinian Yousefkhani & Arab (2012); Ahmadzadeh et al. (2013a). Darevskia defilippii (Camerano, 1877) SYNTYPES. MZUT R2713 (3 spec.), MZUT R2734 (3 spec.). TYPE LOCALITY. Lar Valley, Damavand, Mazandaran Prov., Iran. DISTRIBUTION. Endemic to Iran. DISTRIBUTION IN IRAN. Fig. 82. Southern coast of the Caspian Sea on both the northern and southern slopes of the Alborz Mountains (Ardabil, Gilan, Zanjan, Qazvin, Mazandaran, and Tehran Prov.). HABITAT. Hill slopes with loose scree and rocky outcrops and shrubby vegetation. Recorded from up to 3355 m of elevation. REMARKS. As in the case of D. chlorogaster, the previously known distribution was split up into ranges of four independent and geographically non-overlapping species (D. kopetdaghica, D. schaekeli, D. steineri, and D. defilippii) after the revision of the D. defilippii complex by Ahmadzadeh et al. (2013a).


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REFERENCES. Eiselt (1995); Anderson (1999); Arnold et al. (2007); Arribas (2012); Ahmadzadeh et al. (2013a); Yousefi et al. (2013). Darevskia kamii Ahmadzadeh, Flecks, Carretero, Mozaffari, Böhme, Harris, Freitas & Rödder, 2013 HOLOTYPE. ZFMK 94118. TYPE LOCALITY. Naharkhoran Forest, Gorgan, Golestan Prov., Iran. DISTRIBUTION. Endemic to Iran. DISTRIBUTION IN IRAN. Fig. 83. Eastern part of the Hyrcanian forest in the Golestan Prov. HABITAT. Tree trunks and forest floor. REMARKS. A member of the D. chlorogaster species complex, a sister species to a clade formed by D. chlorogaster and D. caspica (Ahmadzadeh et al. 2013a). REFERENCES. Ahmadzadeh et al. (2013a). Darevskia kopetdaghica Ahmadzadeh, Flecks, Carretero, Mozaffari, Böhme, Harris, Freitas & Rödder, 2013 HOLOTYPE. ZFMK 94124. TYPE LOCALITY. Sarani Protected Area, Kopet Dagh, North Khorasan Prov., Iran. DISTRIBUTION. Iran and Turkmenistan. DISTRIBUTION IN IRAN. Fig. 84. North Khorasan Prov. HABITAT. Grassy alpine vegetation (e.g., Acantholimon and Astragalus) and rocky outcrops. REFERENCES. Ahmadzadeh et al. (2013a). Darevskia praticola (Eversmann, 1834) TYPE. ZIL, collection number unknown (Uetz 2013); Holotype SNP No. 1473 (5) (D. p. hyrcanica). TYPE LOCALITY. Nardzana [= Kislowodsk, S Russia fide Tuniyev et al. (2011)]. DISTRIBUTION. A species with a disjunct range. Darevskia p. pontica (Lantz & Cyrén) (regarded a full species by Tuniyev et al. (2011) and Sos et al. (2012)) occurs in the Balkans, the western part of the range. South Russia and W Transcaucasia are inhabited by the nominotypical subspecies. Populations from SE Azerbaijan and N Iran were assigned to a distinct subspecies, D. p. hyrcanica Tuniyev, Doronin, Kidov & Tuniyev, by Tuniyev et al. (2011). DISTRIBUTION IN IRAN. Fig. 85. Confined to a relatively small region by the SW Caspian Sea (Ardabil and Gilan Prov.). HABITAT. Open places in forested areas (pastures and hayfields) close to water reservoirs and places with moist soil (Tuniyev et al. 2011). REFERENCES. Anderson (1999); Arnold et al. (2007); Tuniyev et al. (2011). Darevskia raddei (Boettger, 1892) LECTOTYPE. SMF 12054, designated by Mertens (1967); Holotype RUZM- LL70.1 (D. r. chaldoranensis); Holotype NMW 32999 (D. r. vanensis). TYPE LOCALITY. “Njuwady im mittleren Araxesthal” [= Nyuvadi, Armenia]. DISTRIBUTION. Transcaucasia south of the Grater Caucasus range, E Turkey, NW Iran. DISTRIBUTION IN IRAN. Fig. 86. The NW projection of the country (West Azerbaijan, East Azerbaijan, Ardabil, Zanjan, and Gilan Prov.). There are two subspecies occurring in this relatively small area: the nominotypical one in the eastern part of the range and D. r. chaldoranensis Rastegar-Pouyani, Karamiani, Oraei, Khosrawani & Rastegar-Pouyani in the west. HABITAT. Various rocky habitats as barren rocks, rocky river banks, stony habitats in forest and mountain steppes, ruins, and stone walls. REMARKS. Although Anderson (1999) tentatively assigned the populations north of Lake Urmia [Urumiyeh] to D. r. vanensis (Eiselt, Schmidtler & Darevsky), Rastegar-Pouyani et al. (2011b) re-assigned them to D. r. chaldoranensis. REFERENCES. Eiselt et al. (1993); Schmidtler et al. (1994); Eiselt (1995); Anderson (1999); Fu et al. (2000); Arnold et al. (2007); Rastegar-Pouyani et al. (2011b); Dehghani et al. (2014a,b).



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Darevskia schaekeli Ahmadzadeh, Flecks, Carretero, Mozaffari, Böhme, Harris, Freitas & Rödder, 2013 HOLOTYPE. ZFMK 94200. TYPE LOCALITY. Firouzkooh, Tehran Prov., Iran. DISTRIBUTION. Endemic to Iran. DISTRIBUTION IN IRAN. Fig. 87. Along the Alborz range in N Iran (Tehran, Mazandaram, and Golestan Prov.). HABITAT. Alpine vegetation, rocky outcrops and loose scree at elevations from 1720 m to 2198 m a.s.l. REMARKS. A sister species to D. steineri (Ahmadzadeh et al. 2013a). REFERENCES. Ahmadzadeh et al. (2013a). Darevskia steineri (Eiselt, 1995) HOLOTYPE. NMW 33715. TYPE LOCALITY. Gole-Loweh near Minou-dasht, Golestan Prov. Iran. DISTRIBUTION. Endemic to Iran. DISTRIBUTION IN IRAN. Fig. 88. A small area in Golestan Prov. It was known only from the type specimens until Rastegar-Pouyani et al. (2013b) discovered a population about 35 km NE from the type locality. HABITAT. Darevskia steineri climbs trees and rocks in dense Hyrcanian forests consisting of Acer spp., Alnus serrulata, Glechoma hederacea, Philodendron bipinnatifidum, Quercus castaneifolia, Rubus fruticosus, and Ruscus hurcanus (Hosseinian Yousefkhani et al. 2013g; Rastegar-Pouyani et al. 2013b). REFERENCES. Eiselt (1995); Anderson (1999); Arnold et al. (2007); Ahmadzadeh et al. (2013a); Hosseinian Yousefkhani et al. (2013c); Rastegar-Pouyani et al. (2013b). Eremias Fitzinger, 1834 A species-rich genus containing currently 35 species (Uetz 2013). The distribution spans from E Europe to E China and Korea, most species occur in Central Asia, China, and on the Iranian Plateau. The genus is traditionally divided into five subgenera as proposed by Szczerbak (1974): Eremias, Ommateremias, Pareremias, Rhabderemias, Scapteira. This division is supported by the hemipenial morphology (Arnold 1986b), but species assignment to individual subgenera remains inconsistent (Arnold 1986b; Anderson 1999; Guo et al. 2011). In addition, Scapteira and Rhabderemias were reconstructed as polyphyletic (Guo et al. 2011). Many phylogenetic studies failed to find sister group to Eremias. The genus was recognized as a part of a clade containing the Palearctic genera Acanthodactylus, Mesalina, Omanosaura and Ophisops and the Sub-Saharan Adolfus and Holaspis on the basis of both morphological and genetic data (Arnold 1989; Mayer & Pavlicev 2007; Hipsley et al. 2009). Latest phylogeny of all squamate reptiles (Pyron et al. 2013) recovered Eremias as a sister to the South African lacertids. Eremias acutirostris (Boulenger, 1887) HOLOTYPE. BMNH 1946.8.7.46 (ex. BMNH 86.9.21.88). TYPE LOCALITY. Between Nushki and Helmand, Northern Baluchistan [Afghanistan or Pakistan]. DISTRIBUTION. Helmand basin in E Iran, S Afghanistan, W Pakistan. DISTRIBUTION IN IRAN. Fig. 89. The area E of Zabol near the Afghan borders, Sistan and Baluchistan Prov. HABITAT. Loose drifting sand and sand dunes in which they rapidly burrow when threatened. REFERENCES. Anderson (1999); Hosseinian Yousefkhani et al. (2013d). Eremias andersoni Darevsky & Szczerbak, 1978 HOLOTYPE. MMTT 1671. TYPE LOCALITY. 40–45 km E of Darja-i Nimek [= Daryacheh-ye Namak] lake (34°30' N, 52°40' E), Dasht-e Kavir, Semnan Prov., Iran. DISTRIBUTION. Endemic to Iran. DISTRIBUTION IN IRAN. Fig. 90. Known only from three localities in the western Dasht-e Kavir desert, Semnan Prov. HABITAT. Sandy areas in a stony desert with shrubby vegetation. They can climb well on shrubs. REFERENCES. Darevsky & Szczerbak (1978); Anderson (1999, 2000).


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Eremias arguta (Pallas, 1773) NEOTYPE. ZIL 13205, designated by Szczerbak (1974). TYPE LOCALITY. “Irtin australiorem, rarius circa M. Caspium” [= southern Irtin, ... Caspian Sea, W Kazakhstan] as given by Pallas (1773); Ural and Emba rivers according to Szczerbak (1974). DISTRIBUTION. Wide range spanning from the Eastern Europe through Central Asia to NW China and Mongolia. Southern limit formed by Transcaucasia and N Iran. DISTRIBUTION IN IRAN. Fig. 91. Confirmed records are from West and East Azerbaijan and Ardabil Prov. Records from Shahrud, Semnan Prov. by Bedriaga (1879) and from “Kuhistan” by Werner (1936) as well as specimens deposited in the ZMB museum allegedly from Tehran are doubtful and require confirmation. HABITAT. Ahmadzadeh et al. (2008) collected specimens in a harvested barley field. Other reports are from unforested ridges with scanty herbaceous vegetation (Sobolevsky 1929). REMARKS. The subspecific status of the Iranian populations is not clear. Geographically closest and the potential candidates are E. a. deserti Gmelin known from the E Transcaucasia and E. a. transcaucasica Darevsky from Armenia. The only record since Anderson (1999) was provided by Ahmadzadeh et al. (2008) who, however, did not determine the animal to any subspecies. REFERENCES. Anderson (1999). Eremias fasciata Blanford, 1874 LECTOTYPE. ZMB 9329, designated by Szczerbak (1974). TYPE LOCALITY. “Karman et Gedrosia” [= Kerman and Baluchistan]; restricted to Saidabad [Zeydabad], SW of Kerman by Smith (1935), but later Szczerbak (1974) designated a lectotype from Kerman, although elsewhere in his paper (p. 245) he still gives Saidabad as the type locality. DISTRIBUTION. E Iran, Afghanistan, Pakistan. DISTRIBUTION IN IRAN. Fig. 92. All provinces east of the 55° meridian and south of the Kopet Dagh. The record by Mozaffari & Parham (2007) from Esfahan Prov. and that in the Vienna museum (NHMW 36761) from Kashan are dubious. More plausibly they could be a misidentified E. andersoni distributed in the area and having the same dorsal colour pattern of alternating dark and light longitudinal stripes. HABITAT. Sandy or gravelly plains or silty alluvia with scattered steppe shrubby vegetation (Acacia, Alhagi, Artemisia, Tamarix) under which these lizards seek refuge. REFERENCES. Smith (1935); Szczerbak (1974); Anderson (1999). Eremias grammica (Lichtenstein, 1823) LECTOTYPE. ZMB 1095, designated by Szczerbak (1974). TYPE LOCALITY. “...östlich vom Aralsee...Karakum und Kisilkum” [= East of the Aral Sea, Karakum, and KyzylKum, Turkmenistan]; lectotype from Karakum, Turkmenistan. DISTRIBUTION. NE Iran, Central Asian republics, W China. The distribution of E. grammica seems virtually identical to those of E. intermedia, E. lineolata, and E. scripta (Sindaco & Jeremčenko 2008). DISTRIBUTION IN IRAN. Fig. 93. Restricted to NE Iran to an area by the Afghan borders and just S of the Kopet Dagh. HABITAT. Sand dunes and still-loose sands with psammophilous vegetation (Haloxylon, Tamarix). REMARKS. Closely related to E. pleskei from S Transcaucasia and NW Iran (Pyron et al. 2013). REFERENCES. Szczerbak (1974); Anderson (1999); Hosseinian Yousefkhani et al. (2012c). Eremias intermedia (Strauch, 1876) LECTOTYPE. ZIL 3664, designated by Szczerbak (1974). TYPE LOCALITY. Originally “...deserto aralo-caspico”; Kyzyl-Kum, Aralo-Caspian desert, Turkmenistan, by lectotype designation by Szczerbak (1974); detailed discussion on the types was provided by Bauer & Günther (1995). DISTRIBUTION. S Central Asia, N Afghanistan, extreme NE Iran. DISTRIBUTION IN IRAN. Fig. 94. Khorasan Razavi and South Khorasan Prov. The record by Hojati et al. (2009) from Semnan Prov. is questionable. HABITAT. Arid habitats such as sand dunes and stabilized sands with rodent burrows used as refuge.



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REMARKS. Possibly conspecific with E. nigrocellata (Anderson 1999). REFERENCES. Szczerbak (1974); Bauer & Günther (1995); Anderson (1999); Hosseinian Yousefkhani & RastegarPouyani (2013a). Eremias kavirensis Mozaffari & Parham, 2007 HOLOTYPE. (MMTT/AHI 1008) CAS 238636. TYPE LOCALITY. Maranjab sand dunes, Esfahan Prov., Iran. DISTRIBUTION. Endemic to Iran. DISTRIBUTION IN IRAN. Fig. 95. Known only from the type locality and its immediate vicinity. HABITAT. Confined to sandy microhabitat of sand dunes dominated by the dune weed, Stipagrostis pennata. It is never found in the surrounding gravelly areas. REMARKS. Based on strict habitat preferences, Mozaffari & Parham (2007) hypothesize this species to be endemic to the Maranjab sand dunes. REFERENCES. Mozaffari & Parham (2007). Eremias kopetdaghica Szczerbak, 1972 HOLOTYPE. ZIK 4. TYPE LOCALITY. Vicinity of Ai-Dere-Tuzli-Tepe, Kara-Kalinskii, Turkmenistan. DISTRIBUTION. N Iran, and S Turkmenistan. DISTRIBUTION IN IRAN. Fig. 96. Throughout the Kopet Dagh and adjoining areas (Golestan, Semnan, North Khorasan, and Khorasan Razavi Prov.). HABITAT. Rocky submontane regions with scattered stones and boulders and with Astragalus and Artemisia shrubs (Hosseinian Yousefkhani et al. 2013e). REMARKS. Considered a subspecies of E. strauchi until its recent elevation to a species level (Rastegar-Pouyani et al. in press). REFERENCES. Hosseinian Yousefkhani et al. (2013e); Rastegar-Pouyani et al. (in press). Eremias lalezharica Moravec, 1994 HOLOTYPE. NMP6V 34555/3. TYPE LOCALITY. Lalezhar [Laleh Zar], Kerman Prov., Iran. DISTRIBUTION. Endemic to Iran. DISTRIBUTION IN IRAN. Fig. 97. Kerman Prov.; until recently known only from the type locality, second distribution record was published by Hosseinian Yousefkhani & Rastegar-Pouyani (2013b). HABITAT. The types were collected in open fields with large solitary stones washed down from the slopes of Mt. Lalehzar. The area is a degraded steppe with vegetation consisting of Artemisia herba-alba, Astragalus, Ferula, Salvia, and Zygophyllum; and gardens and fields with Ligurus sativus and poplar, wet meadows with Carex, Eleocharis, Juncus, Mentha, Orchis, and Pedicularis. The new locality by Hosseinian Yousefkhani & RastegarPouyani (2013b) at 2890 m of altitude is characterized by a cold montane climate with relatively wet conditions. REFERENCES. Moravec (1994); Anderson (1999); Hosseinian Yousefkhani & Rastegar-Pouyani (2013b). Eremias lineolata (Nikolsky, 1896) LECTOTYPE. ZIL 8801, designated by Szczerbak (1974). TYPE LOCALITY. Not specified in the original description; Szczerbak (1974) designated a lectotype from between Feyzabad and Nusi, Khorasan Razavi Prov., Iran. DISTRIBUTION. NE Iran, Central Asia, N Afghanistan. DISTRIBUTION IN IRAN. Fig. 98. Eastern part of the country adjoining Afghanistan and Turkmenistan (Khorasan Razavi, South Khorasan Prov.); a single record from the Zabol area, Sistan and Baluchistan Prov. HABITAT. Arid habitats such as sand dunes and loess with sparse turfs of grasses. Found syntopic with E. intermedia by the Turkmen borders (Hosseinian Yousefkhani & Rastegar-Pouyani 2013a). REFERENCES. Szczerbak (1974); Anderson (1999); Hosseinian Yousefkhani & Rastegar-Pouyani (2013a).


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Eremias montana Rastegar-Pouyani & Rastegar-Pouyani, 2001 HOLOTYPE. Only a field number given, P168. TYPE LOCALITY. 60 km NE of Kermanshah, Kermanshah Prov., Iran. DISTRIBUTION. Endemic to Iran. DISTRIBUTION IN IRAN. Fig. 99. Apart from two localities in Kermanshah Prov. known from the locality Qorveh in Kordestan Prov. HABITAT. Highland steppe in the Zagros Mountains at 1800 m elevation with luxuriant vegetation of Amigdalus, Artemisia, Astragalus, Euphorbia and various grass species. REMARKS. A member of the E. persica species complex. It belongs together with a central Zagros population of E. persica and an undescribed species from Ardabil Prov. to a basal group sister to the remaining E. persica complex populations (Rastegar-Pouyani et al. 2010b). Since the gender of Eremias is feminine (Sindaco et al. 2013), the name should be spelled as ‘montana’, not ‘montanus’ as it appears in the original description. REFERENCES. Rastegar-Pouyani & Rastegar-Pouyani (2001); Rastegar-Pouyani et al. (2010b); Bahmani et al. (2011). Eremias nigrocellata Nikolsky, 1896 LECTOTYPE. ZIL 8800, designated by Szczerbak (1974). TYPE LOCALITY. Not mentioned in the original description; given as Sistan, Iran by Szczerbak (1974). DISTRIBUTION. A discontinuous range; the western part in NE Iran and S Turkmenistan is separated from the populations in N Afghanistan, SW Tajikistan, and S Uzbekistan. DISTRIBUTION IN IRAN. Fig. 100. A belt along the Afghan and Turkmen borders from northernmost Sistan and Baluchistan Prov. through South Khorasan, and Khorasan Razavi to Semnan and Golestan Prov. HABITAT. Hard loess soils, sometimes with admixture of sand or pebbles, and with ephemeral vegetation. The Iranian populations occur between 1300 and 1700 m a.s.l. (Leviton & Anderson 1970). REMARKS. Some authors considered this species to be a subspecies of E. intermedia (Nikolsky 1903, 1907; Boulenger 1921) and even Anderson (1963, 1999) was not convinced that these two forms are distinct. REFERENCES. Szczerbak (1974); Anderson (1999). Eremias nova Rastegar-Pouyani & Rastegar-Pouyani, 2005 HOLOTYPE. A series of numbers given in the original description (RUZM 96T-104T), none specified for the holotype. TYPE LOCALITY. 21 km SW of Hamadan, Hamadan Prov., Iran. DISTRIBUTION. Endemic to Iran. DISTRIBUTION IN IRAN. Fig. 101. Known only from the type locality. HABITAT. Stony hills and mountainous steppes with vegetation consisting mainly of Astragalus, Euphorbia, and Gondelium. REMARKS. We follow Sindaco & Jeremčenko (2008) in using the spelling ‘nova’ instead of ‘novo’ as it was originally described since the gender of Eremias is feminine. REFERENCES. Rastegar-Pouyani & Rastegar-Pouyani (2005). Eremias papenfussi Mozaffari, Ahmadzadeh & Parham, 2011 HOLOTYPE. ZFMK 91701. TYPE LOCALITY. Sooleghan Mountains, Alborz Mountain Range, Tehran Prov., Iran. DISTRIBUTION. Endemic to Iran. DISTRIBUTION IN IRAN. Fig. 102. Known only from two nearby localities where the holotype and paratypes were collected. HABITAT. Mild rocky slopes with vegetation dominated by Amygdalus, Astragalus, and annual grass. REMARKS. Although E. papenfussi is known from a very restricted area, Mozaffari et al. (2011b) expected it to be distributed throughout the central Alborz based on habitat uniformity in this region. REFERENCES. Mozaffari et al. (2011b).



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Eremias persica Blanford, 1874 LECTOTYPE. BMNH 1946.8.7.32, designated by Szczerbak (1974), for comments see Bauer & Günther (1995). TYPE LOCALITY. “...omnibus fere planitiebus Persicis” [= almost all Persian lowlands]; restricted by Smith (1935) to near Esfahan, Esfahan Prov., Iran. DISTRIBUTION. S Azerbaijan, most of Iran, S Turkmenistan, Afghanistan, and W Pakistan. DISTRIBUTION IN IRAN. Fig. 103. The whole central plateau south of the Alborz Mts. and including the Zagros. There are no records from the central desert systems Dasht-e Lut and Dasht-e Kavir which are apparently avoided by this species. HABITAT. Open plains and slopes with sparse grassy vegetation, usually associated with gravel surfaces but can be found also on mixed sand and gravel or silt and gravel. REMARKS. Eremias persica is formed by five geographically isolated clades in Iran that diverged consecutively 6–10 Mya, which corresponds with the uplift and subsequent aridization of the Iranian plateau (Rastegar-Pouyani et al. 2010b). The basal lineage of the radiation contains a central Zagros population of E. persica together with E. montana and an unnamed form from NW Iran thus rendering E. persica paraphyletic. Eremias nigrolateralis Rastegar-Pouyani & Nilson, a species described principally on the basis of dorsal colour pattern differences, was found to be nested within E. persica and was synonymized with it (Rastegar-Pouyani et al. 2010b). In order to settle the taxonomy of this species complex the authors propose to raise four E. persica clades (from the Zabol area, central Zagros, Tehran and Qazvin area, and Ardabil Prov.) to species ranks and two (from the southern Zagros and Golestan Prov.) to subspecies ranks. The population from the central Zagros may be similar to the undescribed species mentioned by Frynta et al. (1997). REFERENCES. Szczerbak (1974); Rastegar-Pouyani & Nilson (1997); Anderson (1999); Rastegar-Pouyani et al. (2010b). Eremias pleskei Bedriaga, 1905 LECTOTYPE. ZIL 6724, designated by Szczerbak (1974). TYPE LOCALITY. Gouvernement Eriwan, Kreis Nachitschewan [= Nakhichevan, Azerbaijan]. DISTRIBUTION. NE Anatolia, Armenia, Nakhichevan (Azerbaijan), NW Iran. DISTRIBUTION IN IRAN. Fig. 104. Restricted to the north-westernmost Iran to West and East Azerbaijan Prov. HABITAT. Sandy or stony semideserts covered with scattered xerophytes (Artemisia). The lizards dig burrows under the bushes. REMARKS. A sister species to E. grammica (Pyron et al. 2013). REFERENCES. Szczerbak (1974); Anderson (1999). Eremias strauchi Kessler, 1878 LECTOTYPE. MLSU 166, designated by Szczerbak (1974). TYPE LOCALITY. Vagarshapat [= Echmiadzin, Armenia]. DISTRIBUTION. NE Anatolia, Armenia, Azerbaijan. DISTRIBUTION IN IRAN. Fig. 105. West and East Azerbaijan and Ardabil Prov. Determination of the specimen from Tehran held in Torino collection (MZUT R2273) requires further confirmation. HABITAT. Dry stony plains, foothills and hillsides, and also harvested fields. For a detailed list of the habitat vegetation see Ahmadzadeh et al. (2009). REMARKS. Eremias kopetdaghica (see above) was formerly considered a subspecies of E. strauchi. REFERENCES. Anderson (1999); Franzen & Heckes (1999); Ahmadzadeh et al. (2008, 2009); Rastegar Pouyani et al. (2014). Eremias suphani Başoğlu & Hellmich, 1968 HOLOTYPE. ZDEU 31/1957. TYPE LOCALITY. Süphan Dağı [= Mt. Süphan], [Lake] Aygir Gölü (ex. Franzen & Heckes 1999), Bitlis Prov., Turkey. DISTRIBUTION. Turkey and Iran.


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DISTRIBUTION IN IRAN. Fig. 106. Confirmed from Iran recently by Rastegar-Pouyani et al. (2013c), who reported it from West Azerbaijan Prov. HABITAT. All known localities are situated in the vicinity of large water bodies (Lake Van in Turkey, Lake Urmia in Iran) implying that E. suphani is adapted to moister habitats in mountain steppe regions (Bischoff & Böhme 1980). REMARKS. Originally described as a subspecies of E. velox. Bischoff (1978) suggested it to be a subspecies of E. strauchi and finally Bischoff & Böhme (1980) elevated E. suphani to a species level. Its distinction from E. strauchi was confirmed by genetic data by Rastegar-Pouyani et al. (2013b). REFERENCES. Bischoff & Böhme (1980); Franzen & Heckes (1999); Rastegar-Pouyani et al. (2013c). Eremias velox (Pallas, 1771) NEOTYPE. ZIL 16233, designated by Szczerbak (1974). TYPE LOCALITY. Originally “Inderskinsem lacum”; regarded as “Inderskija Gory, Gebiet des unteren Ural-flusses” [= region of lower Ural River, W Kazakhstan] by Mertens & Wermuth (1960). For a note on the type locality see Zhao & Adler (1993). DISTRIBUTION. S Russia, Transcaucasia, S Kazakhstan and the Central Asian republics, N Iran, N Afghanistan, NW China, and W Mongolia. DISTRIBUTION IN IRAN. Fig. 107. Southern coast of the Caspian Sea, northern Zagros, Alborz and Kopet Dagh range. There is an isolated record from Esfahan Prov. (Rajabizadeh, in litt.) and two from southern Iran from Kerman Prov. (BMNH 1966.363–364), the latter two situated more than 700 km south from the continuous range. Their taxonomic status should be re-examined. HABITAT. Steppe plains or foothills with low shrubby vegetation and grass tufts. REMARKS. The nominotypical subspecies occurs in Iran. Phylogenetic analyses indicate deep intraspecific diversification within the E. velox complex dated back to 10 Mya with three distinct clades occurring in Iran which, as suggested by the authors, should represent separate species (Rastegar-Pouyani 2009; Rastegar-Pouyani et al. 2012, Liu et al. 2014). REFERENCES. Anderson (1999); Rastegar-Pouyani (2009); Rastegar-Pouyani et al. (2012). Iranolacerta Arnold, Arribas & Carranza, 2007 Two species formerly considered a part of the collective genus Lacerta were elevated to a distinct genus Iranolacerta by Arnold et al. (2007). Although the intergeneric phylogenetic relationships within Lacertinae have not been resolved in details yet (Fu 1998, 2000; Arnold et al. 2007; Pavlicev & Mayer 2009; Pyron et al. 2013), Iranolacerta was confirmed to be sister to Darevskia (Harris et al. 1998; Pyron et al. 2013). The sister-relationship of I. brandtii and I. zagrosica is strongly supported by genetic data; however, morphologically the species are very different. This is probably associated with their different life modes—I. brandtii is a ground dweller whereas I. zagrosica climbs on rocks and hides in crevices (Arnold 1998; Arnold et al. 2006, 2007). Iranolacerta brandtii (de Filippi, 1863) HOLOTYPE. MZUT R2702. TYPE LOCALITY. Basminsk [= Basmenj], East Azerbaijan Prov. Iran. DISTRIBUTION. NW Iran and probably southern Azerbaijan from where Boulenger (1920) provided a single record. DISTRIBUTION IN IRAN. Fig. 108. NW of the country E of the Urmia Lake (East Azerbaijan, Kordestan, Ardabil, and Gilan Prov.). Isolated populations formerly treated as I. brandtii esfahanica (Nilson, Rastegar-Pouyani, Rastegar-Pouyani & Andrén) occur in Esfahan and Chahar Mahal and Bakhtiari Prov. HABITAT. Dry stream gullies, farmland margins, sandy and clayey hillsides with predominant Euphorbia vegetation. The Esfahan populations inhabit alpine meadows at 3000 to 3200 m altitude (Nilson et al. 2003). REMARKS. Nilson et al. (2003) described the populations in the central Zagros isolated by a hiatus of about 500 km from the populations in NW Iran as a distinct subspecies, I. b. esfahanica. However, genetic study of all Iranian Iranolacerta taxa revealed that despite the large geographical gap, I. b. esfahanica is nested within I. b. brandtii and although not expressed explicitly by the authors themselves it should be considered its younger synonym (Ahmadzadeh et al. 2013b).



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REFERENCES. Lantz & Cyrén (1939); Böhme (1993); in den Bosch (1996); Anderson (1999); Olmo et al. (2001a,b); Nilson et al. (2003); Arnold et al. (2007); Rajabizadeh et al. (2010c); Rezazadeh et al. (2010); Hosseinian Yousefkhani et al. (2012d); Ahmadzadeh et al. (2013b). Iranolacerta zagrosica (Rastegar-Pouyani & Nilson, 1998) HOLOTYPE. GNHM Re. ex. 5149. TYPE LOCALITY. 3 km NW Fereydun Shahr, Esfahan Prov., Iran. DISTRIBUTION. Endemic to Iran. DISTRIBUTION IN IRAN. Fig. 109. Known only from a couple of localities in the central Zagros Mts. (Esfahan, Lorestan Prov.). HABITAT. A high-altitude species inhabiting rocky outcrops and vertical walls on alpine meadows from 2450–3200 m. It was found sympatric with I. brandtii which occurred on horizontal stony-gravel substrate, while I. zagrosica lived on rocky slopes (Nilson et al. 2003). REMARKS. Based on the phylogenetic reconstruction by Ahmadzadeh et al. (2013a), the split between I. brandtii and I. zagrosica took place 2.4–4.5 Mya. REFERENCES. Rastegar-Pouyani & Nilson (1998); Anderson (1999); Nilson et al. (2003); Arnold et al. (2006, 2007); Rajabizadeh et al. (2010c); Ahmadzadeh et al. (2013b). Lacerta Linnaeus, 1758 The composite genus Lacerta that previously contained a majority of species of Lacertinae was definitely split into several genera by Arnold et al. (2007). Based on their detailed study supported by genetic and morphological data the genus today consists only of the following species: Lacerta agilis, L. bilineata, L. media, L. pamphylica, L. schreiberi, L. strigata, L. trilineata, and L. viridis. The enigmatic species, L. mostoufii Baloutch (type locality in the Dasht-e Lut), never seen again since its description was retracted from the Iranian lizard fauna by Ahmadzadeh et al. (2013a) after in den Bosch (1999) and Eiselt (1995) brought evidence that the only known specimens were lost (holotype) or misidentified D. praticola (paratype) and that the description was probably based on material originated from different parts of Iran that was mixed-up by Baloutch with collections from Dasht-e Lut (Baloutch 1977; Anderson 1999, p. 239). Lacerta media Lantz & Cyrén, 1920 LECTOTYPE. BMNH 1960.1.4.38, designated by Mertens & Müller (1940). TYPE LOCALITY. Restricted to Tbilisi, Georgia by Mertens & Müller (1940); originally “de la vallée du Tchorokh, entre Batoum et Artvine, de Borjom, des environs de Tiflis, de diverses localités de la vallée de l’Araxe, et du Kourdistan persan, a l’ouest du lac d’Ourmiah...et Novorossiisk” [Chorok River valley, between Batumi (Georgia) and Artvin (Turkey), Borjomi (Georgia), environs of Tbilisi (Georgia), several localities in the Araks River valley, Persian Kurdistan, west from Urmia Lake...and Novorossiysk (S Russia)]. DISTRIBUTION. C and E Anatolia, Levant, Transcaucasia, N and W Iran. DISTRIBUTION IN IRAN. Fig. 110. NW of the country along and west of the Zagros south to Esfahan Prov. HABITAT. Places vegetated with grasses, bushes, and trees such as river valleys and river banks, field margins, tree groves, gardens, and vineyards. Lacerta media avoids dry or arid habitats. REMARKS. The Iranian populations are assigned to the nominotypical subspecies which is sister to a centralAnatolian L. m. ciliciensis Schmidtler from which it separated 2.5 Mya (Ahmadzadeh et al. 2013c). Both these subspecies share the adaptation to humid continental climate (Ahmadzadeh et al. 2013d). REFERENCES. Peters (1964); Anderson (1999); Arnold et al. (2007); Rastegar-Pouyani & Afroosheh (2011); Ahmadzadeh et al. (2013c, d); Hosseinian Yousefkhani et al. (2013f). Lacerta strigata Eichwald, 1831 SYNTYPES. BMNH 1946.8.5.27–33 (Uetz 2013). TYPE LOCALITY. “orientalii littore caspii maris, prope Krasnowodsk” [= Caspian Sea coast near Krasnowodsk]; restricted to Kislowodsk (bei Pjatigorsk), North Caucasus, Russia by Mertens & Müller (1928). DISTRIBUTION. S Russia, Transcaucasia, NE Anatolia, N Iran.


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DISTRIBUTION IN IRAN. Fig. 111. A belt along the southern Caspian Sea coast N of Alborz, West and East Azerbaijan Prov. There is an isolated record from Shiraz, Fars Prov., lying about 730 km south from the continuous range but considered legitimate by Anderson (1999). HABITAT. Areas vegetated with bushes and shrubs interspersed with grassy patches, also pasture land, vegetated road ditches, stream banks in the Hyrcanian forest, dune and forest margins, coastal sand zone with scattered Carex tussocks. REMARKS. The position of L. strigata within the phylogeny of the genus was not resolved (Godinho et al. 2005). The latest phylogenetic analysis recovered L. strigata as a sister species to the Iberian L. schreiberi Bedriaga (Pyron et al. 2013). REFERENCES. Mertens & Müller (1928); Anderson (1999); Godinho et al. (2005); Ahmadzadeh et al. (2008). Mesalina Gray, 1838 A member of the Eremiadini tribe closely related to Acanthodactylus, Eremias, Omanosaura, and Ophisops. However, closer phylogenetic relationships among these genera remain unresolved even after a number of phylogenetic studies based on both morphological and genetic data (Arnold 1989; Harris et al. 1998; Fu 1999, 2000; Mayer & Pavlicev 2007; Greenbaum et al. 2011; Kapli et al. 2011; Pyron et al. 2013). Mesalina brevirostris Blanford, 1874 SYNTYPES. BMNH 1946.8.6.34 (ex. BMNH 80.11.10.40) and ZSI 3474; Holotype MCZ 56617 (M. b. fieldi). TYPE LOCALITY. “insula Tumb dicta sinus Persici, et ad Kulabagh in regione Punjab Indiae” [Tumb Island, Hormuz Strait, Persian Gulf and Kalabagh, Punjab, Pakistan]; restricted by Schmidt (1939) to Kalabagh, however, without designating lectotype. DISTRIBUTION. The Sinai, Levant, Iraq, Kuwait, NE Saudi Arabia, UAE, coastal Iran, and Pakistan. DISTRIBUTION IN IRAN. Fig. 112. The Mesopotamian Plain in Ilam and Khuzestan Prov., coastal Bushehr and Hormozgan Prov. including Persian Gulf islands and Sistan and Baluchistan Prov. HABITAT. Sandy or silt-soil plains or foothills with scattered sparse vegetation. REMARKS. The subspecies M. b. fieldi Haas & Werner (type locality Mahor Birinji, Khuzestan Prov.) occurs in the western part of the Iranian range. REFERENCES. Schmidt (1939); Haas & Werner (1969); Anderson (1999); in den Bosch (2001); Moravec (2004); Mayer et al. (2006); Kapli et al. (2008); Heidari & Kami (2009); Kamali (2013c). Mesalina watsonana (Stoliczka, 1872) SYNTYPES. ZSI 4929, ZSI 5050, ZSI 5223–25, BMNH 1946.8.7.75 (ex. BMNH 74.4.29.1436), NMW NHMW 23474:1–3. TYPE LOCALITY. “Sind...along the right bank of the Indus between Karachi and Sakkar [Sukkur]”, Pakistan (Stoliczka 1872). DISTRIBUTION. Iran, S Turkmenistan, Afghanistan, Pakistan, NW India. DISTRIBUTION IN IRAN. Fig. 113. The Mesopotamian Plain west of the Zagros, all of the Iranian plateau S of the Alborz and Kopet Dagh. It avoids the Dasht-e Lut and Dasht-e Kavir deserts. HABITAT. Flat plains with hard-soil or gravelly substrate and with scattered small steppe shrubs. Usually very abundant in areas with suitable conditions. According to the modelled prediction of suitable habitat M. watsonana prefers areas with precipitation in wettest quarter of the year lower than 300 mm, precipitation in coldest quarter of the year between 40–250 mm, altitude below 2500 m, and slope with maximum 10.5° inclination (Hosseinian Yousefkhani et al. 2013g). REMARKS. The study of intraspecific genetic variability showed that at least four isolated lineages of M. watsonana that diverged about 7 Mya occur on the Iranian Plateau (Šmíd & Frynta 2012). The same study recovered M. watsonana as a basal lineage of all Mesalina species. REFERENCES. Anderson (1999); Oraei et al. (2011); Šmíd & Frynta (2012); Hosseinian Yousefkhani et al. (2013g, h, i, j). Ophisops Ménétriés, 1832 Ophisops elegans Ménétriés, 1832



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SYNTYPES. MNHN 544, USNM 21396; Syntypes BMNH 1946.8.4.43–45 (ex. BMNH 99.9.30.22–24), BMNH 1946.8.4.70–73 (ex. BMNH 99.9.30.5–8), BMNH 1946.8.4.74–76 (ex. BMNH 99.9.30.19–21), BMNH 1946.9.4.2–3 (ex. BMNH 74.11.23.99), BMNH 1946.9.4.4 (ex. BMNH 99.9.30.11) (O. e. persicus); Holotype FMNH 19721 (O. e. blanfordi). TYPE LOCALITY. “à quelques verstes de Bakou” [= near Baku, Azerbaijan]. DISTRIBUTION. SE Balkans, Turkey, Levant, Transcaucasia, Iraq, Iran. An isolated population occurs in N Algeria. DISTRIBUTION IN IRAN. Fig. 114. Throughout the western and southwestern part of the country along and around the Zagros range, southern Alborz, Mesopotamian Plain, and on the southern Iranian plateau up to the border with Pakistan. HABITAT. Wide range of habitats mostly with hard-soil or stony substrate and with low steppe vegetation, flat hammadas, river banks or low foothills. Ophisops elegans does not avoid the presence of humans and can be often found near human settlements in gardens, field margins, and also in cities wherever proper microhabitat with at least some vegetation to hide in appears. We observed this species on many localities syntopic with its ecological counterpart, M. watsonana, contrary to the findings of Anderson (1999; p. 255). REMARKS. Currently there are eight valid subspecies of O. elegans (Uetz 2013), three of which are supposed to occur in Iran: the nominotypical form in the north, O. e. persicus Boulenger described from localities scattered through the whole Iranian range (West Azerbaijan, Esfahan, Shiraz, and Kerman Prov.), and O. e. blanfordi Schmidt in the Mesopotamian Plain (Moravec 1998; Sindaco & Jeremčenko 2008). Despite the large number of described forms and varieties there have been no detailed comparative morphological analysis we are aware of conducted in order to assess the validity of existing and synonymized taxa. According to Kyriazi et al. (2008), the populations from the eastern part of its range (Iran, Turkey, Armenia) diverged from a clade consisting of the Mediterranean populations together with O. occidentalis Boulenger about 8.11 Mya. Given that O. elegans is paraphyletic with respect to O. occidentalis and the large number of potentially available names, the taxonomy of Ophisops requires further investigation. REFERENCES. Boulenger (1918); Schmidt (1939); Anderson (1999); Torki (2007c); Kyriazi et al. (2008); RastegarPouyani et al. (2009c); Oraie et al. (2012, 2013, 2014); Gharzi & Yari (2013). Timon Tschudi, 1836 Timon kurdistanicus (Suchow, 1936) HOLOTYPE. ZIL 11441:b. TYPE LOCALITY. Kordestan, Iran; restricted by Eiselt (1968) to Biare [= Beydarvaz], Kordestan, Iran. DISTRIBUTION. E Turkey, Iraq, Iran. DISTRIBUTION IN IRAN. Fig. 115. Kordestan, Kermanshah Prov. HABITAT. Oak forests (Quercus persica) on the Iraq-Iran borders (Eiselt 1968). REMARKS. Ahmadzadeh et al. (2012) detected deep divergence between T. princeps and T. kurdistanicus (at that time considered a subspecies of T. princeps) comparable with interspecific distances between other species of the genus. Based on this evidence supported by numerous morphological distinctions of the two taxa, the authors promoted its species rank. REFERENCES. Eiselt (1968, 1969); Rykena et al. (1977); Rykena & Nettmann (1986); Anderson (1999); Arnold et al. (2007); Ilgaz & Kumlutaş (2008); Ahmadzadeh et al. (2012). Timon princeps Blanford, 1874 HOLOTYPE. ZSI 3351. TYPE LOCALITY. “Persia meridionali” [= southern Iran]; the locality was more specified by Boulenger (1920) as “near Niriz [Neyriz], about 100 miles east of Shiraz, S. Persia”. DISTRIBUTION. Endemic to Iran. DISTRIBUTION IN IRAN. Fig. 116. From southern Kermanshah Prov. in a belt between the western Zagros hillsides and the Mesopotamian Plain to central Fars Prov. HABITAT. Dry steppe hilly habitats with xerothermic vegetation (Amygdalus, Pistacia). REMARKS. By separating T. kurdistanicus into a separate species T. princeps became endemic to the Zagros foothills in Iran.


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REFERENCES. Eiselt (1968, 1969); Anderson (1999); Arnold et al. (2007); Ghaffari & Parsa (2007); Ahmadzadeh et al. (2012). Phyllodactylidae Asaccus Dixon & Anderson, 1973 The genus Asaccus is going through a species description boom within its relatively narrow distribution confined to the Mesopotamian Plain (Turkey, Syria, Iraq, Iran), Zagros Mountains and the mountains in the east of the Arabian Peninsula (UAE, Oman). Sindaco and Jeremčenko (2008) in their comprehensive summary listed nine species whereas now there are sixteen species of Asaccus described (Uetz 2013). Moreover, five of the new species have been described from Iran with the Zagros Mountains being the core of the genus diversity. The only available phylogenetic study is by Papenfuss et al. (2010), who studied seven out of ten species known at that time. Their results show that despite the marked gap in the distribution the East-Arabian and Mesopotamian species are not reciprocally monophyletic, A. montanus from Oman is sister to all the remaining species and there are at least two independent clades in Iran, one represented only by A. nasrullahi, the other by A. griseonotus and A. elisae. Asaccus andersoni Torki, Fathinia, Rostami, Gharzi & Nazari-Serenjeh, 2011 HOLOTYPE. ZMB 75015. TYPE LOCALITY. Western slopes of the central Zagros Mountains, Mt. Darbaste, 2 km north of Teran village, Ivan City, Ilam Prov., Iran. DISTRIBUTION. Endemic to Iran. DISTRIBUTION IN IRAN. Fig. 117. Known only from the type locality. HABITAT. The types (the only material known) were collected in a mountainous area with deeply carved gullies and covered with oak forests. It lives on rocks in the gullies. REFERENCES. Torki et al. (2011b). Asaccus elisae (Werner, 1895) SYNTYPES. BMNH 1946.8.24.39 (ex. BMNH 95.3.2.3), NMW 17525. TYPE LOCALITY. Ruins of Niniveh [Ninawa], Ninawa Prov., Iraq. DISTRIBUTION. S Turkey, Syria, Iraq, W Iran. DISTRIBUTION IN IRAN. Fig. 118. The Mesopotamian Plain west of the Zagros (Kermanshah, Ilam, Lorestan, Khuzestan, and Fars Prov.) HABITAT. Gypsum and limestone deposits in valleys, caves, under bridges and on the house walls in a rocky mountain area at altitudes from 137 m to 1400 m (Fathinia et al. 2009). REMARKS. In the light of the current knowledge on Asaccus diversity, it is likely that some previous records of A. elisae from the central Zagros belong today to different species. Since none of the species recently described were compared with the old material it is not possible to retract them from A. elisae at least until they are morphologically examined and, potentially, re-determined. Phyllodactylus eugeniae Nikolsky (type locality Dezful and Abu-Garia, Khuzestan Prov.,) synonymized with A. elisae is more closely related to A. griseonotus than to A. elisae itself (Papenfuss et al. 2010). Its taxonomic status should be reassessed in order to retain A. elisae monophyletic. REFERENCES. Anderson (1999); Rastegar-Pouyani (2006); Fathinia et al. (2009); Parsa et al. (2009); Papenfuss et al. (2010); Torki (2010b, c). Asaccus granularis Torki, 2010 HOLOTYPE. ZMB 75010 (ex. FTHM 003000). TYPE LOCALITY. Khers-Dar, 5 km NW of Poledokhtar [Pol Dokhtar], Lorestan Prov., Iran. DISTRIBUTION. Endemic to Iran. DISTRIBUTION IN IRAN. Fig. 119. Known only from the type locality. HABITAT. A mountainous region covered with open oak forests where it is found on rocky outcrops or hiding under large boulders (Torki 2010e). REFERENCES. Torki (2010e).



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Asaccus griseonotus Dixon & Anderson, 1973 HOLOTYPE. FMNH 170824. TYPE LOCALITY. 38.5 mi [= 62 km] from Shahabad, Kermanshah, Kermanshah Prov., Iran. DISTRIBUTION. Iraq, Iran. DISTRIBUTION IN IRAN. Fig. 120. Western foothills of the Zagros Mountains in Kermanshah, Lorestan, Khuzestan, and Markazi Prov. HABITAT. The paratypes in Iraq were collected in a humid cool cave (Dixon & Anderson 1973). In Iran it is known to live in dense oak forests at 1000-1200 m elevation (Parsa et al. 2009). REMARKS. Closely related to A. elisae (Papenfuss et al. 2010). Phyllodactylus ingae Eiselt described from Lorestan Prov. is regarded as a younger synonym of A. griseonotus. REFERENCES. Dixon & Anderson (1973); Anderson (1999); Rastegar-Pouyani (2006); Parsa et al. (2009); Papenfuss et al. (2010). Asaccus iranicus Torki, Ahmadzadeh, Ilgaz, Avci & Kumlutaş, 2011 HOLOTYPE. ZFMK 91933. TYPE LOCALITY. Assaloye, Bushehr Prov., Iran. DISTRIBUTION. Endemic to Iran. DISTRIBUTION IN IRAN. Fig. 121. Known only from the type locality. HABITAT. Abandoned buildings in the coastal Persian Gulf, about 100 m inland from the sea. REFERENCES. Torki et al. (2011c). Asaccus kermanshahensis Rastegar-Pouyani, 1996 HOLOTYPE. TUZM 164R (field number). TYPE LOCALITY. 40 km NE Kermanshah, Mianrahan region, Kermanshah Prov., Iran. DISTRIBUTION. Endemic to Iran. DISTRIBUTION IN IRAN. Fig. 122. Known from the type locality and one additional locality reported herein. HABITAT. The types were collected inside a small cave in a very deep fault-valley in the Zagros. The CUP material was collected near Bisotun [Bistoon] on the Zagros foothills covered with scattered boulders at the altitude of 1400 m. REFERENCES. Rastegar-Pouyani (1996, 2006); Anderson (1999). Asaccus kurdistanensis Rastegar-Pouyani, Nilson & Faizi, 2006 HOLOTYPE. RUZM 1999. TYPE LOCALITY. 10 km NW Sarvabad, between Marivan and Sanandaj, Kordistan Prov., Iran. DISTRIBUTION. Endemic to Iran. DISTRIBUTION IN IRAN. Fig. 123. Known from the type locality in Kordestan Prov. and one locality in the adjoining part of Kermanshah Prov. HABITAT. All specimens have been collected near the mouth to a small cave in a mountainous area with large boulders and rocks intermixed with oak forest with scattered Quercus brantii and Q. persica. REFERENCES. Rastegar-Pouyani (2006); Rastegar-Pouyani et al. (2006); Torki (2007d, 2009). Asaccus nasrullahi Werner, 2006 HOLOTYPE. ZMUC–R 3447. TYPE LOCALITY. 12 km NNE of Shah Bazan, near the small affluent Ab-I-Khornos, Ilam Prov., Iran. DISTRIBUTION. Endemic to Iran. DISTRIBUTION IN IRAN. Fig. 124. Ilam, Lorestan, Khuzestan Prov. HABITAT. Rocky valleys and mountainous areas in the Zagros Mountain range with dominant vegetation represented by oak trees (Quercus brantii). REMARKS. The position of A. nasrullahi in the phylogeny of the genus by Papenfuss et al. (2010) was not satisfactorily resolved, presumably because most of the Iranian species were missing in the analyses. REFERENCES. Werner (2006); Nazari-Serenjeh & Torki (2008b); Papenfuss et al. (2010); Torki et al. (2010). Asaccus tangestanensis Torki, Ahmadzadeh, Ilgaz, Avci & Kumlutaş, 2011 HOLOTYPE. ZFMK 91934.


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TYPE LOCALITY. Khaiiz, Tangestan City, Bushehr Prov., Iran. DISTRIBUTION. Endemic to Iran. DISTRIBUTION IN IRAN. Fig. 125. Bushehr Prov. HABITAT. Cliffs and caves in a mountainous area in the southern Zagros. REFERENCES. Torki et al. (2011c). Asaccus zagrosicus Torki, Ahmadzadeh, Ilgaz, Avci & Kumlutaş, 2011 HOLOTYPE. ZFMK 91935. TYPE LOCALITY. Khorramabad City, Tang-e-Haft region, Lorestan Prov., Iran. DISTRIBUTION. Endemic to Iran. DISTRIBUTION IN IRAN. Fig. 126. Known only from the type locality. HABITAT. All individuals were collected in tunnels; no natural sites have been reported. The tunnels were situated in oak forests in the central Zagros Mountains. REFERENCES. Torki et al. (2011c). Scincidae Ablepharus Fitzinger, 1823 A western Palearctic genus of small-sized skinks with 10 currently recognized species, two of which occur in Iran. The genus appears sister to the central and east-Asian Asymblepharus, although only one representative of each genus was analyzed (Pyron et al. 2013). For the time being there is no phylogenetic study where both the Iranian species would be included at once. Ablepharus bivittatus (Ménétriés, 1832) LECTOTYPE. ZIL 565, designated by Eremchenko & Szczerbak (1986). TYPE LOCALITY. Perimbal [Pirimbel], Talysh Mountains, Azerbaijan. DISTRIBUTION. Extreme E Anatolia, Armenia, Azerbaijan, N Iran, Turkmenistan. DISTRIBUTION IN IRAN. Fig. 127. N and NW of the country (West and East Azerbaijan, Ardabil, Kordestan, Mazandaran, Semnan, North Khorasan Prov.); there is an isolated record from northern Fars Prov. reported by Blanford (1876). HABITAT. Dry, steep loose rocky slopes and open plains with scattered bushes that are used as a refuge. REMARKS. Although population density of A. bivittatus can be high in suitable habitats (Ahmadzadeh et al. 2008), rare encounters imply a rather secretive mode of life of this lizard. Its occurrence is expected to be more continuous along the Zagros Mountains. REFERENCES. Strauch (1867); Anderson (1999); Poulakakis et al. (2005); Ilgaz et al. (2007). Ablepharus pannonicus (Fitzinger, 1824) HOLOTYPE. ZIL, collection number unknown (Fuhn 1969a). TYPE LOCALITY. Buchara [Bukhara], Bukhara Prov., Uzbekistan. DISTRIBUTION. A discontinuous distribution; beside the main range covering the Mesopotamian Plain, Azerbaijan, Iran, Central Asian Republics, Afghanistan, NW Pakistan, and India there are isolated populations in SW Saudi Arabia, N Yemen and N Oman. DISTRIBUTION IN IRAN. Fig. 128. All provinces W of the Zagros, areas along the southern Zagros, Alborz, and Kopet Dagh ranges and SE Iranian provinces (South Khorasan, Kerman, Sistan and Baluchistan). Apparently absent in the central Iranian desert systems. HABITAT. Usually grassy areas and cultivated gardens near irrigation ditches. The species often hides in the grass tussocks and under the litter of dead leaves or pine needles. REMARKS. Both forms described from Iran by Nikolsky (1907)—A. persicus (type locality Schachrud [Shahrud], Semnan Prov.) and A. brandtii var. brevipes (type locality Dech-i-Diz and Karun River, Khuzestan Prov.) are considered younger synonyms of A. pannonicus (Fuhn 1969a; Bauer et al. 2003). Ablepharus grayanus (Stoliczka) from Afghanistan and Pakistan formerly regarded a subspecies of A. pannonicus (Fuhn 1969a) is currently recognized as a full species. REFERENCES. Nikolsky (1907); Fuhn (1969a, b); Anderson (1999).



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Chalcides Laurenti, 1768 Chalcides ocellatus (Forskål, 1775) TYPE. Not located. TYPE LOCALITY. Egypt. DISTRIBUTION. N Africa from Western Sahara through Algeria, Tunisia, Libya, Egypt and south to Sudan, Ethiopia, and Somalia. Isolated populations are scattered throughout the central Sahara, some Mediterranean Islands (Sardinia, Sicily, Crete, Cyprus), coastal Greece and S Turkey, Levant, the Arabian Peninsula, Persian Gulf coast and Makran coast in W Pakistan, Kopet Dagh range in Turkmenistan. DISTRIBUTION IN IRAN. Fig. 129. Strictly coastal range along the Persian Gulf shores (Bushehr, Hormozgan, Sistan and Baluchistan Prov.). HABITAT. Sandy or loose-soil habitats, usually found under debris close to human habitations, particularly in the eastern part of the range including Iran. REMARKS. The coastal character of the distribution in the eastern part of the range is believed to be a result of human-mediated transport. This assumption is also supported by morphology as the animals from SW Asia, Iraq, Arabia, Iran, and Pakistan are morphologically very similar to those from N Egypt, the place of supposed origin of the eastern populations (Carranza et al. 2008). REFERENCES. Pasteur (1981); Anderson (1999); Carranza et al. (2008); Kornilios et al. (2010); Lavin & Papenfuss (2012). Eumeces Wiegmann, 1834 A Palearctic genus with five currently recognized species. Even after retracting the Oriental and Nearctic species from the genus (today Plestiodon), Eumeces still remains paraphyletic with respect to the genera Scincus and Scincopus (Schmitz et al. 2004; Carranza et al. 2008; Pyron et al. 2013). Therefore, additional nomenclatural adjustments are needed to stabilize this taxonomically unsatisfactory situation. Eumeces schneiderii (Daudin, 1802) HOLOTYPE. Formerly in the MNHN collection, apparently lost (missing from the catalogue); Holotype of E. s. princeps probably in Moscow, collection number unknown (Taylor 1935; Anderson 1999); Lectotype ZIL 9339 (E. s. zarudnyi), designated by Taylor (1935). TYPE LOCALITY. Stated by Daudin (1802) in error as “dans les parties les plus chaudes de l'Amérique, sur-tout à la Jamaïque” [= in warmer parts of America, especially in Jamaica]. Taylor (1935) believed it to be Egypt or Sinai whereas Mertens (1946) considered Cyprus more likely. DISTRIBUTION. Coastal N Africa from Tunisia to Egypt, S Turkey, Levant, Iraq, N Arabian Peninsula, Transcaucasia, Iran, S Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, Afghanistan, Pakistan, and NW India. DISTRIBUTION IN IRAN. Fig. 130. Most of western and southern Iran in a continuous belt from West Azerbaijan Prov. along the Zagros range through Fars to Sistan and Baluchistan Prov. Also present in the Alborz and Kopet Dagh foothills but absent from the deserts in central and NE Iran. HABITAT. Grassy or shrubby habitats with loose sandy or clayey soil. It seeks refuge under stones, in heaps of stones or in burrows. REMARKS. There are two subspecies in Iran, E. s. princeps Eichwald (type locality Talysh Mts., Azerbaijan) in the western and northern part of the country and E. s. zarudnyi Nikolsky (type locality Bazman, Sistan and Baluchistan Prov., Iran) in Sistan and Baluchistan Prov. and adjacent territories. The latter is considered a full species by some authors (Khan & Khan 1997; Griffith et al. 2000; Masroor 2009). Based on detailed osteological and morphological analyses, Griffith et al. (2000) divided the genus Eumeces into four genera, assigning the schneiderii species group the name Novoeumeces. However, despite the apparent non-monophyly of the former genus Eumeces confirmed later by genetic analyses (Schmitz et al. 2004), the name Novoeumeces was found to be a junior objective synonym of Eumeces and the schneiderii species group retained its original name (Schmitz et al. 2004). There are two records of E. blythianus Anderson from SE Iran, a taxon otherwise distributed in Afghanistan and Pakistan and considered a subspecies of E. schneiderii by some (e.g. Minton 1966). The first record comes from western Sistan and Baluchistan Prov. (voucher specimen deposited in the London museum; BMNH 1951.1.6.67), the second one was shown by Khan & Khan (1997) as to be from eastern Sistan and Baluchistan Prov., but the authors did not give any further details on the locality or determination. The London specimen is


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tentatively depicted in the map of E. schneiderii (Fig. 130). Nevertheless its determination and the status of this taxon in general should be verified. REFERENCES. Taylor (1935); Mertens (1946); Khan & Khan (1997); Anderson (1999); Schmitz et al. (2004); Masroor (2009); Faizi et al. (2011). Eurylepis Blyth, 1854 The name Eurylepis was resurrected from the synonymy of Eumeces by Griffith et al. (2000) for two species from SW Asia—E. taeniolatus and E. poonaensis. The same authors indicate that E. poonaensis may be only a synonym of E. taeniolatus. In that case the genus Eurylepis remains monotypic. The genus differs from Eumeces also in the karyotype (Kupriyanova 1986). Eurylepis taeniolatus Blyth, 1854 HOLOTYPE. ZSI 2328; Holotype ZIK Re 18 No. 17660 (E. t. parthianicus). TYPE LOCALITY. Punjab Salt Range, Punjab, Pakistan. DISTRIBUTION. A disjunct range with a large hiatus separating the western subspecies, E. t. arabicus Szczerbak (type locality near Al-Taiff [Taif], Saudi Arabia) occurring in SW Saudi Arabia and W Yemen from E. t. parthianicus Szczerbak (type locality Northern slope of central Kopet Dagh, Chuli [Chuly], 25 km W of Ashkhabad, Turkmenistan) in NE Iran, S Turkmenistan, Afghanistan, and Pakistan up to Indus valley and from the nominotypical subspecies from SE Pakistan and NW India. There is a single isolated record from Jordan (Werner 1998). DISTRIBUTION IN IRAN. Fig. 131. NE part of the country (Semnan, Khorasan Razavi Prov.) HABITAT. Sandy and clayey habitats with shrubby or grassy vegetation. The lizard spends most of the time under stones, in litter and roots of bushes or burrowed in the substrate. REMARKS. Further investigation with genetic methods involved is required to assess the status of the geographically remote Arabian subspecies with respect to the two other subspecies. Similarly, the status of E. poonaensis Sharma from India should be revised. REFERENCES. Ivanov & Bogdanov (1975); Szczerbak (1990); Werner (1998); Anderson (1999). Ophiomorus Duméril & Bibron, 1839 The distribution of this genus is disjunct and divided into three isolated areas: 1) S Balkans and SW Turkey, 2) the Levant, and 3) Iran, S Pakistan and NW India. The Iranian plateau plays a key role in the genus diversity—eight out of eleven species of Ophiomorus occur there with four species being endemic to Iran. Cladistic analysis of morphological characters identified all the eastern species except O. persicus to form a common cluster (Greer & Wilson 2001). There are no genetic data for any Iranian species; none of them has ever been included in any phylogenetic study. Surprisingly, according to the latest phylogeny of squamates (Pyron et al. 2013), Ophiomorus is sister to the Central American genus Mesoscincus. There is an undetermined specimen in the MVZ collection (MVZ 234477) from Qeshm Island that may by particularly interesting to investigate. Ophiomorus blanfordii Boulenger, 1887 HOLOTYPE. BMNH 80.11.10.188. TYPE LOCALITY. Originally stated as “Persia or Baluchistan”; restricted by Anderson & Leviton (1966b) to Chah Bahar [Chabahar], Sistan and Baluchistan Prov., Iran. DISTRIBUTION. SE Iran and SW Pakistan. DISTRIBUTION IN IRAN. Fig. 132. Known with certainty only from the type locality, although there are more mentions of this species but without exact locality data (Boulenger 1887; Werner 1917). HABITAT. Coastal sand dunes with sparse vegetation (Khan 2006). REMARKS. Boulenger in his original description used the spelling ‘blanfordii’ with a double ‘i’, hence the spelling ‘blanfordi’ used by many authors (Smith 1935; Anderson & Leviton 1966b; Anderson 1999; Khan 2006; Sindaco & Jeremčenko 2008) is incorrect. REFERENCES. Boulenger (1887); Shockley (1949); Anderson (1999); Greer & Wilson (2001); Khan (2006).



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Ophiomorus brevipes (Blanford, 1874) HOLOTYPE. ZSI 3464. TYPE LOCALITY. Originally “haud procul a Karman in Persia meridionali” [= near Kerman in southern Persia]. Das et al. (1998) specified the locality to “Saadatabad, S. W. of Karman, Persia” perhaps based on the note by Smith (1935), p. 348. DISTRIBUTION. E Iran, SW Pakistan. DISTRIBUTION IN IRAN. Fig. 133. Most records are from along the Afghan and Pakistani border (Khorasan Razavi, South Khorasan, Sistan and Baluchistan Prov.), other records are from Kerman, Hormozgan, and Semnan Prov. HABITAT. Sandy regions with scattered small shrubs (Anderson 1999). REMARKS. Morphologically closely related to O. nuchalis (Greer & Wilson 2001). REFERENCES. Anderson (1999); Greer & Wilson (2001); Khan (2006). Ophiomorus maranjabensis Kazemi, Qomi, Kami & Anderson, 2011 HOLOTYPE. ZMGU 2570. TYPE LOCALITY. Maranjab, south of Daryache Namak, Esfahan Prov., Iran. DISTRIBUTION. Endemic to Iran. DISTRIBUTION IN IRAN. Fig. 134. Known only from the type locality and its vicinity. HABITAT. Loose sandy substrate with sparse vegetation consisting of Alhagi sp., Heliotropium aucheri, Peganum harmala, Rosularia sp. and various grasses. REMARKS. This species resembles morphologically O. raithmai from S Pakistan and NW India (Kazemi et al. 2011). REFERENCES. Kazemi et al. (2011). Ophiomorus nuchalis Nilson & Andrén, 1978 HOLOTYPE. GNM 4418. TYPE LOCALITY. Siah Kuh (Black Moumains) in the central part of the Kavir Protected Region about 150 km south of Teheran, Semnan Prov., Iran. DISTRIBUTION. Endemic to Iran. DISTRIBUTION IN IRAN. Fig. 135. So far reported from three nearby localities in Semnan and Tehran Prov. HABITAT. Unlike most other Ophiomorus species, O. nuchalis lives in more rocky habitats and on bare stony ground with only sparse and patchy vegetation dominated by Artemisia herba-alba. Mozaffari et al. (2011a) found four specimens burrowed in loose soil layer mixed with plant detritus under bushes. REFERENCES. Nilson & Andrén (1978); Greer & Wilson (2001); Mozaffari et al. (2011a). Ophiomorus persicus (Steindachner, 1867) SYNTYPES. NMW 10398:1–2 and NMW 10399:1–2. TYPE LOCALITY. Originally “Persia”; restricted to 5 km SE Pol-e Abgineh, Fars Prov., Iran by Anderson & Leviton (1966b). DISTRIBUTION. Endemic to Iran. DISTRIBUTION IN IRAN. Fig. 136. Kohgiluyeh and Boyer Ahmad, Fars, and Kerman Prov. HABITAT. The specimen collected by Kiabi et al. (1999) was found on sandy-clay soil near an Artemisia bush, under which it was trying to hide. The area represents a transitional zone between mountains and alluvial fans with very abundant Artemisia shrubs. REMARKS. Ophiomorus persicus together with O. latastii Günther from the Levant and O. punctatissimus from the Balkans form a western group of Ophiomorus (Anderson & Leviton 1966b). Ophiomorus persicus is a basal lineage of the genus based on morphological and osteological characters (Greer & Wilson 2001). REFERENCES. Anderson & Leviton (1966b); Anderson (1999); Kiabi et al. (1999); Greer & Wilson (2001). Ophiomorus streeti Anderson & Leviton, 1966 HOLOTYPE. FMNH 141551. TYPE LOCALITY. 11 mi [= 17.7 km] W of Iranshahr, Sistan and Baluchistan Prov., Iran. DISTRIBUTION. Endemic to Iran.


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DISTRIBUTION IN IRAN. Fig. 137. Known from four localities lying within a 12 km radius. HABITAT. There is no information about the habitat apart from that the species burrows in sand. REMARKS. Collected in the same area as O. brevipes, perhaps even in the same habitat. REFERENCES. Anderson & Leviton (1966b); Anderson (1999); Greer & Wilson (2001).

Ophiomorus tridactylus (Blyth, 1853) SYNTYPES. ZSI 2526–29, ZSI 2531–32. TYPE LOCALITY. Afghanistan. DISTRIBUTION. E Iran, S Afghanistan, W Pakistan. DISTRIBUTION IN IRAN. Fig. 138. Known from the Zabol area (Sistan and Baluchistan Prov.) and from isolated localities in South Khorasan and Hormozgan Prov. (BMNH specimen). HABITAT. Loose sandy soil and sand dunes (Blyth 1853). REMARKS. A sister species to O. raithmai Anderson & Leviton according to morphology (Greer & Wilson 2001). REFERENCES. Anderson & Leviton (1966b); Anderson (1999); Greer & Wilson (2001). Scincus Laurenti, 1768 Scincus scincus (Linnaeus, 1758) HOLOTYPE. NHRM 141a; Syntypes BMNH 1946.8.20.55–57 (ex. BMNH 79.8.15.1–3) (S. s. conirostris). TYPE LOCALITY. “in montosis Lybiae, Aegypti, Arabiae petreae” [= in the mountains of Libya, Egypt, and Sinai]. DISTRIBUTION. North Africa from Algeria and Niger along the Mediterranean coast through Tunisia, Libya, Egypt to Israel, Syria, Jordan and western part of the Arabian Peninsula to SW Iran. DISTRIBUTION IN IRAN. Fig. 139. Khuzestan and Bushehr Prov. There are enigmatic records in central Sistan and Baluchistan Prov. separated from other known localities by a distance of about 1000 km. Nevertheless, owing to that the voucher specimens are deposited in different collections (CAS, SUHC) and were collected by different people, the records seem reliable. HABITAT. A typical sand-swimmer confined to loose sand habitat on sand dunes and windblown sandy patches. REMARKS. The subspecies S. s. conirostris Blanford (type locality Tangyak, 7 miles south of Bushire [Bushehr], Bushehr Prov.) inhabiting the eastern portion of the Arabian Peninsula occurs in Iran. REFERENCES. Arnold & Leviton (1977); Anderson (1999). Trachylepis Fitzinger, 1843 A genus formerly included in the collective genus Mabuya. Honda et al. (1999) pointed out the paraphyly of the genus and later Mausfeld et al. (2002) split Mabuya into four genera with the Middle Eastern representatives being placed in the genus Trachylepis together with the African species (Bauer 2003). Nevertheless, as recent phylogenetic studies show, the Middle Eastern species are a monophyletic group deeply divergent from the African Trachylepis and deserve to be separated as an independent genus (Carranza & Arnold 2003; Mausfeld & Schmitz 2003; Sindaco et al. 2012; Pyron et al. 2013). Traditionally two species were recognized in the Middle East - T. vittata and T. aurata (Linnaeus), the latter forming three subspecies—T. a. aurata, T. a. transcaucasica Chernov and T. a. septemtaeniata. Moravec et al. (2006) restricted the range of T. aurata to Turkey and adjacent Greek islands and elevated T. a. septemtaeniata from NE Africa, Arabian Peninsula, Transcaucasia, Iraq, Iran, and S Turkmenistan to a species rank. This change is also supported by the degree of genetic divergence between both forms (Mausfeld & Schmitz 2003). As was also suggested by Moravec et al. (2006), the form transcaucasica distributed from Armenia, Azerbaijan, central and northern Iran to S Turkmenistan could, in fact, represent a subspecies of T. septemtaeniata. However its assignment is still not clear and most authors refer to it as a form of T. aurata (Faizi & Rastegar-Pouyani 2007; Rastegar-Pouyani & Faizi 2007; Rastegar-Pouyani et al. 2008; Fathinia et al. 2009, 2010). Here we follow Moravec et al. (2006) and Sindaco & Jeremčenko (2008) in recognizing T. s. transcaucasica. Trachylepis septemtaeniata (Reuss, 1834) TYPE. Not located; Syntypes of T. s. transcaucasica in the ZIK collection, numbers unknown. TYPE LOCALITY. “Massua, Abyssinien” [= Massawa, Eritrea].



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DISTRIBUTION. SE Anatolia, Transcaucasia, E Syria, Iraq, NE Arabian Peninsula, Iran, S Turkmenistan, E Afghanistan, and Eritrea. DISTRIBUTION IN IRAN. Fig. 140. Most of western Iran from the Iraqi and Turkey border regions up to Yazd (ca. 53° longitude) including the Zagros range. The distribution continues in the NE along the Kopet Dagh to Turkmenistan. Trachylepis s. transcaucasica (type locality Migri and Ordubat, Armenia) occurs from northern Khuzestan Prov. to the north and NE of the country, T. s. septemtaeniata is distributed in the Mesopotamian Plain in Khuzestan and south to Fars and Bushehr Prov. Nonetheless precise boundaries between the two subspecies are not known (the subspecies are therefore not distinguished in Fig. 140); particularly because of most authors still conventionally use the binomen T. aurata for referring to the Iranian specimens. HABITAT. Various habitats from natural sites such as stony mountain foothills with shrubby vegetation, rocky outcrops, and grassy plains. Frequently encountered near human settlements in wall cracks of abandoned houses or under debris in dumping sites. REMARKS. The type locality in Eritrea is situated 1500 km from the rest of the range and Arnold (1986a) assumes that the specimen must have been introduced there. Akhmedov & Szczerbak (1987) pointed out that the populations from the Kopet Dagh are morphologically different from T. s. transcaucasica and might bear the subspecific name affinis de Filippi. REFERENCES. Akhmedov & Szczerbak (1987); Bauer (2003); Faizi & Rastegar-Pouyani (2006, 2007); Moravec et al. (2006); Rastegar-Pouyani & Faizi (2007); Fathinia et al. (2009); Faizi et al. (2010); Durmus et al. (2011); Güçlü et al. (2013). Trachylepis vittata (Olivier, 1804) HOLOTYPE. MNHN 197. TYPE LOCALITY. Sands W of Rosetta [Rashid], Egypt. DISTRIBUTION. Mediterranean coast of N Africa from Algeria to Egypt, through the Levant and Anatolia to western Iran. DISTRIBUTION IN IRAN. Fig. 141. Scattered records from Kermanshah and Ilam Prov., an isolated single record from Mt. Damavand, Mazandaran Prov. Iran represents the eastern margin of the species distribution. HABITAT. Dry stony slopes with annual grassy vegetation (Fathinia et al. 2009). Outside Iran reported from a wide variety of biotopes on stony or sandy soil from palm oases, field and road margins, or vegetated rocky slopes to places nearly devoid of any vegetation (Schleich et al. 1996). REMARKS. Trachylepis vittata and T. septemtaeniata were found sympatric in Ilam Prov. (Fathinia et al. 2009). REFERENCES. Anderson (1999); Fathinia et al. (2009); Fattahi et al. (2013, 2014); Rastegar-Pouyani et al. (2013d). Sphaerodactylidae Pristurus Rüppell, 1835 A genus with mostly Arabian and East African distribution; only one species (P. rupestris) reaches Iran. Preliminary phylogenetic relationships within the genus were sketched by Papenfuss et al. (2009), but without including any material from Iran. Pristurus rupestris Blanford, 1874 TYPE. ZSI, collection number unknown (Annandale 1905); Holotype ZMUC 3476 (Field No. 143) (P. r. iranicus). TYPE LOCALITY. Originally “insulae Kharg vel Karrack in sinu Persico, .. a Maskat in littore Arabico” [= Kharg Island, Persian Gulf and Muscat, Oman]; restricted by Schmidt (1952) to Muscat. DISTRIBUTION. Along the Arabian coast from Jordan to Kuwait and Iran, present also in coastal Eritrea and Somalia. DISTRIBUTION IN IRAN. Fig. 142. Restricted to coastal areas along the Persian Gulf and Gulf of Oman (Bushehr, Fars, Hormozgan, and Sistan and Baluchistan Prov.). The most inland record is only about 35 km from the sea shore. HABITAT. A typical climber found on rocks, large boulders, tree trunks, but also houses, stone walls and ruins. REMARKS. The subspecies P. r. iranicus Schmidt (type locality Bushehr, Bushehr Prov., Iran), whose diagnosis is based mostly on differences in coloration, is not widely accepted (see Anderson 1999, p. 177). Badiane et al. (2014) recovered P. r. iranicus nested within P. r. rupestris implying that the former is a younger synonym of the


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nominotypical form. However, the authors did not have material from the type locality of iranicus available and they refrained from making any taxonomic decisions. Based on phylogenetic analyses of morphological and osteological characters P. rupestris belongs to morphologically more advanced forms grouped in ‘the P. flavipunctatus assemblage’ (Arnold 2009). REFERENCES. Schmidt (1952); Anderson (1999); Arnold (2009); Gholamifard et al. (2009); Papenfuss et al. (2009); Badiane et al. (2014). Teratoscincus Strauch, 1863 Teratoscincus bedriagai Nikolsky, 1899 LECTOTYPE. ZIL 9161, designated by Szczerbak & Golubev (1986). TYPE LOCALITY. Originally “Zirkuch et Seistan in Persia orient” [Zirkuh and Sistan, E Iran]; restricted by Szczerbak & Golubev (1986) to “Hodji-i-du-Chagi” [= Khvajeh Dow Chahi, Khodji-i-du-Chagi, Hodji-do-Chahi], South Khorasan Prov., Iran. DISTRIBUTION. Iran, W Afghanistan. DISTRIBUTION IN IRAN. Fig. 143. Deserts of the central and eastern Iranian Plateau south of the Alborz and Kopet Dagh and along the Afghan border. HABITAT. Loose windblown sands with shrubby vegetation. (Zarudny ex. Szczerbak & Golubev 1996) observed this species on gravel soil with a thin layer of salt crust. Hojati et al. (2009) reports it from clayey and loamy soils near Tamarix bushes. REFERENCES. Szczerbak & Golubev (1986, 1996); Anderson (1993, 1999); Hojati et al. (2009). Teratoscincus keyserlingii Strauch 1863 LECTOTYPE. ZIL 2396, designated by Szczerbak & Golubev (1986). TYPE LOCALITY. Seri-Tschah [Sar Chah], South Khorasan Prov., Iran. DISTRIBUTION. Iran, W Afghanistan, W Pakistan; isolated populations in Qatar and UAE. DISTRIBUTION IN IRAN. Fig. 144. Central and eastern desert basins from Esfahan and Semnan Prov. south to Hormozgan and Sistan and Baluchistan Prov. HABITAT. Sandy soil sometimes encrusted with salt. Anderson (1993) found all three Iranian species syntopic in the Zabol area (northern Sistan and Baluchistan Prov.). REMARKS. This species was previously considered a subspecies of T. scincus (Schlegel, 1858), and although it is currently regarded as a full species (Macey et al. 2005; Mozaffari & Parham 2007; Gardner 2013), its elevation to species status has not been fully clarified yet. Teratoscincus zarudnyi Nikolsky, 1896 also described from Iran is a younger synonym of T. keyserlingii. REFERENCES. Szczerbak & Golubev (1986, 1996); Anderson (1993, 1999); Manilo (1993); Macey et al. (2005). Teratoscincus microlepis Nikolsky, 1899 HOLOTYPE. ZIL 9164. TYPE LOCALITY. “Duz-ab in Kirmano orientali”; placed between Dobaz and Zahedan, Sistan and Baluchistan Prov., Iran by Szczerbak & Golubev (1986), but a place named Dubaz is situated in Baluchistan, Pakistan, not far from the border with Iran. DISTRIBUTION. SE Iran, S Afghanistan, W Pakistan. DISTRIBUTION IN IRAN. Fig. 145. Kerman and Sistan and Baluchistan Prov. HABITAT. Loose sandy soil. Reported also on saline saturated soils with a salt crust (Zarudny ex. Szczerbak & Golubev 1996). REMARKS. Teratoscincus microlepis is a basal lineage of the genus. It is believed that it became separated as a result of the uplift of the Hindu Kush about 20 Mya (Macey et al. 1999, 2005). REFERENCES. Minton (1966); Anderson (1993, 1999); Szczerbak & Golubev (1996); Macey et al. (1999, 2005); Khan (2006). Trogonophidae Diplometopon Nikolski, 1907 Diplometopon zarudnyi Nikolski, 1907 HOLOTYPE. ZIL 10341.



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TYPE LOCALITY. “Nasrie in Arabistano” [= Nasrie in SW Iran on the Karun River, Khuzestan Prov.] according to Gans (1960). DISTRIBUTION. Surroundings of the Persian Gulf (UAE, Oman, E and C Saudi Arabia, S Iraq and W Iran). DISTRIBUTION IN IRAN. Fig. 146. Khuzestan Prov. HABITAT. Loose sand and sand dunes with sparse vegetation; commonly found under debris. REFERENCES. Nikolsky (1907); Gans (1960); Anderson (1974); Leviton et al. (1992).

Uromastycidae Uromastyx Merrem, 1820 According to available phylogenetic studies (Amer & Kumazawa 2005; Wilms et al. 2009; Pyron et al. 2013), the eastern species of this genus (U. asmussi, U. hardwickii, U. loricata) form a clade reciprocally monophyletic to the remaining Uromastyx species. Wilms et al. (2009) elevated this group to a distinct genus Saara. Since Uromastyx (sensu lato) is a strongly supported monophylum, recent authors mostly refrain from using this division in order to preserve taxonomic stability of this genus (Pyron et al. 2013; Sindaco et al. 2013), the stance we adopt here as well. Uromastyx aegyptia (Forskål, 1775) NEOTYPE. ZFMK 44216; Lectotype BMNH 1946.8.14.55 (U. a. microlepis); both designated by Wilms & Böhme (2000). TYPE LOCALITY. Suez, Egypt. DISTRIBUTION. Egypt, Israel, Jordan, Arabian Peninsula, Iraq, and Iran. DISTRIBUTION IN IRAN. Fig. 147. Known only from Khuzestan and Bushehr Prov. and from islands in the Persian Gulf. HABITAT. Hard soils in open flatland areas with very sparse vegetation usually represented by individual Acacia shrubs or trees. REMARKS. The Iranian populations are assigned to the subspecies U. a. microlepis Blanford (type locality: Basrah, Iraq). REFERENCES. Anderson (1999); Wilms & Böhme (2000); Wilms (2005); Wilms et al. (2009). Uromastyx asmussi (Strauch, 1863) HOLOTYPE. ZISP 3029. TYPE LOCALITY. Seri-Tschah [Sar Chah], South Khorasan Prov., Iran. DISTRIBUTION. Iran, Afghanistan, Pakistan. DISTRIBUTION IN IRAN. Fig. 148. From central Iran S of Tehran eastwards and southwards through the deserts to South Khorasan and Sistan and Baluchistan Prov. HABITAT. Stony and gravelly plains and rocky hills with shrubby vegetation. REMARKS. A sister species to U. loricata (Wilms et al. 2009). REFERENCES. Anderson (1999); Wilms (2005); Wilms et al. (2009). Uromastyx loricata (Blanford, 1874) HOLOTYPE. BMNH 1946.8.11.59. TYPE LOCALITY. Bushehr, Bushehr Prov., Iran. DISTRIBUTION. Iran and Iraq. DISTRIBUTION IN IRAN. Fig. 149. Confined to the Mesopotamian Plain west of the Zagros. HABITAT. Flat plains, valleys, river banks or mild slopes typically with clayey or sandy substrate in which this species excavates its burrows, usually associated into colonies. REFERENCES. Anderson (1999); Wilms (2005); Wilms et al. (2009). Varanidae Varanus Merrem, 1820 Varanus bengalensis (Daudin, 1802) HOLOTYPE. MNHN 2179. TYPE LOCALITY. Bengal, India.


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DISTRIBUTION. Southeast Asia from SE Iran through Pakistan, the Indian subcontinent including Sri Lanka and Indochina to the Malayan Peninsula and the Indonesian islands of Sumatra and Java. DISTRIBUTION IN IRAN. Fig. 150. Restricted to the southeasternmost part of the country to Hormozgan, Kerman, and Sistan and Baluchistan Prov. HABITAT. Various types of habitats throughout the whole range, usually found near streams, rivers or water bodies; occurs also in cultivated areas, field margins, road ditches. REFERENCES. Mertens (1959); Anderson (1999). Varanus griseus (Daudin, 1803) TYPES. Of both the Iranian subspecies not located (Mertens 1954; Anderson 1999). TYPE LOCALITY. Egypt. DISTRIBUTION. North Africa from Western Sahara to Egypt, eastwards through the Arabian Peninsula and Levant, Iraq and S Turkey to Iran, Pakistan, NW India, Afghanistan, and the Central Asian Republics. DISTRIBUTION IN IRAN. Fig. 151. Seemingly disjunct distribution caused more probably by a lack of records than by real hiatus in the range. Western part of the range spans across the Mesopotamian Plain, Bushehr, Fars, Esfahan, Qom, Tehran and westernmost Semnan Prov. There are no available distributional data from about 500 km wide longitudinal belt across the central Iranian Plateau and along central Persian Gulf coast. The second part of the range stretches along the Afghan and Pakistani border from Hormozgan and Sistan and Baluchistan to Khorasan Razavi Prov. HABITAT. A deserticolous species inhabiting a wide variety of habitats from sandy or gravelly plains to stony foothills with sparse vegetation. REMARKS. The subspecies V. g. caspius Eichwald (type locality: Dardsha Peninsula, eastern coast of the Caspian Sea) inhabits most of Iran. All alleged records of V. g. griseus from Iran are based on juvenile specimens (Anderson 1999, p. 298; Fathinia et al. 2009) and cannot be considered reliable. REFERENCES. Mertens (1954, 1959, 1973); Anderson (1999); Kami (2005b).

Discussion The herpetofauna of Iran and the lizard fauna in particular is extremely rich and diverse. The number of new species being described every year is considerable (e.g. ten new species described in 2011, seven in 2013). While Anderson (1999) listed about 120 and Rastegar-Pouyani et al. (2008) 127 lizard species, there is currently 146 recognized species (Fig. 1), a number higher than for instance that of all the reptiles of Europe (Sillero et al. 2014). The abrupt increase between 2008 and 2014 can be attributed to taxonomic revisions of genera that are (and were also before 2008) particularly rich in Iran such as Asaccus (5 new descriptions), Cyrtopodion (5) or Darevskia (4). The continuous increase of the number of described species, which is apparently not reaching the asymptotic plateau of the definite species number yet (Fig. 1), indicates that the overall diversity of the Iranian lizards is still far from being well known and further increase can be expected. Furthermore, species extralimital for Iran for know, but whose distribution closely reaches the country borders may be also reported from Iran in the future (e.g. Phrynocephalus luteoguttatus, P. raddei, Trapelus megalonyx, T. rubrigularis, Acanthodactylus opheodurus, many Darevskia species, Eremias scripta, Ablepharus chernovi, Ophiomorus chernovi). With the extensive ongoing field research in Iran and the increasing number of available lizard distribution data (over 8500 records assembled for this study vs. about 1700 summed by Anderson (1999)) it is to be expected that at least some of them may be reported soon. Up-to-date distribution atlases with the underlying data published are crucial and one of the key criteria for IUCN (International Union for Conservation of Nature) to assess the threat status of each species by estimating their extent of occurrence and area of occupancy (IUCN 2012). A search query in the IUCN Red List (accessed 19.III.2014) found 65 Iranian lizard species treated in the list, of which a compelling majority is regarded as Least Concern (LC, 51 species) and only three species fall within the Threatened categories: two Vulnerable (VU)—Phrynocephalus persicus and Uromastyx aegyptia, and one Critically Endangered (CR)—Eremias pleskei. Better understanding and more detailed knowledge of the distribution of the Iranian lizards, as presented herein, can help to reassess the status of for instance geographically restricted taxa (e.g. Crossobamon, Rhinogekko, Iranolacerta, Asaccus, Ophiomorus) that are the most vulnerable and sensitive to land use changes, habitat



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destructions or microclimate fluctuations. Furthermore, precise distribution data are an essential basis for better understanding the drivers and causes of large-scale distribution patterns, phenomena often studied based on very rough and outdated distributional data (Hosseinzadeh et al. 2014). Of particular interest is the level of endemicity among the Iranian lizards. Almost one third of the species ever reported from Iran is confined to its borders - out of the 146 species, 46 (~32%) are endemic. Among families, the endemicity level spans from none (Anguidae, Eublepharidae, Sphaerodactylidae, Trogonophidae, Uromastycidae, Varanidae) or almost none (Agamidae—6%; one species endemic) through about one third of the species in the particular family (Scincidae—27%, Lacertidae—35%, Gekkonidae—41%) to an extreme of 80% (Phyllodactylidae). When individual genera are compared some stand out even more prominently. There are six genera with more than 50% of Iranian species endemic to that country (Cyrtopodion—73%, Microgecko—67%, Tropiocolotes—100%, Darevskia—56%, Asaccus—80%, Ophiomorus—57%). Anderson (1968) recognized five geographic faunal elements contributing to the Iranian lizard diversity: (i) Iranian (with species distributed mostly on the Central Plateau, Sistan and Urmia basins, Iranian Baluchistan and the Makran coast, Zagros, and Kopet Dagh), (ii) Saharo-Sindian (Khuzestan plain and the Persian Gulf coast, western foothills of the Zagros), (iii) Aralo-Caspian [= Turanian] (the Turkmen steppe), (iv) Mediterranean (the Caspian coast, Alborz, and Mughan steppe in Ardabil Prov.), and (v) Oriental (Indo-Malay) being represented only by a minority of Iranian species confined to south-easternmost Sistan and Baluchistan Prov. Based on a comprehensive study of all West Palearctic lizard species, Sindaco & Jeremčenko (2008) updated this subdivision of West Asia and proposed new biogeographic regions and terminology. According to them, the following regions and provinces encompass the territory of Iran: (i) the Iranian Province covering the Iranian Plateau, eastern part of the Persian Gulf coast, Sistan and Baluchistan Prov. and spanning eastwards to Pakistan up to the Indus River; (ii) the Western Asian mountain transition zone covering all mountainous areas in northern and western Iran including the Zagros, Alborz, and Kopet Dagh; (iii) the Turanian Province reaching Iran only marginally in the Golestan lowland; and (iv) the Arabian Province represented in Iran by the Mesopotamian Plain and coastal lowlands in Bushehr Prov. With the current knowledge of the distribution and diversity of the Iranian lizards the fauna can be partitioned into these regions as follows: of the 146 species, ~53% (76 species) inhabits the Iranian Province, ~41% (60 species) the Western Asian mountain transition zone, ~9% (13 species) the Turanian Province, and ~18% (27 species) the Arabian Province. Apart from that there are ~2% (3 species) from the Indo-Malay biogeographic region reaching Iran only marginally and also ~2% (3 species) of species which are believed to be introduced to Iran by humans. Naturally, some widespread species can be distributed in more than one region (e.g. Ablepharus pannonicus, Eumeces schneideri, Trachylepis septemtaeniata, Varanus griseus). The effective isolation of the central Iranian Plateau from the surrounding lowlands (Mesopotamia, Turkmenistan, Helmand basin) results in that only a minimum of species is able to cross the biogeographic boundary formed by the Zagros, Alborz, Kopet Dagh, and eastern Iranian ranges. On the other hand, harsh climatic conditions in some parts of the central Plateau do not provide suitable environment to host large species assemblages, notably the deserts Dasht-e Lut and Dasht-e Kavir. Although there are isolated lizard records from their interior, they are rather patchy. This rarity of records is most likely caused by the high salinity (Dasht-e Kavir) and sheer lack of vegetation (Dasht-e Lut) in these desert basins (Bobek 1968). As a result, the diversity is concentrated on the plateau margins along the rimming mountain ranges. As shown herein, the known distribution of many Iranian lizard species is still very patchy, many outlying localities remain to be confirmed and a great deal of material needs to be redetermined. Future fieldwork should focus on filling these gaps in the maps as well as in our knowledge. Additionally, natural history of many species and especially of their Iranian populations is still lacking basic information and should be thoroughly studied. There is also an obvious lack of phylogenetic and phylogeographic studies that would infer the relationships of the diverse lizard fauna and assess the status of the taxonomically problematic (sub)species. Such studies are essential for better understanding of the history and formation of the diversity of Iranian lizard.

Acknowledgements We are indebted to all curators who generously provided or granted access to catalogues and collections of reptiles under their care: P. Campbell (BMNH), G. Boano (MCCI), R. Sindaco (MCCI, MRSN, MZUF, MZUR), A. Nistri (MZUF), H. Grillitsch (NHMW), M.-O. Rödel (ZMB), S. Scali (MSNM). We thank our friends and colleagues


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who directly helped in the field or kindly shared their data from field observations, namely M. Arab, B. Blecha, J. Červenka, A. Chudárková, J. Davoodian, J. Flegr, V. Gvoždík, Z. Hodková, Š. Hrdá, I. Hrdý, P. Hulva, P. Kabátek, A. Keyvanlou, A. Khani, A. Khosravani, E. Ledecký, M. Kaftan, S. Komárek, A. Krása, P. Kuncová, E. Michalčíková, H. Oraei, J. Pyrih, M. Ranaei, A. Reiter, K. Rexová, A. Roubíčková, M. Sabeti, J. Sádlo, J. Sádlová, H. Sajed, L. Schwarzová, R. Šumbera, V. Tothová, P. Vycpálek, M. Yousefi, M. Zarrintab. Z. Varadínová kindly helped to improve the earlier version of the manuscript. Special thanks are due to P. Daneš for his help with uploading the data to GBIF. We are very grateful to S. Anderson, M. Rajabizadeh and an anonymous referee for reviewing the manuscript and providing helpful comments. The work was financially supported by Ministry of Culture of the Czech Republic (DKRVO 2014/14, National Museum, 00023272), JŠ received support from the SVV 260 087/2014 project of the Charles University in Prague.

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APPENDIX I. Additional references used for geographic data only and not cited in the text. Ahmadzadeh, F., Carretero, M.A., Mebert, K., Faghiri, A., Ataei, S., Hamidi, S. & Böhme, W. (2011) Preliminary results on biological aspects of the grass snake, Natrix natrix in the southern coastal area of the Caspian Sea. Acta Herpetologica, 6, 209–221. Carranza, S. & Arnold, E.N. (2012) A review of the geckos of the genus Hemidactylus (Squamata: Gekkonidae) from Oman based on morphology, mitochondrial and nuclear data, with descriptions of eight new species. Zootaxa, 3378, 1–95. Hosseinian Yousefkhani, S.S., Yousefi, M., Rastegar-Pouyani, E. & Rastegar Pouyani, N. (2013) Lizards from Qeshm Island, Iran. Herpetological Review, 44, 486–488. Rajabizadeh, M., Nilson, G. & Kami, H.G. (2011) A new species of mountain viper (Ophidia: Viperidae) from the Central Zagros Mountains, Iran. Russian Journal of Herpetology, 18, 235–240. Schätti, B. & McCarthy, C. (2001) Coluber (sensu lato) schmidtleri n. sp. from the southern Zagros Mountains in Iran (Squamata: Colubridae). Herpetozoa, 14, 81–89. Schultschik, G. & Steinfartz, S. (1996) Ergebnisse einer herpetologischen Exkursion in den Iran. Herpetozoa, 9, 91–95.


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FIGURES 2–7. 2. Provinces of Iran with their capitals. Names of provinces are in bold, capitals in plain. 3. Major geographic features of Iran and neighbouring countries. 4. Geographic distribution of all presence records assembled for this work. 5. All records mapped on a 0.25° × 0.25° grid. 6. Calotes versicolor. 7. Laudakia caucasia.



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FIGURES 8–13. 8. Laudakia erythrogaster. 9. Laudakia melanura. 10. Laudakia microlepis. 11. Laudakia nupta. Blue square denotes the type locality for L. n. fusca. 12. Phrynocephalus ananjevae. 13. Phrynocephalus arabicus.


ŠMÍD ET. AL.

FIGURES 14–19. 14. Phrynocephalus helioscopus. 15. Phrynocephalus maculatus. 16. Phrynocephalus mystaceus. 17. Phrynocephalus ornatus. Blue square denotes the type locality for P. o. vindumi. 18. Phrynocephalus persicus. 19. Phrynocephalus scutellatus.



75

FIGURES 20–25. 20. Trapelus agilis. Blue square denotes the type locality for T. a. khuzistanensis, dashed line delimits approximate boundary between this and the nominotypical subspecies. 21. Trapelus persicus. 22. Trapelus ruderatus. 23. Trapelus sanguinolentus. 24. Anguis colchica. 25. Pseudopus apodus.


ŠMÍD ET. AL.

FIGURES 26–31. 26. Eublepharis angramainyu. 27. Eublepharis macularius. 28. Eublepharis turcmenicus. 29. Agamura persica. 30. Bunopus crassicauda. 31. Bunopus tuberculatus.



77

FIGURES 32–37. 32. Crossobamon eversmanni. 33. Cyrtopodion agamuroides. 34. Cyrtopodion brevipes. 35. Cyrtopodion gastropholis. 36. Cyrtopodion golubevi. 37. Cyrtopodion hormozganum.


ŠMÍD ET. AL.

FIGURES 38–43. 38. Cyrtopodion kachhense. 39. Cyrtopodion kiabii. 40. Cyrtopodion kirmanense. 41. Cyrtopodion persepolense. 42. Cyrtopodion scabrum. 43. Cyrtopodion sistanense.



79

FIGURES 44–49. 44. Hemidactylus flaviviridis. 45. Hemidactylus persicus. 46. Hemidactylus robustus. Question marks indicate dubious data or specimens determined as H. turcicus. 47. Hemidactylus romeshkanicus. 48. Mediodactylus aspratilis. 49. Mediodactylus heterocercum.


ŠMÍD ET. AL.

FIGURES 50–55. 50. Mediodactylus heteropholis. 51. Mediodactylus ilamensis. 52. Mediodactylus russowii. Blue square denotes the type locality for M. r. zarudnyi. 53. Mediodactylus sagittifer. 54. Mediodactylus spinicauda. 55. Mediodactylus stevenandersoni.



81

FIGURES 56–61. 56. Microgecko helenae. Blue square denotes the type locality for M. h. fasciatus. 57. Microgecko latifi. 58. Microgecko persicus. Blue square denotes the type locality for M. p. bakhtiari. 59. Pseudoceramodactylus khobarensis. 60. Rhinogekko femoralis. 61. Rhinogekko misonnei.


ŠMÍD ET. AL.

FIGURES 62–67. 62. Stenodactylus affinis. 63. Stenodactylus arabicus. 64. Stenodactylus doriae. 65. Tenuidactylus caspius. 66. Tenuidactylus longipes. 67. Tenuidactylus turcmenicus.



83

FIGURES 68–73. 68. Tropiocolotes naybandensis. 69. Tropiocolotes sp. 70. Acanthodactylus blanfordii. 71. Acanthodactylus boskianus. 72. Acanthodactylus cantoris. 73. Acanthodactylus grandis.


ŠMÍD ET. AL.

FIGURES 74–79. 74. Acanthodactylus khamirensis. 75. Acanthodactylus micropholis. 76. Acanthodactylus nilsoni. 77. Acanthodactylus schmidti. 78. Apathya cappadocica. Blue square denotes the type locality for A. c. urmiana. 79. Apathya yassujica.



85

FIGURES 80–85. 80. Darevskia caspica. 81. Darevskia chlorogaster. 82. Darevskia defilippii. 83. Darevskia kamii. 84. Darevskia kopetdaghica. 85. Darevskia praticola.


ŠMÍD ET. AL.

FIGURES 86–91. 86. Darevskia raddei. Red symbols represent records of D. r. raddei, blue of D. r. chaldoranensis and blue square denotes its type locality. 87. Darevskia schaekeli. 88. Darevskia steineri. 89. Eremias acutirostris. 90. Eremias andersoni. 91. Eremias arguta.



87

FIGURES 92–97. 92. Eremias fasciata. 93. Eremias grammica. 94. Eremias intermedia. 95. Eremias kavirensis. 96. Eremias kopetdaghica. 97. Eremias lalezharica.


ŠMÍD ET. AL.

FIGURES 98–103. 98. Eremias lineolata. 99. Eremias montana. 100. Eremias nigrocellata. 101. Eremias nova. 102. Eremias papenfussi. 103. Eremias persica.



89

FIGURES 104–109. 104. Eremias pleskei. 105. Eremias strauchi. 106. Eremias suphani. 107. Eremias velox. 108. Iranolacerta brandtii. 109. Iranolacerta zagrosica.


ŠMÍD ET. AL.

FIGURES 110–115. 110. Lacerta media. 111. Lacerta strigata. 112. Mesalina brevirostris. Blue square denotes the type locality for M. b. fieldi. 113. Mesalina watsonana. 114. Ophisops elegans. 115. Timon kurdistanicus.



91

FIGURES 116–121. 116. Timon princeps. 117. Asaccus andersoni. 118. Asaccus elisae. 119. Asaccus granularis. 120. Asaccus griseonotus. 121. Asaccus iranicus.


ŠMÍD ET. AL.

FIGURES 122–127. 122. Asaccus kermanshahensis. 123. Asaccus kurdistanensis. 124. Asaccus nasrullahi. 125. Asaccus tangestanensis. 126. Asaccus zagrosicus. 127. Ablepharus bivittatus.



93

FIGURES 128–133. 128. Ablepharus pannonicus. 129. Chalcides ocellatus. 130. Eumeces schneiderii. Red symbols represent records of E. s. princeps, blue of E. s. zarudnyi and blue square denotes its type locality, violet question mark indicates dubious data for E. blythianus. 131. Eurylepis taeniolatus. 132. Ophiomorus blanfordii. 133. Ophiomorus brevipes.


ŠMÍD ET. AL.

FIGURES 134–139. 134. Ophiomorus maranjabensis. 135. Ophiomorus nuchalis. 136. Ophiomorus persicus. 137. Ophiomorus streeti. 138. Ophiomorus tridactylus. 139. Scincus scincus. Blue square denotes the type locality for S. s. conirostris.



95

FIGURES 140–145. 140. Trachylepis septemtaeniata. 141. Trachylepis vittata. 142. Pristurus rupestris. Blue square denotes the type locality for P. r. iranicus. 143. Teratoscincus bedriagai. 144. Teratoscincus keyserlingii. 145. Teratoscincus microlepis.


ŠMÍD ET. AL.

FIGURES 146–151. 146. Diplometopon zarudnyi. 147. Uromastyx aegyptia. 148. Uromastyx asmussi. 149. Uromastyx loricata. 150. Varanus bengalensis. 151. Varanus griseus.



97

Annotated checklist and distribution of the lizards of Iran | ResearchGate

Annotated checklist and distribution of the lizards of Iran | ResearchGate

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