Lacertas of South and Central Zagros Mountains, Iran, with Description of Two New Taxa

G. Nilson, N. Rastegar-Pouyani, E. Rastegar-Pouyani, C. Andrén

Abstract


During our long-term fieldwork on the Iranian plateau in 2000 and 2002, we collected and examined a series of lacertid lizards, belonging to the genus Lacerta from various parts of the Zagros Mountains of western and southwestern Iran, from a morphological point of view. Based on the collected material, two new taxa are described: Lacerta yassujica sp.n. and Lacerta brandtii esfahanica ssp.n. Based on all the available evidence, L. yassujica is closely related to Lacerta (Apathya) cappadocica. A short account on taxonomy and biogeography of the studied taxa is given.

Keywords


Lacertidae; Lacerta; L. yassujica; L. brandtii; L. cappadocica; L. zagrosica; Iranian Plateau; Zagros Mountains; taxonomy; new taxa

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References


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DOI: https://doi.org/10.30906/1026-2296-2003-10-1-11-24

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