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Morphometric evaluation of limb proportions in five sympatric desert lacertas of the genus Eremias, namely E. velox, E. grammica, E. intermedia, E. lineolata, and E. scripta inhabiting southern Balkhash Lake region (Sary-Ishyk-Otrau desert), Kazakhstan, was made. Considerable species differences in proportions of some limb segments associated with locomotion adaptations (burrowing, climbing etc) of these lizards have been found as well as sexual dimorphism and age variability. Associations among morphometric peculiarities (limb proportions), locomotion activity, spatial, temporal, and trophic characteristics of ecological niches of sympatric species are discussed.

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TERRA TYPICA. Region between the Aral and Caspian Seas. DISTRIBUTION. The species is distributed in sandy deserts of Middle Asia, Kazakhstan, eastern Iran, adjacent regions of Afghanistan and northern Belujistan (Pakistan). In North Eurasia it occurs in Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, western Tajikistan and southern Kazakhstan. The northern border of the distribution range runs in Kazakhstan, from north-western coasts of the Caspian Sea along the northern area adjacent to the Aral Sea and southern area adjacent to the Balkhash Lake up to the basin of Alakul Lake in the east. Three subspecies are described, which differ mainly by the color pattern of the dorsal surface of the body. E. s. scripta Strauch, 1867 occupies the most part of the distribution range in Turkmenistan and Kazakhstan. E. s. lasdini Tzarevsky, 1918 lives in the south-east of Uzbekistan and south-western Tajikistan. E. s. pherganensis Szczerbak et Washetko, 1973 is known from Ferganskaya valley, mainly in the northern Tadzhikistan. CONSERVATION STATUS. Fergana Sand racerunner E. s. pherganensis is included into the Red Data Book of Uzbekistan (2003): category 1, EN – endangered, locally distributed endemic subspecies, and of Tajikistan (1997) – the category an endangered subspecies.

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Acanthodactylus cantoris blanfordi, Acanthodactylus cantoris schmidti, Acanthodactylus fraseri, Acanthodactylus micropholis, Apathya cappadocica urmiana, Eremias arguta, Eremias brevirostris, Eremias fasciata, Eremias grammica, Eremias guttulata, Eremias intermedia, Eremias lineolata, Eremias nigrocellata, Eremias persica, Eremias pleskei, Eremias scripta, Eremias strauchi, Eremias velox velox, Lacerta brandtii, Lacerta chlorogaster, Lacerta princeps princeps, Lacerta princeps kurdistanica, Lacerta saxicola defilippii. Lacerta saxicola raddei, Lacerta strigata, Lacerta trilineata media, Ophisops elegans.

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Acanthodactylus blanfordi, Acanthodactylus boskianus, Acanthodactylus grandis, Acanthodactylus micropholis, Acanthodactylus nilsoni, Acanthodactylus opheodurus, Acanthodactylus schmidti, Eremias acutirostris, Eremias andersoni, Eremias arguta, Eremias fasciata, Eremias grammica, Eremias intermedia, Eremias lalezharica, Eremias lineolata, Eremias nigrocellata, Eremias nigrolateralis, Eremias persica, Eremias pleskei, Eremias scripta, Eremias strauchi strauchi, Eremias strauchi kopetdaghica, Eremias velox velox, Lacerta brandtii, Lacerta cappadocica urmiana, Lacerta chlorogaster, Lacerta defilippii, Lacerta media media, Lacerta mostoufi, Lacerta praticola praticola, Lacerta princeps princeps, Lacerta princeps kurdistanica. Lacerta raddei raddei, Lacerta raddei vanensis, Lacerta steineri, Lacerta strigata, Lacerta valentini valentini, Lacerta zagrosica, Mesalina brevirostris brevirostris, Mesalina brevirostris fieldi, Mesalina watsonana, Ophisops elegans.

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A new species of Eremias has been described from the Cholistan Desert of Pakistan. It constitutes the first record of the genus Eremias from the Oriental (Indian) region. The species has been named Eremias cholistanica, after the Cholistan Desert of Pakistan. This striped desert lacerta is not only different from all its congeners in several morphological characteristics but has been collected from an area distant from the previous known range of Eremias.

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The final part of a series of papers on the lizards of the Caucasus, that have been published in previous years. The paper reports on the life habits, capture and keeping in terraria of several lizards of Soviet Transcaucasia. In these respects the agamid Phrynocephalus helioscopus persi- cus and three species of the lacertid genus Eremias occuring in that area (i. e. strauchi, velox, pleskei) are discussed. Finally a !ist of all lizard species and subspecies actually known to occur in this region is given.

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In 2018–2019, isolated sandy habitats in the Ferghana oasis were surveyed. The reptile communities in the sands had a similar structure and very high population density, reaching up to 144 ind./ha. In all habi- tats, two racerunner species absolutely predominated, namely, Eremias velox and Eremias scripta, which accounted from 56.9 to 94.5% of the total abundance. In some habitats the dominants included Rusta- mov’s plate-tailed gecko and Strauch’s toad-headed agama. Three endemic lizard species (Phrynocephalus strauchi, Eremias scripta pherganensis, and Teratoscincus scincus rustamowi) had high population density and were classified as common or numerous. They accounted for an average of 52% (34–74%) of the total reptile abundance. The relationship among reptiles and their distribution in their biotopes were described. The current status of the habitats was assessed and few factors affecting the number of reptiles were considered. Due to plowing and watering, the area of sand habitats has decreased by 3.7 times since 1960 (down to about 180 km2). The only protected area (the Yazyavan natural monu- ment) is not enough to maintain the biodiversity of these isolated desert habitats. It is necessary to enlarge the protected area by including several large massifs in several parts of the Fergana Valley. The total area of refuges in this case will be about 95 km2.

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Population density of reptiles in four desert areas of southwestern Tajikistan was es- timated in spring 2018–2019. The structure of reptile communities in seven typical landscapes was described. The highest species diversity and population density were observed in sandy landscapes. Seven species of psammobionts formed the basis of these reptile communities. Among them Phrynocephalus interscapularis (56.4), Crossobamon eversmanni (27.8), Eremias lineolata (15.6), Eremias scripta (13.0) had the highest distribution and high population density (individuals/hectare). The relationship of cohabitating species was considered. The highest total population density of reptiles (89.0 ind./ha) was discovered on sandy ridges along the Amu Darya. On the loamy plain the population density of four species was 8.4 ind./ha, and on the foothill plain 2.4 ind./ha. Eremias nigrocellata (2.0 ind./ha) dominated in reptile communities on solid ground. In total, 25 species of reptiles inhabit the desert plains of Southwestern Tajiki- stan. 17 out of 25 (68%) species are included in the national Red Data Book. The level of en- demism and similarity of reptile fauna in desert areas were high. Fauna similarity indices calcu- lated according to Sørensen were 0.9–0.8. These values indicate close contact and connection between desert communities. The formation of the reptile fauna in southwestern Tajikistan oc- curred as a result of dispersal of Turanian species across the left bank of the Amu Darya River from Turkmenistan. They moved to the right bank due to the changes in the riverbed at the Pleistocene Epoch. The absence of some reptile species (Teratoscincus scincus, C. eversmanni, Phrynocephalus mystaceus, E. lineolata, Eremias grammica, E. scripta, etc.) in Northern Af- ghanistan along the border with Tajikistan is explained by the lack of herpetological study of this territory. Their habitat in the area is highly probable. Isolation and autonomy of desert are- as in the Amu Darya valley create the opportunity for formation of new taxonomic forms. Ex- amples are lizards E. scripta ladzinni and P. interscapularis sogdianus. The desert plains of Southwest Tajikistan have a small area and are subjected to significant anthropogenic pressure. Protection of small species, including lizards (Phrynocephalus raddei, P. mystaceus, Varanus griseus) and snakes (Eryx tataricus, Spalerosophis diadema, Boiga trigonatum, Naja oxiana, Echis carinatus) is needed. For widespread and numerous psammobiont species (P. interscapu- laris, E. lineolata, E. grammica, E. scripta, C. eversmanni) there is no threat of extermination at the moment.

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77 specimens of the Sand Racerrunner, Eremias scripta (Strauch, 1867) from 5 populations of Kazakhstan were studied and compared in respect of 9 metric and 6 pholidosis characters. The differences between the lizards from Aral Sea Basin and Balkhash Lake Basin regions have been shown in number of scales around body (Sq), scales around 9-10 tail rings (SQCD) and color pattern. The differences in number of SQCD and color pattern were also revealed between the specimens from the sands of South Balkhash Region and isolated Barmakkum Sands in Alakol Depression.

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The ecological-niche models for two sympatric species, Eremias lineolata (Nikolsky, 1897) and Eremias scripta (Strauch, 1867), reveal evidence of spatial and temporal disjunction in the actual niches of both species. Eremias lineolata demonstrates a wide range of adaptations and, at the same time, has a greater need for winter precipitation and minimal temperature than E. scripta. Possible explanations for the thermal diversity of both species are provided. Thermal variables (monthly temperatures, monthly solar radiation, etc.) are traditionally important for ectotherm animals. Interestingly, as many as half of the key variables in both species are related to different aspects of environmental water balance (precipitation, air humidity, vapor pressure). There are several ways in which moisture may impact the lizard’s life cycle. Soil humidity is related to soil temperature and may be important during winter hibernation. In summer, soil humidity may support successful embryogenesis. Precipitation during the warm months is a key factor in maintaining the moisture content of the soil. In winter, snow cover provides a better thermal balance of the soil’s top layers where winter shelters are housed. Ecological niche modeling (ENM) is an interdisciplinary approach combining the geographical, climatic, ecological, and biological aspects of the wellbeing of species. This interdisciplinary approach lifts biological studies onto a new, integrative level, providing a comprehensive view on species biology and answering the questions that might not be answered if the traditional methods for studying animals were used alone.

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The Cadastre of the Genetical Fund is the of cial directory on biodiversity – the annotated check-list of living creatures registered on the territory of the country, re ecting the current state of the biotic inventory. The present volume IV is devoted to the chordates and contains general distributional data about representatives of ve classes of vertebrate animals: ray- nned shes (Actinopterygii), amphibians (Amphibia), reptiles (Reptilia), birds (Aves), and mammals (Mammalia). This volume completes the national faunal inventory (the check-list of all invertebrate animals is presented in volumes II and III). In total, there are listed 602 species (with all local subspecies) represents 325 genera belongs to 119 families. There are also included 14 species doubtfully recorded in Kyrgyzstan, and 36 species names are expunged from faunal list. Each taxon name is supplied with the main synonymy, most accepted Russian, Kyrgyz, and English names. Data on current distribution within Kyrgyzstan and endemicity level are provided for each species (subspecies), as well as main references. The guide book also contains 74 color photographs in the annex. It is destined for experts in ecology, zoologists, specialists and employers of the institutions for the management of the natural resources, nature conservation and biological education.

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A reptile catalogue of the Zoological Museum, Stavropol State University, is presented. 1,019 specimens of 88 species collected within the territories of Russian Federation, Ukraine, Georgia, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan, and some other areas are listed. The history of the Museum and the formation of its collection are given.

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In this article, a list of lizards of fauna of Kazakhstan, compiled according to the latest taxonomic revisions with the aim of unifying the taxonomy is presented, and a short outline of the history of views on the composition of fauna of Kazakhstan lizards are presented. The tasks of this work are explained by a significant increase in the number of special publications and frequent changes in views on the phylogenetic position and taxonomic status of species.

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The paper summarizes most important new data on distribution of 5 amphian and 28 reptilian species, which were got during first decade of XXI century in’Kazakhstan, and evaluates them in the light of previously known information. All the finds are classified in few categories among which the most important are the following: 1 – the finds registered beyong of species range; 2 – the records filled up the “empty spots” within the species ranges; 3 – the finds confirmed the old data, and 4 – discovering of new forms possibly taxonomically independent. A re-animation of herpetological investigations in previously poor studied extremal western, northern and southern regions of Kazakhstan as well as in some areas of Central Kazakhstan is commended. It is underscored that perspectives to continue faunistic herpetological investigations in Kazakhstan remain as wide as before.

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In spring 2024, we travelled to Uzbekistan to visit architectural sights along the Silk Road as well as reptiles and amphibians, including lizards of the genus Eremias. The Eremias genus currently comprises 44 species and is widespread in numerous countries in Eastern Europe and Asia. They are small to medium-sized, diurnal lizards that live in arid regions. They are characterised by fringe-like appendages on their toes, which enable them to move quickly in the sand. The species observed are: Eremias velox (Pallas, 1771), Eremias lineolata (Nikolski, 1897) and Eremias nigrocellata Nikolski, 1896.

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Eremias, or racerunners, is a widespread lacertid genus occurring in China, Mongolia, Korea, Central Asia, Southwest Asia and Southeast Europe. It has been through a series of taxonomic revisions, but the phylogenetic relationships among the species and subgenera remain unclear. In this study, a frequently studied region of the mitochondrial 16S rRNA was used to (i) reassess the phylogenetic relationships of some Eremias species, (ii) test if the viviparous species form a monophyletic group, and (iii) estimate divergence time among lineages using a Bayesian relaxed molecular-clock approach. The resulting phylogeny supports monophyly of Eremias sensu Szczerbak and a clade comprising Eremias, Acanthodactylus and Latastia. An earlier finding demonstrating monophyly of the subgenus Pareremias is corroborated, with Eremias argus being the sister taxon to Eremias brenchleyi. We present the first evidence that viviparous species form a monophyletic group. In addition, Eremias przewalskii is nested within Eremias multiocellata, suggesting that the latter is likely a paraphyletic species or a species complex. Eremias acutirostris and Eremias persica form a clade that is closely related to the subgenus Pareremias. However, the subgenera Aspidorhinus, Scapteira, and Rhabderemias seem not to be monophyletic, respectively. The Bayesian divergence-time estimation suggests that Eremias originated at about 9.9 million years ago (with the 95% confidence interval ranging from 7.6 to 12 Ma), and diversified from Late Miocene to Pleistocene. Specifically, the divergence time of the subgenus Pareremias was dated to about 6.3 million years ago (with the 95% confidence interval ranging from 5.3 to 8.5 Ma), which suggests that the diversification of this subgenus might be correlated with the evolution of an East Asian monsoon climate triggered by the rapid uplift of the Tibetan Plateau approximately 8 Ma.

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The lacertid genus Eremias Fitzinger in Wiegmann,1834,consists of approximately 36 species of racerunners,distributed throughout the desert and semi-desert regions from northern China,Mongolia,Korea,central and southwest Asia to southeastern Europe.This short review represents the history of taxonomic studies in the genus Eremias,including affirmation of the genus and its species,distribution characteristics,phylogenetic relationships and historical biogeography.Traditional taxonomic methods,as well as new approaches(mtDNA analysis) are discussed.Future potential research projects on Eremias are outlined,such as phylogeny,phylogeography and speciation process.

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The life and work of the Alsatian Louis Amédée Lantz (1886-1953), a pioneer of European herpetology. A trained and professional research-chemist, the Alsatian Louis Amédée Lantz was an active and particularly dynamic herpetologist. His residence of nearly twelve years in Russia enabled him to make several field trips to regions such as the Caucasus and Iran. He always carried with him a home made telescopic net that he used to catch lizards. That net became symbolic of Lantz for most people around him. He realized significant herpetological collections mainly deposited in the Museum of the Zoology Institute of the Russian Academy of Sciences in St. Petersburg. Soon after the Russian Revolution in 1917, he had to leave the country and stayed for a few years in France before joining England. During this period, Lantz visited the French Pyrenees and the Mediterranean border (Hyeres Islands, Bandol), enabling him to discover for the first time oviparous populations of common lizard and also to describe a new species of lizard from the French Pyrenees. Lantz is also at the origin of the discovery of unisexual reproduction by parthenogenesis in reptiles. His collaboration with the Swedish amateur herpetologist Otto Cyrén, whom he met through the German herpetologist Willy Wolterstorff, was particularly successful throughout his career. Lantz died at the age of 66 years, in Switzerland, as he was about to join the team of herpetologists at the Natural History Museum in Paris.

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Eremias Fitzinger, 1834 is a speciose Eurasian genus of true lizards with approximately 40 species. Eremias species occurring in Pakistan have never been examined before using molecular genetics. In the present study, six out of seven morphologically defined taxa distributed in Pakistan (E. acutirostris, E. aporosceles, E. cholistanica, E. kakari, E. persica, and E. scripta) were studied using mitochondrial (16S rRNA, cytochrome c oxidase subunit I, cytochrome b) and nuclear (Rag1) genes. Data of 29 individuals were included in phylogenies using ENA/GenBank sequences. With a maximum of 20 species per analyzed data set, this study represents the most complete phylogeny of the genus to date. Maximum Likelihood and Bayesian analyses were run for concatenated (3,528 bp) and single-locus data sets and supported by uncorrected p distance calculations to evaluate the phylogenetic placement and divergence of Pakistani taxa. Among the Pakistani taxa, we detected six mostly well-supported and deeply divergent clades (A-F) differing by uncorrected p distances of up to 23.8% for mtDNA (cytb) and 3.3% for the nuclear Rag1 locus. Despite morphological differences between E. aporosceles and E. acutirostris (both clade A), no unambiguous genetic support was found for these two taxa. Therefore, we regard E. aporosceles as a synonym of E. acutirostris. On the other hand, E. persica was found to represent a species complex with deeply diverged clades (E and F) in Pakistan. Eremias cholistanica (clade D) and E. kakari (clade B), two morphologically defined endemic taxa of Pakistan, were revealed as phylogenetically clearly distinct. Eremias scripta (clade C) from Pakistan was found to be genetically deeply divergent compared to sequences of this taxon from Afghanistan and Uzbekistan. Our study provides evidence that the current taxonomy of Eremias does neither reflect the genetic diversity nor the evolutionary history of the genus, necessitating a comprehensive integrative taxonomic revision of the whole genus.

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During recent years several lizard taxa were added to the faunal list of Pakistan. Descriptions and new records are scattered in different publications in the herpetological literature. The present paper puts the information together, and provides a comprehensive list of recent publications on the lizards of Pakistan.

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This paper comprises, the collections made in four northern provinces of Afghanistan (Mazar-i-Sharif, Herat, Malmana, Kataghan) and In the eastern Afghan province of Nangarhar which is separated from the Central Asiatic Subregions by the mountain range of Hindu-Kush. In all, 135 Individuals belonging to 34 species were determined. The herpetofauna of the northern provinces was compared with that of Nangahar. In this province 9 species, [Gmnodactylus sp. (kachhensis ssp. nov.?), Calores versicolor, Uromastyx hardwicki, Varanus bengalensis, Oligodon arnensis, Fowleya piscator, Psammophis leithiand Bungarus coeruleus], typical of the Oriental Region, were fund but the forms typical of the Turanian zone are missing here. This specific structure of the herpetofauna arranges the -Nangahar provinces [the drainage area of the Kabul River in the environs of Jalad-Abad] to the Oriental Region. In the Nangarhar province a new form belonging to Gymnodactylus kachhensis was found. Its taxonomy was not solved.

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Lizard toe fringes are composed of laterally projecting elongated scales and have arisen independently at least 26 times in seven families of lizards. Four different fringe types are identified: triangular, projectional, conical and rectangular. To determine if variation in fringe morphology can be attributed to environmental differences, each independent evolution of a fringe type is identified; correlation of substrate types with evolutionarily independent fringe morphologies are thrn studied. Variation in fringe morphology shows a strong association with substrate type: triangular, projectional and conical fringes with windblown sand; and rectangular fringes with watcr. Some aspects of fringe morphology may result from differences in functional requirements, and others may have no adaptive significance. This example of convergent evolution points out difficulties inherent to comparative studies of adaptation and underscores the value of broad comparative surveys which provide an alternative to ad hor adaptive explanations of similarity.

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The diverse habitats of central Uzbekistan support a rich herpetofaunal community, but distributions and relative abundances of the species comprising this community remain poorly known. Here, we present an annotated species inventory of this under-explored area, with detailed notes on distributions and population statuses. Fieldwork was concentrated in southern Navoi and western Samarkand provinces, although some records were also made in the far north of Navoi province, near the city of Uchkuduk. Data were collected between March and May/June in 2011, 2012, and 2013, with herpetofaunal records being made opportunistically throughout this period. Survey effort was concentrated in semi-desert steppe area located to the south of the city of Navoi and an expanse of unnamed steppe located to the north of Navoi. Further records were made in a range of other habitat types, notably wetlands, sand dune fields, and low rocky mountains. Total fieldwork equated to approximately 8,680 person-hours of opportunistic survey effort. In total, we detected two amphibian and 26 reptile species in our study area, including one species classified as Globally Vulnerable by the IUCN. We present distributional data supporting the first record of regional range extensions of five species from within our study area. Our results represent the most detailed data concerning reptile and amphibian diversity and distributions produced from Uzbekistan in recent years. We conclude by recommending that further, systemized survey work needs to be conducted within the area to supplement our findings with more robust estimates of species abundances supported by more detailed information on specieshabitat relationships.

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Aim Body size is instrumental in influencing animal physiology, morphology, ecology and evolution, as well as extinction risk. I examine several hypotheses regarding the influence of body size on lizard evolution and extinction risk, assessing whether body size influences, or is influenced by, species richness, herbivory, island dwelling and extinction risk. Location World-wide. Methods I used literature data and measurements of museum and live specimens to estimate lizard body size distributions. Results I obtained body size data for 99% of the world`s lizard species. The body size–frequency distribution is highly modal and right skewed and similar distributions characterize most lizard families and lizard assemblages across biogeographical realms. There is a strong negative correlation between mean body size within families and species richness. Herbivorous lizards are larger than omnivorous and carnivorous ones, and aquatic lizards are larger than non-aquatic species. Diurnal activity is associated with small body size. Insular lizards tend towards both extremes of the size spectrum. Extinction risk increases with body size of species for which risk has been assessed. Main conclusions Small size seems to promote fast diversification of disparate body plans. The absence of mammalian predators allows insular lizards to attain larger body sizes by means of release from predation and allows them to evolve into the top predator niche. Island living also promotes a high frequency of herbivory, which is also associated with large size. Aquatic and nocturnal lizards probably evolve large size because of thermal constraints. The association between large size and high extinction risk, however, probably reflects a bias in the species in which risk has been studied.

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Diet of sand racerunner (Eremias scripta, Lacertidae) was studied in barchan sands of Eastern Kara Kum (Turkmenistan, Repetek biosphere reserve) in May – June and in August, 1989. There were discovered remains of 424 prey items in feces of 28 individuals of E. scripta. The paper analyzes food habits of racerunners by biocoenotic indexing method. Lizards’ preys were divided into nineteen elementary ecological groups and several mass categories.

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Many animals display complex colour patterns that comprise several adjacent, often contrasting colour patches. Combining patches of complementary colours increases the overall conspicuousness of the complex pattern, enhancing signal detection. Therefore, selection for conspicuousness may act not only on the design of single colour patches, but also on their combination. Contrasting long- and short-wavelength colour patches are located on the ventral and lateral surfaces of many lacertid lizards. As the combination of long- and short-wavelength-based colours generates local chromatic contrast, we hypothesized that selection may favour the co-occurrence of lateral and ventral contrasting patches, resulting in complex colour patterns that maximize the overall conspicuousness of the signal. To test this hypothesis we performed a comparative phylogenetic study using a categorical colour classification based on spectral data and descriptive information on lacertid coloration collected from the literature. Our results demonstrate that conspicuous ventral (long wavelength-based) and lateral (short wavelength-based) colour patches co-occur throughout the lacertid phylogeny more often than expected by chance, especially in the subfamily Lacertini. These results suggest that selection promotes the evolution of the complex pattern rather than the acquisition of a single conspicuous colour patch, possibly due to the increased conspicuousness caused by the combination of colours with contrasting spectral properties.

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The herpetological map presented in this paper shows the distribution and abundance of the reptiles in Turkmenistan. The country is divided into 17 complexes and the 84 species and subspecies found in Turmkmeistan are listed as occurring in mountains, plains, or both.

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The latest changes in the taxonomy of amphibians and reptiles are analyzed in the work, among them, in particular, toads, frogs, tortoises, geckoes, agamas, lacertids, boas and colubrids. A new list is published, which provides information for 100 species and subspecies: 6 species of amphibians and 94 species of reptiles (6 turtles, 58 lizards, 30 snakes). The conservation status of reptiles in Turkmenistan was revised according to the IUCN assessments.

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The work provides new information on the distribution and abundance of reptiles in some landscapes of Turkmenistan. The results of the study are following: the registration of new records to clarify the distribution; the discovery of the Afghan awl-headed snake (Lythorhynchus ridgewyi) on the Kaplankyr chink, which moves the boundary of the species distribution from the previously known nearest places (in the vicinity of the village of Kukurtli (former Sulfur Plant) and from the solonchak hollows of Unguz (Shestopal, Akgaev, 2013) to 220 km to the north-west; sunwatcher living in the north of Turkmenistan is identified as nominate subspecies — Phrynocephalus helioscopus helioscopus. Data on the number of reptiles are provided, the most interesting of them are observations in the southern part of the Sarykamysh depression. The density of desert species such as Trapelus sanguinolentus aralensis) and (Eremias intermedia) is twice higher and for Eremias lineolata is 20-times higher in comparison with adjoining territories.

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Taxonomy dependent, four amphibian (three toads and a frog) and 57 reptile species (a tortoise, 36 lizards and 20 snakes) appear confirmed as occurring within the Republic of Uzbekistan. One of these species, Szczerbak’s even-fingered gecko Alsophylax szczerbaki, has perhaps been extirpated. The presence of a further two taxa, i.e., long-legged bent-toed gecko Tenuidactylus longipes and multi-ocellated racerunner Eremias multiocellata is unclear (but both probably absent), whilst the standing of Turkestan salamander Hynobius turkestanicus remains an enigma. Species distributions in Uzbekistan are summarised based on a literature review supplemented by recent field observations.

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This book shows a comprehensive picture of the reptiles, excluding snakes, living in Europe, North Africa, Middle and Near East and Central Asia. The bulk of the book is an annotated checklist and a distributional atlas of approx 500 species of lizards, crocodiles, turtles and terrapins, and amphisbaenians, living in the Western Palearctic. Information on distribution, subspecies, chorotype and main references are provided for each species, as well as 226 colour maps showing the global distribution of the species on a grid of one degree. For each species map the bibliographic and original sources (more than 850 sources are listed) are indicated. A further 83 maps show the distribution of all genera and main species groups of Palearctic reptiles. Beside the checklist and the atlas, in some additional chapters the following arguments are treated: Materials and methods; status of knowledge on the Palearctic fauna; composition of the Western Palearctic reptile fauna (including a statement on biodiversity and species richness); descriptive biogeography (including a discussion on the Palearctic region boundaries based on reptile distribution and the herpeto-geographic sectors of the Western Palearctic); conservation status. A list of more than 730 references quoted in the text and high quality colour plates including photos of the most of the supraspecific taxa living in the study area completes the book.

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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.

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Comparative studies on mitochondrial genomes (mitogenomes) as well as the structure and evolution of the mitochondrial control region are few in the Lacertidae family. Here, the complete mitogenomes of five individuals of Eremias scripta (2 individuals), Eremias nikolskii, Eremias szczerbaki, and Eremias yarkandensis were determined using next-generation sequencing and were compared with other lacertids available in GenBank. The circular mitogenomes comprised the standard set of 13 protein-coding genes (PCGs), 22 transfer RNA genes, 2 ribosomal RNA genes and a long non-coding control region (CR). The extent of purifying selection was less pronounced for the COIII and ND2 genes in comparison with the rest of the PCGs. The codons encoding Leucine (CUN), Threonine, and Isolecucine were the three most frequently present. The secondary structure of rRNA of Lacertidae (herein, E. scripta KZL15 as an example) comprised four domains and 28 helices for 12S rRNA, with six domains and 50 helices for 16S rRNA. Five types and twenty-one subtypes of CR in Lacertidae were described by following the criteria of the presence and position of tandem repeats (TR), termination-associated sequence 1 (TAS1), termination-associated sequence 2 (TAS2), conserved sequence block 1 (CBS1), conserved sequence block 2 (CSB2), and conserved sequence block 3 (CSB3). The compositions of conserved structural elements in four genera, Acanthodactylus, Darevskia, Eremias, and Takydromus, were further explored in detail. The base composition of TAS2 – TATACATTAT in Lacertidae was updated. In addition, the motif “TAGCGGCTTTTTTG” of tandem repeats in Eremias and the motif ”GCGGCTT” in Takydromus were presented. Nucleotide lengths between CSB2 and CSB3 remained 35 bp in Eremias and Darevskia. The phylogenetic analyses of Lacertidae recovered the higher-level relationships among the three subfamilies and corroborated a hard polytomy in the Lacertinae phylogeny. The phylogenetic position of E. nikolskii challenged the monophyly of the subgenus Pareremias within Eremias. Some mismatches between the types of CR and their phylogeny demonstrated the complicated evolutionary signals of CR such as convergent evolution. These findings will promote research on the structure and evolution of the CR and highlight the need for more mitogenomes in Lacertidae.

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This article gives a complete overview about the reptiles of western Turkmenistan and their zoogeographical relation. The data were obtained by several expeditions during the last years and completed by compilation of the specific herpetological literature about this area. Ten general landscape units are described along a profile from the Central Karakum desert throughout the Malyi Balkhan chains, the Kyurendag Corridor, the Western Kopetdagh to the state border of Iran. The mountain and plain reptile fauna is analyzed. After discussing the faunal element composition of various landscapes, the Western Kopetdagh was included into the South-West Asian province while the Turanian plain and the Malyi Balkhan were included into the Turanian province of the Palearctic.

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This publication provides a critical review of the amphibian and reptilian type specimens presented in the collec- tion of the Museum of Nature at V. N. Karazin Kharkiv National University (Kharkiv, Ukraine), as of May 2008. The collection contains type specimens of twenty taxa. Eleven of them are valid species or subspecies. Lecto- types of Hyla arborea schelkownikowi, Rana dentex, Eryx miliaris nogaiorum, Coluber schmidti, and Ancistro- don halys caucasicus are designated. Information about lost type materials is provided.

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The composition and distribution of the vertebrate fauna of Afghanistan remain poorly documented and in recent decades little new data have become available due to a series of wars and the resulting unstable security conditions. As Afghanistan returns to some semblance of normalcy, baseline faunistic data will be particularly important for establishing national conservation priorities as well as for placing Afghan taxa into their broader phylogenetic and zoogeographic contexts. We here provide an updated checklist of the herpetofauna of Afghanistan based in part upon biodiversity archives of specimen records from several museum and private collec- tions as well as literature references and field research. The herpetofauna of Afghanistan consists of 118 species and subspecies belonging to 58 genera and 21 families. Seven species are endemic to the country, whereas 18 taxa have to be delet- ed from previous lists of the Afghan herpetofauna. Afghanistan’s primary zoogeo- graphic relationship to the Palearctic Region is reaffirmed but with secondary influ- ence from the Oriental Region. Immediately following the checklist, two sections provide information about species probably occurring in Afghanistan and previous- ly mentioned species that are now recognized as absent.