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Some nomenclature problems of the Eremias (Sauria, Lacertidae) genus are discussed. Aspidorhinus Eichwald, 1841 is shown to be a senior synonym of Dimorphea Eremchenko, 1999 and so should be a valid subgeneric name for the Eremias velox species group. A list of the subgenus’ species is given.

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Little is known about altitudinal distribution of lizards in Iran. In the present study we studied distribution pattern of members of family Lacertidae along the eleveatinal gradient in Iran. To determine environmental drivers of distribution pattern of 48 lizard species, all known valid members of family Lacertidae, along elevational gradient in Iran. Firstly, we classified Iran digital elevation model (DEM) based on 100m intervals, that resulted in 56 altitudinal bands and number of species in each band was recorded. Secondly, we extracted mean value of following variables; altitude, slop, area, solar radiation index (SRI), normalized differences vegetation index (NDVI), annual precipitation, precipitation of wettest month, precipitation of driest month precipitation, precipitation of wettest quarter, precipitation of driest quarter, and precipitation of warmest quarter, and using VIF measure correlated variables were removed. Finally, we performed a multiple regression and found that area and precipitation of warmest quarter are the most important drivers of distribution pattern of family Lacertidae along elevational gradient in Iran. General distribution pattern of family Lacertidae was unimodal and maximum number of species living from 1475 m to 1675 m.

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Spatial gradients of species richness can be shaped by the interplay between historical and ecological factors. They might interact in particularly complex ways in heterogeneous mountainous landscapes with strong climatic and geological contrasts. We mapped the distribution of 171 lizard species to investigate species richness patterns for all species (171), diurnal species (101), and nocturnal species (70) separately. We related species richness with the historical (past climate change, mountain uplifting) and ecological variables (climate, topography and vegetation). We found that assemblages in the Western Zagros Mountains, north eastern and north western parts of Central Iranian Plateau have the highest number of lizard species. Among the investigated variables, annual mean temperature explained the largest variance for all species (10%) and nocturnal species (31%). For diurnal species, temperature change velocity shows strongest explained variance in observed richness pattern (26%). Together, our results reveal that areas with annual temperature of 15–20 °C, which receive 400–600 mm precipitation and experienced moderate level of climate change since the Last Glacial Maximum (LGM) have highest number of species. Documented patterns of our study provide a baseline for understanding the potential efect of ongoing climate change on lizard diversity in Iran.

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Aims The Zagros Mountains are a part of the 20th global hotspot, the Irano-Anatolian biodiversity hotspot. In this study, we aim to develop a comprehensive checklist of endemic herpetofauna species in the Zagros Mountains as one of the biodiversity hotspot regions, to provide more information about this important area and the necessity of conservation programs to protect it. Materials & Methods The Zagros Mountains, with an area of about 533,543km2, ranges from Turkey and Iraq to western and southwestern Iran along the eastern edge of the Persian Gulf. A list of endemic species has been collected from the literature review. Findings This region contains 3 species and 7 subspecies of endemic amphibians belonging to three genera and two families, the Salamandridae (8) and the Bufonidae (2). Neurergus and Calliopersa are endemic to this hotspot. There are 40 species and 6 subspecies of endemic reptiles belonging to 24 genera and 10 families. The families with the greatest number of endemic species are the Gekkonidae, Phyllodactylidae, and Colubridae. Three genera, Asaccus, Mediodactylus, and Eirenis, dominate the region, with 32 endemic taxa. There are also two endemic genera, Parsigecko and Lakigecko. Conclusion Many amphibians in the Zagros Mountains, especially all the species of the genus Neurergus, are categorized in IUCN (the International Union for Conservation of Nature) Red List and CITES (the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora). The habitats of the Zagros Mountains herpetofauna, especially those of endangered and endemic species, should be protected and managed to maintain or restore populations of the declining species.

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Aim: Small geographic ranges make species especially prone to extinction from an- thropogenic disturbances or natural stochastic events. We assemble and analyse a comprehensive dataset of all the world’s lizard species and identify the species with the smallest ranges—those known only from their type localities. We compare them to wide-ranging species to infer whether specific geographic regions or biological traits predispose species to have small ranges. Location: Global. Methods: We extensively surveyed museum collections, the primary literature and our own field records to identify all the species of lizards with a maximum linear geo- graphic extent of <10 km. We compared their biogeography, key biological traits and threat status to those of all other lizards. Results: One in seven lizards (927 of the 6,568 currently recognized species) are known only from their type localities. These include 213 species known only from a single specimen. Compared to more wide-ranging taxa, they mostly inhabit relatively inaccessible regions at lower, mostly tropical, latitudes. Surprisingly, we found that burrowing lifestyle is a relatively unimportant driver of small range size. Geckos are especially prone to having tiny ranges, and skinks dominate lists of such species not seen for over 50 years, as well as of species known only from their holotype. Two- thirds of these species have no IUCN assessments, and at least 20 are extinct. Main conclusions: Fourteen per cent of lizard diversity is restricted to a single location, often in inaccessible regions. These species are elusive, usually poorly known and little studied. Many face severe extinction risk, but current knowledge is inadequate to properly assess this for all of them. We recommend that such species become the focus of taxonomic, ecological and survey efforts.

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A new species of the lacertid genus Eremias Fitzinger, 1834 is described from northwest of Isfahan province, Central Iran. Two mitochondrial genes (cyt b and 12S DNA) were sequenced and analyzed as reliable molecular markers for the separation of this newly discovered species from closely related species within the genus Eremias: E. velox, E. persica, E. papenfussi, E. lalezharica, E. montana, E. strauchi, E. kopetdaghica and E. suphani. Genetic distances (K2-p) between any of these species with the newly described species are relatively high (27.5–32.8% for cyt b and 5.2–10.4% for 12S DNA). Phylogenetic analyses (MP, ML and BI) generated trees with very similar topologies. According to molecular and morphological data, Eremias isfahanica sp. nov. belongs to the subgenus Aspidorhinus, and is closely related to E. papenfussi. Because several new Eremias species have recently been described from the Iranian Plateau, we additionally provide an updated identification key.