| Type locality: (lecotype locality) original label: «Lacerta saxicola Crimea, Yalta 18.V.1961 Leg. SZCZERBAK» [= Ukraine, Autonomous Republic of Crimea, Yalta, 44°29 ́N, 34°9 ́E] (Fig. 8 in DORONIN 2012). |
Szczerbak, N.N. (1962) - On the systematics of Lacerta saxicola Eversmann of the Crimea and North Caucasus. - Зоологический журнал - Zoological Journal, 41 (9): 1374-1385.  Doronin, I.V. & Tuniyev, B.S. & Kukushkin, O.V. (2013) - Differentiation and taxonomy of the rock lizards Darevskia (saxicola) complex (Sauria: Lacertidae) according to morphological and molecular analyses. - Proceedings of the Zoological Institute of the Russian Academy of Sciences, St. Petersburg, 317 (1): 54-84.  × The results of statistical analysis of morphological characters and the study of the cytochrome b gene variability (mtDNA) of rock lizards of the Darevskia (saxicola) complex distributed in the Caucasus and the Crimea, have shown significant differentiation within this complex, assuming specific independence of D. szczerbaki (Lukina, 1963) and subspecific status of recently described D. brauneri myusserica Doronin, 2011. According to our data, within D. brauneri (Méhely, 1909) only two forms of subspecific status can be distinguished, namely D. b. brauneri and D. b. myusserica. In our opinion, Lacerta saxicola darevskii Szczerbak, 1962 (= D. brauneri darevskii) should be considered to be a junior synonym of D. b. brauneri. The possible scenarios of range formation in the Darevskia (saxicola) complex are discussed. И.В. Доронин, Б.С. Туниев и О.В. Кукушкин (2013) - Дифференциация и систематика скальных ящериц комплекса Darevskia (Saxicola) (Sauria: Lacertidae) по данным морфологического и молекулярного анализов. - Труды Зоологического института РАН, 317 (1): 54-84. × Результаты статистического анализа морфологических признаков шести распространенных на Кавказе и в Крыму форм скальных ящериц комплекса Darevskia (saxicola), наряду с данными исследования изменчивости фрагмента гена цитохром b митохондриальной ДНК, указывают на глубокую дифференциацию внутри этого комплекса, говорят в пользу видовой самостоятельности D. szczerbaki (Lukina, 1963) и обособленности недавно описанного таксона D. brauneri myusserica Doronin, 2011. Вместе с тем внутривидовая изменчивость D. brauneri (Mehely, 1909) позволяет выделить только две валидные формы подвидового статуса: D. b. brauneri и D. b. myusserica. По нашему мнению, Lacerta saxicola darevskii Szczerbak, 1962 (= D. brauneri darevskii) должна рассматриваться как младший синоним D. b. brauneri. Обсуждаются возможные сценарии происхождения форм комплекса. Kukushkin, O. & Ermakov, O. & Gherghel, I. & Lukonina, S. & Svinin, A. & Doronin, I. & Simonov, E. & Jablonski, D. (2021) - The mitochondrial phylogeography of the Crimean endemic lizard Darevskia lindholmi (Sauria, Lacertidae): Hidden diversity in an isolated mountain system. - Vertebrate Zoology 71: 559-576. × The Lindholm rock lizard, Darevskia lindholmi, is the only member of the genus Darevskia whose range is restricted solely to Europe, representing a local endemism found only in the Crimean Mountains. In our study, we investigated the cytochrome b gene (mtDNA) of 101 D. lindholmi sequences from 65 Crimean localities, representing its entire range. We found that D. lindholmi is highly genetically structured, and its range is divided into populations belonging to three mitochondrial lineages. The Lindholm rock lizard populations inhabiting the middle part of the Crimean Mountains (further referred to as the Central lineage) are sharply differ entiated from the other two lineages (the Common and the Southwestern lineages), which are present in most of the species range. The genetic distance between the Central lineage and the other two taken together is 4.6%, according to our results, suggesting that the divergence occurred during the Early Pleistocene. The narrowly distributed Southwestern lineage and the widespread Common lineage, on the other hand, are differentiated by 1%. Field observations on the representatives of the main evolutionary groups show that their ecology is also different: the Central lineage is a mesophilic and cold-resistant form, while the other two closely related lineages are more xerophilic and thermophilic. Results of the potential ranges modeling and ecological niche analysis confirm that the genetic lineages occupy different niches of the Crimea. Furthermore, the area of inhabitation of the Central lineage splits the western and eastern parts of the Common lineage range, while the Southwestern lineage is restricted along the coast of the southwestern coast of the peninsula. The long-term co-existence of deeply divergent sister mitochondrial lineages in a relatively small (circa 7,000 km2) isolated mountain system serves as a mesocosm for understanding the speciation process. Our data suggest that the Central lineage warrants further taxonomic investigation.
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