Western Armenia, South Georgia and northeastern Türkiye (region of Kars).  

Species:

Darevskia nairensis  (DAREVSKY, 1967)

Synonyms:

Darevskia raddei nairensis   DAREVSKI, 1967

Lacerta saxicola nairensis   DAREVSKY, 1967

Lacerta raddei nairensis   UZZELL & DAREVSKY, 1973

Lacerta nairensis   DAREVSKY, 1992

Archaeolacerta (Caucasilacerta) nairensis   SINDACO et al., 2000

Darevskia (raddei) nairensis   ARNOLD et al., 2007

Lacerta (Darevskia) nairensis   SINDACO & JEREMČENKO, 2008

Darevskia nairensis   ARAKELYAN et al., 2011

Common names:

Armenia Lizard (English) Armenische Eidechse (German)

Types:

Holotype: ZISP = ZIN 17941, male (Zool. Inst., St. Petersburg).

Terra Typica:

Vicinity of Lchashen village, shore of Lake Sevan in Armenia.


Taxonomic notes:

Etymology: Name derived from the “Nairi”, an ancient name of Armenia.


Relevant taxonomic literature:

  • Darevsky, I.S. (1967) -  Description Darevskia alpina. -  In: “Rock lizards of the Caucasus: Systematics, ecology and phylogenesis of the polymorphic groups of Caucasian rock lizards of the the subgenus Archaeolacerta”: Indian Natural Sciences Documentation Center, New Delhi. 276 pp.   

  • Fu, J. & Darevsky, I.S. & MacCulloch, R.D. & Kupriyanova, L.A. & Roitberg, E.S. & Sokolova, T.M. & Murphy, R.W. (1995) -  Genetic and morphological differentiation among Caucasian rock lizards of the Lacerta caucasica complex.  -  Russian Journal of Herpetology, Moscow, 2 (1): 36-42.    

  • Petrosyan, R. & Arakelyan, M. (2013) -  Comparative analysis of two close related forms of lizard Darevskia “raddei” and D. “nairensis”.  -  In: Žagar, A. (ed.): Abstracts of the 8th International Symposium on the Lacertids of the Mediterranean Basin, 03 - 06 June 2013, Koper, Slovenia: 45.     

  • Freitas, S. & Rocha, S. & Campos, J. & Ahmadzadeh, F. & Corti, C. & Sillero, N. & Ilgaz, C. & Kumlutaş, Y. & Arakelyan, M. & Harris, D.J. & Carretero, M.A. (2016) -  Parthenogenesis through the ice ages: A biogeographic analysis of Caucasian rock lizards (genus Darevskia). -  Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution 102: 117–127.     

  • Petrosyan, V.G. & Osipov, F.A. & Bobrov, V.V. & Dergunova, N.N. & Kropachev, I.I. & Danielyan, F.D. & Arakelyan, M.S. (2020) -  New records and geographic distribution of the sympatric zones of unisexual and bisexual rock lizards of the genus Darevskia in Armenia and adjacent territories. -  Biodiversity Data Journal 8: e56030 (https://doi.org/10.3897/BDJ.8.e56030)