| At Harran (36°51’ N – 39°00’ E),near the ruins of the ancient university, ca.75 km as the crow flies from Sanliurfa (or Urfa; Urfa = 37°08’ N - 38°46’ E), elevation 380-390 m, Sanliurfa province,SE Turkey. |
Baran, I. & Kumlutaş, Y. & Lanza, B. & Sindaco, R. & Ilgaz, C. & Avci, A. & Crucitti, P. (2005) - Acanthodactylus harranensis, a new species of lizard from southeastern Turkey (Reptilia: Sauria: Lacertidae). - Bollettino del Museo regionale di Scienze naturali, Torino, 23 (1): 323-341.   × Description of the new lacertid Acanthodactylus harranensis from Harran (SE Turkey). The new taxon shares many features in common with A. grandis but differs from it in having the dorsal proximal tail scales smooth or hardly keeled, the 4th supraocular more fragmented and a characteristic dorsal pattern. It is also easily destinguishable from all congeners with no keeling on proximal dorsal caudal scales (A. tristrami, A. orientalis, A. robustus) in having anterior border of the ear opening pectinate, subocular not reaching the mouth (often separated from the lip by a small scale only in A. robustus), ventrals usually arranged in 14 oblique longitudinal rows (instead of 10-12), 4 longitudinal continuous rows of scales on the fingers (instead of 3; rudimentary, discontinuous 4th row sometimes occurs in A. robustus), tail more than 1.5 times the snout-vent distance (at least in the juveniles and subadults), and a different pattern, lacking the two rows of large ocellar or dark markings along the back. The description includes also some juveniles, up to now undescribed and/or unknown within the A. grandis complex and the A. tristrami group. Some data on the ecology and habitat of the new species are given. Tamar, K. & Carranza, S. & Sindaco, R. & Moravec, J. & Trape, J.-F. & Meiri, S. (2016) - Out of Africa: Phylogeny and biogeography of the widespread genus Acanthodactylus (Reptilia: Lacertidae). - Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution, 103: 6-18. × Acanthodactylus lizards are among the most diverse and widespread diurnal reptiles in the arid regions spanning from North Africa across to western India. Acanthodactylus constitutes the most species-rich genus in the family Lacertidae, with over 40 recognized species inhabiting a wide variety of dry habitats. The genus has seldom undergone taxonomic revisions, and although there are a number of described species and species-groups, their boundaries as well as their interspecific relationships are largely unresolved. We constructed a multilocus phylogeny, combining data from two mitochondrial (12S, cytb) and three nuclear (MC1R, ACM4, c-mos) markers for 302 individuals belonging to 36 known species, providing the first large-scale time-calibrated molecular phylogeny of the genus. We evaluated phylogenetic relationships between and within species-groups, and assessed Acanthodactylus biogeography across its known range. Acanthodactylus cladogenesis is estimated to have originated in Africa due to vicariance and dispersal events from the Oligocene onwards. Radiation started with the separation into three clades: the Western and scutellatus clades largely distributed in North Africa, and the Eastern clade occurring mostly from Arabia to south-west Asia. Most Acanthodactylus species diverged during the Miocene, possibly as a result of regional geological instability and climatic changes. We support most of the current taxonomic classifications and phylogenetic relationships, and provide genetic validity for most species. We reveal a new distinct blanfordii species-group, suggest new phylogenetic positions (A. hardyi, A. masirae), and synonymize several species and subspecies (A. lineomaculatus, A. boskianus khattensis and A. b. nigeriensis) with their phylogenetically closely-related species. We recommend a thorough systematic revision of taxa exhibiting high levels of intraspecific variability as well as clear evidence of phylogenetic complexity such as A. guineensis, A. grandis, A. dumerilii, and A. senegalensis and the pardalis and erythrurus species-groups.
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