The easternmost record of Ophisops elegans …...In Iran, O. elegans is considered as one of the...
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The snake-eyed lizards of the genus Ophisops Ménétriés, 1832 are distributed in Southeastern Europe, North Africa, and Asia, with eight currently recognized species (Kyriazi et al., 2008). Ophisops elegans Ménétriés, 1832 is widely distributed throughout the Eastern Mediterranean region and Southwestern Asia, and has also been recorded from North Africa (Chirio and Blanc, 1993; Schleich et al., 1996; Frynta et al., 2000; Sindaco et al., 2000; Göçmen et al., 2008). In Iran, O. elegans is considered as one of the most common lacertid lizards, being distributed eastward through the western parts of the central Iranian Plateau and in the south as far as Kerman (Anderson, 1999). There has been hitherto no record of this taxon in eastern parts of Iran but according to Anderson (1999) it may occur at higher elevation in the eastern regions of the Iranian Plateau. Here we report the findings of two adult females of O. elegans collected during fieldwork in August 2011 from the Taftan Mountains (N 28 36 25.1; E 061 04 47.3), Sistan and Baluchestan Province (Fig. 1 and 2). This is the eastern most record for O. elegans in Iran. The previous easternmost record of O. elegans (Anderson, 1999) was more than 300 kilometer west of our new record (Fig. 3). Measurements (in mm), scalation characters and color pattern of one of the collected specimens are as followed: SVL: 42.77; tail incomplete; axilla-groin distance 26.65; foreleg length 15.32; hind leg length 27.44; head length 8.97; head width 5.68; head height 3.77; number of supralabials (right side) 8; number of infralabials scales (right side) 8; 8 smooth scales across widest part of belly; 47 scales in a single longitudinal row from postmental to vent; 25 scales across widest part of dorsum; 22 lamellae under the fourth toe; 17 lamellae under the fourth finger. Our specimens are somewhat darker in color than the specimens collected from Kerman, the nearest locality of O. elegans to our new record (Anderson, 1999). According to Anderson (1999), the probability of its occurrence is at higher elevation in the eastern regions of the Iranian Plateau. On the other hand, there is no comprehensive study on different populations of O. elegans in Iran; hence the taxonomic status of different populations of O. elegans in Iran is not clear. Some researchers believe that O. e. blanfordi may be a valid taxon with one or more subspecies over a broad zone in the Zagros foothills (Anderson, 1999). Further investigations are needed to shed more light on the unresolved issues in taxonomy as well as the biogeography of this taxon in Iran. Molecular analysis (being undertaken by the authors) may help to reconstruct historical biogeography of Ophisops elegans in the Iranian Plateau. Herpetology Notes, volume 5: 469-470 (2012) (published online on 12 October 2012) The easternmost record of Ophisops elegans (Sauria: Lacertidae) in Iran Hamzeh Oraie 1,* , Hassan Rahimian 1 , Nasrullah Rastegar-Pouyani 2 , Eskandar Rastegar-Pouyani 3 and Azar Khosravani 2 1 Department of Zoology, Faculty of biology, Tehran Universi- ty, Tehran, Iran 2 Department of Biology, Faculty of science, Razi University, Kermanshah, Iran 3 Department of Biology, Faculty of science, Hakim Sabzevari University, Sabzevar, Iran *Corresponding author; e-mail: [email protected] Figure 1. Habitat of Ophisops elegans, about 30 km north of Khash, Sistan and Baluchestan Province, southeastern Iran (More than 2500 m elevation).
Transcript of The easternmost record of Ophisops elegans …...In Iran, O. elegans is considered as one of the...
The snake-eyed lizards of the genus Ophisops Ménétriés, 1832 are distributed in Southeastern Europe, North Africa, and Asia, with eight currently recognized species (Kyriazi et al., 2008). Ophisops elegans Ménétriés, 1832 is widely distributed throughout the Eastern Mediterranean region and Southwestern Asia, and has also been recorded from North Africa (Chirio and Blanc, 1993; Schleich et al., 1996; Frynta et al., 2000; Sindaco et al., 2000; Göçmen et al., 2008). In Iran, O. elegans is considered as one of the most common lacertid lizards, being distributed eastward through the western parts of the central Iranian Plateau and in the south as far as Kerman (Anderson, 1999). There has been hitherto no record of this taxon in eastern parts of Iran but according to Anderson (1999) it may occur at higher elevation in the eastern regions of the Iranian Plateau.
Here we report the findings of two adult females of O. elegans collected during fieldwork in August 2011 from the Taftan Mountains (N 28 36 25.1; E 061 04 47.3), Sistan and Baluchestan Province (Fig. 1 and 2). This is the eastern most record for O. elegans in Iran. The previous easternmost record of O. elegans (Anderson, 1999) was more than 300 kilometer west of our new record (Fig. 3). Measurements (in mm), scalation characters and color pattern of one of the collected specimens are as followed: SVL: 42.77; tail incomplete; axilla-groin distance 26.65; foreleg length 15.32; hind leg length 27.44; head length 8.97; head width 5.68; head height 3.77; number of supralabials (right side) 8; number of infralabials scales (right side)
8; 8 smooth scales across widest part of belly; 47 scales in a single longitudinal row from postmental to vent; 25 scales across widest part of dorsum; 22 lamellae under the fourth toe; 17 lamellae under the fourth finger. Our specimens are somewhat darker in color than the specimens collected from Kerman, the nearest locality of O. elegans to our new record (Anderson, 1999).
According to Anderson (1999), the probability of its occurrence is at higher elevation in the eastern regions of the Iranian Plateau. On the other hand, there is no comprehensive study on different populations of O. elegans in Iran; hence the taxonomic status of different populations of O. elegans in Iran is not clear. Some researchers believe that O. e. blanfordi may be a valid taxon with one or more subspecies over a broad zone in the Zagros foothills (Anderson, 1999). Further investigations are needed to shed more light on the unresolved issues in taxonomy as well as the biogeography of this taxon in Iran. Molecular analysis (being undertaken by the authors) may help to reconstruct historical biogeography of Ophisops elegans in the Iranian Plateau.
Herpetology Notes, volume 5: 469-470 (2012) (published online on 12 October 2012)
The easternmost record of Ophisops elegans (Sauria: Lacertidae) in Iran
Hamzeh Oraie1,*, Hassan Rahimian1, Nasrullah Rastegar-Pouyani2, Eskandar Rastegar-Pouyani3
and Azar Khosravani2
1 Department of Zoology, Faculty of biology, Tehran Universi-ty, Tehran, Iran
2 Department of Biology, Faculty of science, Razi University, Kermanshah, Iran
3 Department of Biology, Faculty of science, Hakim Sabzevari University, Sabzevar, Iran
*Corresponding author; e-mail: [email protected]
Figure 1. Habitat of Ophisops elegans, about 30 km north of Khash, Sistan and Baluchestan Province, southeastern Iran (More than 2500 m elevation).
Hamzeh Oraie et al.470
References
Anderson, S. C. (1999): The Lizards of Iran. Oxford, Society for the Study of Amphibians and Reptiles.
Chirio, L., Blanc, C.P. (1993): Existence in parapatry of two spe-cies of Ophisops in Algeria (Aures): zoogeographical implica-tions. Amphibia-Reptilia 14: 341-348.
Göçmen, B., Kaşot, N., Yıldız, M.Z., Sas, I., Akman, B., Yalçin-kaya, D., Gücel, S. (2008): Results of the herpetological trips to northern Cyprus. North-Western Journal of Zoology 4: 139-149.
Frynta, D., Kratochvil, L., Moravec, J., Benda, P., Dandova, R., Kaft an, M., Klosova, K., Mikulova, P., Nova, P. and Schwar-zova, L. (2000): Amphibians and reptiles recently recorded in Libya. Acta Societatis Zoologicae Bohemicae 64: 17-26.
Kyriazi, P., Poulakakis, N., Parmakelis, A., Crochet, P.A., Mora-vec, J., Rastegar-Pouyani, N., Tsigenopoulus, C.S., Magoulus, A., Mylonas, M., Lymberakis, P. (2008): Mitochondrial DNA reveals the genealogical history of the snake-eyed lizards (Ophisops elegans and Ophisops occidentalis) (Sauria: Lacer-tidae). Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution 49: 795-805.
Schleich, H.H., Kastle, W., Kabish, K. (1996): Amphibians and Reptiles of North Africa. Koenigstein, Koeltz.
Sindaco, R., Venchi, A., Carpaneto, G.M., Bologna, M. (2000): The reptiles of Anatolia: a checklist and zoogeographical ana-lysis. Biogeographia 21: 441-554.
Figure 2. Ophisops elegans collected from the Taftan Mountain, about 30 km North of Khash, Sistan and Baluchestan Province, eastern Iran.
Figure 3. Location of Taftan Mountain on the Eastern Iranian Plateau (2) and the last previously- known eastern record of Ophisops elegans (1) in Kerman Province.
Accepted by Philip de Pous
