Eremias persica
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Reptilia
Order: Squamata
Family: Lacertidae
Genus: Eremias
Species:
E. persica
Binomial name
Eremias persica
Blanford, 1875
Synonyms[1]
  • Eremias velox persica
  • Eremias nigrolateralis Rastegar-Pouyani & Nilson, 1998

Eremias persica, the Aralo-Caspian racerunner[1] or Persian racerunner,[2] is a species of lizard native to Iranian Azerbaijan, most of Iran, southern Turkmenistan, Afghanistan, and western Pakistan.[1] Eremias intermedia is also known as the Aralo-Caspian racerunner.

Taxonomy and conservation

It was described by William Thomas Blanford in 1875.[1][3] The type locality is near Isfahan, Iran.[4] The specific epithet persica refers to its distribution in Persia (now known as Iran).[1]

Eremias nigrolateralis Rastegar-Pouyani & Nilson, 1998, the black-sided racerunner,[5] was described based on dorsal color patterning differences but is now considered a synonym of E. persica.[1][2] E. nigrolateralis was considered a species of least concern on the IUCN Red List based on its extensive, suitable habitat, large population, and presumed lack of significant threats.[5] It was considered "unlikely to be declining fast enough to qualify for listing in a more threatened category".[5] E. persica has not been separately assessed on the IUCN Red List.[6]

Description

It is most closely related to Eremias velox, of which it was previously treated as a subspecies, and they share several attributes such as having a wide range distribution across the Iranian Plateau, as well as the number of and shape of their scales.[7][1] It can be morphologically distinguished from E. velox based on several characteristics, including:

  • continuous dorsolateral black stripes (vs. E. velox with interrupted, forming ocelli with white spots),
  • the stripes strongly contrasting with the base pattern (vs. not strongly contrasting),
  • juveniles with 4 dark stripes on the back between dorsolateral white-spotted stripes (vs. 3 dark stripes), and
  • juveniles with ventral surface of tail not red (vs. carmine red in E. velox).[7]

Like many other lacertid lizards, the juveniles are more easily distinguished from other species than the adults.[2] Other closely related species of Eremias racerunners include  E. kopetdaghica, E. isfahanica, E. lalezharica, E. montana, E. papenfussi, E. strauchi, and E. suphani.[7]

Distribution and habitat

The Persian racerunner occurs in Iran, southern Azerbaijan, southern Turkmenistan, Afghanistan, and western Pakistan.[4] In Iran, Eremias persica has a broad distribution in the central plateau south of the Alborz Mountains, including the Zagros Mountains, but it is absent from the central deserts Dasht-e Lut and Dasht-e Kavir.[4] It is found in open plains and slopes, typically in areas of low vegetation and gravel surfaces. It is also found on mixed sand or silt and gravel.[4]

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Eremias persica at the Reptarium.cz Reptile Database. Accessed 2018-11-02.
  2. 1 2 3 Rastegar-Pouyani, E.; Rastegar-Pouyani, N.; Noureini, S. K.; Joger, U.; Wink, M. (March 2010). "Molecular phylogeny of the Eremias persica complex of the Iranian plateau (Reptilia: Lacertidae), based on mtDNA sequences". Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society. 158 (3): 641–660. doi:10.1111/j.1096-3642.2009.00553.x.
  3. ↑ Blanford,W.T. 1874. Descriptions of new Reptilia and Amphibia from Persia and Baluchistan. The Annals and magazine of natural history; zoology, botany, and geology. (4) 14: 31–35
  4. 1 2 3 4 Smíd, Jiří; Moravec, Jiří; Kodym, Petr; Kratochvíl, Lukáš; Yousefkhani, Seyyed Saeed Hosseinian; Frynta, Daniel (20 August 2014). "Annotated checklist and distribution of the lizards of Iran". Zootaxa. 3855 (1): 1–97. doi:10.11646/zootaxa.3855.1.1. PMID 25284505. S2CID 6586358.
  5. 1 2 3 Bafti, S. S.; N. Ananjeva (2009). "Eremias nigrolateralis". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2009: e.T164752A5923145. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2009.RLTS.T164752A5923145.en.
  6. ↑ "The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Retrieved 2018-11-02.
  7. 1 2 3 Rastegar-Pouyani, E.; Hosseinian, S.; Rafiee, S.; Kami, H. G.; Rajabizadeh, M.; Wink, M. (29 June 2016). "A new species of the genus Eremias Fitzinger, 1834 (Squamata: Lacertidae) from Central Iran, supported by mtDNA sequences and morphology". Zootaxa. 4132 (2): 207–20. doi:10.11646/zootaxa.4132.2.2. PMID 27395662. S2CID 29569383.
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