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A Review of the Lacertini of Iraq in Iraqi Collections (Squamata: Sauria: Lacertidae)

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A Review of the Lacertini of Iraq in Iraqi Collections (Squamata: Sauria: Lacertidae) FINAL_1_Afrasiab_Mohammad_Hossein_Review_genus_Lacerta_Iraq_Afrasiab_Mohammad_Hossein_Review_genus_Lacerta_Iraq.qxd 15.01.2013 15:29 Seite 1 hErPEtozoa 25 (3/4): 93 - 100 93 wien, 30. Jänner 2013 a review of the Lacertini of Iraq in Iraqi collections (squamata: sauria: Lacertidae) Übersicht der Lacertini des Iraks in irakischen sammlungen (squamata: sauria: Lacertidae) saMan r. a frasIaB & s arBaz I. M ohaMad & r aza h. h ossaIn Kurzfassung die vorliegende Publikation beschäftigt sich mit der von Professor a. d. nIazI , direktor des naturhistori - schen Museums der universität von Bagdad, 1976 gemachten veröffentlichung über irakische Lacertini, unter Einbeziehung weiterer Belege aus irakischen sammlungen. Irakisches Material (22 Individuen) von fünf Eidechsenformen dieser gruppe wurde in irakischen samm - lungen gefunden: Lacerta cf. strigata EIchwaLd , 1831 , die von vielen autoren von der Liste irakischer Eidechsen genommen worden war, L. media media Lantz & c yrén , 1920 und Timon kurdistanicus (suchow , 1936) sowie zwei unterarten von Apathya cappadocica (w ErnEr , 1902) . Ein Bestimmungsschlüssel und eine fundortkarte werden vorgelegt. aBstract the present study is a review of the 1976 publication by professor a. d. nIazI , director of the natural history Museum of the university of Baghdad, on the Lacertini of Iraq, including additional materials from Iraqi collections. twenty-two individuals of five taxa of this group originating from the territory under study were identified in Iraqi collections: Lacerta cf. strigata EIchwaLd , 1831 which had been removed from the list of Iraqi lacertids by many authors, L. media media Lantz & c yrén , 1920, Timon kurdistanicus (suchow , 1936) and and two sub - species of Apathya cappadocica (w ErnEr , 1902) . a key for identification and a map of the records are also pre - sented. KEy words reptilia: squamata: sauria: Lacertidae: Lacertini, Lacerta cf. strigata , Lacerta media media , Timon kurdi - stanicus , Apathya cappadocica muhtari , Apathya cappadocica urmiana , zakhow district, Kurdistan, Iraq, muse - um specimens IntroductIon Early studies of the Lacertini of Iraq following J. s chMIdtLEr (in. litt.), LEvI- reported the presence of Lacerta princeps ton et al. (1992) concluded that the presence BLanford , 1874, and Lacerta strigata of L. strigata in Iraq was reported in error EIch waLd , 1831, referred to as a variety of due to confusion with Lacerta media Lantz L. viridis (LaurEntI , 1768) (e.g., BouLEn- & c yrén , 1920 or even T. princeps . gEr 1920; M ahdI & g Eorg 1969; n IazI schMIdtLEr (1975, 1986a, 1986b, 1986c, 1976 ). Lacertid systematics, Iraqi taxa 2002) studied the anatolian L. trilineata , L. included, was subject to refinement for viridis , L. media , L. strigata , L. agilis and L. decades. In this pro cess, Lacerta cappado - pamphylica in terms of systematics, distribu - cica wErnEr , 1902, was uniquely trans - tion and ecological congruency with vegeta - ferred to the genus La tastia BEdrIaga , 1884 tion ecozones and restriced L. trilineata to the (B ouLEngEr 1921), and later to Apathya supramediterranean-prepontic zone in west - MéhELy , 1907 (e.g., KhaLaf 1959; andEr- ern turkey. recently, the Palae arctic and son 1974; arnoLd et al. 2007), and L. prin - oriental lacertids of the tribe Lacertini were ceps was placed into the genus Timon revised by arnoLd et al. (2007). In this tschudI , 1836 by MayEr & B Ischoff study, the authors follow their terminology (1996). the chronology of the knowledge and present information about morphology of Iraqi Lacertini is shown in table 1. and record localities of Iraqi Lacertini. In FINAL_1_Afrasiab_Mohammad_Hossein_Review_genus_Lacerta_Iraq_Afrasiab_Mohammad_Hossein_Review_genus_Lacerta_Iraq.qxd 15.01.2013 15:29 Seite 2 94 s. r. a frasIaB & s. I. M ohaMad & r. h. h ossaIn all probability, Iranolacerta zagrosica (ra- Iraq ( rastEgar -P ouyanI et al. 2008), stEgar -P ouyanI & n ILson , 1998) is sup - although specimens of this taxon were not posed to occur in the Kurdistan Province of found in Iraqi collections. MatErIaLs and MEthods our study is based on specimens in the specimens from various Iraqi localities, collections of (i) the Iraq Museum of natural including two lizards recently collected from history in Baghdad (IMnhB), accumulated north of arbil. since the specimens were by Professor a. d. nIazI and his staff (field preserved in formalin, most of the color had group) from the Museum of natural history gone; moreover, some specimens were dried of the Baghdad university, the first author out but most morphological features of taxo - (s.r.a) having been member of this group, nomic relevance were clearly visible, except (ii) the Erbil (arbil) Museum of natural coloration. the numbers of femoral pores history (arbil, hewler) of the university of and symmetrical head shields are given for salahaddin, and (iii) the collection of the each side. Longitudinal series of dorsal Biology department of the university of scales were counted at midbody. svL – sulaymaniyah. the authors examined 23 snout-vent Length, tL – tail Length. rEsuLts and dIscussIon Timon kurdistanicus (keeled in IMnhB 98) as are the dorsals of (suchow , 1936) the three posteriormost transversal rows . 37 -38 longitudinal rows of keeled dorsal Material: two female specimens scales, neck scales keeled. 14-16 femoral (figs. 1, 5) in the collection of the sulay - pores and 22-23 temporals; 3-4 pairs of maniyah university, collected from moun - enlarged chin shields. Lower edge of suboc - tain regions north of sulaymaniyah city, ular half the length of the shield. eastern Kurdistan, Iraq, by a student of the size: svL of the unnumbered fe - sulaymaniyah university in 1997, without males is 135 and 137 mm, tL 280 mm each. number or further data; a female specimen, svL of specimen no. 98 is 116 mm, tail collected by a. d. nIazI in 1978 from the broken. road between Khapoor (Khabur) river and color: In the unnumbered formalin Kanimase, zakhow district, western Kurdi - specimens, the body is dark gray with scat - stan, Iraq (IMnhB no. 98). tered white spots on the sides and hind Pholidosis: ten longitudinal rows limbs, ventrals dark (fig. 1). of ventral plates, the outermost smooth table 1: available information in synoptic publications on the presence of Lacertini taxa in Iraq. tab. 1: Übersichtsarbeiten mit angaben zum vorkommen von Echsen aus der gruppe der Lacertini im Irak. taxon name BouLEngEr KhaLaf MahdI &nIazI wELch LEvIton et andErson (1920/21) (1959) gEorg (1969) (1976) (1983) al. (1992) (1999) Timon princeps ++ Timon kurdistanicus ++ Lacerta media ++ + Lacerta strigata ++ ? Lacerta viridis + Apathya cappadocica + + Apathya cappadocica muhtari ++ Apathya cappadocica urmiana +++ ^Apathya cappadocica wolteri + FINAL_1_Afrasiab_Mohammad_Hossein_Review_genus_Lacerta_Iraq_Afrasiab_Mohammad_Hossein_Review_genus_Lacerta_Iraq.qxd 15.01.2013 15:29 Seite 3 the Lacertini of Iraq 95 Lacerta media media Lacerta cf. strigata EIchwaLd , 1831 Lantz & c yrén , 1920 Material: three specimens collect - Material: three specimens collect - ed by a. d. nIazI 1973 from gelki Islam ed by a. d. nIazI , on 7 June, 1961, two near the Khapoor river and the road to males from shaklawa north of arbil Kanimase, zakhow district, western Kurd - (IMnhB nos.110, 111), one from zaweta, istan, IMnhB nos. 99a (male), 99b (fe - duhok Province (IMnhB no. 60); a female male), 99c (juvenile, not sexed) (figs. 3, 5). and a male specimen from hage omaran, Pholidosis: Eight longitudinal north of the Province of arbil (without num - series of ventral plates. fifth submaxillary ber, collected by s. IBrahIM in april 2011) shield well developed, 18-22 femoral pores, were present in the arbil Museum of the row of pores reaching the knee. temp - natural history. a male ( figs. 2, 5; InhMB oral shields 17-19, mostly 19. dorsal scales 170a) and a female (InhMB 170b) speci - strongly keeled, subimbricate, rhombic, in men from gelki Islam near the Khapoor 46-52 longitudinal rows (thereby exceeding river (same locality as for L. strigata ), col - the range of 35-47 as given by darEwsKIJ lected by a. d. nIazI on 27 June 1973. upon 1984). Keeled granules on the nape. one to revision of the collection of the natural three granules between superciliaries and history Museum of the university of supraoculars. Length of lower edge of sub - Baghdad, the authors found one more male ocular shield half the length of its upper Lacerta (InhMB no. 112), collected by edge. occipital wider than interparietal. Iyad nadEr in 1968 from sakreen-sarsang, size: svL of largest male 111 mm duhok Province, labeled L. viridis. In that (tL 250 mm), of largest female 112 mm it shows 60 longitudinal series of keeled (tL 270 mm). dorsal scales, 8 longitudinal series of ventral color in formalin: dorsal side uni - plates, 20 femoral pores, and more than 20 formly dark brown, venter yellow, except temporal shields it probably represents also submaxillary shields and centers of the ven - L. media . the same is supposed to apply to tral plates. four specimens of Iraqi Lacerta deposited at remark: the presence of L. striga - the British Museum (natural history) by a. ta at the Khapoor river was mentioned by d. nIazI under the name L. viridis . nIazI (1976). however, according to LEvI- Pholidosis: ventral plates in 6-8 ton et al. (1992) who quoted J. schMIdtLEr longitudinal series. dorsal scales oval, con - (pers. comm. 30 april 1991 to K. adLEr ), cave, keeled; in eastern and northern popula - reports of L. strigata occurring in Iraq tions arranged in 50-52, in western popula - should be considered as errors due to confu - tions (Khapoor) in 55-60 longitudinal series. sion with L. media or L. princeps [or L. kur - smooth granules on the nape and anterior distanicus ]. the same reservation was al - dorsum. number of femoral pores 11-18, ready made by darEwsKIJ (1984). there is, the row of the pores not reaching the knee. however, another report of Lacerta cf. stri - More than 21 temporals. four pairs of en - gata from near rawanduz, north Iraq, by larged chin shields. number of granules haas & w ErnEr (1969) which is doubted between supraciliars and supraoculars 2-7. as well and interpreted as a juvenile T.
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