Intraspecific Variation of the Sand Lizard.Pdf
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VOLUM E 15 NUM BER 1 JANUARY-APRIL 2008 Russian Journal of Herpetology Vol. 15, No. 1, 2008, pp. 55 - 66 INTRASPECIFIC VARIATION OF THE SAND LIZARD (Lacerta agilis) FROM THE WESTERN CAUCASUS AND DESCRIPTION OF A NEW SUBSPECIES Lacerta agilis mzymtensis ssp. nov. (REPTILIA: SAURIA) Sako B. Tuniyev1 and Boris S. Tuniyev1 Submitted April 12, 2007. Intraspecific variation of sand lizard in the Western Caucasus is discussed with description of a new high-moun- tain subspecies Lacerta agilis mzymtensis ssp. nov. from upper basing of Mzymta River (vicinity of Sochi, Russia). Keywords: Sauria, Lacerta agilis mzymtensis ssp. nov., West Caucasus, Russia. INTRODUCTION characters were noted. L. a. exigua and L. a. chersonen- sis in Ukraine have a zone of intergradations prelimi Sand lizard is one of the most wide spread and nu nary measured as 40 - 50 km (Drabkin and Bobylev, merous species among vertebrates of the Eurasian fauna. 1979). It was shown that lizards from Belarus’ demon It is a useful model for a study the general trends of the strate characters of three subspecies: L. a. chersonensis, intraspecific evolution. It is a classical example of the L. a. exigua, and L. a. agilis (Bakharev, 1981). polytypic species on the vast distribution range where According to European herpetologists, Lacerta agi subspecies cross each other (“Prytkaya yashcheritsa,” lis consist of 9 - 10 subspecies. Some of them do not 1976). The opinions about number of the subspecies’s of recognize subspecies L. a. euxinica but consider L. a. ar- the sand lizard are discrepant. Terentjev and Chernov gus (Engelmann et al., 1985) and L. a. garzoni (Arribas, (1949) recognized within the borders of the former 1995) as valid subspecies (Bishoff, 1988). USSR three subspecies: Lacerta agilis agilis L., 1758, L. On the Caucasian Isthmus, five subspecies of the a. exigua Eichwald, 1831, and L. a. boemica Suchow, sand lizard are known: L. a. iorensis, L .'a. boem ica, L. a. 1929. These authors considered description of the sub brevicaudata, L. a. exigua, and L. a. grusinica. This species from the Crimea and Caucasus (L. a. tauridica opinion is disputed by some authors (Kalyabina-Hauf Suchow, 1927, L. a. caucasica Suchow, 1926) to be and Ananjeva, 2004). On the Western Caucasus, two enough groundless. subspecies — L. a. exigua and L. a. grusinica — are Bannikov et al. (1977) distinguished a nine subspe known. Eastward, on the north macroslope of the Cen cies. Within the borders of the former USSR they noted tral and East Caucasus, L. a. boemica lives, while on the seven subspecies: L. a. agilis L., 1758, L. a. chersonen- south macroslope — L. a. brevicaudata. sis Andr., 1832, L. a. exigua Eichw., 1831, L. a. grusini- According to literature data L. a. exigua inhabits the ca Peters, 1960, L. a. brevicaudata Peters, 1958, L. a. north macroslope of the Caucasus and Ciscaucasia boemica Suchow, 1929, and L. a. iorensis Peters et M us- (“Prytkaya yashcheritsa,” 1976; Bannikov et al., 1977; khelischwili, 1968. L. a. bosnica Schreiber, 1912 and Ananjeva et al., 1998). In Kabardino-Balkaria, it is L. a. euxinica Fuhn et Vancea, 1964 are distributed out known in canyons of the Cherek and Baksan rivers side the territory of USSR. The same interpretation of (Muskhelishvilli, 1970). In Chechen and Ingush Repub the intraspecific structure of the sand lizard is presented lics, L. a. exigua is distributed in the southern-east part in the monograph “Prytkaya yashcheritsa” (1976). In and in the southern-west part of the Tersko-Kumskaya zone of contact the intergradations of morphological lowland (Karnaukhov, 1987). In the Krasnodar Kray and Adyghe Republic the sand lizard was registered in 1 Tsvetnoy Bulvar 11/33. Sochi 354065, Russia. Krasnodar City, Maykop City, Psebay settlement E-mail: [email protected] . (Bartenev and Reznikova, 1935), along the road from 1026-2296/2008/1501-055 © 2008 Folium Publishing Company 56 Sako В. Tuniyev and Boris S. Tuniyev cordon Chemorech’ye to Psebay settlement (Krasov- On the base of geographical distribution and results skiy, 1933), in vicinity of settlement Guzeripl’ (Orlova, of preliminar) statistical analysis all materials were con 1973). Vertically its distribution is from 0 up to 600 m sidered as 4 samples (Table 1): 1, new high-mountain (exceptionally up to 1200 m) above sea level (a.s.l.). subspecies; 2, L. a. grusinica', 3, L. a. exigua; and 4, L. a. grusinica — was found nearest Нора in Tur L. a. cf. boemica. Material was examined after using tra key (Mulder, 1995), in Adzharia, Western Georgia, Ab ditional character set used by earlier authors (“Prytkaya khazia, and on the southern-east of Krasnodar Kray. The yashcheritsa,” 1976; Kalyabina-Hauf and Ananjeva, most northern records of this subspecies were known 2004) with some changes (Table 2). from Sochi region (“Prytkaya yashcheritsa,” 1976). Tu Statistical analysis was made using standard niyev (1983) registered it much north to Shakhe river. In methods and program MS Excel 2003; comparison was Turkey, this subspecies distributed along the Black Sea conducted with Student’s Mest of authenticity (Lakin, coast to the east to Trabzon (Kalyabina-Hauf and 1980). Ananjeva, 2004). Vertical distribution is known in the limits of 0 - 600 m a.s.l. RESULTS L. a. boemica is known in the East Ciscaucasia from Daghestan Republic on the east through Chechen, In Morphological characters of lizards in different gush, Northern Ossetia, to central Kabardino-Balkaria samples are presented in Tables 3 -7 . Republics on the west. In the western part of the distri bution range a zone of intergradations of morphological The morphological analysis of males of the exam ined samples leads to the following conclusions: characteristics with L. a. exigua (Kalyabina-Hauf and Ananjeva, 2004) was noted. Vertically distribution is re 1. Number of dorsal scales around the midbody corded in the limits of 400 - 1200 m a.s.l. (SQ) higher for males from lowland and foothill popula tions of both slopes of the Main Caucasian Ridge We found isolated populations of sand lizards on the (MCR), than for lizards from alpine and middle-moun- high mountain meadows of the Western Caucasus, on tain populations: L. a. exigua — 59.4, L. a. grusinica — the borders of Krasnodar Kray and Karachay-Cherkes 57.8, Aishkha Ridge — 53.5, and L. a. cf. boemica — Republic, on the elevation of 1400 - 2000 m a.s.l. Liz 49.3. ards from these populations are different in habitus, col oration and ecology from L. a. grusinica and L. a. exigua. 2. Males from the Aishkha Ridge have the number of femoral pores (Pfm.) less than in lizards of other In the Western Caucasus, there are unclear points of populations: Aishkha — 13.3, L. a. grusinica — 15.8, distribution of L. a. grusinica and L. a. exigua west to L. a. exigua — 15.2, L. a. cf. boem ica— 15. Shakhe River on the Black Sea coast, and L. a. boemica 3. For males from Aishkha Ridge the number of west to Cherek River in Kabardino-Balkaria. Taxonomic granules (Gr.) does not exceed 1, while at males of status of animals from isolated mountain populations of L. a. grusinica have 4 granules from one side, males of the Main Caucasian Ridge (Krasnodar Kray, Adler L. a. cf. boemica do not have granules at all, L. a. exi Rayon, Aishkha Range), Peredovoy (Frontal) Ridge gua — up to 3 granules. At alpine and middle-mountain (Karachay-Cherkes Republic, Pregradnenskiy Rayon, populations (Aishkha, Zakan) the number of granules is peak Zakan), Bokovoy Ridge (Kabardino-Balkaria less than that at lowland and foothill populations, up to High-Mountain reserve, in the valley of Cherek-Bal- complete disappearance of granules for males from vi karskiy River) and lizards from isolated foothills popu cinity of Zakan. lations on the Black Sea coast near Sochi are of special 4. Length of pileus (Pil.) for males from Aishkha interest. Ridge (21.6 mm) is larger than that for males of L. a. cf. boemica from Zakan and Cherek (18.6 mm). M ATERIAL AND M ETHODS 5. Height of head (Al.c.) larger at Aishkha males (15.3 mm), than at L. a. cf. boemica (13.5 mm). We studied 102 adult specimens of sand lizard (La- 6. Number of rows of preanal shields (Pr.an.l) at certa agilis) from the Krasnodar Kray and from Adyghe, L. a. cf. boemica — 2-3, at L. a. grusinica — 1 - 2 , Karachay-Cherkes, Kabardino-Balkaria, and Ingush Re L. a. exigua — 2, males from Aishkha Ridge — 2. publics. Materials of herpetological collection of Sochi 7. Number of enlarged preanal shields (Pr.an.2) for National Park and Zoological Institute, Russian Acad Aishkha males is higher (4) than at foothills populations emy of Sciences (ZISP) were used (Table 1). from the Black Sea coast near Sochi City (2.29). Intraspecific Variation of the Sand Lizard from the Caucasus and Description of a New Subspecies 57 TABLE 1. Samples of collection materials The number Number Collection o f adult Locality of collecting material Date Collector o f sample number specimens 1 24648 - 24653 6 Mountain Aishkha-2, Adler Rayon, Krasnodar Kray. 07/03/2004 S. B. Tuniyev 2 1234 3 Bezymyannaya River, nearest Aibga village, Adler Rayon, 07/23/2002 B. S. Tuniyev Krasnodar Kray 2 1172 3 Vicinity of Malyy Kichmay village, Lazarevskiy Rayon, 05/31/1996 B. S. Tuniyev Krasnodar Kray 2 1289 1 Krasnaya Polyana settlement, Adler Rayon, Krasnodar Kray 05/2000 V. A. Drogan 2 1273 1 Aibga village, Adler Rayon, Krasnodar Kray 08/2002 B. S. Tuniyev 2 1239 1 Zapadnyy Dagomys River, Vtoraya Rota place, Lazarevskiy 05/22/1994 B. S. Tuniyev Rayon, Krasnodar Kray 3 1200 6 Eiskiy Peninsula, Yasenskaya pereprava, Eisk Rayon, 06/17/2001 S.