Herpetology Notes, volume 7: 603-604 (2014) (published online on 25 October 2014) A new locality record of Phrynocephalus raddei Boettger, 1890 (Squamata: Agamidae) in Iran Azar Khosravani1, 2,*, Ali Khani3, Hamzeh Oraie4 and Eskandar Rastegar-Pouyani5 Toad-headed lizards of the genus Phrynocephalus nearby borders with Turkmenistan, the presence of Ph. include over 40 distinct species that inhabit arid regions, raddei can also be expected within the political borders and are distributed through south and southeastern of Iran (Anderson 1999). Europe, southwest Asia (Iran, Afghanistan, Pakistan and During our field work in September 2013, two the Arabian Peninsula) through Middle Asia to east Asia individuals (males) of Phrynocephalus raddei were (north-western China), (Anderson, 1999; Ananjeva et collected from Sarakhs district in North Khorasan al., 2006; Barbanov & Ananjeva, 2007). They constitute province, (N: 36.280, E: 60.886) north-eastern Iran one of the major components of the central Asian desert (Figure 1, 2). Both individuals were collected at about fauna and are highly adapted to sand dunes and desert 519 m elevation in a sandy habitat (Figure 3). The environments (Ananjeva et al., 2006). Most of the animal specimens were preserved in 80% alcohol and Iranian Plateau, especially its eastern areas, consist of deposited in the herpetological collection of Hakim arid regions and therefore suitable environmental for Sabzevari University with museum numbers ERP 3567- Phrynocephalus species. To date, seven species have 3568. been recorded from Iran (Anderson, 1999). Both collected specimens are of considerable Phrynocephalus raddei Boettger, 1890, has morphological uniformity, and easily diagnosable as been described from Perevalnaja railroad station, Phrynocephalus raddei based on the morphological southwestern Turkmenistan. It has also been reported from Uzbekistan, Tajikistan and northern part of Afghanistan, but no documented report of occurrence of this taxon has been reported from Iran. It usually inhabit in diverse kinds of sandy, clayey and cobbly substrate with sparse herbaceous vegetation (Anderson 1999; Bannikov et al., 1977; Leviton and Anderson, 1970). Due to large stretches of similar habitat across the 1 Department of Biology, Faculty of Science, Razi University, Kermanshah, Iran 2 Iranian Plateau Herpetology Research Group (IPHRG), Razi University, Kermanshah, Iran 3 Khorasan Razavi Environment Head Office, Department of Environment, Iran 4 Department of Zoology, Faculty of Biology, Tehran University, Tehran, Iran 5 Department of Biology, Faculty of Science, Hakim Sabzevari University, Sabzevar, Iran Figure 1. Location of Sarakhs in North Khorasan province, * Corresponding author e-mail: [email protected] where Phrynocephalus raddei specimens were collected. 604 Azar Khosravani et al. Although dorsal color of this species is alike to that of Phrynocephalus persicus and Ph. helioscopus, but scales of dorsum in these taxa are heterogeneous whereas dorsal scales in Ph. raddei are homogeneous (Anderson, 1999). In summary, the present record of Ph. raddei documents its existence in Iran and therefore the number of the Phrynocephalus species known from Iran increases to eight. Figure 2. One of the two specimens of Phrynocephalus raddei References in natural habitat. Anderson, S.C (1999): The lizards of Iran. Society for the Study of Amphibians and Reptiles, Saint Louis, Missouri: i-vii, 1-442. Anderson, S.C., Leviton, A.E. (1969): Amphibians and reptiles collected by Street Expedition to Afghanistan, 1965. Procceedings of the California Academy of Science, 37(2): 25 – 56. diagnostic keys (Anderson 1999). Measurements (in Ananjeva, N.B., Myasnikova N.F., Agasyan A.L. (2006): mm), scalation characters and color pattern of one of the Distribution of Phrynocephalus persicus (Sauria, Agamidae) in Aras River Valley: Using of Geographical Information System. specimens (ERP 3568) are as follows: Length of snout Modern Herpetology, 5/6: 18-40 (In Russian). to vent: 44.3; tail length: 59.1; forelimb length: 25.2; Bannikov, A. G., Darevsky, I.S., Ischchenko, V.G., Rustamov, hindlimb length: 38.5; head height: 7.1; head length: A.K. & Szczerbak, N.N. (1977): Guide to Amphibians and 13; head width: 12.39; number of supralabial scales (left Reptiles of the USSR Fauna. – Prosvetscheniye, Moscow, 414 side): 16; number of infralabial scales(left side): 15; pp. [in Russian]. number of abdominal scales across middle of belly: 125; Barabanov, A.V., Ananjeva N. A. (2007): Catalogue of the number of lamellae under the 4thfinger: 23; number of available scientific species-group names for lizards of the genus Phrynocephalus Kaup, 1825 (Reptilia, Sauria, Agamidae). scales between eyes in the widest region: 20. The dorsal Zootaxa, 1399: 1–56. coloration is cream, grayish or yellowish with 3 pairs Moody, S.M. (1980): Phylogenetic and Historical Biogeographical of dark transverse marks, Tail above with darks spot; relationships of the genera in the Agamidae (Reptilia: Lacertilia). ventral surface of tail with 4 dark bars (Figure 2). PhD thesis, University of Michigan, 373 pp. Figure 3. Typical habitat of Phrynocephalus raddei in Accepted by Miguel Vences Sarakhs area, North Khorasan province, (N: 36 15 09, E: 60 51 21), north-eastern Iran..