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pp. 1–9

A Preliminary Study of the Lizard Fauna and Their
Habitats in Northwestern IranF. AHMADZADEH¹,*, B. H. KIABI2, H. G. KAMI3 AND V. HOJJATI4
1

Department of Biodiversity and Ecosystem Management, Environmental Sciences ResearchInstitute, Shahid Beheshti University, Evin, Tehran, Iran,2
Department of Biology, Faculty of Sciences, Shahid Beheshti University, Tehran, Iran,3
Department of Biology, Faculty of Sciences, Agricultural Sciences and NaturalResources University, Gorgan, Iran,
4Damghan Islamic Azad University, Damghan, Iran.
*Corresponding author E-mail: f_ahmadzade@sbu.ac.ir

Abstract.- Northwestern Iran has unique geographical and climatic conditions that support a rich flora and fauna. In
view of the lack of in-depth studies on the lizards of the region, an investigation was started in the northern part of
Ardabil Province for an inventory of this component of the fauna and their habitats. Collections were made from
October 2003 to June 2005 and 165 specimens were collected and identified. Five families, 12 genera and 15 species
are represented, including Agamidae: Laudakia caucasia, Phrynocephalus persicus, Trapelus ruderatus; Lacertidae:
Lacerta media media, Lacerta strigata, Lacerta brandtii, Darevskia raddei raddei, Eremias strauchi strauchi,Eremias arguta, Ophisops elegans; Scincidae: Mabuya aurata transcaucasica, Eumeces schneiderii princeps,Abelepharus bivittatus; Anguidae: Pseudopus apodus and Gekkonidae: Cyrtopodion caspium caspium. Comparing
this list to the data provided by Anderson (1999), it seems that most of the lizards are being reported for the Province
for the first time. The families Gekkonidae and Anguidae are newly recorded, and the gecko Cyrtopodion caspium isfirst recorded from the west and northwest of Iran. With seven species represented in the area, lacertids have the highest species diversity among the lizard families and need further study. Habitat features also have been given for allspecies.
Keywords.- Iran, Ardabil, fauna, lizard, Lacerta.

Introduction

Materials and Methods

General information about the herpetofauna of Iran has
been provided by Mertens (1957), Anderson (1966),
Tuck (1971, 1974), Latifi (1984, 1991), Balouch andKami (1995) and Kami and Vakilipoure (1996a, 1996b).
Furthermore, a handbook of amphibians and reptiles ofthe Middle East has been published by Leviton et al.
(1992), a book on the Lizards of Iran was recently published by Anderson (1999) and an updated checklist to
the lizards of Iran was provided by Firouz (2000).
Despite these publications, the lizards of Iran are still
poorly-known and infrequently collected, with many
new species still being discovered (Rastegar-Pouyani,1996; Rastegar-Pouyani and Nilson, 1998). Studies on
the lizards of Ardabil Province are also very limited(Ahmadzadeh, 2004).
The aim of this study is to determine in detail thelizard fauna and their habitat features in the northernpart of Ardabil Province, which is of particular significance considering the unique geography and vegetationof the region. Moreover, this study will collect baseline
population data for future management.

The area of study is in the Northwest part of Iran, specifically, the northern part of Ardabil Province (38° 15' E,
to 39° 40' E, 47° 30' N to 48° 00' N). The region is surrounded by the Alborz Mountains and the Caspian Sea
to the east, Aras village is to the north, Arasbaran protected area and Gare-Dagh Mountain to the west and theSabalan Mountain chains to the south (Fig. 1). Altitude
ranges between 20 m in the Moghan steppe to 4,888 mon the Sabalan Mountain. The study was carried out
between October 2003 and June 2005. All of the samples
were caught by hand and some lizards which are active
and difficult to catch, such as green lizards (e.g., Lacerta
m. media and L. strigata), were captured by dust shot.
Locality data and their habitat features were recorded forall species encountered during the study. However, allhave been preserved in accordance to standard methods(Formalin 10%) and voucher specimens are stored in theBiodiversity and Ecosystem Management Department
Collection (BEMD) at Shahid Beheshti University ofIran. Specimens were identified with Leviton et al.
(1992) and Anderson (1999) using morphometric measurements, coloration and pholidosis features (including© 2008 by Asiatic Herpetological Research

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Figure 1. The study area, the northern part of Ardabil Province of Iran.

the number, structure and range of plates).

Results
A total of 165 samples were collected in the study area,comprising 15 species in 12 genera and 5 families. The
species composition is given in Table 1. Distribution ofspecies are presented in Figure 2.

Family: Agamidae
Laudakia caucasia caucasia (Eichwald, 1831)
Laudakia c. caucasia is widely distributed in the study
area, preferring montainous habitats and eroded sandcanyons in flooded plains adjacent to mountains, rockcliffs, old houses and stony walls near roads. At 6 km2,
210 specimens were recorded on 10 June 2004 inMeshkinshar. This species was also collected on 24
November and 3 March in the Meshkinshahr andArshagh areas at elevations between 500–2,800 m.
Specimens were light olive to dark gray in ground color
with adult snout-vent length of 152 mm in males and155 mm in females.
Phrynocephalus persicus persicus De Filippi, 1863
This species was rarely encountered in the study area.
Four specimens were captured in Arshagh, Alma village– a semi-arid area with ephemeral plants in spring andloamy soil. Xerophyte vegetation, both plants and bushes, grow in these areas. Dorsal coloration was lightbrown with three dark transverse marks, within whichon the hind limbs were enlarged tubercular scales. The
largest female was 40 and 48 mm snout-vent and taillength, respectively. During the study period, no males
were found.

Trapelus ruderatus ruderatus (Olivier, 1804)
The small agamid lizard Trapelus r. ruderatus was foundon open stony ground and in cultivated fields withsparse weed vegetation in autumn. On sunny summerdays, it hides under weeds such as Euphorbia spp.,
Chenopodium spp. and Chrozophora tinctoria. Its activity appears to begin in early June and extends to late
September. In total, 10 specimens were collected on theharvested wheat and barley fields in Gooshe area atapproximately at 10:30 AM. Ground color was typicallygrayish-brown with five dark transverse bars on thetrunk which were interrupted by a series of light ovoid
vertebral spots (Fig. 3). The largest male examined with
distinct callous preanal scales, had a 65 mm snout-ventand 74 mm tail length. The largest female had measurements of 63 mm and 75 mm, respectively.

Family: Anguidae
Pseudopus apodus (Pallas, 1775)
Pseudopus apodus occurs throughout the Hyrcanian forest of northern Iran. It has recently been collected fromthe Arasbaran protected area, but there are no records for
Ardabil Province. This species was found in grasslandand shrubby vegetation near streams. On a sunny day,four P. apodus were observed in a pond. The groundcolor of the dorsum was gray with zig-zagging blackishbrown stripes in the juvenile. The head was light yellowish-brown in adults with the remainder of the body darkbrown. The longest adult had a 520 mm snout-ventlength and a 670 mm tail.

Family: Gekkonidae
Cyrtopodion caspium caspium (Eichwald, 1831)
An isolated population of Cyrtopodion caspium wasfound in the Moghan Steppe for the first time, representing a new family record for northwestern Iran. One spec-2008

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Table 1. Lizard species collected from the study area.
FamilyAgamidae

SpeciesCommon Name

Laudakia caucasia

Caucasian agama

Phrynocephalus persicus

Persian toad agama

Trapelus ruderatus

Olivier’s agama

AnguidaePseudopus apodus

Glass-snake, sheltopusikGekkonidae

Cyrtopodion caspium

Caspian bent-toed gecko

Lacertidae

Darevskia r. raddei

Azarbaijan lizard

Eremias arguta

Steppe-runner

Eremias strauchi

Strauch’s racerunner

Lacerta brandtii

Persian lacerta

Scincidae

Lacerta media

Three-lined lizard

Lacerta strigata

Caspian green lizard

Ophisops elegans

Snake-eyed lizard

Ablepharus bivittatus

Two-streaked snake-eyed skink

Eumeces schneiderii

Schneider’s skink

Mabuya aurata

Transcaucasian grass skink

imen was collected at night on walls of an old house at
20 m elevation. After sunset they fed on various nocturnal insects around lights. Dorsal scales are strongly
keeled. Dorsal body coloration was light gray with fivedark transverse bars on the body and 11–12 on the tail(Fig. 4). In Pars-Abad, one male specimen with a snoutvent length of 75 mm and a tail length of 70 mm wasmeasured.

Family: Lacertidae
Darevskia raddei raddei (Boettger, 1892)
Darevskia r. raddei is common in rocky areas where
Laudakia caucasia is also frequently found. In March,
this species was seen on vertical surfaces of rocks in theKapas Mountains near Meshkin-Shahr. Darevskia r. raddei is various shades of light brown dorsally and morecommon in the rocky habitats than other lacertids.
Specimens were found below altitudes of 900 m in
Meshkinshar, but in the Salavat and Arshag Mountains,
it was collected at altitude up to 2,400 m. The relationship of this subspecies to D. r. vanensis in northwestern
Iran requires further study. The largest male had a snoutvent of 71 mm and tail length of 131 mm. One adultfemale had a 70 mm snout-vent length and 130 mm taillength (Fig. 5).
Lacerta brandtii De Filippi, 1863
Lacerta brandtii was collected under stones, on foothills
and in the burrows of other animals in open arid bushy
and stony habitats in the Razeye area. Large numbers of
this lizard were also found in Samian District, 100 km
from the study area on a foothill surrounded by cultivat-ed land. The relationship between the two Iranian populations of this species in Esfahan Province and east
Azarbijan Province remains problematic. This species isless active in comparison to other lacertid lizards such asDarevskia raddei. The dorsal surface was olive-graywith small black spots (Fig. 6) and the ventral surface
had 8 longitudinal rows of plate. The longest male specimen had total length of 192 mm. The tail of this species
displays autotomy (approximately 60% of total specimens).
Eremias arguta (Pallas, 1773)
Eremias arguta has a limited distribution in the study
area: one adult specimen was collected in a harvested
barley field on a sunny day near to the Ardabil-Meshkinroad and two juvenile specimens were captured in theArdabil Airport area in August 2004. This lizard had awhite belly and a dorsum with white spots edged withblack on a grayish background (Fig. 7) that sometimes
formed transverse bands in the adults. Our adult specimens had a 95 mm snout-vent length and a 110 mm tail.
Eremias strauchi strauchi Kessler, 1878
There are two subspecies of this lizard in Iran – Eremiass. strauchi and E. s. kopetdaghica, of which only thefirst was found in the study area. The specimen was collected in the eastern part of the study area in the Arshag
plain under wheat straw in a dry, stony harvested field.
Eremias s. strauchi is active and hides in shrubby vegetation. Five eggs of this lizard were found under anArtemisia sp. shrub on 14 June 2004 in Amir-Abad village. In the study area one male specimen was measured

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Figure 2. Distribution of species in the study area: (a) L. caucasia, (b) Ph. persicus, (c) T. ruderatus, (d) P. apodus, (e)C. caspium, (f) D. raddei.

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Figure 2. (continued) (g) E. arguta, (h) E. strauchi, (i) L. brandtii, (j) L. media, (k) L. strigata, (l) O. elegans.

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noFigure 2. (continued) (m) A. bivitattus, (n) E. schneiderii, (o) M. aurata.

with a 71 mm snout-vent length and had a 128 mm tail.
It’s olive-gray color pattern does not vary greatly among
populations (Fig. 8).
Lacerta media media (Lantz and Cyren, 1902)
Lacerta m. media was very common in the grassy andshrubby areas along the Khyave Chaye and Garesoo
river banks. One male specimen was captured under astone near a bean field. Specimens were observed at analtitude of 2,100 m and males were seen on stony walls
near the roads at the end of the winter. The dorsal surface of the adult male, unlike juveniles, was green without any light lines or spots. Females were dark olivebrown with large lateral spots that disappeared with age.
The largest lacertid collected during the study was one
male specimen with a snout-vent of 117 mm and a taillength of 272 mm. This species exists in two differentlyspotted morphs, with specimens from cultivated fields

being larger than those from other habitats.
Lacerta strigata Eichwald, 1831
Lacerta strigata was most frequently found in theHyrcanian Forest in northern Iran and in some bushy
and wooded streams banks associated with this forest,
such as the Arax River in the northern part of the study
area. Large numbers of this species were seen in ParsAbad, Bilasovar and Germi near streams with dense
Tamarix and Rubus vegetation. One specimen was captured far from the Hyrcanian Forest in an open harvested
wheat field on 25 August 2004. Most collection sites
represent new locality records. The general color of thedorsum was light green in males and dark-olive tobrown in females; it was more strongly spotted thanLacerta m. media. Females were also smaller with more
numerous dark spots. The largest male had a snout-vent
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Figure 3. Trapelus ruderatus ruderatus.

Figure 4. Cyrtopodion caspium caspium.

Figure 5. Darevskia raddei raddei.

Figure 6. Lacerta brandtii.

Figure 7. Eremias arguta.

Figure 8. Eremias strauchi.

Figure 9. Eumeces schneiderii princeps.

Figure 10. Mabuya aruata transcaucasica.

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largest female had measurements of 97 mm and 187mm.
Ophisops elegans Menetries, 1832
Ophisops elegans is widely distributed, but is most common on the Moghan Steppe. A large isolated population
was found in Amir-Abad village. Specimens were active
and encountered almost everywhere, particularly in dry
stony habitats. Males and females both showed different
color patterns during the reproductive period. Dorsal
coloration was generally olive-green to brownish with
two light dorsolateral stripes that disappear in the adult.
An adult female from the Moghan Steppe had a snoutvent length of 64 mm and a tail length of 110 mm, and amale from Amir-Abad village had a snout-vent of 70mm and a tail length of 120 mm.

Family: Scincidae
Ablepharus bivittatus (Menetries, 1832)
The Two-streaked Snake-eyed Skink, Ablepharus bivittatus, has only been found in Amir-Abad village onArdabil-Germi Road on a slope with large spiny cushion
vegetation where it was sympatric with Ophisops elegans and Eremias strauchi. This active lizard has a highpopulation density in the Neur Lake area in southernpart of Ardabil Province reaches. Body coloration on thedorsum and tail is bronze-brown. The largest adultfemale specimen reached 60 mm in snout-vent length.
Eumeces schneiderii princeps (Eichwald, 1839)
This species lives on sand dunes, stony hills and dryriver beds. We captured one male on a foothill inMeshkinshahr on 16 June 2004 at 08:00 AM, whereMabuya aruata transcaucasica was also found. This
lizard is very active, hides in burrows and can jump
approximately 2 m. In comparison to other scincid
lizards, Eumeces schneiderii occurs in relatively few
localities - overgrazing and destruction of habitat isthreatening extirpation of this species in the study area.
The dorsum was brownish with a narrow creamy-whitelateral line from the posterior labial through the ear
along the sides to the groin (Fig. 9). Total length (snoutvent + tail length) of the captured male was 240 mm.
Mabuya aurata transcaucasica (Chernov, 1926)
Mabuya aurata transcaucasica lives in sandy areas andsmall hills that are covered with Astragalus andAcantolimon vegetation. This lizard often jumps fromstone to stone for hunting insects especially grasshoppers. The sympatric occurrence of Mabuya aurata transcaucasica, Darevskia raddei raddei and Laudakia caucasia caucasia has been documented on Salvat
Mountain in a rocky habitat. On the Arshagh Mountains,juveniles with blue tails were found in cliffs, but we2008

could not find adult specimens at this locality. Dorsal
coloration is olive-brown with dark spots in longitudinalrows. These spots disappear on the tail and head (Fig.
10). In the study area a specimen with a 115 mm snoutvent length and a 125 mm tail was collected.

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Submitted: 07 August 2006
Accepted: 24 August 2007