Geographic variation of the Laudakia nupta complex (Sauria: Agamidae) in the Iranian Plateau

Document Type : Original Article

Author

Animal Biology, School of Biology, College of Science, University of Tehran

Abstract

At least two species and three subspecies of the genus Laudakia Gray, 1845, as one of the representatives of the western radiation of the Agamidae, occur on the Iranian Plateau. L. nupta is one of the largest rock-dwelling agamids occurring in Afghanistan and Pakistan eastwards through Iran into northeastern and eastern Iraq. The most northeastern dispersal limit of L. nupta is Peyghambar Mountain in Zamanabad village of Semnan province, and the most northwestern dispersal limit of it is 2km northwestern of Ghaleeji village in Kurdistan province. we aimed to investigate biosystematics and geographical variation of l. nupta complex in different areas of Iranian Plateau, and the reached information were analysed in the aspect of taxonomical and biogeographycal. These specimens were collected during field work on the Iranian Plateau and were also borrowed from various museum collections. We used statistical methods like: Principal Components Analysis (PCA), Cluster Analysis (CA) and Discriminant Analysis (DA=CVA). According to this investigation, the populations that were collected from different areas in Iran did not show resolution various and distinguish like a new taxon, and the patterns of the geographical variation in the most of the metric and meristic characters in the almost of the case were Clinal variation

Keywords

Biodiversity and Animal Taxonomy
Volume 2, Issue 1
September 2022
Pages 223-230

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History

  • Receive Date: 07 May 2022
  • Revise Date: 11 August 2022
  • Accept Date: 16 September 2022

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