Annotated checklist of reptiles of Fars Province, southern Iran

Abstract

The revised checklist of reptiles for Fars Province, southern Iran, comprises of 63 species in 41 genera, 17 families and two orders (Squamata and Testudines). The most diverse suborder is the Sauria with 38 species or 60.31% of the herpetofauna, followed by Serpentes (23 species, 36.5%) and the Testudines (2 species, 3.17%). The most diverse families are the Colubridae and Gekkonidae with 15 and 14 species (23.8% and 22.2%), respectively, followed by Agamidae (9 species, 14.3%), Lacertidae and Scincidae each with five species or 7.9% of the herpetofauna, and Viperidae (four species, 6.35%). Eleven families have only one species each. The Fars Province is the type locality of several endemic species, as a new species has recently been described as well as several newly recorded species.