Lacertas of South and Central Zagros Mountains, Iran, with Description of Two New Taxa

Abstract

During our long-term fieldwork on the Iranian plateau in 2000 and 2002, we collected and examined a series of lacertid lizards, belonging to the genus Lacerta from various parts of the Zagros Mountains of western and southwestern Iran, from a morphological point of view. Based on the collected material, two new taxa are described: Lacerta yassujica sp.n. and Lacerta brandtii esfahanica ssp.n. Based on all the available evidence, L. yassujica is closely related to Lacerta ( Apathya ) cappadocica . A short account on taxonomy and biogeography of the studied taxa is given.