Zoogeography of Lizards Fauna from Central and Southern Iraq with a Checklist of Iraqi Lizard’s Fauna

Abstract

There are five terrestrial biomes found in Palearctic realm of Iraq: Temperate broadleaf and mixed forests; Temperate grasslands, Savanas and shrublands; Flooded grasslands and Savannas; Mediterranean forests, woodlands and scrub; deserts and xeric shrublands. The presence of these ecozones resulted in a considerable heterogeneity of the herpetofauna of Iraq. With considering lizards fauna, we collected 400 lizard specimens that classified into 18 species, 11genera and five families, were distributed throughout central and southern Iraq and their zoogeographical affinities about: 44.44% Palearictic, 33.33% Arabian and 22.22% Saharo-Sindian.