Eremias intermedia (STRAUCH, 1876)
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Eremias intermedia
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| Higher Taxa | Lacertidae, Eremiadinae, Sauria, Lacertoidea, Squamata (lizards) |
| Subspecies | |
| Common Names | E: Aralo-Caspian racerunner |
| Synonym | Podarces (Eremias) intermedia STRAUCH 1876: 28 Eremias intermedius — BOGDANOV 1882 Eremias transcaspica NIKOLSKY 1905: 482 Scapteira transcaspica NIKOLSKY 1905 Eremias intermedia — ZUGMAYER 1909: 484 Eremias intermedia var. oxyrrhina BEDRIAGA 1912 Eremias intermedia transcaspica NIKOLSKY 1915 Ommateremias intermedia — LANTZ 1928 Eremias (Ommateremias) intermedia — BISCHOFF 1978 Eremias intermedia — ANDERSON 1999 Eremias intermedia — SZCZERBAK 2003 Eremias intermedia — ŠMÍD et al. 2014 |
| Distribution | Kazakhstan, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, SW Tajikistan, NE Iran, Kyrgyzstan Type locality: “in deserto aralo-caspico”, Transcaspia |
| Reproduction | oviparous |
| Types | Lectotype: ZISP (ZIL) 3664 (designated by Shcherbak 1974); Paralectotype: ZMB 8753 |
| Diagnosis | Diagnosis: Three nasals, lower in contact with 2 or 3 supralabials; subocular not bordering mouth; fourth toe without distinct fringe, with single row of subdigital scales; space separating series of femoral pores at least one-third length of each; tympanic shield usually distinct; fourth supraocular usually distinct (Anderson 1999: 216). Color pattern: Dorsum gray with brown tinge; longitudinal rows of small round or oval whitish spots edged with dark brown or black on body; a few scattered dark, usually elongated spots or narrow stripe along middorsum; limbs with more or less ocellate spots above; venter white (Anderson 1999: 216). Comparisons and variation: “The only specimens I assign to this species are those from Sarakhs, identified by Guibe (1957:139) as Eremias arguta. They differ from Iranian specimens identified as E. nigrocellata in the following characters: snout-vent length/tail length (SV/T) = 0.53-0.60; supraoculars completely separated from frontal by row of granules; fourth toe with single row of subdigital scales and complete row of much smaller lateral scales; 16-18 (mean 16.8) ventrals in longest transverse row; ocelli on dorsum and limbs small, indistinct in alcohol. I find no obvious difference from E. nigrocellata in the tympanic shield (small or indistinct) or fourth supraocular (absent or indistinct). I have examined two specimens (BMNH 85.11.30.1-211946.8.7.47-48, Desert of Kizilkum) from the series on which Strauch based his species. In both, the fourth supraoculars are completely broken up into small scales, the SV/T ratio is 0.82 in the adult and 0.63 in the immature specimen. In the latter specimen the supraoculars are completely separated from the frontal and the frontoparietals by a ring of small scales, while in the adult, the supraoculars are in contact with the frontal (Anderson 1999: 217). |
| Comment | Synonymy mainly after KHALIKOV & ANANJEVA (pers. comm.) Distribution: See map in SMID et al. 2014 for distribution in Iran. |
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