Eremias nigrocellata NIKOLSKY, 1896
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Eremias nigrocellata
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| Higher Taxa | Lacertidae, Eremiadinae, Sauria, Lacertoidea, Squamata (lizards) |
| Subspecies | |
| Common Names | E: Black-Ocellated Racerunner |
| Synonym | Eremias nigrocellata NIKOLSKY 1896 Eremias intermedia var. nigrocellata NIKOLSKY 1900 Eremias intermedia (part.) BOULENGER 1921 Ommateremias nigrocellata — LANTZ 1928 Eremias (Ommateremias) nigrocellata — BISCHOFF 1978 Eremias nigrocellata — ANDERSON 1999 Eremias nigrocellata — SZCZERBAK 2003 Eremias (Eremias) nigrocellata — SINDACO & JEREMČENKO 2008 Eremias nigrocellata — NASRABADI et al. 2017 |
| Distribution | SE Turkmenistan, S Uzbekistan, SW Tadzhikistan, NE Iran, NE Afghanistan Type locality: Siestan, Iran; “Sistan, Iran” fide ANDERSON 1999 [restricted by Szcerbak 1974:191] |
| Reproduction | oviparous |
| Types | Lectotype: ZISP (ZIL) 8800 (designated by Szczerbak 1974:191) |
| Diagnosis | Diagnosis: Three nasals, lower in contact with 2 or 3 anterior supralabials; subocular not bordering mouth; fourth toe without distinct fringe, with 2 rows of subdigital scales, internal much the larger; tympanic scale usually small or indistinct; fourth supraocular usually indistinct (Anderson 1999: 219, Fig. 102). Color pattern: Dorsum gray with fairly large light gray or nearly white circular spots bordered with black in 6-10 more or less regular longitudinal rows, ocelli faint or absent on middorsum; venter white. Young and adults similarly marked, young most prominently (Anderson 1999: 219, Fig. 105a). “Guibe's (1957:139) specimens from Mahneh, which he identified as Eremias arguta, are E. nigrocellata. They differ most notably from Iranian specimens of their nearest relative, E. intermedia in the following characters: snout-vent length/tail length = 0.70-0.85; supraoculars in contact with frontal; fourth toe with row of subdigital scales and row of ventrolateral, somewhat smaller scales, sometimes incomplete, and complete or nearly complete row of dorsolateral scales; 17-20 (mean 19.2) ventrals in longest transverse row; ocelli on dorsum, limbs, and tail distinct, larger than in E. intermedia. In all Iranian specimens I have examined (and in 2 from Tajikistan) the tympanic shield, while small, is distinct, and the fourth supraocular is broken up. Subsequent to his original description ofthe form, Nikolsky came to regard nigrocellata as a subspecies of E. intermedia and Boulenger regarded the two as synonymous. It is not possible, without examining the specimens, to be sure that the material examined by Boulenger from Astrabad belongs to E. nigrocellata rather than to E.intermedia.The character of the subdigital scales is difficult to use and subject to interpretation. Although he regarded E. nigrocellata a subspecies of E. intermedia, the types of nigrocellata are not among the material listed by Nikolsky under intermedia (1915:443-444). I have examined one specimen (BMNH 99.4.20.411946.8.7.44) from Nikolsky's type series. The supraoculars are in contact with the frontal and the toes are as described for the specimens from Mahneh. The tympanic scale is small, but distinct, and the supraocular is broken up. I am not persuaded, on the basis of the very limited material that I have seen, that E. nigrocellata is distinct from E. intermedia (Anderson 1999: 219). |
| Comment | Synonymy partly after KHALIKOV & ANANJEVA (pers. comm.) Distribution: See map in SMID et al. 2014 for distribution in Iran. Similar species: E. arguta. |
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