Biogeographic variation of Laudakia nupta (Sauria: Agamidae) from Iranian plateau

At least two species and three subspecies of the genus Laudakia Gray, 1845, as one of the representatives of the western radiation of the Agamidae, occur on the Iranian Plateau. L. nupta is one of the largest rock-dwelling agamids occurring in Afghanistan and Pakistan eastwards through Iran into northeastern and eastern Iraq. The most northeastern dispersal limit of L. nupta is Peyghambar Mountain in Zamanabad village of Semnan province, and the most northwestern dispersal limit of it is 2km northwestern of Ghaleeji village in Kurdistan province. We aimed to investigate systematics and geographical variation of l. nupta complex in different areas of Iranian Plateau and the reached information were analyzed in the aspect of taxonomical and biogeographical. These specimens were collected during fieldwork on the Iranian Plateau and were also borrowed from various museum collections. We used statistical methods like Principal Components Analysis (PCA), Cluster Analysis (CA) and Discriminant Analysis (DA=CVA). According to this investigation, the populations that were collected from different areas in Iran did not show resolution various and distinguish like a new taxon, and the patterns of the geographical variation in the most of the metric and meristic characters in the most of the case were Clinal variation, however a little distinction in the marginal population like Peyghambar mountain (Semnan) is seen. But it may because of the passing the time the gene followbetween them will be cut and they will be completely separated from each other.

Keywords:

Iranian plateau , Laudakia , L. nupta , Biogeography