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| Teratoscincus sistanense
Akbarpour, Shafiei, Sehhatisabet & Damadi, 2017
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Abstract
Herein we describe a new species of Teratoscincus Strauch, 1863 from remote desert areas of the Sistan and Baluchistan Province in southeastern Iran. Based on morphological characters, this species, Teratoscincus sistanense sp. n., has a close relationship with T. microlepis and is distinct from all other members of its genus by the number of small scales around the midbody. We provide information about the ecology, biology and conservation of this new species. A comparison with the other three Iranian species of Teratoscincus and an updated key to this genus in Iran are presented.
Keywords: Sistan and Baluchistan province, morphology, identification key
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| Figure 1. Teratoscincus sistanense sp. n. in its natural habitat, Niatak River in Sistan and Baluchistan Province, southeastern Iran, July 2009 (photo: M. E. Sehhatisabet). |
Teratoscincus sistanense
Etymology. The specific epithet is a patronym for Sistan and Baluchistan Province,
southeastern Iran.
Habitat. Teratoscincus sistanense inhabits flat terrain with a hot and dry climate. The
soil texture of the habitat is sandy, with various degrees of compaction, ..... The species was observed to be
active only at night. Several species of lizards (Teratoscincus bedriagai, Ophiomorous
tridactylus, Eremias persica, Trapelus agilis, Eremias fasciata) and snakes (Echis carinatus
and Lytorhynchus ridgewayi) occur sympatrically or syntopically with T. sistanense
sp. n.
Distribution. Teratoscincus sistanense sp. n. is known only from the type and paratype
localities in Zabol County, Sistan and Baluchistan Province, southeastern Iran.
Morteza Akbarpour, Soheila Shafiei, Mohammad Ebrahim Sehhatisabet and Ehsan Damadi. 2017. A New Species of Frog-eyed Gecko, Genus Teratoscincus Strauch, 1863 (Squamata: Sphaerodactylidae), from southeastern Iran. Zoology in the Middle East. 63(4); 296-302. DOI: 10.1080/09397140.2017.1388490
