Laudakia microlepis (Blanford, 1874)

LECTOTYPE. BMNH 1946.8.28.74, designated by Rastegar-Pouyani & Nilson (2002).

TYPE LOCALITY. Originally Khan-i-Surkh pass north of Sarjan between Kerman and Shiraz and Kushkizard between Shiraz and Esfahan. Restricted to Khaneh-Sorkh Pass [= Khan-i-Surkh] by Rastegar-Pouyani & Nilson (2002); however Boulenger (1885) mentions only “Kushkizard, N of Shiraz” as the type locality.

DISTRIBUTION. Widely distributed in S and E Iran, also in W Afghanistan, marginally in NW Pakistan.

DISTRIBUTION IN IRAN. Fig. 10. Along the southern Zagros and mountains by Afghan borders. Its distribution is parapatric with L. caucasia with contact zones in the central Zagros and Khorasan Razavi Prov. Both species are missing in the central Iranian deserts.

HABITAT. A rock-dwelling species with similar habitat preferences as L. caucasia (Anderson (1999), a probable cause of their mutually exclusive distribution.

REFERENCES. Anderson (1999); Rastegar-Pouyani & Nilson (2002); Cheatsazan et al. (2008a).