The phylogenetic relationships and molecular systematics of scincid lizards of the genus Heremites (Sauria, Scincidae) in the Middle East based on mtDNA sequences

Phenotypic variation in Heremites vittatus (Olivier, 1804) (Sauria: Scincidae) from Iran and Turkey

According to a large morphological dataset of specimens from Turkey to Iran and based on several morphological analyses, the Iranian populations of the skink Heremites vittatus are separated from other populations of this taxon in Turkey. The values of most of morphological characters were higher in the Turkish populations. Morphological variation among populations of H. vittatus (Olivier, 1804) from Turkey and the western slopes of the Zagros Mountains in Kermanshah province in Iran may be the result of different dispersal and vicariance events. Comparison the current study dataset with specimens from Egypt can definite the taxonomic status of Iranian and Turkish populations.

Out of the blue: The first record of the genus Heremites Gray, 1845 (Squamata, Scincidae) from Pakistan

The genus Heremites Gray, 1845 is endemic to the Western Palearctic region, containing morphologically similar species with a not well resolved taxonomy. The genus has a broad distribution from North Africa to Central Asia, with the only known record from northeastern Afghanistan. Three species are currently recognized in the genus with one, H.septemtaeniatus (Reuss, 1834), representing populations at the eastern edge of the genus range. During extensive fieldwork, we discovered H.septemtaeniatus from northwestern Pakistan and provisionally suggest that this population could be morphologically defined as H.septemtaeniatustranscaucasicus (Chernov, 1926). This important contribution to the knowledge regarding the family Scincidae in Pakistan, however, needs further investigation using an integrative approach.