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Abstract
We review the distribution, morphology and taxonomic status of Eryx elegans, E. jaculus, E. miliaris, E. tataricus and E. johnii in Iran and examine four metric and 10 meristic characters of 94 specimens from different parts of the country. There are significant morphological differences between Eryx tataricus, E. jaculus and E. elegans, mainly in snout vent length, tail length, and number of ventrals, subcaudals and dorsal scales. Eryx jayakari and E. johnii can easily be distinguished based on their morphological traits and limited distribution in Iran. The occurrence of E. miliaris in Iran was not confirmed. The Iranian populations of Eryx jaculus are assigned to the subspecies E. j. turcicus. E. jaculus specimens from southwestern Iran had higher ventral scales than other populations, so evaluating their taxonomic status needs genetic studies in the future. A distribution map and a revised key to the genus Eryx in Iran are presented.
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Acknowledgements
We are grateful to Reza Babaie Savasari and members of the Zoological Museum of Golestan University, the Zoological Museum of Ferdowsi University of Mashhad, and the Zoological Museum of Hakim Sabzevari University for providing the specimens for this research. We also thank anonymous reviewers for their constructive comments.
Supplementary Material
The Annex is given as a Supplementary Annex, which is available via the “Supplementary” tab on the article’s online page (http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/09397140.2017.1299330).
Disclosure Statement
No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.
