A new form of Eremias(Sauria: Lacertidae) from the Alvand Mountains, Hamedan Province, Western Iran

A new and distinctive form belonging to the genus and subgenus Eremias Fitzinger, 1834 is reported from the highlands of Alvand Mountains, Hamedan Province, western Iran at about 2700 m elevation. It is easily distinguished from all the other species of the typical subgenus (E. velox, E. persica, E. strauchi, E. nigrolateralis, E. lalezharica, E. afghanistanica, E. regeli, E. suphani, and E. nikolskii) by having a variable number of postmentals (4-5 pairs), smaller size, and distinctive color pattern. Furthermore, it can be distinguished by having a combination of characters against any of the species in the typical subgenus. Further work, using both morphological and molecular techniques, is now being carried out on this new form in order to determine its exact taxonomic and phylogenetic status. Systematics of the genus Eremias is shortly discussed.