A distinct genetic lineage of Eremias papenfussi Mozaffari, Ahmadzadeh & Parham, 2011 (Sauria: Lacertidae) from Damghan, eastern Alborz, Iran
Short research papers → Herpetology
Authors
1. Department of Animal Science, School of Biology, Damghan University, Damghan, Iran.
2. Institute of Biological Science, Damghan University, Damghan, Iran.
3. Department of Biology, Faculty of Science, Hakim Sabzevari University, Sabzevar, Iran.
* Corresponding author: S.S. Hosseinian Yousefkhani, E-mail: s.hosseinian@du.ac.ir; and E. Rastegar Pouyani, E-mail: rastegarpouyani45@gmail.com
Keywords
racerunner, Iranian Plateau, diversification, Alborz Mountains, mountain isolation.
Abstract
The genus Eremias Fitzinger, 1834 (Lacertidae) exhibits high diversity in arid and semi-arid habitats across the Iranian Plateau, with the E. montanus complex comprising cryptic lineages shaped by topographic barriers and climatic fluctuations. This study reports a novel population of Eremias from Damghan, Semnan Province, Iran (N 36.4437°, E 54.2075°), on the eastern Alborz slopes, and evaluates its taxonomic status using mitochondrial DNA markers. Field sampling in April 2025 yielded five non-lethal tail-tip samples from five individuals, which were released post-collection. Genomic DNA was extracted, and fragments of cytochrome b (599 bp) and 12S rRNA (360 bp) were amplified and sequenced. Phylogenetic reconstructions based on Bayesian Inference and Maximum Likelihood, using a concatenated 959-bp dataset comprising 36 GenBank sequences and Ophisops elegans as the outgroup, positioned the Damghan population as a distinct clade sister to E. papenfussi (posterior probabilities >0.95; bootstrap support>90%). This clade is nested within a larger assemblage comprising E. suphani, E. kopetdaghica, E. strauchi, and E. lalezharica, which are distinct from E. montanus, E. velox, E. persica, and E. fahimii. Uncorrected p-distances to E. papenfussi averaged 4.46% (cytochrome b) and 2.35% (12S rRNA), higher than typical conspecific Cytb variation in lacertids (~1–3%) and suggesting species-level divergence. Higher distances to other taxa (e.g., 14% and 4% to E. suphani) reinforce its distinctiveness. These findings highlight cryptic diversity driven by Alborz refugia and advocate integrative taxonomic revision, with implications for conservation in Iran's montane ecosystems.
Article history
Received: 31 October 2025 / Accepted: 18 November 2025 / Available online-first: 15 January 2026 / Published online: 15 June 2026 / Printed: June 2026
Authors` ORCID IDs
S.S. Hosseinian Yousefkhani https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4871-6206
M.S. Moosavi https://orcid.org/0009-0001-0317-8096
S. Hajinezhad https://orcid.org/0009-0004-7703-4329
M. Zarghani https://orcid.org/0009-0000-9987-7723
F. Golmohammadi https://orcid.org/0009-0001-4473-5661
M. Mohammadkhani https://orcid.org/0009-0003-4373-1508
E. Rastegar Pouyani https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9639-2058
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