Systematics and distribution of the true monitors Varanus Merrem, 1820 (Sauria, Varanidae) on the Iranian Plateau

Iranian Journal of Animal Biosystematics

مقاله 4، دوره 21، شماره 1 - شماره پیاپی 38، مهر 2025، صفحه 75-91   

نوع مقاله: Review Articles

شناسه دیجیتال (DOI): 10.22067/ijab.2025.92359.1094

نویسندگان

Narges Ghanbarinia¹؛ Rasoul Karamiani^{* 2}؛ Ahmad Gharzi¹؛ Nasrullah Rastegar-Pouyani¹

¹Department of Biology, Faculty of Science, Razi University, 6714967346 Kermanshah, Iran

²Department of Biology, Faculty of Science, Razi University, Kermanshah, Iran

چکیده

Varanoidea is an ancient group of anguimorph lizards, the anguimorph genus Varanus includes today’s monitor lizards, a clade of mid-sized to large, squamates widely distributed in tropical and subtropical regions. biogeographic analysis suggests an origin of varaniform lizards in East Asia. According to most studies, monitors grouped in three clades concordant with their geographic distribution: African, Indo-Asian, and Indo-Australian. There are currently 88 valid species assigned to Varanus that divided into 11 subgenera. In the Iranian Plateau, there are four species of monitors from two subgenera Psammosaurus including Varanus griseus, Varanus caspius, Varanus nesterovi and Empagusia include the species Varanus bengalensis. V. caspius is mostly present in the central parts of Iran, two species V. griseus and V. nesterovi being distributed from Kermanshah province to Shiraz and also in Iraq. The end of distribution of the species V. bengalensis is in the southeast of Iran including Sistan-Baluchestan and Hormozgan Provinces.

کلیدواژه‌ها

Varanus؛ monitor؛ Varanidae؛ Distribution؛ Iranian Plateau؛ Asia