Türkiye / Mountain ranges around the Bolkar Dag and hinterland of the eastern south coast and an isolated occurrence in the Amanus Mountains. 

Species:

Anatololacerta danfordi  (GÜNTHER, 1876)

Synonyms:

Zootoca danfordi  GÜNTHER, 1876

Podarcis danfordi  CAMERANO, 1877

Lacerta danfordi   BEDRIAGA, 1879

Lacerta oertzeni ibrahimi   EISELT & SCHMIDTLER, 1986

Lacerta danfordi bileki   EISELT & SCHMIDTLER, 1986

Archaeolacerta danfordi   SINDACO et al., 2000

Anatololacerta danfordi  ARNOLD et al, 2007

Anatololacerta danfordi danfordi   MAYER, 2015

Anatololacerta danfordi   KARAKASI et al., 2021

Common names:

Danford’s Rock Lizard (English)
Danford’s Eidechse (German)
Toros Kertenkelesi (Turkish)

Types:

4 Syntypes (Zootoca danfordi GÜNTHER, 1876): BMNH (BOULENGER 1920)
Holotype (Lacerta danfordi bileki EISELT & SCHMIDTLER, 1986): NMW 26759:5

Terra Typica:

Taurus Mountains northwest of Mersin: “Zebil Bulgar Dagh (Cilician Taurus), altitude 4000 feet”.


Taxonomic notes:

An isolated occurrence of striped Anatololacerta danfordi exists in the northern Amanus Mountains. This phenotype differs significantly from the spotted lizards that occur further north, in the southern foothills of the Taurus Mountains (observation by BISCHOFF May 31, 1993). It cannot be ruled out that the striped lizards from the Amanus Mountains represent a new subspecies (assessment by W. BISCHOFF, January 2023).


Relevant taxonomic literature:

  • Günther, A. (1876) -  Description of a new species of lizard from Asia Minor. -  Proceedings of the Zoological Society of London, 1876: 818.  

  • Camerano, L. (1877) -  Considerazioni sul genere Lacerta Linn. e descrizione di due nuove specie. -  Atti della Reale Accademia delle scienze di Torino, 13: 1-22.  

  • Bedriaga, J. von (1879) -  Herpetologische Studien (Fortsetzung). -  Archiv für Naturgeschichte, Berlin, 45 (1): 243-339.    

  • Boulenger, G.A. (1920) -  Monograph of the Lacertidae. Vol. I. -  British Museum (Natural History). Department of Zoology. London. 352 pp.    

  • Eiselt, J. & Schmidtler, F.J. (1986) -  Der Lacerta danfordi-Komplex -  Spixiana 9 (3): 289-328  

  • Sindaco, R. & Venchi, A. & Carpaneto, G.M. & Bologna, M.A. (2000) -  The reptiles of Anatolia: a checklist and zoogeographical analysis. -  Biogeographia: 441-554.  

  • Arnold, E.N. & Arribas, O. & Carranza, S. (2007) -  Systematics of the Palaearctic and Oriental lizard tribe Lacertini (Squamata: Lacertidae: Lacertinae), with descriptions of eight new genera. -  Zootaxa, 1430: 1-86.    

  • Bellati, A. & Carranza, S. & Garcia-Porta, J. & Fasola, M. & Sindaco, R. (2015) -  Cryptic diversity within the Anatololacerta species complex (Squamata: Lacertidae) in the Anatolian Peninsula: Evidence from a multi-locus approach. -  Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution, 82 (Part A): 219-233.    

  • Mayer, W. (2015) -  Die Taxa der Familie Lacertidae – eine kommentierte Liste. (Zuletzt aktualisiert am 04.07.2015). -  lacerta.de. 62 pp.  

  • Candan, K. & Kankılıç, T. & Güçlü, Ö. & Kumlutaş, Y. & Durmuş, S.H. & Lymberakis, P. & Poulakakis, N. & Ilgaz, Ç. (2016) -  First assessment on the molecular phylogeny of Anatololacerta (Squamata, Lacertidae) distributed in Southern Anatolia: insights from mtDNA and nDNA markers.  -  Mitochondrial DNA Part A, 27 (3): 2285-9222.    

  • Karakasi, D. & Ilgaz, Ç. & Kumlutas, Y. & Candan, K. & Güçlü, Ö. & Kankılıç, T. & Beser, N. & Sindaco, R. & Lymberakis, P. & Poulakakis, N. (2021) -  More evidence of cryptic diversity in Anatololacerta species complex Arnold, Arribas and Carranza, 2007 (Squamata: Lacertidae) and re-evaluation of its current taxonomy. -  Amphibia-Reptilia (2021) DOI:10.1163/15685381-bja10045