Sunbathing on the southern beach: evidence of Egyptian mastigurs (Uromastyx aegyptia) on the Island of Tunb-e Bozorg, Persian Gulf

Document Type : Short Communications

Author

Hamzeh Oraie

1Department of Zoology, Faculty of Science, Shahrekord University, Shahrekord, Iran

10.22067/ijab.2024.89364.1077

Abstract

The herpetofauna of numerous Iranian islands in the Persian Gulf is largely unknown, and baseline data are urgently needed to monitor future trends. This study provides for the first time evidence that Uromastyx aegyptia leptieni is present on Tunb-e Bozorg Island in the Persian Gulf, Iran. Mitochondrial 16S rRNA sequence data were used to infer the phylogenetic relationship of the two Egyptian mastigurs from Tunb-e Bozorg Island. The dorsal color pattern of the Iranian specimens perfectly matches with the original description of Uromastyx aegyptia leptieni. In addition, our phylogenetic analysis shows that the examined specimens are identical to a specimen of Uromastyx aegyptia leptieni from the United Arab Emirates. The special conditions on Tunb-e Bozorg Island have provided a suitable habitat for Uromastyx aegyptia leptieni, which has led to a relatively large and self-sustaining population.

Keywords

Iranian Islands

Persian Gulf

Uromastycinae

mtDNA

Haplotype

taxonomy

Subjects

• Phylogenetics
• Taxonomy
• Zoogeography

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