The role of Zagros Mountains in intraspecific diversity and endemicity of Asaccus Dixon and Anderson, ۱۹۷۳ in Iran

The Zagros Mountains stretch from northwest to south of Iran and act as a barrier against the faunal elements of the Mesopotamian lowlands to the central plateau of Iran and a corridor for south faunal elements to north. Due to the special geological structure of the Zagros Mountains, reptiles have settled in special habitats in valleys, caves and karsts. The genus Asaccus Dixon and Anderson, ۱۹۷۳ (Phyllodactylidae), is one of the special faunal elements of the Zagros Mountains, which based on morphological characters consist of valid ten species After collecting samples from different regions of Zagros, the process of tissue and DNA extraction, a nuclear gene (MC۱R) and two mitochondrial genes (۱۲S, Cytb) were used. The results of this study show nine new lineages with high genetic distance in different regions of the Zagros, each of which is considered as a potential species. This study, the factors affecting the distribution and speciation of genus Asaccus have been investigated. The possible factors in causing diversity within the species of Asaccus are their limited lifestyle and isolation in caves and karsts.

کلیدواژه ها:

Caves ، karsts ، lizards