O. G. Dely szerk.: Vertebrata Hungarica 21. (Budapest, 1982)

Rustamov, A. K. ; Shammakov, S.: On the herpetofauna of Turkmenistan 215-226. o.

VERTEBRA TA HUNGARICA TOM. XXI. 1982 p. 215-226 On the herpetofauna of Turkmenistan* By A. K. RUSTAMOV & S. SHAMMAKOV Abstract: Fifty-three species of reptiles occur in Turkmenistan, of which 25 inhabit lowlands and 28 occur in plains and mountains. The species composition of reptiles in seven natural regions of Turkmenistan is discussed; the fauna of the sandy and clay desert is the richest. Seven species of reptiles'-occur in high density (from 10 to 71 per hectare), 30 species are frequent (1 to 10 per ha.) and 16 species are rare (0.2 to 1 per ha.). The fauna i3 subjected to a zoogeographical analysis. The present paper deals with the reptilian fauna of the plains (lowland regions) of Turkmenistan. Composition, biotopic and vertical distribution, and abundance of reptiles are discussed. In the conclusion an analysis is given of the zoogeographical aspects and the genetic relationships of the entire herpetofauna of Turkmenistan (not only of the plains but also of the mountainous regions). 1. Composition of the herpetofauna Arid and semiarid landscapes predominate in the Turkmen S.S.R. Reptiles, by virtue of their abundance and large number of species, occupy a significant position in the biogeocenoses introduced here. The list of reptiles comprises 78 species (83 subspecies). Of these, 53 species (57 subspecies) inhabit the plains of Turkmenistan, altogether accounting for 67.9 per cent of the herpetofauna in the Republic. The number of species within the systematic groups is given in Table 1. It can be seen from this table that the families Lacertidae, Gekkonidae, Agamidae, Scincidae and Colubridae comprise the majority of the herpetofauna of the plains, as well as that of the whole of Turkmenistan. It is also seen from Table 1 that the species of the families Anguidae and Typhlopidae are not represented in the plains at all. The territory of Turkmenistan may be divided into eleven natural regions (RUSTAMOV 1966), with reptilian species indicated for each of them; 7 of these regions are situated in lowlands. For # Paper presented by S. SHAMMAKOV at the First Herpetological Conference of the Socialist Countries on the 27th August, 1981 in Budapest.