In spite of the small area of Armenia which consists only 6,76% of territory of Caucasus, the herpetofauna here is rather rich. It includes as minimum 58 species (62 subspecies). Where: amphibians - 8 species (8 subspecies) and reptiles - 50 species (54 subspecies).

Reptiles are more characteristic of Armenian ecosystems than amphibians, because of the impact of the mainly dry climate during a long geological period.

LIST OF TAXONES

Ordo Anura Rafinesque, 1815 Anurans (6 species)

Familia Pelobatidae Boulenger, 1882 Pelobatides (1 species)

Genus Pelobates Wagler, 1830 (1 species)

Pelobates syriacus Boettger, 1889

Familia Bufonidae Gray, 1825 Toads (1 species)

Genus Pseudepidalea Frost, Grant, Faivovich, Bain, Haas, Haddad, de Sá, Channing, Wilkinson, Donnellan, Raxworthy, Campbell, Blotto, Moler, Drewes, Nussbaum, Lynch, Green, and Wheeler, 2006 Toads (1 species)

Pseudepidalea variabilis (Pallas, 1769)

Familia Hylidae Gray, 1825 Tree frogs (2 species)

Subfamilia Hylinae (2 species)

Genus Hyla Laurenti, 1768 (2 species)

Hyla orientalis Bedriaga, 1809
Hyla savignyi Audouin, 1827

Familia Ranidae Gray, 1825 Frogs (2 species)

Genus Rana Linne, 1758 (1 species)

Rana Linne, 1758 (1 species)

Rana macrocnemis Boulenger, 1885

Genus Pelophylax Fitzinger, 1843 (1 species)

Pelophylax ridibundus Pallas, 1771

Classis Reptilia (50 species)
Ordo Testudines Batsch, 1788 (3 species)

Familia Emydidae Rafinesque, 1815 (1 species)

Genus Emys Dumeril, 1806 (1 species)

Emys orbicularis (Linnaeus, 1758)

Familia Geoemididae Theobald, 1868 (1 species)

Subfamilia Batagurinae (1 species)

Genus Mauremys Gray, 1869 (1 species)

Mauremys caspica (Gmelin, 1774)

Familia Testudinidae Batsch, 1788 (1 species)

Genus Testudo Linnaeus, 1758 (1 species)

Testudo graeca Linnaeus, 1758

Superorder Squamata Oppel, 1811

Ordo Sauria Mccarthney, 1822 (25 species)

Familia Gekkonidae Gray, 1825(1 species)

Genus Cyrtopodion Fitzinger, 1843 (1 species)

Cyrtopodion caspium (Eichwald, 1831)

Familia Agamidae Spix, 1825 (2 species)

Genus Laudakia Gray, 1845(1 species)

Laudakia caucasia (Eichwald, 1831)

Genus Phrynocephalus Kaup, 1825 (1 species)

Phrynocephalus persicus De Filippi, 1863

Familia Lacertidae Bonaparte, 1831(16 species)

Genus Darevskia Arribas, 1997 (8 species)

Darevskia armeniaca (Mehely, 1909)
Darevskia dahli (Darevsky, 1957)
Darevskia portschinskii (Kessler, 1878)

Darevskia praticola Eversmann,1834
Darevskia raddei (Boettger, 1892)
Darevskia rostombekovi (Darevsky, 1957)
Darevskia unisexualis (Darevsky, 1966)
Darevskia valentini (Boettger, 1892)

Genus Eremias Fitzinger inWiegmann, 1834 (3 species)

Complex (=Subgenus ) Ommateremias Lants, 1928(1 species)

Eremias arguta (Pallas, 1773)

Complex (=Subgenus) Rhabderemias Lants, 1928 (1 species)

Eremias pleskei Bedriaga, 1907

Complex (=Subgenus) Eremias Fitzinger inWiegmann, 1834 (1 species)

Eremias strauchi Kessler, 1878

Genus Lacerta Linnaeus, 1758 (3 species)

Lacerta agilis Linnaeus, 1758
Lacerta media Lantz et Cyren, 1920
Lacerta strigata Eichwald, 1831

Complex (=Subgenus) Parvilacerta ?(1 species)

Lacerta (=Parvilacerta) parva Boulenger, 1887

Genus Ophisops Menetries, 1832

Ophisops elegans Menetries, 1832

Familia Scincidae Oppel, 1811(4 species)

Genus Eumeces Wiegmann, 1834

Complex Novoeumeces Griffith, Ngo & Murphy, 2000 (1 species)

Eumeces schneideri (Daudin, 1802)

Genus Trachylepis Fitzinger, 1843 (1 species)

Trachylepis aurata (Reuss, 1834)

Genus Ablepharus Fitzinger In Eversmann, 1823 (2 species)

Ablepharus bivittatus (Menetries, 1832)
Ablepharus chernovi Darevsky, 1953

Familia Anguidae Gray, 1825 (2 species)

Genus Anguis Linnaeus, 1758 (1 species)

Anguis colchica Nordmann, 1840

Genus Pseudopus Merrem, 1820 (1 species)

Pseudopus apodus (Pallas, 1775)

Ordo Serpentes Linnaeus, 1758 Snakes (22)

Familia Typhlopidae Merrem, 1820 (1 species)

Genus Typhlops Schneider in Oppel, 1811 (1 species)

Typhlops vermicularis (Merrem, 1820)

Familia Boidae Gray, 1825(1 species)

Subfamilia Erycinae Bonaparte, 1831 (1 species)

Genus Eryx Daudin, 1803 (1 species)

Eryx jaculus (Linnaeus, 1758)

Familia Colubridae Oppel, 1811 (16 species)

Subfamilia Colubrinae (13 species)

Genus Coluber Linnaeus, 1758 (4 species)

Complex (=Subgenus) Platyceps Blyth, 18xx Saharo-Arabian Racers (1 species)

Platyceps najadum (Eichwald, 1826)

Complex (=Subgenus) Hemorrhois Boie, 1826
Racers (2 species)

Hemorrhois nummifer Reuss, 1834
Hemorrhois ravergieri Menetries, 1832

Genus Dolichophis Gistel, 1868 (1 species)

Dolichophis schmidti (Nikolsky, 1909)

Genus Eirenis Jan, 1863 (3 species)

Complex Collaria or Pediophis (2 species)

Eirenis collaris (Menetries, 1832)
Eirenis modestus (Martin, 1832)

Complex Pediophis (1 species)

Eirenis punctatolineatus (Boettger, 1892)

Genus Pseudocyclophis Boettger, 1888 (1 species)

Pseudocyclophis persicus (Anderson, 1872)

Genus Rhinchocalamus Gunther, 1864 (1 species)

Rhinchocalamus melanocephalus (Jan, 1862)

Genus Coronella Laurenti, 1768 (1 species)

Coronella austriaca (Laurenti, 1768)

Genus Zamenis Dumeril, Bibron & Dumeril, 1854 Mediterranean Rat Snakes(1 species)

Zamenis hohenackeri (Strauch, 1873)

Genus Elaphe Fitzinger In Wagler, 1833 Rat Snakes (1 species)

Elaphe sauromates (Pallas, 1814)

Subfamilia Natricinae (2 species)

Genus Natrix Laurenti, 1768

Natrix natrix (Linnaeus, 1768)
Natrix tessellata (Laurenti, 1768)

Subfamilia Boiginae

Genus Telescopus Wagler, 1830 (1 species)

Telescopus fallax (Fleischmann, 1831)

Subfamilia Psammophiinae

Genus Malpolon Fitzinger, 1826 (1 species)

Malpolon monspessulanus (Hermann, 1804)

Familia Viperidae Laurenti, 1768

Subfamilia Viperinae Laurenti, 1768

Genus Vipera Laurenti, 1768 (4 species)

Subgenus Pelias Merrem, 1820 (2 species)

Vipera (=Pelias) darevskii Vedmederja, Orlov et Tuniyev, 1986

Vipera (=Pelias,= Acridophaga) eriwanensis (Reuss, 1933)

Genus Montivipera Nilson, Tuniyev, Andren, Orlov, Joger et Herrmann, 1999 (1 species)

Montivipera raddei Boettger, 1890

Genus Macrovipera Reuss, 1927 (1 species)

Macrovipera lebetina (Linnaeus, 1768)

Spectrum of families:

Spectrum of genera:

References:
Aghasyan A.L., (Agasyan, A.L.) 1987. [The Snake Pseudocyclophis persicus (Anderson, 1872) a first record for the Caucasus Fauna]. //Proc. of the Zool. Inst. Leningrad, 158: 177-179 ( In Russian)

Aghasyan A.L., 1996. The Fauna of Snakes of Armenia and Nakhichevan. PhD Thesis authoreferat, Yerevan, 34 pp.

Alekperov A.M., 1978. [Amphibains and Reptiles of Azerbaijan]., “Elm” Edition, Baku, 264 pp.(In Russian).
Ananjeva N.B., Borkin L.Ya., Darevsky I.S., Orlov N.L., 1998. Encyclopedy of The Russian Nature: Amphibians and Reptiles. Moscow, ABF publishing, 351 pp.

Ananjeva, N.B., Orlov N.L., Khalikov R.G., Darevsky, I.S., Rjabov S.A., Barabanov A.V., 2004. Atlas of Reptiles of Northern Eurasia, "Ivan Fedorov" Print, St. Pererbourg, Russia, 230 pp.

Arakelyan, M.S, Danielyan, F.D., Corti, C., Sindaco, R., Leviton, A. 2011. Herpetofauna of Armenia and Nagorno-Karabakh. SSAR, Ithaca, NY., 149 p.

Aslanyan A.V., 2004. An Ecological-Faunistic Analysis of The Lizards of Armenia. PhD candidate thesys. 172 pp.

Chernov S.A., 1939. [Herpetological Fauna of Armenian SSR and Nakhichevan ASSR] // Zoological Papers, Vol I, (Transactions of Biological Institure, Vol. III). Edition of Armenian Brunch of The USSR Academy of Scienecs, Erevan, 1939, pp. 77-194. (In Russian)
Darevsky I.S., 1957. The Fauna of Reptiles of Armenia and Its Zoogeographical Analysis. PhD Thesis, Yerevan, 468 pp.

Fritz, U., Hundsdorfer, A.K., Siroky, P., Auer, M., Kami, H., Lehmann, J., Mazanaeva, L.F., Turkozan, O., Wink, M., 2007. Phernotypic plasticity leads to incoungruence between morphology-based taxonomy and genetic differentiation in western Palearctic tortoises (Testudo graeca complex; Testudines, Testudinidae). Amphibia-Reptilia 28: 97-121.

Frost D.R., Grant T., Faivoovich J.N., Bain R.H., Haas A., Hadad C-L. F.B., De Sa R.O., Channing A., Wilkinson M., Donnellan S.C., Raxworthy Ch.J., Campbell J.A., Blotto B.L., Moler P., Drewes R.C., Nussbaim R.A., Lynch J.D., Green D.M., Wheller W.C., 2006. The Amphibian Tree of Life. // Bull. of the Amer. Mus. Nat. Hist., 297: 370 pp.

Eghiazaryan E.M., 2002. Amphibians / YSU publishing, Yerevan, 40 pp.

Eremchenko V.K., Scherbak N.N., 1986. Ablepharid lizards of the USSR and Naibouring Countries Fauna. Frunze, ILIM Publishing, 170 pp.

Gumilevsky B.A., 1939. [The Batrachian fauna of Armenia and Nakhichevan ASSR] // Zoological Papers, Vol I, (Transactions of Biological Institure, Vol. III). Edition of Armenian Brunch of The USSR Academy of Scienecs, Erevan, 1939, pp. 1-24. (In Russian)

Kuzmin S.L., 1999. The Amphibians of The Former USSR. Moscow. Scientific Publishers Association KMK, 298 pp.

"The Nature of Armenia" Family Encyclopedia. Ayvazyan H.M. et al. Eds., "Hajkakan Hanragitaran",Yerevan, 2006, 691 pp.

Nagy Z.T., Lawson R., Joger U., Wink M. 2004. Molecular systematics of racers, whipsnakes and relatives (Reptilia: Colubridae) using mitochondrial and nuclear markers // J. Zool. Syst. Evol. Research 42, 223–233

Tarkhnishvili, D& Gokhelashvili, R., 1999. The Amphibians of the Caucasus . Advances in Amphibian Research in the Former Soviet Union 1999, Volume 4 : 1-239 ( treatise).

Zug,G.R., Vitt, L.J. & Caldwell, J.P., (2001), Herpetology, 2nd ed. Academic Press San Diego, London, [...]XIV + 630 pp.

WEB Based References

EMBL Reptile Data Base

Amphibians Species of The World

Site is uploaded 05.08.2004

Last updated 04.27.2012.

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