First Record of Common Skink Gecko (Teratoscincus scincus scincus) from East-northern Part of Iran in Golestan Province

With regard to the important role of reptiles especially lizards in biological cycles and their impacts on human life in terms of health issues and biological control, lizards role in food chain and transfer of some diseases and parasites and their role in agricultural pest control like grasshoppers, recognition and their study, which is important. Teratoscincus scincus scincus belonging to the Sphaerodactylidae family, and this is the first time is being reported from Golestan province. In this study one specimen from around Alagol Lake in 2001 June and two specimens from south of Soofikam in 2008 May and six specimens in 2015 May, from northern part of Golestan province were studied. The specimens were collected either by hand or in net at night. The studied area is generally composed of river sediments such as sand, gravel and clay or a mixture of them. The average annual rainfall is 355 mm and the average annual temperature is 18 °C. Climate of the studied area is semi-arid. Specimens have been studied according to morphometric and meristic characters, and they have been identified by reliable references. In this study the following data has been obtained. SVL of males 60.90 – 89.32 and of females 85.85-96.20 and of juveniles 45.34-46.53 mm. Supralabial scales 9-12, inferalabials scales 8-12, the scales across the head 38-50, scales along the head 59-77, scales around the middle of the body 32-38, wide caudal plates 13-16 and number of lateral fringe scales on the 4th toe of the hind limb 24-27.