The first record of age structure and body size of the Suphan Racerunner, Eremias suphani Başoğlu & Hellmich, 1968

Authors: NAZAN ÜZÜM, AZİZ AVCI, YUSUF KUMLUTAŞ, NURETTİN BEŞER, ÇETİN ILGAZ

Abstract: The age structure of Eremias suphani was studied from a high-altitude (2180 m a.s.l.) locality in eastern Turkey. A total of 24 preserved (16♂♂, 7♀♀, and 1 juvenile) specimens were used in this study. According to the skeletochronological analysis, ages ranged from 6 to 9 years (mean: 7.38 ± 0.22 years) in males and from 6 to 10 years (mean: 7.86 ± 0.51 years) in females. Age at maturity was estimated to be 5-6 years for both males and females. The mean snout-vent length was calculated as 60.88 ± 2.61 mm in males and 58.85 ± 2.44 in females. The sexual dimorphism index was calculated as -0.03. The difference between the sexes for both age and size was not statistically significant.

Keywords: Age structure, body size, Eremias suphani, Lacertidae, sexual dimorphism, Turkey

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