''Saara'' is a
genus
Genus ( plural genera ) is a taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of living and fossil organisms as well as viruses. In the hierarchy of biological classification, genus comes above species and below family. In binomial n ...
of
lizard
Lizards are a widespread group of squamate reptiles, with over 7,000 species, ranging across all continents except Antarctica, as well as most oceanic island chains. The group is paraphyletic since it excludes the snakes and Amphisbaenia al ...
s in the
subfamily Uromasticinae of the
family
Family (from la, familia) is a group of people related either by consanguinity (by recognized birth) or affinity (by marriage or other relationship). The purpose of the family is to maintain the well-being of its members and of society. Idea ...
Agamidae
Agamidae is a family of over 300 species of iguanian lizards indigenous to Africa, Asia, Australia, and a few in Southern Europe. Many species are commonly called dragons or dragon lizards.
Overview
Phylogenetically, they may be sister to the ...
. The genus is
endemic
Endemism is the state of a species being found in a single defined geographic location, such as an island, state, nation, country or other defined zone; organisms that are indigenous to a place are not endemic to it if they are also found els ...
to
Asia
Asia (, ) is one of the world's most notable geographical regions, which is either considered a continent in its own right or a subcontinent of Eurasia, which shares the continental landmass of Afro-Eurasia with Africa. Asia covers an ...
.
Taxonomy
Until 2009, the member
species
In biology, a species is the basic unit of Taxonomy (biology), classification and a taxonomic rank of an organism, as well as a unit of biodiversity. A species is often defined as the largest group of organisms in which any two individuals of ...
of the genus ''Saara'' were generally included in the genus ''
Uromastyx''.
[, , , , (2009). "On the phylogeny and taxonomy of the genus ''Uromastyx'' Merrem, 1820 (Reptilia: Squamata: Agamidae: Uromastycinae) - resurrection of the genus ''Saara'' Gray, 1845"]
''Bonner zoologische Beiträge''
56 (1/2): 55–99
PDF
Geographic range and habitat
''Saara'' species are native to dry habitats in southwestern Asia, ranging from
Iran
Iran, officially the Islamic Republic of Iran, and also called Persia, is a country located in Western Asia. It is bordered by Iraq and Turkey to the west, by Azerbaijan and Armenia to the northwest, by the Caspian Sea and Turkm ...
to northwestern
India
India, officially the Republic of India ( Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the ...
.
[
]
Species
*'' Saara asmussi'' – Iranian mastigure, Persian spiny-tailed lizard
*'' Saara hardwickii'' – Hardwicke's spiny-tailed lizard, Indian spiny-tailed lizard
*'' Saara loricata'' – Iraqi mastigure, Iraqi spiny-tailed lizard
''Nota bene
(, or ; plural form ) is a Latin phrase meaning "note well".
It is often abbreviated as NB, n.b., or with the ligature
and first appeared in English writing . In Modern English, it is used, particularly in legal papers, to draw the atte ...
'': A binomial authority in parentheses indicates that the species was originally described in a genus other than ''Saara''.
References
Further reading
* Gray JE (1845). ''Catalogue of the Specimens of Lizards in the Collection of the British Museum.'' London: Trustees of the British Museum. (Edward Newman, printer). xxviii + 289 pp. (''Saara'', new genus, p. 262).
Saara (lizard)
Lizards of Asia
Lizard genera
Taxa named by John Edward Gray
{{agamidae-stub