干旱区生态环境知识资源中心

On the basis of lizard distribution in the steppe zone of Eurasia we conclude on the mixed nature of its fauna and invalidate the isolation of the Steppe faunistic region. In order to define the location of the northern, western, add eastern limits of the Sahara-Gobi faunistic region we studied fauna of the presumed transition zones between Sahara-Gobi and Eurosiberian regions in the north and west, as well as the Sahara-Gobi and east Asian regions in the east. These regions were limited by the north, west, and east range limits of the desert genera most spread to the north, west, and east (Alsophylax, Phrynocephalys, and Eremias) and by the south and west range limits of genera Lacerta and Takydromus (typical for Eurosiberian and east Asian regions and spread farthest to the Sahara-Gobi region) as well as steppe-desert species Eremias argus. According to range similarity, all lizard species Living within these limits were assigned to several groups, Range superposition allowed us to map the abundance distribution for the species in each group. Predominance (above 50% total species number) of Sahara-Gobi, Eurosiberian, or east Asian species on the studied territory allowed us to assign it to the corresponding region. The regions with neither of the above groups exceeding the 50% level were assigned to the transition zone.