Eremias, Fitzinger, 1834

Masroor, Rafaqat, Khan, Muazzam Ali, Nadeem, Muhammad Sajid, Amir, Shabir Ali, Khisroon, Muhammad & Jablonski, Daniel, 2022, Appearances often deceive in racerunners: integrative approach reveals two new species of Eremias (Squamata: Lacertidae) from Pakistan, Zootaxa 5175 (1), pp. 55-87 : 78

Identification key to the Pakistani species of the genus Eremias (modified from Masroor et al. 2020a)

1. Subocular bordering mouth............................................................................. 2

- Subocular not bordering mouth................................................................ E. acutirostris

2. A complete row of lateral scales of the 4 th toe forming a distinct fringe or comb on its entire length..................... 3

- Lateral scales of 4 th toe not forming distinct fringe........................................................... 4

3. Row of femoral pores reaches well short of the knee; the median dark dorsal stripes interrupted and form reticulate pattern.............................................................................................. E. scripta

- Row of femoral pores reaches to knee; dorsal stripes without any sign of vermiculation................... E. cholistanica

4. Back with 5–11 dark stripes, broader than interspaces, none of the stripes containing light ocelli or spots; stripes persistent in adults, but sometimes indistinct so that back appears almost uniform sandy; usually only single median collar scale distinctly larger than adjacent gulars.............................................................................. 5

- Dark stripes on the dorsum of juvenile breaking up in adults to form spots or broken lines; usually, several collar scales distinctly larger than adjacent gulars...................................................................... 6

5. 4 th toe with two complete rows of subdigital scales and a complete row of sharply pointed lateral scales, i.e., a total of 4 scales counted around penultimate phalanx.......................................................... Eremias fasciata

- 4 th toe with one complete row of subdigital scales and a complete row of lateral scales, i.e., total of three scales counted around penultimate phalanx............................................................................. E. kakari

6. Adults with four more or less regular rows of disconnected dark spots on dorsum between dorsolateral broader dark stripes, the latter with white ocelli at the edges and within each stripe; infranasal in contact with the rostral........... E. rafiqi sp. nov.

- Adults with seven light stripes on the neck, transforming into disconnected series of white ocelli edged with black; no dorsolateral dark stripes, an outer-most series of white and black ocelli starts behind the eyes on each side, onto tympanum and flanks above the forelimb and hindlimb insertion; infranasal not in contact with the rostral................... E. killasaifullahi sp. nov.