Systematics and distribution of the acanthodactylus pardalis group (lacertidae) in egypt and israel

Examination of 385 specimens of the Acanthodactylus pardalis group from eastern Libya, Egypt and Israel confirmed the occurrence of two allopatric species in this area: Acanthodactylus pardalis (Lichtenstein, 1823) distributed in Egypt And eastern Libya and a hitherto undescribed species endemic to the Negev (Israel). The species differ most markedly in body size, hemipenial structure, colouration and details of sexual dichromatism. Other significant differences involve scalation and biometrics. A simple method for artefact-free use of discriminant analysis in multivariate classification is presented. Redescription of A. pardalis (Lichtenstein, 1823), description of a new species Acanthodactylus beershebensis sp.n. and corrected geographical ranges of the two species are provided. Both species, each endemic to a small area, appear to be markedly endangered by habitat destruction.