A Contribution to the Biogeography of Ablepharus anatolicus and A. budaki (Squamata: Scincidae) Using Ecological Niche Modeling in Turkey

The Anatolian Peninsula is very richly biodiverse in terms of its location and with new studies, this wealth has gradually increased as new taxa of Anatolian origin are added to the literature. Ablepharus budaki and A. anatolicus, formerly considered to be subspecies of A. kitaibelli and A. budaki respectively, are spread throughout the southern part of Anatolia. Although recent phylogenetic and morphological studies revealed their species status, no information was given about the relation of the species with each other in terms of ecological niche. In this study, our primary goal was to discover whether the niches of these two taxa were different from each other. Considering the analyses made within the scope of this study, it has been revealed that both A. anatolicus and A. budaki are different from each other in terms of their ecological niche. However, since these two taxa have very small contact regions, an example of parapatric speciation, and their distribution areas cover almost completely different geographies, we can say that they have different ecological niche requirements, according to the results of this study. As a result, this study supported the findings in literature and the idea that these taxa are two different species