Steppe runner: Red Data Book of Armenia

Lacertids — Lacertidae

Status. An endangered subspecies occurring in very low numbers only in Armenia, away from the main range. Listed in the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species (ver. 3.1) as Critically Endangered CR A2c. According to IUCN criteria categorized as Critically Endangered CR A2c; B2ab(ii,iii).

Distribution. Widely distributed from Northeastern Romania in the west to Southwestern Mongolia and Northwestern China in the east and to Turkey and Iran in the south. In Northern Eurasia it occurs in Moldova, Ukraine, European part of Russia, Kazakhstan, Central Asia and the Caucasus.

Distribution in Armenia. The only population known from Armenia lives on the southern shoreline of the Lake Sevan near the Noraduz village.

Habitats. Inhabits loose and firm sands of the Noraduz covered with arid grasslands.

Biological traits. Female lays 1–12 eggs.

Population size and its trends. In 1961, the last 27 surviving adult steppe runners were captured in the Martuni district’s narrow strip stretched from the crop fields to the Lake Sevan shoreline and released into the wild not far from the Noraduz. These founders have engendered a new population which is ever expanding its boundaries. Currently, its size is 80–150 individuals.

Major threats. Overgrazing and habitat use for agricultural production.

Conservation measures. Protected in Sevan National Park. It is essential to fence off the virgin lands of the Noraduz and to enforce conservation of the population.