Vol. 78 2026

ARTICLES

Tail Bifurcation in Lacerta diplochondrodes Wettstein, 1952 (Squamata: Lacertidae) from Konya, Türkiye

Murat Afsar1,*, Birgül Afsar1, Batuhan Yaman Yakın2, Cemal Varol Tok3

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*,1Manisa Celal Bayar Üniversity, Faculty of Engineering and Natural Sciences, Biology Department, Zooloji Section, Yunusemre, Manisa, Turkey;
e-mail: murat.afsar@cbu.edu.tr
2Avrasya University, Faculty of Science – Literature, Molecular Biology and Genetics Department, Yomra Campus, Trabzon, Turkey;
e-mail- batuhan.yakin@avrasya.edu.tr
3Çanakkale Onsekiz Mart University, Faculty of Science – Literature, Biology Department, Zoology Section, Terzioğlu Campus, Çanakkale, Turkey;
e-mail- cvtok@comu.edu.tr

https://doi.org/10.71424/azb78.4.003148

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Abstract

Tail bifurcation is a relatively infrequent but increasingly documented phenomenon in the herpetological literature. We report an uncommon instance of tail bifurcation in a large adult male Lacerta diplochondrodes found in Halkapınar, Konya, Türkiye (1.905 m a.s.l.). The specimen exhibited a snout-vent length (SVL) of 144.3 mm and a total length (TL) of 347 mm, representing a large adult size for this species. The primary tail measured 202.7 mm, with a supernumerary segment of 130.9 mm originating at a 20° angle. This record contributes to the inventory of morphological abnormalities and provides additional data on the body size metrics of Turkish L. diplochondrodes lineages.

Key words

Caudal autotomy, morphological anomaly, Lacerta diplochondrodes, pholidosis, Anatolian steppe, supernumerary tail.

How to Cite
Olszewski P., Kucharska K., Żóralski R. 2026. Tail Bifurcation in Lacerta diplochondrodes Wettstein, 1952 (Squamata: Lacertidae) from Konya, Türkiye. Acta zoologica bulgarica 78.

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