A lpine– H imalayan orogeny drove correlated morphological, molecular, and ecological diversification in the P ersian dwarf snake ( S quamata: S erpentes: Eirenis persicus )

The Persian dwarf snake E irenis ( P seudocyclophis ) persicus ( A nderson, 1872) has a wide distribution range in south‐western Asia. This species group was comprehensively studied here using traditional biometry, geometric morphometrics, ecological niche modelling, and genetics. Our analyses revealed that E . persicus is split into two clades. A western clade, bearing at least two different species: E . persicus , distributed in south‐western I ran, and an undescribed species from south‐eastern T urkey and western I ran. The eastern clade consists of at least three species: E irenis nigrofasciatus , distributed across north‐eastern I raq, and western and southern I ran; E irenis walteri , distributed across eastern I ran, southern T urkmenistan, and western and southern P akistan, and E irenis angusticeps , distributed in north‐eastern P akistan. Ecological niche modelling revealed that the distribution of the species in the western clade are mainly affected by winter precipitation, and those in the eastern clade are mainly affected by the minimum temperature of the coldest month. A molecular clock analysis revealed that the divergence and diversification of the E . persicus species group mainly correspond to E ocene to P liocene orogeny events subsequent to the A rabia– E urasia collision. This study confirms that specimens with the unique morphology of having 13 dorsal scale rows on the anterior dorsum, occurring in the S uleiman M ountains in central P akistan, can be referred to E irenis mcmahoni ( W all, 1911). However, at this moment we have insufficient data to evaluate the taxonomy of this species.