Black-sided Racerunner

It is most closely related to Eremias velox, of which it was previously treated as a subspecies, and they share several attributes such as having a wide range distribution across the Iranian Plateau, as well as the number of and shape of their scales. It can be morphologically distinguished from E. velox based on several characteristics, including:

continuous dorsolateral black stripes (vs. E. velox with interrupted, forming ocelli with white spots), the stripes strongly contrasting with the base pattern (vs. not strongly contrasting), juveniles with 4 dark stripes on the back between dorsolateral white-spotted stripes (vs. 3 dark stripes), and juveniles with ventral surface of tail not red (vs. carmine red in E. velox). Like many other lacertid lizards, the juveniles are more easily distinguished from other species than the adults. Other closely related species of Eremias racerunners include E. kopetdaghica, E. isfahanica, E. lalezharica, E. montana, E. papenfussi, E. strauchi, and E. suphani.

The Persian racerunner occurs in Iran, southern Azerbaijan, southern Turkmenistan, Afghanistan, and western Pakistan. In Iran, Eremias persica has a broad distribution in the central plateau south of the Alborz Mountains, including the Zagros Mountains, but it is absent from the central deserts Dasht-e Lut and Dasht-e Kavir. It is found in open plains and slopes, typically in areas of low vegetation and gravel surfaces. It is also found on mixed sand or silt and gravel.

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