Exploring the Abundance and Diversity of Lizard Fauna in District Karak, Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa (KP), Pakistan

Lizards are universal animals that exist in a broad range of forms. Although the revolutionary process decreased their number, they still managed to survive due to their high adaptability to the environment. The current study aimed to explore the species abundance and diversity of lizard fauna in District Karak, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP), Pakistan. A total of 75 specimens were collected from six (6) different locations in District Karak; Warana Ahmad Abad, Hamidan, Takht-e-Nasrati, Karak city, Sabirabad and Mitha Khel. Various techniques and approaches were used for capturing and trapping including nets, cages, strings, pitfall traps, funnel traps, and manual collection. Seven species were identified using taxonomic keys: Ophisops elegans (28%), Acanthodactylus cantoris (19%), Laudakia pakistanica (13%), Uromastyx hardwickii (12%), Laudakia stellio (11%), Eutropis dissimilis (9%), and Varanus bengalensis (8%), belonging to four families: Lacertidae (Oppel, 1811), Agamidae (Gray, 1827), Scincidae (Oppel, 1811) and Varanidae (Merrem, 1820). The most abundant species observed were O. elegans and A. cantoris while V. bengalensis was the least abundant. Shannon’s diversity index (H') was applied to assess species diversity. The observed values of Shannon index (H') for all species in all six locations were less than 1, indicating low diversity, and the evenness values showed a weak equilibrium between the effectiveness of sampling species. As well as the Margalef’s index results indicated a richer habitat for O. elegans and A. cantoris at certain locations. Observations revealed that District Karak has low lizard diversity, compared to other regions. This study provides the baseline and framework for further research to explore the unsurvey locations of District Karak.