Taxon name
Rhagerhis moilensis
(Reuss, 1834)
Uploaded by
National Red List Database
Taxonomic information
Scientific name
Rhagerhis moilensis
(Reuss, 1834)
Assessed taxon level
Species
Higher level taxonomic groupings
Vertebrates
Reptiles
Species authority
(Reuss, 1834)
Taxonomic notes and synonyms listed
This species is widely known under the generic name Malpolon (although it was included in the genus Scutophis by Geniez et al. 2004). Kelly et al. (2008) found that this species is genetically distinct from other members of Malpolon, but took no taxonomic action. Investigating the nomenclatural history of this snake, Böhme and de Pury (2011) resurrected the genus Rhagerhis for this taxon, a name previously (and erroneously) considered to be unavailable. Rhagerhis appears to be nested within Malpolon (Figueroa et al. 2016), but Uetz et al. (2019) notes that this apparent synonymy not been widely adopted.Rhamphiophis maradiensis, described from Niger, is now understood to be a junior synonym of R. moilensis (Trape and Mané 2006, I. Ineich pers. comm. 2013), although this treatment has been disputed (L. Chirio pers. comm. in Uetz et al. 2019).
Location and scope
Specific locality or subnational name or regional name
United Arab Emirates (the)
Scope (of the Assessment)
National
Countries included within the scope of the assessment
United Arab Emirates (the)
Does the assessment cover a marine EEZ area(s)?
Not_assigned
Conservation Status
Assessed as
Least Concern
Criteria system used
IUCN
(see Assessment details)
Assessment rationale/justification
This species is widespread in the northern parts of the United Arab Emirates, although absent from the Hajar Mountains. It is listed as Least Concern in view of its wide distribution, presumed large population size, and because it is adaptable and subject to no major threats. This taxon is not a non-breeding visitor, and it is presumed that any immigration from populations outside the UAE is not significant, and therefore there is no adjustment to the Category according to the IUCN regional and national Guidelines (IUCN 2012).
Assessment details
Assessors/contributors/reviewers listed
UAE National Red List Workshop
Criteria system used
IUCN
Reference for methods given
IUCN. 2012. IUCN Red List Categories and Criteria: Version 3.1, Second edition. IUCN, Gland, Switzerland and Cambridge, UK. iv + 32pp pp. And IUCN. 2012. Guidelines for Application of IUCN Red List Criteria at Regional and National Levels: Version 4.0. Gland, Switzerland and Cambridge, UK: IUCN. iii + 41pp.
Further information
Endemism (according to assessment)
Endemic to region
Not assigned
Taxon distribution as listed in assessment
Within the United Arab Emirates, this species has a wide distribution from Ras al Khaimah in the north towards Sila in Abu Dhabi in the south and further inland to Al Ain (Gardner 2013, Burriel-Carranza et al. in press). It occurs from sea level to 300 m asl., and is not found in the Hajar Mountains.This widespread species ranges from Mauritania, Western Sahara and Morocco in the west, through much of northern and Saharan Africa to the Red Sea coast of Egypt, Sudan (where it has been recorded from Suakin; Largen 1997) and Eritrea (Hasmet; Largen 1997), Israel, southeastern Jordan, southern Syria, Iraq, southern Iran (Khuzestan Province and Hormozgan Province) and most of the Arabian Peninsula. In West Africa, it has a seemingly disjunct distribution in parts of Mauritania, central and northern Mali, and Niger, with a marginal occurrence in northwest Nigeria (Trape and Mané 2006). It can be found up to 1,500 m asl.
Is there a map available in assessment?
Yes
Habitat and systems
Ecological system type
Habitat
Habitat details as listed in assessment
Found in gravel and stony deserts, sandy plains, desert margins, sandy coastal regions, and in cultivated and urban areas (Gardner 2013). Apparently absent from the deep sand deserts and mountains (Gardner 2013). It is normally diurnal but crepuscular or nocturnal during the summer.This species is capable of moving large amounts of sand by active shovelling with the head and neck, pushing the sand aside with sideways movements with the head bent downwards, and can thus make shelters under stones or logs (Gardner 2013). When disturbed, the snake threatens by lifting the front third of the body off the ground and flattening the neck into a narrow hood. It predates on lizards, small mammals and other snakes (Gardner 2013). Breeding is during summer and spring, with females laying a clutch of 4-18 eggs (Gardner 2013). The species is known to polish its scales with an oily secretion from the outside of the nasal flap beside the nostrils (Gardner 2013), the purpose of which is unknown but presumed to reduce water loss or act as a chemical communication.
Threats and conservation measures listed
Threats listed in assessment
There appear to be no major threats to this species as a whole. Some animals are killed in residential areas or accidentally on roads. The species may be persecuted as with all snakes.
Publication
Els, J., Allen, D., Hilton-Taylor, C., Harding, K. (2019). UAE National Red List of Herpetofauna: Amphibians & Terrestrial Reptiles, Sea Snakes & Marine Turtles. MOCCAE, UAE
