Taxon name
Acanthodactylus blanfordii
Boulenger, 1918
Uploaded by
National Red List Database
Taxonomic information
Scientific name
Acanthodactylus blanfordii
Boulenger, 1918
Assessed taxon level
Species
Higher level taxonomic groupings
Vertebrates
Reptiles
Species authority
Boulenger, 1918
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
Qualifying criteria (if given)
D1
Criteria system used
IUCN
(see Assessment details)
Assessment rationale/justification
Within the United Arab Emirates, this species is currently known from a single location, Khor Kalba in the Emirate of Sharjah. The species has an extensive distribution on the Batinah coastal plain of Oman. Significant past threats have ceased since the designation of most of its range in the UAE as a protected area, however, the threats would immediately return if the designation was removed, or if management became inadequate. The species has a very restricted area of occupancy (AOO) and extent of occurrence (EOO) and it is limited to a single locality within the United Arab Emirates which makes it prone to effects of human activities.The species is listed as Vulnerable (D1) due to the population size, which is suspected to be much less than 1,000 mature individuals. 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 was reported from the United Arab Emirates for the first time by Gardner (2005), where it is so far known only from Khor Kalba in the Emirate of Sharjah (Burriel-Carranza et al. in press). It occurs from sea level to 100 m asl in a single location.Globally, this species ranges from southeastern Iran (Sistan and Baluchistan, and Kerman provinces to southwestern Pakistan (western Baluchistan and along the Makran coast; Khan 2006), southern Afghanistan and the northern coast of Oman (Batinah region) (Anderson 1999, Carranza et al. 2018). It is found from around sea level to 1,400 m asl. In Oman, this lizard is confined to low-lying coastal areas, where it is known from fewer than ten localities over an area of around 14,450 km<sup>2</sup>.
Is there a map available in assessment?
Yes
Habitat and systems
Ecological system type
Habitat
Habitat details as listed in assessment
The species is found on sandy coastal plains and low dunes with sparse vegetation (Gardner 2013). It is a diurnal species that preys on invertebrates. Sexual maturity is reached in one year and the breeding season is during spring and summer (Gardner 2013). Burrows are mostly located near vegetation.
Threats and conservation measures listed
Threats listed in assessment
Within the UAE, the habitat of this species at Khor Kalba is now improving since designation as a protected area. Prior to that, threats included recreational activities, fisheries activities (with the beach used for access and for fish-drying), and recreational driving on the dunes and beach, which had significant impacts on the species.There are no major threats to this widespread and adaptable species globally. In Oman, where the species is localized and confined to coastal areas, it is likely to be at high risk from coastal development, for example around Muscat. Some known sub-populations may already have been lost.
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
