Taxon name
Pseudocerastes persicus
(Duméril, Bibron & Duméril, 1854)
Uploaded by
National Red List Database
Taxonomic information
Scientific name
Pseudocerastes persicus
(Duméril, Bibron & Duméril, 1854)
Assessed taxon level
Species
Higher level taxonomic groupings
Vertebrates
Reptiles
Species authority
(Duméril, Bibron & Duméril, 1854)
Taxonomic notes and synonyms listed
We provisionally treat Pseudocerastes fieldi Schmidt, 1930 as a distinct species (Uetz and Hallermann 2010, Uetz et al. 2018, Šmíd and Tolley 2019), although in some accounts it is treated as a subspecies of P. persicus (Leviton et al. 1992).Pseudocerastes bicornis Wall, 1913, described from a single locality on the Pakistan-Afghanistan border at the eastern range limit for the genus, has long been considered a junior synonym of P. persicus (Sindaco et al. 2013), and this scheme is followed here, but is listed as a valid species without comment by Khan (2006).Recent studies have confirmed that Pseudocerastes persicus from Oman and the United Arab Emirates (the) are genetically the same as those from Iran (de Pous et al. 2016).
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
The species is listed as Least Concern in view of its wide distribution and no known widespread threats that may cause a decline in the population to qualify for listing in a more threatened category. The species was previously listed in 2012 as Vulnerable for the Arabian Peninsula (Cox et al. 2012) due to its restricted range, however, since then, more data have been obtained on the species distribution which expanded its known range within the Hajar Mountains of the United Arab Emirates. 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 is presumed to be widespread throughout the Hajar Mountains from 300 m to 1,400 m asl, including Jebel Hafeet in Abu Dhabi Emirate (Cunningham 2002, de Pous et al. 2016, Burriel-Carranza et al. in press).Globally, this species ranges from northeast Iraq, northwest Iran and southern Azerbaijan, south to the Arabian Peninsula, and eastwards to western Pakistan. The species is widespread in Iran (Latifi 1991). In Pakistan, it ranges as far east as Manguli in southwestern Kalat (Minton 1966). It is also reported to occur in Afghanistan, however this may be based on a record taken close to the Afghan border in Pakistan and it is still correct, as observed by Leviton and Anderson (1970), that no documented records of this species appear to exist from Afghanistan (Wagner et al. 2016). This species is unlikely to occur in southeast Turkey, from where reports of this species are considered to be erroneous (Sindaco et al. 2013), or in northwestern Azerbaijan, and presence in these areas needs to be confirmed. Khan (2006) reports that it occurs up to 2,200 m asl.
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 in vegetated rocky mountains and mountain wadis (Gardner 2013).They are predominantly nocturnal but may be active or bask among rocks during the day in the cooler months or at twilight (Gardner 2013). They prey on small mammals, lizards and birds (Gardner 2013). They are oviparous, laying 11-21 eggs, and the embryos are well-advanced and hatch after about 30 days incubation (Gardner 2013). Very little further is known about the ecology of this species.
Threats and conservation measures listed
Threats listed in assessment
Because of its habit of congregating in smaller areas of suitable habitat in the winter, it is relatively easy to extirpate local populations or to collect for trade. In the United Arab Emirates, it may be threatened by increasing levels of quarrying in some parts of its range.
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
