Taxon name
Diplometopon zarudnyi
Nikolsky, 1907
Uploaded by
National Red List Database
Taxonomic information
Scientific name
Diplometopon zarudnyi
Nikolsky, 1907
Assessed taxon level
Species
Higher level taxonomic groupings
Vertebrates
Reptiles
Species authority
Nikolsky, 1907
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
Within the United Arab Emirates, this species is found throughout the sandy deserts from Ras al Khaimah to western Abu Dhabi. It is listed as Least Concern in view of its wide distribution, presumed large population with no major threats and because it is unlikely to be declining fast enough to qualify for listing in a more threatened category. 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 found throughout the sandy deserts from Ras al Khaimah to western Abu Dhabi, including the Liwa area (Gardner 2013, Burriel-Carranza et al. in press). Occurs from sea level to 300 m asl. Globally, this species ranges from western Iran (a limited small dune area), southern Iraq and Kuwait, into the Arabian Peninsula where it is found in northern and central Saudi Arabia, Oman and the United Arab Emirates (Sindaco and Jeremäenko 2008). It is found from sea level to around 1,000 m asl.
Is there a map available in assessment?
Yes
Habitat and systems
Ecological system type
Habitat
Habitat details as listed in assessment
This species is found on sand sheets and dunes including the upper shoreline of sandy beaches (Gardner 2013).It is a nocturnal and fossorial species that spends most of its life under the sand. At night, they may surface and move considerable distances whilst foraging (Gardner 2013). They are predators which are presumed to consume arthropods and perhaps small geckos (Gardner 2013). They are able to tolerate a wide range of temperature while maintaining a mean selected body temperature within a narrow range (Gardner 2013). Very little is known about the species reproduction, although it may be similar to the observation made in Saudi Arabia, where the breeding season was recorded from early April to late June (Al-Sadoon et al. 2014). Females lay 6-9 eggs with an average egg diameter of 1.5 mm (Al-Sadoon et al. 2014).
Threats and conservation measures listed
Threats listed in assessment
There appear to be no major threats to this species as a whole, although coastal habitats will be impacted by development.
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
