Taxon name
Myriopholis macrorhyncha
(Jan, 1860)
Uploaded by
National Red List Database
Taxonomic information
Scientific name
Myriopholis macrorhyncha
(Jan, 1860)
Assessed taxon level
Species
Higher level taxonomic groupings
Vertebrates
Reptiles
Species authority
(Jan, 1860)
Taxonomic notes and synonyms listed
This taxon is thought to be a complex of species that is in need of revision (Wallach et al. 2014; S. Baha El Din pers. comm.). West African members of this complex are no longer considered to belong to M. macrorhyncha (J.-F. Trape pers. comm. 2002), but the identity of populations from the MiData deficientle East, Pakistan and northwest India are still in need of clarification (Broadley and Wallach 2007). Adalsteinsson et al. (2009) assigned the species to their new genus, Myriopholis. These authors resurrected Leptotyphlops phillipsi from synonymy with M. macrorhyncha, however this action was apparently taken without examining specimens and as such this account treats this taxon as a junior synonym of M. macrorhyhncha pending resolution of this issue.
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 widespread throughout the sandy areas. The species is listed as Least Concern due to its presumed large population and because it is not thought to be subject to major threats throughout its extent of occurrence and area of occupancy. 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 widespread throughout the sandy deserts from sea level to 300 m asl (Gardner 2013, Burriel-Carranza et al. in press). It is more frequently recorded north of Abu Dhabi through the sandy deserts to Ras al Khaimah.Globally, this species ranges from Egypt, south through Sudan (but apparently absent from South Sudan; Broadley and Wallach 2007), Somalia and Ethiopia to Kenya and northern Tanzania, and east from Israel, Jordan, Syria and southeastern Turkey, through Iran (Khuzestan Province) and Iraq to the Arabian Peninsula, Pakistan and northwestern India. It is not present in Lebanon.
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 sand, sandy soil, cultivated land with some vegetation (Gardner 2013). The species is fossorial and only encountered occasionally during the night or after rains on the surface.It is a specialised termite eater and produces chemicals that prevent the soldier termites from attacking them (Gardner 2013). Their diet may also include ants and other small invertebrates, invertebrate eggs, larvae and pupae. Due to their small mouths, the soft abdomens of large termites are crushed and their contents squeezed out (Gardner 2013). They lay small clutches of tiny eggs (Gardner 2013).
Threats and conservation measures listed
Threats listed in assessment
There appear to be no major threats to this species.
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
