Taxon name
Asaccus gallagheri
(Arnold, 1972)
Uploaded by
National Red List Database
Taxonomic information
Scientific name
Asaccus gallagheri
(Arnold, 1972)
Assessed taxon level
Species
Higher level taxonomic groupings
Vertebrates
Reptiles
Species authority
(Arnold, 1972)
Taxonomic notes and synonyms listed
Populations from the Eastern Hajar Mountains in Oman are now referred to A. arnoldi (Simó-Riudalbas et al. 2018).
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
In the United Arab Emirates, this species is restricted to the Hajar Mountains, with an extent of occurrence (EOO) of 3,165 km<sup>2</sup> and an area of occupancy (AOO) of 168 km<sup>2</sup>. Populations are thought to be stable, and there are no known widespread threats. The species is assessed as Least Concern. 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, the species occurs throughout the Hajar Mountains from sea level to 600 m asl (Gardner 2013, Burriel-Carranza et al. in press). Globally, the species is endemic to the central and western Hajar Mountains, ranging from the Musandam Peninsula in Oman through the United Arab Emirates to Jebel Akhdar in Oman (Gardner 2013, Carranza et al. 2018). It has been found from sea level up to 1,700 m asl.
Is there a map available in assessment?
Yes
Habitat and systems
Ecological system type
Habitat
Habitat details as listed in assessment
Rocky terrain in mountains and coastal wadis, and on small cliffs on open hillsides (Gardner 2013) from sea level to 600 m asl. The species has also been encountered on stony walls surrounding farms, on the external walls of houses and abandoned buildings within their distribution range. It is a small nocturnal species that predates on invertebrates. Breeding season is during spring and summer, with females laying a single egg that is glued to the surrounding surface at intervals of four weeks (Gardner 2013). The species is sexual dimorphic in that the adult males have a yellow tail and females a white tail with dark bands.
Threats and conservation measures listed
Threats listed in assessment
There are no major threats to the species, except for localised quarrying which will not have a significant impact on the population throughout its area of occurrence.
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
