Taxon name
Scincus conirostris
Blanford, 1881
Uploaded by
National Red List Database
Taxonomic information
Scientific name
Scincus conirostris
Blanford, 1881
Assessed taxon level
Species
Higher level taxonomic groupings
Vertebrates
Reptiles
Species authority
Blanford, 1881
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
Data deficient
Criteria system used
IUCN
(see Assessment details)
Assessment rationale/justification
Within the United Arab Emirates, this subspecies is known from a small number of records, and it appears to be distributed along the Gulf coast, on the Fujairah coast, and along a narrow band at the interface between the gravel plains bordering the mountain and active sand dunes to the west. It is listed as Data Deficient due to insufficient information available on the distribution, population and natural history of the subspecies to conclude it to be listed in a different 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, only a few locality records exist for this subspecies. It appears to be distributed along the Gulf coast, with a single record from the east coast in Sharjah and along a narrow band (2-3 records only) at the interface between the gravel plains bordering the mountain and active sand dunes to the west near Al Ain (Gardner 2013, Burriel-Carranza et al. in press). It occurs from sea level to 400 m asl. Globally, this subspecies is known from southern and eastern Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Bahrain, United Arab Emirates, Yemen, Iraq and southwestern Iran.
Is there a map available in assessment?
Yes
Habitat and systems
Ecological system type
Habitat
Habitat details as listed in assessment
Consolidated sand and gravel interspersed with small areas of softer sand (Gardner 2013). No information is known of its natural history in the United Arab Emirates but is likely to be similar to Scincus mitranus (Gardner 2013). The species is fossorial, and sunbaths for only short periods of time, in the cooler months.
Threats and conservation measures listed
Threats listed in assessment
The subspecies is impacted by coastal development in coastal areas.
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
