NRLD - 330162 | Pristurus carteri

Assessment ID

330162

Taxon name

Pristurus carteri

(Gray, 1863)

Uploaded by

National Red List Database

Taxonomic information

Scientific name

Pristurus carteri

(Gray, 1863)

Assessed taxon level

Species

Higher level taxonomic groupings

Vertebrates

Reptiles

Kingdom

Animalia

Phylum

chordata

Class

reptilia

Order

squamata

Family

sphaerodactylidae

Genus

Pristurus

Species

carteri

Species authority

(Gray, 1863)

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)

Country ISO code(s)

ARE

Does the assessment cover a marine EEZ area(s)?

Not_assigned

Conservation Status

Assessed as

Critically endangered

Abbreviated status

Qualifying criteria (if given)

B1ab(iii,v)c(iv)+2ab(iii,v)c(iv)

Criteria system used

IUCN

(see Assessment details)

Assessment rationale/justification

Within the United Arab Emirates, this species is only known from a single location in the gravel outwash of Wadi Agran near Al Ain, eastern UAE. The species is assessed as Endangered (EN B1ab(iii,v)c(iv)+2ab(iii,v)c(iv)) due to its very restricted extent of occurrence (EOO) and area of occupancy (AOO) within the United Arab Emirates, which are restricted to a single known location, which is divided by the Oman and UAE border. On either side of the country borders, the habitat of this most northerly population of the species is under threat due to gravel extraction, construction, overgrazing and farms. This UAE national assessment is upgraded by one category to CR (B1ab(iii,v)c(iv)+2ab(iii,v)c(iv)) because it is a sink population supported by the adjacent population in Oman.

Assessment details

Year assessed

2018

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 has only been found in the gravel outwash of Wadi Agran, within a few hundred meters of the Oman border (Gardner 2013, Burriel-Carranza et al. in press). It occurs from 300-400 m asl. The species has marginal occurrence with the UAE.This species is endemic to the southern Arabian Peninsula, where it ranges from northwestern Oman (Ibri area) and Dibab (on the Gulf of Oman coast) southwards, via Masirah Island, to Dhofar, where it is common (Carranza et al. 2018). A disjunct population occurs in north Yemen, where it is known from two records (Arnold 1980, 1986).

Is there a map available in assessment?

Yes

Habitat and systems

Ecological system type

Terrestrial

Not_assigned

Freshwater

Not_assigned

Marine

Not_assigned

Habitat

Habitat details as listed in assessment

The species is found on a barren alluvial outwash plain, containing cobbles and gravels from the Semail nappe of the Hajar Mountains. The general vegetation of the area falls into the Vachellia tortilis-Rhazya stricta-Fagonia indica zone typical of the foothills of northern Oman and United Arab Emirates (Gardner 2009). The species is active throughout the year and both diurnal and nocturnal and preys on invertebrates. Females lay one or two eggs in multiple clutches throughout the year.

Threats and conservation measures listed

Threats listed in assessment

This species is threatened by habitat loss and degradation resulting from gravel extraction, construction, over-grazing and farms, as well as vehicle tracks.

Publication

UAE National Red List of Herpetofauna: Amphibians & Terrestrial Reptiles, Sea Snakes & Marine Turtles

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