Acanthodactylus boskianus ssp. asper | UAE National Red List of Herpetofauna: Amphibians & Terrestrial Reptiles, Sea Snakes & Marine Turtles

Taxa

Acanthodactylus boskianus ssp. asper | (Audouin, 1829)

Publication

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

Location

Countries in Assessment

United Arab Emirates

Country ISO code(s)

ARE

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

Off

Scope (Assessment)

National

Taxon

Taxonomic Group

Vertebrates

Taxonomic Group Level 2

Reptiles

Assessed taxon level

Subspecies

Taxon distribution as listed in assessment

Within the United Arab Emirates, this subspecies is known from a small area on gravel plains bordering the western side of the Hajar Mountains (Roobas and Feulner 2013, Roobas et al. 2014) from 100 m to 300 m asl (Burriel-Carranza et al. in press). The AOO is just 24 km2, and the EOO is 195 km2.Globally, the subspecies is very widely distributed and known from Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia, Libya, Egypt, Jordan, Western Sahara, Mauritania, Mali, Nigeria, Sudan, Ethiopia, Eritrea, Chad, Yemen, Saudi Arabia, Oman and Kuwait (Tamar et al. 2014, 2016).

Habitats and Ecology

Ecological system type

Terrestrial system

Freshwater system

Marine system

Habitat

Habitat details as listed in assessment

The subspecies is found on hard desert surfaces such as sandy-gravel plains, dry wadis, interdunal plain and stony outwash plains (Gardner 2013).It is an active, diurnal ground-dwelling animal, with a diet that includes invertebrates and smaller lizards (Gardner 2013). In winter it is active throughout the day, but in summer may have a bimodal activity pattern, or even be active in mornings only when particularly hot. Clutch size is reported to be two to eight, and repeated clutches may be laid (Gardner 2013). The breeding season in the United Arab Emirates is observed to be from at least late summer through mid-winter (Roobas and Feulner 2013, Roobas et al. 2014).

Is there a map available in assessment?

Yes

Assessed status

Asessment status in full

Near Threatened

Assessment status abreviation

Assessment status criteria

B1a+2a

Assessment rationale/justification

This subspecies is listed as Near Threatened for the UAE. It has a very limited distribution within the United Arab Emirates on gravel plains bordering the Hajar Mountains on the west from 100 m to 300 m asl. The area of occupancy (AOO) is just 24 km2, and the extent of occurrence (EOO) is 195 km2. There are no current major threats to the species, however, one known locality is subject to intensive recreational use, and another area faces significant potential impacts from gravel extraction. The species has restricted AOO and EOO, and occurs in fewer than ten locations, however at present, no continuing decline is known. It qualifies as NT under Criterion B (B1 and B2). This taxon is not a non-breeding visitor, and it is presumed that any immigration from populations from Oman is not significant, and therefore there is no adjustment to the Category according to the IUCN regional and national Guidelines (IUCN 2012). Further monitoring and research are required, and the species should be reassessed if new data become available.

About the assessment

Assessment year

2018

Assessors/contributors/reviewers listed

UAE National Red List Workshop

Affliation of assessor(s)/contributors/reviewers listed on assessment

Government

IGO

Assessor affiliation specific

Government|IGO

Criteria system

Criteria system specifics

IUCN v3.1 + Regional Guidelines v4.0

Criteria system used

IUCN

Criteria Citation

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.

Endemism

Endemic to region

Not_assigned

Endemism Notes

Is an endemic?: Not_assigned

Conservation

Threats listed in assessment

There are at present no major threats known, however, there is quarrying (gravel extraction) near one known locality, and this has the potential to significantly impact the species in the future. A further locality is subject to intensive recreational use.

Conservation Measures

Conservation measures:
Conservation measures notes:
Required conservation measures:

Scientific Name	Kingdom	Phylum	Class	Order	Family	Genus
Acanthodactylus boskianus ssp. asper	Animalia	Chordata	Reptilia	Squamata	Lacertidae	Acanthodactylus