Asaccus margaritae | UAE National Red List of Herpetofauna: Amphibians & Terrestrial Reptiles, Sea Snakes & Marine Turtles
Taxa
Asaccus margaritae | Carranza, Simó-Riudalbas, Jayasinghe, Wilms & Els, 2016
Location
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
Species
Taxon distribution as listed in assessment
Within the United Arab Emirates, the species is known from a single locality, the Wadi Al Helo area from 300-400 m asl (Burriel-Carranza et al. in press). No further records are known in the UAE, but further survey is required.This newly-described species is endemic to the northern Hajar Mountains in Oman and the United Arab Emirates (Carranza et al. 2016). It has only been found in a very few high altitude localities (1,315-1,434 m asl) in the Musandam Peninsula, Oman (surrounded by A. gardneri at lower elevations) and in two other localities 75 and 120 km further south in Oman and the UAE, respectively, both at relatively low elevations (122 and 374 m asl) (Carranza et al. 2016).
Habitats and Ecology
Ecological system type
Habitat
Habitat details as listed in assessment
Strictly nocturnal, this species has been found on the rocky sides of wadis, stony substrates and on larger boulders in the wadi (Carranza et al. 2016). The species breeds throughout the year, with a peak during spring (J. Els pers. comm. 2018). Females lay a single round, hard-shelled egg multiple times during the year (J. Els pers. comm. 2018).
Is there a map available in assessment?
Yes
Assessed status
Asessment status in full
Vulnerable
Assessment status abreviation
VU
Assessment status criteria
D2
Assessment rationale/justification
Within the United Arab Emirates, the species is currently only known from the Wadi Al Helo area. The species is listed as Vulnerable (VU D2) due to its small area of occupancy (AOO) and extent of occurrence (EOO) of 4 km<sup>2</sup>. 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). Despite occurring at low densities, the population appears stable at present. There are potential threats from infrastructure development, that could significantly impact the population size of the species.The species is new to science with the possibility that more populations may be discovered in similar habitat in the future. The species should be reassessed if new data become available.
About the assessment
Assessors/contributors/reviewers listed
UAE National Red List Workshop
Affliation of assessor(s)/contributors/reviewers listed on assessment
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
Endemism Notes
Is an endemic?: Not_assigned
Conservation
Threats listed in assessment
There are no current threats to the species that might cause significant declines in the near future, however, there is pressure for infrastructure development that could impact the species in the future, especially if accompanied by road developments.
Conservation Measures
Conservation measures:
Scientific Name
Kingdom
Phylum
Class
Order
Family
Genus
Asaccus margaritae
Animalia
Chordata
Reptilia
Squamata
Phyllodactylidae
Asaccus
