Telescopus tripolitanus ( Werner, 1909:619 )

Bauer, Aaron M., DeBoer, Jonathan C. & Taylor, Dylan J., 2017, Atlas of the Reptiles of Libya, Proceedings of the California Academy of Sciences 64 (8), pp. 155-318 : 251-252

Telescopus tripolitanus ( Werner, 1909:619)

1909 Leptodira tripolitana Werner, Reptilien, Batrachier und Fische von Tripolis und Barka. Zoologische Jahrbücher Abteilung für Systematik, Geographie und Biologie der Tiere 27:595–646, pl. 30.

HOLOTYPE.— NHMW, lost fide Kramer and Schnurrenberger (1963), “Tripolis” [from animal dealer R. Storch via W. Schlüter in Halle] “probably … southern Tunisia or north-western Libya ” ( Crochet et al. 2008).

Telescopus tripolitanus, Kramer and Schnurrenberger 1963:529 .

Telescopus obtusus, Le Berre 1989:272 .

Telescopus obtusus, Schleich, Kästle, and Kabisch 1996:524 .

Telescopus tripolitanus, Sindaco, Venchi, and Grieco 2013:144 .

DISTRIBUTION.— The species is distributed from Tripolitania west to Morocco and south to Senegal and thence east through the Sahel to Sudan, and is absent from the Sahara proper (see Crochet et al. 2008 for details).

Libyan Records (Map 56): ZAWIYAH: 22: Scortecci 1939. TRIPOLI: 45: ZMB 51636; Werner 1909; Ghigi 1913; Zavattari 1934; Kramer and Schnurrenberger 1963. NALUT: 105: MNHN 2004.0080; Ibrahim and Ineich 2005; Crochet et al. 2008. “ Tripolitania settentrionale ” Zavattari 1937. “ W-Libyen ”: Sochurek 1979.

COMMENTS.— Early Telescopus records from North Africa were typically referred to

T. dhara ( Forskål, 1775) and subsequently to

T. guidimakaensis (Chabanaud, 1916) (e.g.,

Geniez et al. 2004) or T. obtusus ( Reuss, 1834)

(e.g., Bons and Geniez 1996), the later now considered as occurring in Egypt (Sindaco et al. 2013). Telescopus tripolitanus was treated as a nomen dubium (fide Crochet et al. 2008)

before Crochet et al. (2008) verified that this is the name applicable to western T. dhara complex. Kramer and Schnurrenberger (1963) considered the type locality of Tripoli as questionable, but a specimen from Nalut (Ibrahim and

Ineich 2005) confirms the occurrence of the species in northwestern Tripolitania.

IUCN THREAT STATUS.— Not assessed,

but assumed to be Least Concern. MAP 56. Distribution of Telescopus tripolitanus in Libya.