Spalerosophis diadema (Schlegel, 1837)

Jablonski, Daniel, Regan, John M., Holzheuser, Chace, Farooqi, Javeed, Basit, Abdul & Masroor, Rafaqat, 2019, Additional data to the herpetofauna of Afghanistan, Herpetozoa 32, pp. 177-193 : 177

Spalerosophis diadema (Schlegel, 1837)

Distribution in Afghanistan.

The distribution pattern of this species is divided into two main parts with desert or semi-desert habitats: the northern (provinces Herat, Faryab) and south-eastern (Kabul, Kandahar, Nangarhar). For details and other general locality data, see Wagner et al. (2016; p. 512).

Our records

( Fig. 8 ). 1 - Camp Dubs - Kabul, Kabul (25 June 2011), one adult individual ( Fig. 9E ) found a 20-minute walk from the camp in rocky habitat; 2 - Spin Boldak, Kandahar (20 November 2010), one subadult individual ( Fig. 9F ) found in the desert area of the camp.

Remarks.

Our records correspond with the known or possible range of the species. Record 2 from Kandahar Province is the first exact record of the species from the southern part of the country and this province. The record from " Nushki to Helmand " has imprecise locality data ( Wagner et al. 2016) and is most likely located in the southern part of Kandahar province. The record from Camp Dubs - Kabul was erroneously assigned to Lytorhynchus ridgewayi Boulenger, 1887 by Regan (2017; see p. 47). This species of Lytorhynchus is known in Afghanistan from only two localities of the western and south-western part of the country (provinces Herat, Kandahar).

Figures

Figure 8. Updated herpetofaunistic records from Afghanistan (white dots: Wagner et al. 2016; red dots: data of this study). Hemorrhois ravergieri: 1 - Jurm, Badakhshan; 2 - Camp Dubs - Kabul, Kabul. Spalerosophis diadema: 1 - Camp Dubs - Kabul, Kabul; 2 - Spin Boldak, Kandahar. Psammophis schokari: Camp Dubs - Kabul, Kabul.

Figure 9. Observed species of Colubridae and Viperidae families from Afghanistan: A - adult individual of Hemorrhois ravergieri from Jurm, Badakhshan (photo by Glyn Morris); B - subadult individual of Platyceps rhodorachis from Kandahar, Air Base, Kandahar; C - subadult individual of P. rhodorachis (striped phenotype) from Camp Mike Spann Chapel, Mazar-i-Sharif, Balkh; D - adult individual of Ptyas mucosa from Camp Dubs - Kabul, Kabul; E - subadult individual of Spalerosophis diadema from Camp Dubs - Kabul, Kabul; F - subadult individual of S. diadema from Spin Boldak, Kandahar (photo by Ron Savage); G, H - subadult and adult individual of Echis carinatus from Kandahar, Air Base, Kandahar.