Trapelus agilis (Olivier, 1804)

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

Trapelus agilis (Olivier, 1804)

Distribution in Afghanistan.

Distribution of this species in the country is well known compared to other herpetofauna. It is known from provinces Badakhshan, Badgis, Farah, Faryab, Ghazni, Helmand, Herat, Jowzjan, Kabul, Kandahar, Takhar and Zabul ( Wagner et al. 2016). The following localities, presented by Wagner et al. (2016; p. 479-480), are not georeferenced in their study and are missing in the presented map: " Dahlah (MZLU L958/3239) ", " Faisabad, Kobt af indjodle (ZMUC R-36149) ", " nr Tarnak River, 75 km NE of Kandahar (CAS 90777) ", " nr Tarnak River, 90 km NE of Kandahar (CAS 90765-66) ", " Uden Merke (ZMUC R-36156) ". The geographically different but unclear localities " Seistan [Faizabad Prov.]" and " Seistan [Baqrabad Prov.]", for which Wagner et al. (2016) used the same coordinates located in western Afghanistan, are omitted here.

Our records

( Fig. 2 ). 1 - Camp Mike Spann Chapel, Mazar-i-Sharif, Balkh (1 October 2010), one adult individual observed in the bushy habitat in the camp; 2 - Lashkargāh, Helmand (3 September 2009), several adult and juvenile individuals ( Fig. 4D ) observed in the semi-arid habitat; 3 - Kandahar, Air Base, Kandahar (6 March 2009), several adult and subadult individuals ( Fig. 4F, G ) observed in the desert habitat with bushes near runway; 4 - Lagman Base, Qalat, Zabul (18 May 2009); ten individuals ( Fig. 4E ) observed in the semi-desert habitat; 5 - Tarin Kowt, Uruzgan (16 October 2008), several adult, subadult and juvenile individuals observed in the rocky habitat.

Remarks.

All records presented here represent new locality data for the species in Afghanistan. Localities 1 and 5 represent new provincial records ( Fig. 2 ). Regan (2017) presents this species on pp. 16-20. The individual from page 18 is presented here as Trapelus aff. megalonyx (see below).

Figures

Figure 2. Updated herpetofaunistic records from Afghanistan (white dots: data of Buchroithner, 1981; Wagner et al. 2016; Jablonski et al. 2019; red dots: data of this study). Bufotes viridis complex (including species B. oblongus, B. baturae / pseudoraddei, B. turanensis and B. zugmayeri presented by Wagner et al. 2016): 1 - Dehdadi, Balkh; 2 - Nahr Shahi, Balkh; 3 - Mazar-i-Sharif, Balkh; 4 - Arga Queshlaq, Badakhshan; 5 - Broghil Pass, Badakhshan; 6 - Camp Dubs - Kabul, Kabul; 7 - Kandahar, Air Base, Kandahar. Euphlyctis cyanophlyctis: Kandahar, Air Base, Kandahar. Testudo horsfieldii: 1 - Pol-e-Khomri, Baghlan; 2 - Lagman Base, Qalat, Zabul; 3 - Waza Kwah, Paktika. Phrynocephalus mystaceus: Shor Tepah, Balkh. Trapelus agilis: 1 - Camp Mike Spann Chapel, Mazar-i-Sharif, Balkh; 2 - Lashkargah, Helmand; 3 - Kandahar, Air Base, Kandahar; 4 - Lagman Base, Qalat, Zabul; 5 - Tarin Kowt, Uruzgan. Trapelus megalonyx: 1 - Kandahar, Air Base, Kandahar; 2 - Gardez, Gardez Base, Paktia.

Figure 4. Observed species of Dicroglossidae, Testudinidae and Agamidae families from Afghanistan: A - adult individuals of Euphlyctis cyanophlyctis from Kandahar, Air Base, Kandahar; B - adult individual of Testudo horsfieldii from Pol-e-Khomri, Baghlan; C - adult individual of Phrynocephalus mystaceus from Shor Tepah, Balkh; D - juvenile individual of Trapelus agilis from Lashkargah, Helmand; E - adult male of T. agilis from Lagman Base, Qalat, Zabul; F, G - adult and subadult males of T. agilis from Kandahar, Air Base, Kandahar; H - adult male of T. aff. megalonyx from Gardez Base, Gardez, Paktia; I - adult individual of T. aff. megalonyx from Kandahar, Air Base, Kandahar.