Daboia deserti, , Kramer and Schnurrenberger, 1963

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 : 264-265

Daboia deserti ( Anderson, 1892:20, pl. 1, figs. 6–7)

1892 Vipera lebetina var. deserti Anderson, On a small collection of mammals, reptiles, and batrachians from Barbary. Proceedings of the Zoological Society of London, 1892:3–24, pl.1.

HOLOTYPE.— BMNH 1946.1.18. 28 (formerly BMNH 1891.5.4. 150), “Duirat, Tunisia ” [= Douirat , Ghomrassen Governate, Tunisia].

Vipera mauritanica deserti, Kramer and Schnurrenberger 1963:547 .

Vipera lebetina, Le Berre 1989:302.

Macrovipera deserti, Schleich, Kästle, and Kabisch 1996:546 .

Daboia mauritanica deserti, Sindaco, Venchi, and Grieco 2013:194 .

DISTRIBUTION.— Western Sahara eastwards into Libya. In Libya they are found in western Tripolitania with two questionable records from Cyrenaica (see Comments).

Libyan Records (Map 66): TRIPOLITANIA: ZAWIYAH: 20: Joger and Bshaenia 2010; Bshaena and Joger 2013. JAFARA: 31: Joger and Bshaenia 2010; Bshaena and Joger 2013. TRIPOLI: 45: Werner 1909; Ghigi 1913; Zavattari 1930, 1934; Schwarz 1936; Scortecci 1939. NALUT: 108: NHMW 25235; GNM-2005-3117; Schleich et al. 1996. JABAL AL GHARBI: 148: SK 421; Kramer 1959; Kramer and Schnurrenberger 1959, 1963. “ Tripolitania settentrionale ”: Zavattari 1937. CYRENAICA: BUTNAN: 499: Sochurek 1979. “ Cyrenaica ”: Ribolla 1923; Zavattari 1930, 1934.

COMMENTS.— Kramer and Schnurrenberger (1959) provided morphological evidence for the recognition of deserti as a distinct form from Vipera (now Daboia ) mauritanica (Duméril and

Bibron in Guichenot, 1848). Schleich et al. (1996) considered the two forms only weakly differentiated as did Joger (in McDiarmid et al. 1999), and Sindaco et al. (2013) and Geniez (2015) treated deserti as a subspecies. Sindaco et al. (2013) traced the single Cyrenaican record plotted by Schleich et al. (1996) and earlier authors to a paper by Ribolla (1923 [incorrectly cited as 1930 by Schwarz 1936]), which was considered unreliable by Zavattari (1930). Kramer and Schnurrenberg (1959) also considered this record to be erroneous and regarded Tripoli as the easternmost edge of the species’ distribution. However, there is a Cyrenaican photographic record referred to by Sochurek (1979). On this basis we consider eastern Libyan records as at least potentially valid. UCN Threat Status: Near Threatened. MAP 66. Distribution of Daboia deserti in Libya. The plotted Cyrenaican record is supposedly supported by a photographic voucher ( Sochurek 1979) but appears biogeographically unlikely.

Unconfirmed or Erroneous Taxon Records from Libya

A number of species have been erroneously reported from the territory of Libya. In some cases such records reflect changing taxonomy and these are noted in Comments under the relevant species accounts. Other records reflecting misidentifications, incorrect localities, and unsubstantiated claims of Libyan occurrence are listed below, along with taxa likely to occur in Libya, but not yet verified for the country. Full bibliographic records for the taxon authorities for these species are provided in the literature cited section of this paper.