Platyceps saharicus Schätti and McCarthy 2004:693

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 : 248-251

Platyceps saharicus Schätti and McCarthy 2004:693 , fig. 1

Playceps saharicus Schätti and McCarthy 2004 . Saharo-Arabian racers of the Platyceps rhodorachis complex – description of a new species ( Reptilia: Squamata: Colubrinae). Revue Suisse de Zoologie, 111: 691–705. HOLOTYPE.— FMNH 72108, “ Egypt: St. Catherine’s Monastery area, Wadi el Sheikh” [Sinai].

Coluber rhodorachis rhodorachis, Kramer and Schnurrenberger 1963:501 .

Coluber rhodorachis, Le Berre 1989:286 .

Coluber rhodorachis, Schleich, Kästle, and Kabisch 1996:484 .

Platyceps saharicus, Sindaco, Venchi, and Grieco 2013:131

DISTRIBUTION.— Southern Israel, Palestinian Authority ( West Bank), southern Jordan and northwestern Saudi Arabia, through Sinai and Egypt (and far northern Sudan) east of the Nile. Scattered western records in southeastern Algeria, southern Libya, and northern Chad (Schätti and McCarthy 2004; Geniez and Gauthier 2008). Material cited from Eritrea and Ethiopia by Largen and Spawls (2010) as P. rhodorachis has been provisionally assigned to P. tessellatus by Perry (2012) [= P. saharicus sensu Schätti et al. 2014 , see Comments below], but retained in P. rhodorachis by Sindaco et al. (2013). Records supposedly attributable to this taxon, regardless of the name applied to it, from as far east as Afghanistan ( Baha El Din 2006a) have been called into question (see Werner 2016). Perry’s (2012) mention of record(s) from Oman appears to be in error and Omani records in the P. rhodorachis group have been considered of uncertain taxonomic status by Sindaco et al. (2013). The sole specific Libyan record is based on MZUF 00659 from Ayn Murr ( Scortecci 1935c) (see Comments).

Libyan Records (Map 54): CYRENAICA: KUFRAH: 580: MZUF 00659 [a paratype of Platyceps saharicus Schätti and McCarthy, 2004 ]; Scortecci 1935c; Zavattari 1937; Schätti and McCarthy 2004; Perry 2012. “ Cyrenaica ”: Sochurek 1979.

COMMENTS.— Schätti and McCarthy (2004) distinguished P. saharicus from true P. rhodorachis , now considered restricted to Iran and northeastern Iraq, and through Middle Asia to southern Kazakhstan and possibly as far as western

Nepal ( Schätti et al. 2014), and “ P. sp. incertae sedis ” from Egypt through Israel and Jordan

(the latter subsequently considered by Perry

(2012) to be P. ladacensis (Anderson, 1871)) .

Schätti et al. (2014), on the other hand, considered P. ladacensis as a subspecies of P. rhodorachis and applied the name entirely differently than did Perry (2012). Perry (2012) identified

Platyceps tessellata [sic] ( Werner, 1909) as a senior synonym of P. saharicus and assigned

North African specimens formerly allocated to

P. rhodorachis to this taxon, as did Geniez

(2015) and Werner (2016). Schätti et al. (2014)

revised the Platyceps east of the Tigris River and provided extensive information relative to the convoluted history and interpretation of the

P. rhodorachis complex. They argue that MAP 54. Distribution of Platyceps saharicus in Libya. Perry’s (2012) interpretation of P. tessellatus is misguided and provide a discussion of the possible allocation of the name, while making it clear that it does not, in their opinion, apply to the African taxa to which Schätti and McCarthy (2004) had applied the name P. saharicus .

In Egypt, Baha El Din (2006a) reported only one record west of the Nile Valley (Gebel Uweinat = Jabal Al Uwaynat). According to Baha El Din (2006a) MZUF 00659 from Ayn Murr is from Sudan, not Libya (contra Scortecci 1935c, Kramer and Schnurrenberger 1963, and Schätti and McCarthy 2004). Kramer and Schnurrenberger (1963) noted that some maps place Ayn Murr in Sudan and others depict it in Libyan territory. Confusion arises from the fact that there is an Ain Murr on Jabal Arkenu, just northwest of the Jabal Al Uwaynat and another on the base of the southeastern slope of Jabal Al Uwaynat, the former in Libya and the latter in Sudan. Schleich et al. (1996) indicated a single locality for this taxon to the northwest of Jabal Al Uwaynat, and unambiguously inside Libya, presumably corresponding to Ayn Murr on Jabal Arkenu. In addition, Sochurek (1979) indicated that this species (as Coluber rhodorachis ) occurs in Cyrenaica. We consider this species as a member of the Libyan fauna. Certainly its occurrence anywhere in Jabal Al Uwaynat area suggests that it should be present in Egypt, Libya and Sudan. We here plot the Jabal Arkenu locality, although the specimen may well originate from the Sudanese site (21.8833°N, 25.1000°E).

IUCN THREAT STATUS.— Not assessed.

Spalerosophis diadema cliffordii (Schlegel, 1837:163, pl. VI, figs. 13–14) (FIG. 32)

1837 Coluber cliffordii Schlegel, Schlegel, H. Essai sur la Physionomie des Serpens. Partie Descriptive: H.M. Schonekat, Amsterdam, The Netherlands. 606 + xvi pp. / Essai sur la Physionomie des Serpents. Planches, Cartes et Tableaux. J. Kips, J. Hz. et W. P. van Stockum, La Haye, The Netherlands. [iv] pp. 21 pls., 3 folding maps, 2 folding tables.

LECTOTYPE:— Specimen figured by Schlegel (1837b), pl. VI, figs. 13–14 (designated by Mertens, 1940), “États barbaresques” [Tripoli, Libya fide Mertens, 1940; Marx, 1959)], subsequently identified as RMNH 467 by Brongersma in Kramer and Schnurrenberger (1963:524).

Spalerosophis diadema cliffordi, Kramer and Schnurrenberger 1963:524 .

Spalerosophis diadema, Le Berre 1989:290 .

Spalerosophis diadema, Schleich, Kästle, and Kabisch 1996:520 .

Spalerosophis cliffordi, Trape and Mané 2006:160 .

Spalerosophis diadema cliffordii, Sindaco, Venchi, and Grieco 2013:139 .

Schnurrenberger 1963. 548: SK 981; Kramer and Schnurrenberger 1963. 553: MCSN 4206.

564: MSNM [no specific number given]; Vinciguerra 1931; Zavattari 1934, 1937; Kramer and Schnurrenberger 1963. LIBYA: NHMW

26662; NHMW 28595. “ Bir Terrhim/Tezzhim

(?) ” [unlocated]: MCSN 4205.

COMMENTS.— Spalerosophis was mostly treated as a synonym of Coluber until resurrected by Gasperetti (1988). The taxonomy of the Spalerosophis diadema complex is highly confused (Sindaco et al. 2013). Schätti et al.

(2009b, 2010) recognized three subspecies,

with S. d. schirasianus [sic, schirazianus] ( Jan,

1863) [sic, Jan in de Filippi, 1865] from Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, Pakistan, and the Zagros mountains of Iran, S. d. cliffordii (Schlegel, 1837) from North Africa and Arabia, and the MAP 55. Distribution of Spalerosophis diadema cliffordii in Libya. nominate form, S. d. diadema (Schlegel, 1837)

(see below). Schätti et al. (2009a) identified Coluber cahirinus Gmelin, 1789 (a nomen novum for Coluber guttatus Forskål, 1775 ) and Coluber geoffroyii Gray, 1831 as senior subjective synonyms, (although nomina oblita) of Coluber cliffordii Schlegel , which they declared a nomen protectum. Schätti et al. (2010) raised the possibility that the presumed Iranian type locality of the nominate form of S. diadema may be incorrect and that the type of S. d. diadema may, in fact, be referable to the North African form now known as S. d. cliffordii . Pending further resolution of this issue we retain the current usage and apply the latter name to Libyan Spalerosophis . These authors regard the Indian form, assigned to the nominotypical race by Sindaco et al. (2013), as yet to be properly named. Wallach et al. (2014) treated S. cliffordii as a full species. Kramer and Schnurrenberger’s (1963) designation of a surviving RMNH syntype as a lectotype is invalid (see Schätti et al. 2010).

IUCN THREAT STATUS.— Not assessed.