Eremias nigrocellata Nikolsky, 1896

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

Eremias nigrocellata Nikolsky, 1896

Distribution in Afghanistan.

Known only from northern Afghanistan (provinces Badakhshan, Baghlan, Balkh, Kunduz, Takhar; Wagner et al. 2016).

Our records

( Fig. 5 ). Kaldar, Balkh (8 October 2011), one adult individual ( Fig. 7A ) approx. 10 m from a newly dug canal in the stony, semi-desert habitat near the Amu-Darya River ( Fig. 10B ).

Remarks.

The species is mentioned by Wagner et al. (2016) from the locality " Amu-Darya swamps, nr. Darquad, N of Djangi Quala, [Takhar Prov., 400 m] (ZMK 2562) " but coordinates presented for this locality are the same as for " Amu-Darya, N of Kunduz " (see therein Appendix 1, p. 551). Therefore, the distribution point from Takhar Prov. is not mapped and presented in Fig. 5 of this study. Our record is currently the northernmost locality of the species in Afghanistan, only ca. 1500 m from the border with Tajikistan and 4000 m from the border with Uzbekistan. Although our record clearly corresponds with the distribution range of the species in the country and colouration and pattern of the species corresponds with E. nigrocellata , we present this record as “affiliated”.

Figures

Figure 5. Updated herpetofaunistic records from Afghanistan (white dots: Wagner et al. 2016 and Jablonski et al. 2019; red dots: data of this study). Cyrtopodion agamuroides complex: Camp Leatherneck, Washir, Helmand (first country record; cf. Smid et al. 2014). Cyrtopodion scabrum: 1 - Darul Aman - Kabul, Kabul; 2 - Camp Leatherneck, Washir, Helmand; 3 - Lashkargah, Helmand; 4 - Kandahar, Air Base, Kandahar. Cyrtopodion watsoni: Camp Dubs - Kabul, Kabul. Eremias nigrocellata: Kaldar, Balkh. Eremias persica: 1 - Gardez Base, Gardez, Paktia; 2 - Waza Kwah, Paktika; 3 - Kandahar, Air Base, Kandahar; 4 - Lashkargah, Helmand. Mesalina watsonana: 1 - Lashkargah, Helmand; 2 - Kandahar, Air Base, Kandahar.

Figure 7. Observed species of the Lacertidae family from Afghanistan: A - adult individual of Eremias aff. nigrocellata from Kaldar, Balkh; B - adult male and female of E. persica displaying mating behaviour and juveniles (C, D) from Kandahar, Air Base, Kandahar; E, F - adult male and female of Mesalina watsonana from Kandahar, Air Base, Kandahar.

Figure 10. View on selected localities from Afghanistan that were visited: A - habitat of Bufotes viridis complex and Euphlyctis cyanophlyctis from Kandahar, Air Base, Kandahar; B - stony, semi-desert habitat of Eremias aff. nigrocellata from Kaldar, Balkh; C - semi-desert habitat of Trapelus agilis from Tarin Kowt, Uruzgan; D - vicinity of small village Waza Kwah, Paktika as habitat of Testudo horsfieldii; E - desert habitat of Cyrtopodion agamuroides complex from Camp Leatherneck, Washir, Helmand; F - burrows in semi-desert habitat that were used by Eremias persica as a shelter, Kandahar, Air Base, Kandahar.