Cyrtopodion scabrum (von Heyden, 1827)

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

Cyrtopodion scabrum (von Heyden, 1827)

Distribution in Afghanistan.

This species is currently reported from seven provinces mainly in eastern and southern Afghanistan (Farah, Helmand, Kabul, Kandahar, Khost, Nangarhar, Zabul; Wagner et al. 2016). However, a record from Nangarhar (locality Jalalabad) is not mapped by Wagner et al. (2016), although they present its distribution in the text (see p. 487 vs. Plate 6, p. 542). One dubious record from the north-western part of the country was presented by Sindaco and Jeremčenko (2008).

Our records

( Fig. 5 ): 1 - Darul Aman - Kabul, Kabul (15 July 2011), several adult individuals ( Fig. 6F ) from the rocky area of the Darul Aman palace ruins; 2 - Camp Leatherneck, Washir, Helmand (2 August 2010), one adult individual ( Fig. 6H ) from a building of the camp; 3 - Lashkargāh, Helmand (10 February 2009), dozens of adult individuals ( Fig. 6G ) from an old building in the middle of downtown; 4 - Kandahar, Air Base, Kandahar (19 May 2009), one juvenile individual ( Fig. 6B ) from the rocky area near buildings.

Remarks.

Locality 1 in this study represents the first record for Kabul Province. Although other records represent new distribution data, they clearly fall into the known range of the species. This species is listed correctly by Regan (2017) on p. 24 but incorrectly on p. 26 (bottom photo; Lashkargāh, Helmand) as " Tenuidactylus caspius " that occurs in northern Afghanistan, but not in Helmand Province.

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 6. Observed species of the Gekkonidae family from Afghanistan: A - subadult individual of Altiphylax levitoni from Darul Aman - Kabul, Kabul; B - juvenile individual of Cyrtopodion scabrum from Kandahar, Air Base, Kandahar; C, D - subadult individual of C. agamuroides complex from Camp Leatherneck, Washir, Helmand; E - adult individual of C. watsoni from Camp Dubs - Kabul, Kabul; F - adult individual of C. scabrum from Darul Aman - Kabul, Kabul; G - adult individual of C. scabrum from Lashkargah, Helmand; H - adult individual of C. scabrum from Camp Leatherneck, Washir, Helmand; I - adult individual of Tenuidactylus caspius from Camp Mike Spann Chapel, Mazar-i-Sharif, Balkh.