Pseudopus apodus ssp. apodus (Pallas, 1775)

Jablonski, Daniel, Khalili, Faizurrahman & Masroor, Rafaqat, 2023, The herpetofaunal diversity of Takhar Province, Afghanistan, Herpetozoa 36, pp. 73-90 : 73

Pseudopus apodus ssp. apodus (Pallas, 1775)

Figs 6 , 7C, D

Takhar records.

Bay Yawa, 37.4309°N, 69.7289°E, 681 m a.s.l., 11 April 2019, garden, two adult females (CUHC-PA 185); Bay Yawa, 37.4218°N, 69.6955°E, 911 m a.s.l., 12 April 2020, grassland, one juvenile of unknown sex (CUHC-PA 160); Bay Yawa (Shamal Dere), 37.4288°N, 69.6938°E, 968 m a.s.l., 15 April 2020, observed early in the day in and close to holes of the highly cultivated, open area, adult male (CUHC-PA 161); Bay Yawa (Shamal Dere), 37.4249°N, 69.6929°E, 936 m a.s.l., 15 April 2020, observed early in the day in and close to holes of the highly cultivated, open area, one adult of unknown sex (CUHC-PA 162); Bay Yawa (Tashqutan), 37.4186°N, 69.7083°E, 797 m a.s.l., 21 April 2020, cultivated, open area, one adult female (CUHC-PA 163); Bay Yawa (Keserkul), 37.4259°N, 69.7161°E, 731 m a.s.l., 21 April 2020, cultivated, open area, one adult male (CUHC-PA 164); Bya Yawa (Taqcha), 37.4005°N, 69.6980°E, 956 m a.s.l., 23 April 2020, cultivated, open area, one adult female (CUHC-PA 165).

Distribution in Afghanistan.

The species is known from Badakhshan, Badghis, Baghlan, Farah and Herat Provinces, representing 15% of all provinces.

Chorotype.

Mediterranean + Iranian + Turanian.

Remarks.

The present record is the first-ever observation of this species for Takhar Province. The importance of this record is that it represents a connection to the unexpected, highly elevated record of the species from Badakhshan Province (locality Zebak, 2653 m a.s.l. from 18 August 1965; specimens FMNH 161121-22; Anderson and Leviton (1969)). It suggests that P. apodus could colonise warmer river valleys in the mountains from areas with higher population densities. More records are, thus, expected in the future from the north Provinces, such as Balkh, Faryab, Jowzjan or Kunduz, where this steppe and grassland species, surprisingly, has never been recorded ( Jablonski et al. 2021e). The subspecies P. a. apodus (Pallas, 1775) is present in Central Asia and Afghanistan (see Jablonski et al. (2021d)).

Figures

Figure 6. Herpetofaunistic records of Anguidae, Gekkonidae, Lacertidae, Scincidae and Varanidae from Takhar Province in the context of updated records from Afghanistan (white dots: published data; red dots: new data).

Figure 7. A. Adult individual of the Trapelus agilis complex from Bay Yawa (Tally Dere) (CUHC-PA 191); B. Adult individual of the T. agilis complex Khilyazi payan (CUHC-PA 210); C. Juvenile individual of Pseudopus apodus from Bay Yawa (CUHC-PA 160); D. Adult male of P. apodus from Bay Yawa (Shamal Dere) (CUHC-PA 161); E. Subadult individual of Tenuidactylus caspius from Bay Yawa (CUHC-PA 192); F. Adult individual of Tenuidactylus turcmenicus from Taleqan (Gulayi Bagh) (CUHC-PA 183); G. Adult individual of T. turcmenicus from Bay Yawa (Qizilqiya) (CUHC-PA 200); H. Adult individual of T. turcmenicus from Khilyazi payan (CUHC-PA 211).