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Eirenis modestus (MARTIN, 1838)

IUCN Red List - Eirenis modestus - Least Concern, LC
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Higher TaxaColubridae, Colubrinae, Colubroidea, Caenophidia, Alethinophidia, Serpentes, Squamata (snakes)
SubspeciesEirenis modestus modestus (MARTIN 1838)
Eirenis modestus semimaculatus (BOETTGER 1876)
Eirenis modestus cilicius (SCHMIDTLER 1993) 
Common NamesE: Asia Minor Dwarf Racer
G: Kopfbinden-Zwergnatter
Russian: Смирный эйренис 
SynonymEirenis modestus modestus (MARTIN 1838)
Coronella modesta MARTIN 1838: 82
Coluber nigricollis DWIGUBSKY 1832
Ablabes modestus — BOETTGER 1880: 144
Cyclophis modestus — MOJSISOVICS 1889: 271
Contia collaris — BOULENGER 1894: 260
Cyclophis modestus — MEHELY 1894: 85
Contia modesta — BOULENGER 1913
Contia modesta — BIRD 1936: 275
Eirenis modestus — SCHMIDTLER 1978: 393
Eirenis modestus — ENGELMANN et al 1993
Eirenis (Eirenis) modestus modestus — NAGY et al. 2004
Eirenis modestus — GRUBER 2009: 89
Eirenis modestus — KWET & TRAPP 2015
Eirenis modestus — WALLACH et al. 2014: 259

Eirenis modestus cilicius (SCHMIDTLER 1993)
Eirenis (Eirenis) modestus cilicius — NAGY et al. 2004
Eirenis modestus cilicius — GRUBER 2009: 90

Eirenis modestus semimaculatus (BOETTGER 1876)
Ablabes modestus var. semimaculata BOETTGER 1876: 61
Eirenis (Eirenis) modestus semimaculatus — NAGY et al. 2004
Eirenis modestus semimaculatus — GRUBER 2009: 90 
DistributionTurkey, Greece (incl. Lesbos, Chios, Samos, Kalymnos)
Soviet Union (Caucasus), Dagestan (S Russia), Armenia, E Republic of Georgia, Azerbaijan, Iraq ?, Iran

cilicius: S Turkey (S/W Anatolia); Type locality: “Tal des Lamas- Flusses, ca. 10 km NW Limonlu (Prov. Mersin), etwa 50 m ü. M.” [Turkey]

modestus: Turkey, Iran etc.; Type locality: Trabzon, Turkey

semimaculatus: Turkey (C/W Anatolia)  
Reproductionoviparous 
TypesSyntypes: BMNH 1850.10.21.21–22, longest syntype 292 mm (K. Abbot [Euphrates Exped.], 1835–1837).
Holotype: ZSM 2/1991, male; Paratypes in ZFMK, NMW, MNHG and ZSM [cilicius]
Holotype: SMF 19287, female [semimaculatus] 
DiagnosisDiagnosis (genus). “Kleine bis mittelgroße, meist unter 400 mm, mitunter jedoch bis 750 mm (E. decemlineatus: GRUBER 1989) groß werdende Schlangen mit nur schwach vom Hals abgesetztem Kopf, stumpf gerundeter Schnauze und 15-17 glatten, mit je einem Apikalgrübchen versehenen Dorsalia um die Körpermitte. Nasenlöcher in einem großen, ungeteilten Nasale; hinteres Mentaliapaar meist kürzer als vorderes. Praeoculare vom Frontal weit getrennt, 7 Supra-, 8-9 Infralabialia.” (Anonymous in Böhme et al. 1993: 265)


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CommentSynonymy partly after KHALIKOV & ANANJEVA (pers. comm.). Has been considered as a synonym of E. collaris (e.g. by BOULENGER 1894: 260).

Type species: Coronella modesta MARTIN 1838 is the type species of the genus Eirenis JAN 1863. Misidentified as “E. collaris (Ménétr.)” in the original designation by Jan (1863) fide MAHLOW et al. 2013. See also DOCENKO 1989.

Distribution: not in Syria fide MARTENS 199. Reports from Iraq and Iran are questionable fide IUCN; not in Iraq fide Habeeb & Rastegar-Pouyani 2016. Distribution: Not in Israel where it is replaced by E. levantinus. For a map see Sindaco et al. 2013.

Key: Akbarpour et al. 2020 present a key to the species of Eirenis in Iran. 
EtymologyProbably named after Latin modestus, restrained, mild; modest, for its modest size or possibly temper. 
References
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