Eryx sistanensis ESKANDARZADEH, RASTEGAR-POUYANI, RASTEGAR-POUYANI, ZARGAN, HAJINOURMOHAMADI, NAZAROV, SAMI, RAJABIZADEH, NABIZADEH & NAVAIAN, 2020
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Eryx sistanensis
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| Higher Taxa | Boidae (Erycinae, Erycidae), Henophidia, Alethinophidia, Serpentes, Squamata (snakes) |
| Subspecies | |
| Common Names | E: Sistan Sand Boa |
| Synonym | Eryx sistanensis ESKANDARZADEH, RASTEGAR-POUYANI, RASTEGAR-POUYANI, ZARGAN, HAJINOURMOHAMADI, NAZAROV, SAMI, RAJABIZADEH, NABIZADEH & NAVAIAN 2020 |
| Distribution | Iran (Baluchistan, Hormozgan, Sistan) Type locality: Jahan-abad, about 20 km east of Zabol in Sistan & Baluchistan Province, Iran |
| Reproduction | |
| Types | Holotype: HCHSU 6469, a juvenile female. Paratype: A male specimen (HCHSU 8487), from Sistan & Baluchistan Province, collected on the road from Jask to Chabahar near Bent (in a direct path about 600 km South of the type locality). |
| Diagnosis | Diagnosis: Eryx sistanensis sp. nov. and E. johnii differ from other erycids by having the banding pattern on the tail, although this pattern is not always observed in the specimens of E. johnii (Boulenger 1893; Wall 1912; Smith 1943; Minton 1966; Leviton & Anderson 1970; Sorensen 1988; Das 1991; Sharma 2007). As Russell (1801) stated in the description of the type specimen of E. johnii: “the obtuse point of the tail resembles the head, and in point of thickness sometimes exceeds it.” In our specimens of the new species, the end of the tail is not as blunt as E. johnii and the thickness of the end of the tail is less than that of the head (Fig. 2). Despite the overlapping ranges in the pholidosis and morphometric characters of E. sistanensis sp. nov. and E. johnii, E. sistanensis sp. nov. differs from E. johnii by having fewer dorsal scale rows at midbody (43–56 versus 47–67). (ESKANDARZADEH et al. 2020) Description of holotype (Fig. 3): A juvenile, body length 220 mm, and tail length 30 mm. The ratio of inter-ocular space width to distance between the posterior edge of the eye and the corner of the mouth 1.2. Head small, indistinct from the neck; eye small, on side of the head, bordered by 11 and 10 small scales on each side; six large scales between the eyes. Two elongated postinternasal scales; the first four rows of the scales immediately after the rostral arranged in a symmetric pattern. Three scales between the eye and nasal. Eleven supralabial scales; the second supralabial scale higher than the third. Dorsal surface of the body with small scales (DRS 43:43:38). Ventral scales 190, wider than dorsal scales. Subcaudal scales 26. The scales of the dorsal surface of tail slightly keeled. (ESKANDARZADEH et al. 2020) Coloration of holotype: The preserved specimen in alcohol has paler color than that in alive specimen. Dorsal ground color of the preserved specimen in alcohol was yellow with shadows of grey color. The banding pattern was obvious on the tail with three large dark spots; a very pale shadow of patched areas was observed over the dorsal surface of the trunk. The ventral surface was yellow. (ESKANDARZADEH et al. 2020) Variation in color: Pictures of two additional specimens from Rikukash in Sistan & Baluchistan Province (25.88N 61.68E) and near Shamil Village (27.5N 56.85E) in Hormozgan Province (Fig. 6) were also observed. These specimens had been photographed in farms by local people. In spite of the common banding pattern observed in all the studied and photographed specimens, they show different color patterns. HCHSU 8487 was grey in dorsal surface; the banding pattern along the body was more obvious than that in the holotype specimen. The head was black; ventral surface was cream with some black spots forming a narrow line in the middle of ventral surface; this line was discontinuous. The dorsal color of the specimens from Gurband was reddish brown; having large black patches on the dorsal surface; from tail to the head the patches were faint and irregular. Head with black shadow. The color pattern of the specimen from Shamil was similar to that from Gurband. The specimen from Rikukash has darker background color and the banding pattern is less obvious and less regular than the other specimens. (ESKANDARZADEH et al. 2020) |
| Comment | Distribution: see map in Eskandarzadeh et al. 2020: 189 (Fig. 7). |
| Etymology | Named after the Sistan Region in Sistan & Baluchistan Province, where the holotype was collected. |
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