Rhynchocalamus levitoni (TORKI, 2017)
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Rhynchocalamus levitoni
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| Higher Taxa | Colubridae, Colubrinae, Colubroidea, Caenophidia, Alethinophidia, Serpentes, Squamata (snakes) |
| Subspecies | |
| Common Names | |
| Synonym | Lytorhynchus levitoni TORKI 2017 Rhynchocalamus ilamensis FATHINIA, RASTEGAR-POUYANI, RASTEGAR-POUYANI & DARVISHNIA 2017 Rhynchocalamus levitoni — RAJABIZADEH 2018 |
| Distribution | SW Iran (Illam) Type locality: 1200-1400 m a.s.l. on the western slope of the Kabi-Koh mountains, Abdanan region, Illam Province, south- western Iran (33°02’N, 47°18’E). ilamensis: Iran (Ilam Province); Type locality: Bina & Bijar No-hunting area (33.640668N, 46.038949E, 724 m asl), Ilam Province, Iran |
| Reproduction | oviparous |
| Types | Holotype: MTD 49319, Adult male, leg. F. Torki on 31.v.2016, The specimen has been marked MTD (Senckenberg Naturhistorische Sammlungen, Museum für Tierkunde, Dresden, Germany), where it will be deposited. Holotype: YUZM-CRh.1: road-kill, adult male, collected on June 6th 2011. Paratypes: YUZM-CRh.2: adult female, collected at Dinaar-Kooh preserved area (32.948156N, 47.333236E, 1383 m asl), Abdanan, Ilam Province, Iran on August 3rd, 2013. YUZM-CRh.3: juvenile, collected at Dinaar-Kooh preserved area (32.952591N, 47.344166E, 1180 m asl), Abdanan, Ilam Province, Iran on August 3rd, 2013 [ilamensis] |
| Diagnosis | Diagnosis: A species of the genus Lytorhynchus, characterised by (1) rostral truncate, (2) high number of ventral and subcaudal scales (227, 69), (3) 1 preocular, 1 postocular, and temporals 1+1, (4) 15 longitudinal rows of dorsal scales at midbody, (5) without pattern on dorsal or ventral portions of body and tail except for one V-shaped band on neck and dark markings on the head. |
| Comment | Synonymy: Rajabizadeh 2018 synonymized Rhynchocalamus ilamensis with Lytorhynchus levitoni. Habitat (ilamensis): limestone western foothills of the Zagros Mountains. Habitat cover is made of annual to perennial plants such as Gramineae (annual grasses), bushes and shrubs (Capparidaceae: Capparis spinosa, Cleome oxypetala; Caryophyllaceae: Gypsophyla linearifolia, G. pallida; Chenopodiaceae: Halocharis sulphurea, Noaea mucronata, Salsola imbricate; Compositae: Achillea conferta; Rosaceae: Amygdalus arabica), and sparse trees (Quercus brantii and Pistachia atlantica). Sympatry (ilamensis: Agamidae: Laudakia nupta, Trapelus ruderatus; Lacertidae: Ophisops elegans, Acanthodactylus boskianus; Eublepharidae: Eublepharis angramainyu; Gekkonidae: Hemidactylus persicus, Mediodactylus heteropholis, M. ilamensis; Phyllodactylidae: Asaccus elisae; Scincidae: Ablepharus panonicus, Heremites auratus; Varanidae: Varanus nesterovi; Typhlopidae: Xerotyphlops vermicularis; Leptotyphlopidae: Myriopholis macrorhyncha; Boidae: Eryx jaculus; Colubridae: Eirenis persicus, E. punctatolineatus, E. coronelloides, Hemorhois ravergieri, Platyceps rhodorachis, Spalerosophis microlepis, Malpolon insignitus, Psammophis schokari, Telescopus tessellatus; Elapidae: Walterinnesia morgani; Viperidae: Macrovipera lebetina, Pseudocerastes persicus, P. urarachnoides. |
| Etymology | The species name honours Professor Alan E. Leviton for his great contribution to herpetology in the Middle East. R. ilamensis was named after Ilam Province in Iran. |
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