''Ablepharus rueppellii'', known commonly as Rüppell's snake-eyed skink, is a species of
skink
Skinks are a type of lizard belonging to the family (biology), family Scincidae, a family in the Taxonomic rank, infraorder Scincomorpha. With more than 1,500 described species across 100 different taxonomic genera, the family Scincidae is one o ...
found in the
Middle East
The Middle East (term originally coined in English language) is a geopolitical region encompassing the Arabian Peninsula, the Levant, Turkey, Egypt, Iran, and Iraq.
The term came into widespread usage by the United Kingdom and western Eur ...
. It was formerly considered a subspecies of ''
Ablepharus kitaibelii
''Ablepharus kitaibelii'', also known commonly as the European copper skink, the European snake-eyed skink, the juniper skink, and the snake-eyed skink, is a species of skink, a lizard in the subfamily Eugongylinae of the family Scincidae. The ...
'', but has since been distinguished. What is currently recognized as this species is possibly two distinct species.
Range
It is found throughout north and central Israel, Lebanon, western Jordan, and the Sinai Peninsula of Egypt.
It also possibly lives in Syria, though this is also unconfirmed. In the areas where it can be found, it is generally uncommon. It is found in the leaf litter of forested or shrubby areas, and in Egypt, it is usually found near oases. It is highly localized in densely vegetated areas.
In Israel, the species is common and can be found in cities. It is one of the few reptiles capable of living in areas
afforested with
Aleppo pine
''Pinus halepensis'', commonly known as the Aleppo pine, also known as the Jerusalem pine, is a pine native to the Mediterranean region. It was officially named by the botanist Philip Miller in his 1768 book ''The Gardener's Dictionary''; he pro ...
(these are very widespread in Israel).
Possible threats
Few threats exist to the species as a whole, though
deforestation
Deforestation or forest clearance is the removal and destruction of a forest or stand of trees from land that is then converted to non-forest use. Deforestation can involve conversion of forest land to farms, ranches, or urban use. Ab ...
and loss of traditionally farmed orchards may affect specific populations. The species is protected by legislation in Israel.
References
Further reading
*Gray, J.E. 1839. Catalogue of the slender-tongued saurians, with descriptions of many new genera and species. Ann. Mag. Nat. Hist. (1)2: 331–337 (287–293)
*Lymberakis, P. and Kalionzopoulou, A. 2003
Additions to the herpetofauna of Syria.''Zoology in the Middle East'' 29: 33–39.
*Schmidtler, J.F. 1997
Die ''Ablepharus kitaibelii'' - Gruppe in Süd-Anatolien und benachbarten Gebieten (Squamata: Sauria: Scinidae).''Herpetozoa'' 10(1/2):35-63
{{Taxonbar, from=Q2821670
Ablepharus
Reptiles described in 1839
Reptiles of West Asia
Fauna of the Middle East
Taxa named by John Edward Gray