Haemodracon riebeckii (Peters, 1882)

Razzetti, Edoardo, Sindaco, Roberto, Grieco, Cristina, Pella, Francesca, Ziliani, Ugo, Pupin, Fabio, Riservato, Elisa, Pellitteri-Rosa, Daniele, Butikofer, Luca, Suleiman, Ahmed Saeed & Al-Aseily, Badar Awadh, 2011, Annotated checklist and distribution of the Socotran Archipelago Herpetofauna (Reptilia), Zootaxa 2826, pp. 1-44 : 5

Haemodracon riebeckii (Peters, 1882)

Diplodactylus Riebeckii Peters 1882b: 43 —Locus typicus: “ Socotra ”. Diplodactylus Riebeckii. — Taschenberg, 1883: 165.

Phyllodactylus riebeckii . — Boulenger, 1885: 94.

Ptyodactylus homolepis Blanford, 1877 .— Steindachner, 1899: 162. Ptyodactylus socotranus Steindachner, 1902: 168 .

Phyllodactylus riebeckii . — Boulenger, 1903: 78, Pl. 8.

Ptyodactylus sokotranus [sic].— Steindachner, 1903: 12. Phyllodactylus riebeckii . — Smith 1933: 10.

P.[hyllodactylus] riebecki [sic].— Loveridge, 1947: 238. Ptyodactylus homolepis sokotranus [sic].— Loveridge, 1947: 274. Phyllodactylus riebeckii .— Eiselt, 1962: 286 (footnote 2). Ptyodactylus homolepis socotranus .— Wermuth, 1965: 157. Phyllodactylus riebeckii .— Kluge, 1967: 32.

Ptyodactylus homolepis socotranus . — Kluge, 1991: 29. Phyllodactylus riebecki [sic].— Arnold & Gardner, 1994: 440. Phyllodactylus riebeckii . — Kluge & Nussbaum, 1995: 7. Phyllodactylus riebecki [sic].— Wranik & Rösler, 1997: 10, 11. Haemodracon riebeckii . — Bauer, Good & Branch, 1997: 462. Phyllodactylus riebeckii . —Rösler, 1998: 34.

Haemodracon riebecki [sic].— Joger 2000: 343, 345.

Haemodracon sp.— Joger, 2000: 343, 345.

According to Rösler & Wranik (2003, 2004) this large species is considered widespread especially at higher altitudes but our data show that it is also fairly common close to the coasts, since we recorded it in the Noged, near Shu’ab, near Qalansiyah, near Howlef and along the North-Eastern Coast.

Habitat. We found the species active at night on cliffs, rocks, large boulders, caves, tree trunks ( Dracaena, Phoenyx , Tamarix and also Adenium ), inside buildings, and inactive during daytime under stones in Croton bushlands and below Dracaena trees, as well as in tree holes ( Boswellia sp.). We found it from sea level to 938 meters (Tahr).

Original data. Fig. 4. Socotra Island: NE Coast, Homhil, Momi plateau, Wadi Di-Fa'rhoh, Firmihin, Dheroh, SW Diksam, Central Noged, Qa'arah area, Shu'ab area, Qeysoh, Qalansiyah, Mori West, Terr Ditrur, Wadi Trubah, Wadi Ayhaft, Hadiboh plain, Howlef. Samha Island: inland of the village of Khaysat.

Bibliographic data. Boulenger (1903), Steindachner (1903), Loveridge (1947), Wranik (1998b), Schätti & Desvoignes (1999), Rösler & Wranik (2004).

General distribution. Endemic to the Socotran archipelago: Socotra and Samha Island.

Remarks. The specimen from Samha Island was considered by Joger (2000) as a new species ( Haemodracon sp.), but it has never been formally described. The specimens found by us on Samha Island were apparently identical to the Socotran ones.