Haemodracon trachyrhinus ( Boulenger, 1899 )

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 : 5-6

Haemodracon trachyrhinus ( Boulenger, 1899)

Phyllodactylus trachyrhynus: Boulenger 1899: 4 —Locus typicus: “Jena-agahan, 1200–2500 feet, and Adho Dimellus, 3500– 4500 feet ”.

Phyllodactylas trachyrhinus . — Boulenger, 1903: 79, Pl. 9.1.

Haemodracon trachyrhinus . — Bauer, Good & Branch, 1997: 462.

Phyllodactylus trachyrhinus .—Rösler, 1998: 34.

Haemodracon trachyrhinus .— Joger, 2000: 343.

This small and inconspicuous species has been largely overlooked, and this is probably why Rösler & Wranik (2003) wrote: “it seems relatively rare, because only few specimens have been recorded so far”. Most of the bibliographic data are from Hadiboh and the Hajhir massif, with just two exceptions: Homhil and Shu’ab ( Schätti & Desvoignes, 1999; Rösler & Wranik, 2004). Haemodracon trachyrhinus has been reported up to at least 1000 m ( Schätti & Desvoignes, 1999). We found Haemodracon trachyrhinus at only three sites at high altitude: Ma’alah Plateau (at 550 and at 580 m a.s.l), above Firmhin (780 m a.s.l.), and Menhem in the SW Diksam Plateau (870 m), but we also recorded it from several low altitude localities.

Habitat. Our research proved that Haemodracon trachyrhinus is fairly common in different habitats including the widespread Croton bushes, barren stony plains, vegetated sand dunes, sparse and dense shrublands, wadi areas. During daytime it was found under stones, while at night it was observed active on the ground and also on the trunks of bushes and on Tamarix barks.

Original data. Fig. 5. NE Coast, Momi plateau, E Noged, Wadi Di Asrhon, Firmihin, SW Diksam, Central Noged, Qa'arah area, Qabheten area, Meyhah area, Plateau W of Qabhete, Shu'ab area, Ma'alah plateau, Qalansiyah, Mori West, Howlef.

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

General distribution. Endemic to Socotra Island.