Lamprophiidae, Fitzinger, 1843

Bauer, Aaron M., DeBoer, Jonathan C. & Taylor, Dylan J., 2017, Atlas of the Reptiles of Libya, Proceedings of the California Academy of Sciences 64 (8), pp. 155-318 : 252-253

Family Lamprophiidae

Malpolon insignitus (I. Geoffroy Saint-Hilaire 1827:151, pl. 7, fig. 6) 1827 Coluber insignitus Geoffroy Saint-Hilaire , Description des reptiles qui se trouvent en Égypte, pp.

121–160 in M.J.-C.L. de Savigny, (ed.), Description de l’Égypte, ou Recueil des Observations et des Recherches qui ont été Faites en Égypte Pendant l’Expédition de l’Armée Française. Histoire Naturelle. Tome premier. Partie premier. Imprimerie Impériale, Paris, France.

HOLOTYPE.— Specimen illustrated on fig. 6 of pl. 7 of the Atlas accompanying the “ Description de l’Égypte ,” location unknown, “Égypte” [= Egypt] (“Unterägypten” [Lower Egypt] fide Mertens and Müller 1928:51).

Malpolon monspessulanus insignitus, Kramer and Schnurrenberger 1963:509 .

Malpolon monspessulanus, Le Berre 1989:280 .

Malpolon monspessulanus insignitus, Schleich, Kästle, and Kabisch 1996:502 .

Malpolon insignitus, Sindaco, Venchi, and Grieco 2013:165 .

DISTRIBUTION.— From northeastern Morocco and western Algeria across North Africa to the Middle East, western Iran, the Caucusus and southern Russia and from Turkey and Cyprus westwards to the Adriatic coast. The subspecies M. i. fuscus (Fleischmann, 1831) is present in the Balkans. Within Libya the species is represented by the nominate form, predominately in the Mediterranean region.

Libyan Records (Map 57): TRIPOLITANIA: NUQAT AL KHAMS: 5: BMNH 1960.1.5. 94; Kramer and Schnurrenberger 1963. ZAWIYAH: 11: Frynta et al. 2000. 15: BMNH 1960.1.5. 99; Kramer and Schnurrenberger 1963. 22: MCSN 4213. TRIPOLI: 36: BMNH 1954.1.7. 27, 1954.1.7. 29 Kramer and Schnurrenberger 1963. 38: Sayers 1964. 39: FMNH 82953. 40: BMNH 1960.1.5. 95; Kramer and Schnurrenberger 1963. 45: ZMB 15341, 15344, 15348, 15354; Günther 1858; Condorelli-Francaviglia 1896; Werner 1909; Ghigi 1913; Zavattari 1934; Sayers 1964. MURQUB: 60: MSNM [no specific number given]; SK 2095; Peters 1880, 1881; Werner 1909; Ghigi 1913; Zavattari 1934.; Kramer and Schnurrenberger 1963. 62: Frynta et al. 2000. 67: Sindaco obs. 4/29/2008. 69: SK 257; Kramer and

Schnurrenberger 1963. JABAL AL GHARBI: 154:

FMNH 82954–55. “ Tripolitania ”: Scortecci

1939. “ Tripolitania settentrionale ”: Zavattari

1937. “ Sirtica ”: Zavattari 1937. FEZZAN:

JUFRA: 217: Zavattari 1937; 221: Peters 1880,

1881; Werner 1909; Ghigi 1913; Zavattari

1934; Scortecci 1939. CYRENAICA: BENG-

HAZI: 342: Cornalia in Haimann 1882, 1886;

Werner 1909; Ghigi 1913; Calabresi 1923;

Zavattari 1929, 1930, 1934. 344: Cornalia in

Haimann 1882, 1886; Werner 1909; Ghigi

1913; Zavattari 1929, 1930, 1934. 357: MCSN

2791; MZUF 00814; Werner 1909; Ghigi 1913;

Umani 1922; Zavattari 1922, 1929, 1930,

1934; Calabresi 1923. 358: Calabresi 1923;

Zavattari 1929, 1930. 360: BMNH

1954.1.7. 28; Kramer and Schnurrenberger MAP 57. Distribution of Malpolon insignitus in Libya. 1963. 364: Cornalia in Haimann 1882, 1886; Werner 1909; Ghigi 1913; Zavattari 1929, 1930, 1934. 367: BMNH 1960.1.5. 96–97; Calabresi 1923; Zavattari 1929, 1930, 1934; Kramer and Schnurrenberger 1963. 379: Werner 1909; Ghigi 1913. 372: CUP R 127; Frynta et al. 2000. MARJ: 385: Calabresi 1923; Zavattari 1929, 1930, 1934, 1937. 389: Zavattari 1922, 1929, 1930, 1934; Calabresi 1923. 405: Frynta et al. 2000. 457a: Schleich 1987. JABAL AL AKHDAR: 417: FMNH 214911–13; Zavattari 1922, 1929, 1930, 1934; Calabresi 1923; Resetar 1981. 421: Zavattari 1929, 1930, 1934. 435: FMNH 82952. 448: KNP 1981/205; SMF 55404; Schleich 1987. 451: CUP R 128; Frynta et al. 2000. 457: KNP 1981/291, 1981/435, 1981/449, 1981/458, 1981/496, 1981/498, 1981/506, 1981/514; ZSM [5 specimens under 2 numbers] 1983/147, 1983/149; Schleich 1987. 457at: Schleich 1987. 457ba: Schleich 1987. 457bb: Schleich 1987. 457bc: Schleich 1987. 457bf: Schleich 1987. 457bj: Schleich 1987. 457bk: Schleich 1987. 457bl: Schleich 1987. 457bm: Schleich 1987. 457ce: Schleich 1987. 457co: Schleich 1987. 457cp: Schleich 1987. 457cs: Schleich 1987. 457cw: Schleich 1987. 457n: Schleich 1987. DARNAH: 484: Calabresi 1923; Zavattari 1929, 1930, 1934. BUTNAN: 490: MSNG 27765; Vinciguerra 1927; Zavattari 1929, 1930, 1934. AL WAHAT: 529: Vinciguerra 1931; Zavattari 1934. 530: Peters 1880, 1881; Werner 1909; Calabresi 1923; Zavattari 1929, 1930, 1934. 562: Werner 1909; Ghigi 1913. 564: Zavattari 1937. KUFRAH: 573: Zavattari 1937. “ Cyrenaica ”: Condorelli-Francaviglia 1896; Scortecci 1939. “ Marmarica ”: Zavattari 1937.

COMMENTS.— The complicated dating of the natural history portions of Description de l’Égypte has been elucidated by Sherborn (1897) and Tollitt (1986). Carranza et al. (2006) resurrected M. insignitus from the synonymy of M. monspessulanus based on the deep genetic divergence between the two, and recognized the nominotypical form and the subspecies M. i. fuscus (Fleischmann, 1831). Sindaco et al. (2013) considered the Balkan taxon, M. i. fuscus, to be illdefined. Records from the southeast of Libya (see map in Geniez 2015), based on the locality “El Giof” reported by Zavattari (1937) are likely in error.

IUCN THREAT STATUS.— Not assessed, but assumed to be Least Concern.