Trapelus megalonyx Guenther , 1864

Jablonski, Daniel, Regan, John M., Holzheuser, Chace, Farooqi, Javeed, Basit, Abdul & Masroor, Rafaqat, 2019, Additional data to the herpetofauna of Afghanistan, Herpetozoa 32, pp. 177-193 : 177

Trapelus megalonyx Guenther, 1864

Distribution in Afghanistan.

This species is known mainly from south-eastern parts of the country (provinces Baghlan, Ghazni, Kabul, Kandahar, Kapisa, Logar, Nangarhar, Uruzgan and Wardak; Wagner et al. 2016; Jablonski et al. 2019). One record is presented from Fayzabad (Badakhshan) that is not marked in the Wagner et al. (2016) map (Plate 5, p. 541).

Our records

( Fig. 2 ). 1 - Kandahar, Air Base, Kandahar (17 May 2009), one adult individual ( Fig. 4I ) in the desert habitat with bushes near the runway; 2 - Gardez, Gardez Base, Paktia (2 May 2008), one adult individual ( Fig. 4H ) observed in the semi-desert, rocky habitat.

Remarks.

Both our records are new locality data. The record from Kandahar is currently the most western point of the species in the country and the record from Paktia is the first for the province. Although our records clearly correspond with the distribution range of the species in the country and individuals are very similar to T. megalonyx , photos do not allow better examination for clear species determination. Regan (2017) presents both records as T. agilis (pp. 15, 18). However, the individual from Gardez showed unusual colour patterns with an atypical violet dot on the lateral part of the body ( Fig. 4H ). Therefore, we present our records as “affiliated” to T. megalonyx .

Figures

Figure 2. Updated herpetofaunistic records from Afghanistan (white dots: data of Buchroithner, 1981; Wagner et al. 2016; Jablonski et al. 2019; red dots: data of this study). Bufotes viridis complex (including species B. oblongus, B. baturae / pseudoraddei, B. turanensis and B. zugmayeri presented by Wagner et al. 2016): 1 - Dehdadi, Balkh; 2 - Nahr Shahi, Balkh; 3 - Mazar-i-Sharif, Balkh; 4 - Arga Queshlaq, Badakhshan; 5 - Broghil Pass, Badakhshan; 6 - Camp Dubs - Kabul, Kabul; 7 - Kandahar, Air Base, Kandahar. Euphlyctis cyanophlyctis: Kandahar, Air Base, Kandahar. Testudo horsfieldii: 1 - Pol-e-Khomri, Baghlan; 2 - Lagman Base, Qalat, Zabul; 3 - Waza Kwah, Paktika. Phrynocephalus mystaceus: Shor Tepah, Balkh. Trapelus agilis: 1 - Camp Mike Spann Chapel, Mazar-i-Sharif, Balkh; 2 - Lashkargah, Helmand; 3 - Kandahar, Air Base, Kandahar; 4 - Lagman Base, Qalat, Zabul; 5 - Tarin Kowt, Uruzgan. Trapelus megalonyx: 1 - Kandahar, Air Base, Kandahar; 2 - Gardez, Gardez Base, Paktia.

Figure 4. Observed species of Dicroglossidae, Testudinidae and Agamidae families from Afghanistan: A - adult individuals of Euphlyctis cyanophlyctis from Kandahar, Air Base, Kandahar; B - adult individual of Testudo horsfieldii from Pol-e-Khomri, Baghlan; C - adult individual of Phrynocephalus mystaceus from Shor Tepah, Balkh; D - juvenile individual of Trapelus agilis from Lashkargah, Helmand; E - adult male of T. agilis from Lagman Base, Qalat, Zabul; F, G - adult and subadult males of T. agilis from Kandahar, Air Base, Kandahar; H - adult male of T. aff. megalonyx from Gardez Base, Gardez, Paktia; I - adult individual of T. aff. megalonyx from Kandahar, Air Base, Kandahar.