Study of Snake Fauna of Kangavar County, Kermanshah Province

Subject Areas : environmental management

Maryam Malekoutian ¹ (MSc of Biosystematics, Department of Biology, Faculty of Science, Razi University, Iran.)
Rasoul Karamiani ² (Assistant Professor, Animal Biosystematics, Faculty of Science, Razi University, Iran. * (Corresponding Author))
Nasrullah Rastegar-Pouyani ³ (Professor, Zoology, Faculty of Science, Razi University, Kermanshah, Iran.)

Received: 2015-07-18 Accepted : 2016-05-04 Published : 2018-12-22

Keywords: Faunistic, Snake, Kangavar County, Kermanshah Province,

Abstract :

Background and Objective: Kangavar County is located in the eastern regions of Kermanshah Province. Since the herpetofauna of Kangavar County is rich, and no biosystematics studies have already been done in this region, the aim of the present study is to investigate the faunistic of snakes in this area. Method: The study area is located in the western margin of the Iranian Plateau between 34°30' N and 47°58' E. All specimens were collected from different regions of Kangavar County during the survey from 2014 to 2015 by a snake Tongs stick grabber 120 cm, and sometimes, by Hook stick. Specimens were identified according to Latifi (2000) and Leviton et al. (1992). Findings: The collected specimens represented seven species, six genera and four families including the family Colubridae: Collared Dwarf Racer Eirenis collaris, Dotted Dwarf Racer, Eirenis punctatolineatus; Dice snake, Natrix tessellata; Zebra Snake, Spalerosophis microlepis; the family Typhlopidae:Greek Blind snake, Typhlops vermicularis;thefamily Lamprophiidae: Eastern Montpellier Snake, Malpolon insignitus; and the familyViperidae:Levantine Viper, Macrovipera lebetina. Among the identified species, Malpolon insignitus is semi-venomous and Macrovipera lebetina is venomous. Discussion and Conclusion: The current study recorded seven species belonging to six genera and four families (Colubridae, Viperidae, Typhlopidae and Lamprophiidae) in Kangavar County, Kermanshah Province. The Colubridae with four species showed the highest diversity among the families represented.

References:

1-     Vitt, L.J., and Caldwell, J.P. (2009), Herptology, an Introductory Biology of Amphibians
 and Reptiles (3nd ed.) .Academic Press, New York.

2-     Anderson, S.C. (1963): Amphibian and Reptiles from Iran. Proc.Colifornia Acad.Sci., ser. 4,31:417-498.

3-     Latifi, M. (2001): The Snakes of Iran, Environment Protection Organization. (In Persian)

4-     Anderson, C. and Nilson, G. (1979): Vipera Latiffi (Reptilia, Serpentes, Viperidae) an endangered Viper from the Lar valley, Iran, and remark on the sympatric herpeto fauna. Jour.Herpetol.13 (3)335.

5-     Nilson, G.  and Andren, C. (1984a): A taxonomic account of the Iranian rat snakes of the Elaphe longissima­­­­­ species–group. Amphibia-Reptilia5:157-171.

6-     Rajabizadeh, M. Javanmardi, S. RastegarPouyani, N. Karamiani, R. Yousefi, M. Salehi, H. Joger, U. Mebert, K. Esmaeili, H. Parsa, H. Kami, H. and Rastegar-Pouyani, E. (2011): Geographic Variation, Distribution, and Habitat of Natrix tessellate in Iran. Mertensiella, ISBN 978-3-9812565-4-3.

7-     Rastegar-Pouyani, N. Kami, H.G. Rajabzadeh, M. Shafiei, s. and Anderson, S.C. (2008): Annotated checklist of Amphibians and Reptiles of Iran. Iranian Journal of Animal Biosystematics (LJAB)V.4. N.1.

8-     Tuck, R.G. (1974): Some Amphibians and Reptiles from Iran, Bulletin of the Maryland Herpetological Society, 10:58-65.

9-     Rastegar-Poutani, N., Johari, M, and Rastegar-Pouyani, E. (2007): Field Guide to the Reptiles of Iran. Razi University Publishing. (In Persian)

10-   http://www. Reptile- database. org      

11-  Rahimzadeh, Z. Nadirian, P. Abrifam, M. Hosseini, K. and Afkari, S. (2014): Kermanshah Province.
Iran: Iran’s Textbooks Printing & Publishing Company. (In Persian)