SURVEY OF THE REPTILES OF THE GOLAN PLATEAU AND MT. HERMON, ISRAEL

ABSTRACT

Examination of 637 reptile specimens from the Golan Plateau and Mt. Hermon yielded 37 species. Of six species virtually restricted to high Mt. Hermon, one is endemic to that mountain, another to the Hermon and Lebanon ranges and four have Anatolian affinities. The other 31 species occur also in northern Cisjordan, and most are known also in Transjordan and Syria-Lebanon. Typhlops simoni is a new marginal record for the physical-geographical area of Syria. The nearby occurrence of Agama ruderata reflects the proximity of the Syrian desert. Within the Golan, the number of species observed declines from north to south, presumably for both ecological and methodological reasons. A few additional species of northern Cisjordan and Transjordan may yet be discovered on the Golan in the future.