Rediscovery of Maynard's Longnose Sand Snake, Lytorhynchus maynardi, with the geographic distribution of the genus Lytorhynchus Peters, 1863 in Iran

Abstract

An adult male of Maynard's Longnose Sand Snake (Lytorhynchus maynardi) was collected on 24 July 2009 from the east of Sistan and Baluchistan Province in south-eastern Iran. The new locality is the westernmost record of this species in western Asia, and the first record for 42 years from Iran. Information on the geographic distribution of the genus Lytorhynchus Peters, 1863 in Iran, comparative morphology and some ecological data are presented here.

Keywords:

• Maynard's Longnose Sand Snake
• Lytorhynchus maynardi
• Lytorhynchus diadema gaddi
• distribution
• Iran

Acknowledgements

This study was supported by the Shahid Bahonar University of Kerman, Iran. The authors would like to thank B. Fathinia, who kindly prepared the map. Our special thanks are due to F. Masjedi, who edited the final version of the manuscript in English.