A short trip to Morocco. Casablanca-Guelmim-Assa

[Gabriel Martínez]

Hi everybody!

Last week I was in Morocco again. It was a short trip with many kilometers and just a few species. We hadn´t time so I couldn´t take photos of lizards (sorry for lizard lovers, I love lizards but I´m a sausages addict )

http://blog.moroccoherps.com/en/agosto- ... guelmin-2/

Like you can see there are some interesting things, and again a strange Hemorrhois......................................

Cheers Gabri

[Mario Schweiger]

Maybe just a few, but rare species
The Echis as well as the Telescopus are great.
And the red Hemorrhois is stunning

Mario

[Peter Oefinger]

I love lizards but I´m a sausages addict )

The Telescopus is one of the coolest sausages I ever saw! Unbelievable!
Regards
Peter

[Bobby Bok]

I love lizards but I´m a sausages addict )

The Telescopus is one of the coolest sausages I ever saw! Unbelievable!
Regards
Peter

For sure, what an amazing colours! Amazing colouration on the red hippocrepis as well!

[Jürgen Gebhart]

Great findings and pics!!! Congrats again!!!
I know how important the Echis was for you, you are the man!!!!

[Jeroen Speybroeck]

The colours on that Tele head

[Gabriel Martínez]

Thanks for your comments!

And the red Hemorrhois is stunning

Yes, I found it exactly in the place of the strange Hemorrhois of last june. Did you see the another Hemorrhois??? What is this??? Rombic dorsal patern and many supralabial scales in contact with the eyes

H. sp closeup.jpg (218.27 KiB) Viewed 7844 times

It´s really the Hemorrhois mess. I think hundreds of years of hibridation there...

I know how important the Echis was for you

Yes, I love them

Telescopus are great

Telescopus is one of the coolest sausages I ever saw

what an amazing colours

colours on that Tele head

Yes, I´d never seen these colours in a Telescopus. Maybe is just "shedded" or something like that because the black seems blue in some parts! Although Echis are my favourite snakes, these Telescopus got to surprise me. Very interesting snakes...

[Mario Schweiger]

.......... after a sleepless night
For me, this Hemorrhois is algirus, by head scalation! But with a bit strange dorsal pattern.
I´m even not 100% sure, if all these hippocrepis records from south of the Anti-Atlas are relly horseshoes?
Remember: intermedius, now a ssp. of algirus was a ssp. of hippocrepis until the 80ies of the last century!

Here the text of hippocrepis and algirus, out of Bons & Geniez (1996):

Coluber hippocrepis Linné 1758. Horseshoe Snake.
With 250 sites, this magnificent snake is the one that was most often found, after the Montpellier Snake and the Ringed Snake, during our distribution survey. The Horseshoe Snake's range covers all the Mediterranean area of the Iberian peninsula, Morocco, Algeria and Tunisia. It is also found in south-west Sardinia where its indigenous status is uncertain.
Coluber hippocrepis occurs throughout Mediterranean Morocco in the humid, subhumid, semi-arid and arid bioclimatic zones. Recent observations 20 and 50 km north-east of Tantan [J 30 and K 30] (GENIEZ et al., 1991) attest its presence in the Saharan zone too, on the Atlantic coast. It has just been discovered, cohabiting with Coluber algirus, at Aouïnet Torkoz [N 32] (GENIEZ & SOTO, 1994), its only Saharan site in Morocco any distance from the ocean.
In our opinion, further knowledge about the relationships between C. hippocrepis and C. algirus is needed because some specimens from the Anti-Atlas have not been properly identified as one or the other of the two species. Consequently the Anti-Atlas, as well as the foothills between Tiznit and Guelmin (= Goulimine), require in depth prospection.

Coluber algirus Jan 1863. Algerian Snake.
The Algerian Snake is closely related to the Horseshoe Snake with which it has a quasi-parapatric distribution. Its range covers a north-Saharan fringe in south Morocco, central north Algeria, the southern half or Tunisia and northern Libya (SCHÄTTI, 1986). It is also found scattered throughout Western Sahara, in the west of Mauritania, and in an isolated population in the Hoggar massif (Algeria). Two subspecies were recognised by SCHÄTTI, (1986): C. algirus algirus Jan 1863 (Algeria,Tunisia and Libya) and C. algirus intermedius Werner 1929 (west Algeria, Morocco and Mauritania). The subspecies villiersi Bons 1962, from Mauritania and Western Sahara, was made synonymous with C. algirus intermedius by SCHÄTTI (1986).
This very discreet species has been sighted only 56 times in Morocco, compared to 317 for C. hippocrepis. It is loosely distributed throughout the Saharan zones of the country. It is also found futher south in Mauritania, very near the border with Western Sahara, in three localities: Bir Moghrein, Zouirat and Nouhadibou (BONS, 1962) and in Western Sahara (8 localities).
Our distribution survey found sympatry between C. algirus and C. hippocrepis in three places: 20 and 50 km north-east of Tantan [J 30 and K 30] (GENIEZ et al., 1991) and Aouïnet Torkoz [N 31] (Ph. GENIEZ). These examples of cohabition between the two taxons suffice to demonstrate their specific isolation.

and for you the spanish versions

Culebra de herradura
Esta bella serpiente es, tras la culebra bastarda y la culebra viperina, la más citada con 250 localidades. La culebra de herradura se distribuye por los biotopos mediterráneos de la Península Ibérica, Marruecos, Argelia y Túnez. También se encuentra en el sudoeste de Cerdeña aunque existen dudas sobre si se trata de una especie introducida.
En Marruecos Coluber hippocrepis ocupa el dominio mediterráneo tanto en los pisos bioclimáticos húmedo, subhúmedo, semiárido y árido. Penetra incluso en el piso sahariano con influencia del litoral oceánico como lo testimonian observaciones recientes, 20 y 50 km al noreste de Tantan [J 30 y K 30] (GENIEZ et al, 1991). Se acaba de citar en Aouinet Torkoz [N 31] (GENIEZ & SOTO, 1994) que es la única localización sahariana alejada del océano, donde es una especie simpátrica con Coluber algirus.
Es necesario profundizar en el conocimiento de las relaciones entre Coluber hippocrepis y C. algirus. En efecto, ciertos especímenes procedentes del Antiatlas no han podido ser identificados precisamente como pertenecientes a una u otra especie. Habría que prospectar con detalle la cadena del Antiatlas así como los contrafuertes entre Tiznit y Guelmin (= Goulimine).

Culebra argelina
La culebra argelina es una especie próxima a la culebra de herradura con la que presenta una distribución casi parapátrica. Se extiende a través de una franja norsahariana que cubre el sur de Marruecos, el centro y norte de Argelia, la mitad sur de Túnez y el norte de Libia (SCHÄTTI, 1986). Se la vuelve a encontrar en el conjunto del Sahara occidental, en el oeste de Mauritania y, de forma aislada, en el macizo del Hoggar (Argelia). SCHÄTTI (1986) reconoce dos subespecies: Coluber algirus algirus Jan 1863 (Argelia, Túnez y Libia) y Coluber algirus intermedius Werner 1929 (oeste de Argelia, Marruecos y Mauritania). La subespecie villiersi Bons 1962 que se distribuye por Mauritania y el Sahara occidental ha sido considerada sinónima con C. algirus intermedius por SCHÄTTI (1986).
Esta especie es muy discreta y sólo ha sido citada 56 veces en Marruecos frente a las 317 de Coluber hippocrepis. Su distribución cubre de forma laxa el conjunto del dominio sahariano de este país. Más al sur se encuentra en Mauritania cerca de la frontera del Sahara Occidental en tres localidades: Bir Moghrein, Zouirat y Nouhadibou (BONS, 1962) y en el Sahara Occidental (ocho localidades)
La simpatría entre C. algirus y C. hippocrepis ha sido constatada en Marruecos en tres localidades: 20 y 50 km al noreste de Tantán [J 30 y K 30] (GENIEZ ef al. 1991) y AouinetTorkoz [N 31] (PH. GENIEZ). Estos ejemplos de cohabitación entre los dos taxones son suficientes para demostrar su aislamiento específico.
Las prospecciones futuras permitirán perfilar la distribución de C. algirus y C. hippocrepis en la vertiente sureste del Gran Atlas y del Antiatlas. Se debe intentar encontrar C. algirus en las regiones de Bouár-fa y de Figuig.

and your Telescopus:
I´m not sure, if these two snakes are a couple (in mating behaviour). For me it looks more like two males in combat, due to their "srewing" behaviour.

Mario

[Martti Niskanen]

Great post and that Telescopus is an absolute stunner.

[Guillaume Gomard]

2 Echis and 3 Telescopus in a short time

Lucky lucky guy!

Yes, I´d never seen these colours in a Telescopus. Maybe is just "shedded" or something like that because the black seems blue in some parts!

I've never found a tripolitanus in the wild but I don't think this is due to the fact that it was shedding from what I could see on the web (Cf iridophores).