Snake-tailed fringe-toed lizard  (Acanthodactylus opheodurus)

This species has not yet been classified on the IUCN Red List.

Owing to its superficial similarity to its larger congener, Acanthodactylus boskianus, the snake-tailed fringe-toed lizard was only officially described in 1980 (2). As its name suggests, this species has a particularly long tail (3), and, in common with other Acanthodactylus species, the toes are fringed with scales adapted for running over loose sand (4) (5). Like other lacertids, the body is long and cylindrical, and the legs are well developed (4). The basic body colour is grey, with seven dark stripes running down the back and sides (2), and a tail tinged red in immatures (3).

The snake-tailed fringe-toed lizard is currently known from the Arabian Peninsula and several other countries in the Middle East, including Jordan, Kuwait and Iraq (2).

The snake-tailed fringe-toed lizard has been collected from a range of arid habitats, including plains with relatively hard sand cover and low hills covered by dense bushes (2).

There is very little information available on the biology of the snake-tailed fringe-toed lizard. However, this diurnal lizard reportedly lives in burrows excavated out of hard sand. Remaining concealed for all but a few hours of the day, the burrows not only act as a shelter from predators but also provide refuge from extreme temperatures (6).

While the conservation status of the snake-tailed fringe-toed lizard is yet to be assessed on the IUCN Red List, there are no known major threats to this species.

There are no known conservation measures in place for the snake-tailed fringe-toed lizard.

To learn more about reptile conservation visit:

• International Reptile Conservation Foundation:
  www.ircf.org

• Congener: Species belonging to the same genus.
• Diurnal: Active during the day.
• Lacertids: Old World terrestrial lizards.

1. Catalogue of Life: Annual Checklist (April, 2009)
   http://www.catalogueoflife.org
2. Tiedemann, F. (1991) First record of Acanthodactylus opheodurus ARNOLD, 1980, and Coluber ventromaculatus GRAY, 1834 (Squamata: Lacertidae, Colubridae) from the United Arab Emirates. Herpetozoa, 4: 167 - 175.
3. Hellyer, P. and Aspinall, S. (2005) The Emirates: A Natural History. Trident Press Limited, United Arab Emirates.
4. Pianka, E.R. and Vitt, L.J. (2003) Lizards: Windows to the Evolution of Diversity. University of California Press, Berkeley.
5. Halliday, T. and Adler, K. (2002) The New Encyclopedia of Reptile and Amphibians. Oxford University Press, Oxford.
6. Zaady, E. and Bouskila, A. (2002) Lizard burrows association with successional stages of biological soil crusts in an arid sandy region. Journal of Arid Environments, 50: 235 - 246.