Published in the United States of America 2011–2012 • VOLUME 5 • NUMBER 1 AMPHIBIAN & REPTILE CONSERVATION IRAN amphibian-reptile-conservation.org ISSN: 1083-446X eISSN: 1525-9153 Editor Craig Hassapakis Berkeley, California, USA Associate Editors Raul E. Diaz Howard O. Clark, Jr. Erik R. Wild University of Kansas, USA Garcia and Associates, USA University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point, USA Assistant Editors Alison R. Davis Daniel D. Fogell University of California, Berkeley, USA Southeastern Community College, USA Editorial Review Board David C. Blackburn Bill Branch Jelka Crnobrnja-Isailovć California Academy of Sciences, USA Port Elizabeth Museum, SOUTH AFRICA IBISS University of Belgrade, SERBIA C. Kenneth Dodd, Jr. Lee A. Fitzgerald Adel A. Ibrahim University of Florida, USA Texas A&M University, USA Ha’il University, SAUDIA ARABIA Harvey B. Lillywhite Julian C. Lee Rafaqat Masroor University of Florida, USA Taos, New Mexico, USA Pakistan Museum of Natural History, PAKISTAN Peter V. Lindeman Henry R. Mushinsky Elnaz Najafimajd Edinboro University of Pennsylvania, USA University of South Florida, USA Ege University, TURKEY Jaime E. Péfaur Rohan Pethiyagoda Nasrullah Rastegar-Pouyani Universidad de Los Andes, VENEZUELA Australian Museum, AUSTRALIA Razi University, IRAN Jodi J. L. Rowley Peter Uetz Larry David Wilson Australian Museum, AUSTRALIA Virginia Commonwealth University, USA Instituto Regional de Biodiversidad, USA Advisory Board Allison C. Alberts Aaron M. Bauer Walter R. Erdelen Zoological Society of San Diego, USA Villanova University, USA UNESCO, FRANCE Michael B. Eisen James Hanken Roy W. McDiarmid Public Library of Science, USA Harvard University, USA USGS Patuxent Wildlife Research Center, USA Russell A. Mittermeier Robert W. Murphy Eric R. Pianka Conservation International, USA Royal Ontario Museum, CANADA University of Texas, Austin, USA Antonio W. Salas Dawn S. Wilson Joseph T. Collins Environment and Sustainable Development, PERU AMNH Southwestern Research Station, USA University of Kansas, USA Honorary Member Carl C. Gans (1923 – 2009) Cover: The Iranian spider-tailed horned viper (Pseudocerastes urarachnoides), an outstanding viper, ambushing for prey in its natural habitat, in Ilam province, western Iran. The viper coloration is confused with its background and hard to see. While ambushing for prey the bird prey (spe- cies of Lanius) is observing the snake’s tail, near the head, and the tail propels like a tarantula on the move. The bird is attracted to the “tarantula” and is suddenly caught by the viper and held until its venom kills. The case, a very specialized behavior for attracting prey, is a kind of fatal mimicry. Many biological and ecological aspects of the viper including conservation status, exact distribution, reproductive strategy, annual cycles, molecular systematics, and population genetics are unknown but being investigated by Behzad Fathinia, Razi University, Kermanshah, Iran. Photograph: Behzad Fathinia. Amphibian & Reptile Conservation—Worldwide Community-Supported Herpetological Conservation (ISSN: 1083-446X; eISSN: 1525-9153) is published by Craig Hassapakis/Amphibian & Reptile Conservation as full issues at least twice yearly (semi-annually or more often depend- ing on needs) and papers are immediately released as they are finished on our website; http://amphibian-reptile-conservation.org; email: arc. [email protected] Amphibian & Reptile Conservation is published as an open access journal. Please visit the official journal website at: http://amphibian-reptile- conservation.org Instructions to Authors: Amphibian & Reptile Conservation accepts manuscripts on the biology of amphibians and reptiles, with emphasis on conservation, sustainable management, and biodiversity. Topics in these areas can include: taxonomy and phylogeny, species inventories, distri- bution, conservation, species profiles, ecology, natural history, sustainable management, conservation breeding, citizen science, social network- ing, and any other topic that lends to the conservation of amphibians and reptiles worldwide. Prior consultation with editors is suggested and important if you have any questions and/or concerns about submissions. Further details on the submission of a manuscript can best be obtained by consulting a current published paper from the journal and/or by accessing Instructions for Authors at the Amphibian and Reptile Conservation website: http://amphibian-reptile-conservation.org/submissions.html © Craig Hassapakis/Amphibian & Reptile Conservation Copyright: © 2012 Hassapakis and Clark. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, Amphibian & Reptile Conservation 5(1): i. provided the original author and source are credited. Editorial Amphibian & Reptile Conservation continues to publish The future is bright for Amphibian & Reptile Conser- relevant topical issues for herpetological conservation vation that specializes in producing papers of relevance including those on the countries of Iran (this issue), Sri and impact toward perpetuating herpetological biodiver- Lanka (following issue), and general interest papers on sity. Amphibian & Reptile Conservation will continue to the biodiversity and sustainability of amphibian and rep- publish the best in papers that present information dis- tilian species worldwide. Other issues currently publish- tinguished by numerous full-color photographs, excellent ing papers are on the topics of: Conservation Breeding graphic design, and a superior distributional network. We Programs, Giant Salamanders, and our first Global issue aim for the widest global readership through open access (No. 1) for papers (all issues dated 2012-2013) that do publishing and supported by our large social networks. not fit a topical issue.Amphibian & Reptile Conservation As the readership of Amphibian & Reptile Conserva- will continue to release new papers as they are completed tion increases, we extend an open invitation for those who through 2013 on these subjects. see our vision of producing and publishing Amphibian Amphibian & Reptile Conservation is experiencing & Reptile Conservation as a major contributor to her- tremendous growth and this is due to the hard work and petological conservation and our ever expanding global recent additions of many new editors and advisors. Among audience to support this vision. these important additions are Howard Clark as our new graphic designer who has shown unmatched commitment Craig Hassapakis, Editor, Publisher, and Founder and expertise in developing Amphibian & Reptile Con- Howard O. Clark, Jr., Associate Editor servation into a major herpetological publication. Amphib. Reptile Conserv. | amphibian-reptile-conservation.org i August 2012 | Volume 5 | Number 1 | e48 Copyright: © 2012 Anderson. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the Amphibian & Reptile Conservation 5(1): ii. original author and source are credited. Guest Editorial: Iran Issue When most people think of Iran, they envision a hot, dry Some additional cultural and economic changes have land. Although much of the central area of the country fits strongly influenced the development of interest in wild- this concept, Iran has a great geographical diversity and life and conservation in Iran. The growth of an educated a corresponding floral and faunal diversity as well. Ow- middle class, along with access to modern field vehicles, ing to the many geographically and ecologically distinct cameras, climbing gear, GPS, etc., has created a genera- regions, a high percentage of the small animal species, in- tion of outdoor sportspersons with an appreciation and cluding amphibians and reptiles, are limited, or endemic, respect for nature. For example, there are now excellent to these areas. Because there is a long tectonic history of photographs available of most categories of animals. southwestern Asia, a result of collisions of Eurasia with The papers in the current issue reflect something of the African and Indian plates and the near closing of the the variety of herpetological projects being carried out Tethys Sea, the region is a crossroads of distributions of currently by Iranian herpetological specialists. Few of the the faunas, especially at the generic level, of animals orig- papers here can be characterized as conventional “con- inating in these three geographic realms. These genera servation studies” investigating the broader issues of have diverged during the periods of mountain and high herpetological conservation. However, to be meaningful plateau uplift and subsequent erosion to plains of great conservation studies require descriptive data of species soil diversity, from course pebbles to aeolian deposits of and habitats, species distribution, and syntopy, and these sand and loess. Changes in elevation and changes in cli- are the kinds of studies represented in this issue (Iran) of mate have created both barriers to and reconnections of Amphibian & Reptile Conservation. faunal distributions. This paleogeographic dynamism has As in most countries, conservation efforts for amphib- resulted in the greatest faunal diversity within the western ians and reptiles are incidental to conservation of larger Palearctic Realm. species of wildlife, for which protected areas are desig- Although