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Background The Slender racer (Orientocoluber spinalis Peters, 1866) has recently been reclassified to the new genus Orientocoluber from Hierophis. Ecological knowledge of this species is limited due to its highly mobile behavior. On 17 July 2020, we captured a female O. spinalis on Oeyeon Island, Boryeong-si, Republic of Korea, and collected its feces for a diet analysis. We observed snake scales from the collected feces and subsequently determined the prey species through morphological and molecular methods. Results We initially hypothesized that the extracted fecal sample scales belonged to H. vibakari, due to their thin keel and rhombus shape. We also amplified H. vibakari DNA from the extracted fecal sample using Illumina sequencing methods. Our morphological and molecular results suggest that O. spinalis predates H. vibakari on Oeyeon Island. Conclusion This is the first report of O. spinalis predating another snake species, ophiophagy, and implies that H. vibakari may be a crucial prey item for O. spinalis on Oeyeon Island.

The skull osteology of Hierophis viridiflavus is here described and figured in detail on the basis of 18 specimens. The sample includes specimens from the ranges of both H. viridiflavus viridiflavus and H. viridiflavus carbonarius as well as specimens not identified at sub-specific level. The main characters that define H. viridiflavus in comparison to the parapatric congeneric species Hierophis gemonensis are wide maxillary diastema, basioccipital crest well distinct in three lobes and basioccipital process well marked. The foramina of the otoccipital and prootic, and the basioccipital process of the basioccipital are among the most ontogenetically variable characters, as indicated by two juvenile specimens included in the sample. A specimen-level phylogenetic analysis including H. gemonensis and other outgroups (overall 6 species, 26 specimens, 64 skull characters) recovered all H. viridiflavus specimens in one clade, indicating the presence of a clear phylogenetic signal in the applied characters. However, the resolution within the H. viridiflavus clade is poor the monophyly of H. viridiflavus carbonarius was retrieved, but not that of Hierophis v. viridiflavus. Probably due to the relatively high variability, the skull morphology does not support the recently proposed specific status of the two subspecies.

Knowledge gaps regarding species distribution and abundance are great in remote regions with political instability, and they might be even larger concerning elusive and rare species. We predict the potential distribution for Hierophis andreanus, a poorly known endemic snake in the Iranian Plateau, and assess its conservation status in relation to existing protected areas. We used a maximum entropy modeling tool and Mahalanobis distance to produce an ensemble species distribution model. The most suitable habitats where located mainly in mountain ranges and adjacent areas of Iran and Afghanistan. Mean temperature and slope were the most important predictors for our models. Furthermore, just five localities for H. andreanus were inside the Iranian protected areas. A 10 km expansion from existing boundaries of protected areas in all directions would double protected localities to 10, and a 20 km buffer would result in 13 protected localities. Our findings are particularly valuable to select locations to conduct new surveys and produce a more reliable estimate of current population size to improve conservation and management for this reptile in the Irano-Anatolian region.

Hierophis andreanus (Werner, 1917) Zamenis andreanus Werner, 1917: 207. COMMON NAME. — Andreas’ Racer. SYNTYPE. — ZFMK 31600. TYPE LOCALITY. — Southern parts of the Zagros Mountains. DISTRIBUTION. — Bushehr, Fars, Ilam, Kerman, Kermanshah, and Lorestan Provinces (Rajabizadeh & Rastegar-Pouyani 2009, Fathinia et al. 2010; Torki 2010b). HABITAT. — Rocky areas and human habitations in the Zagros Mountains (Fathinia et al. 2010), to the elevation of 2000 m a.s.l. (Rajabizadeh & Rastegar-Pouyani 2009). IUCN. — Least concern. REFERENCES. — Werner (1917); Rajabizadeh & Rastegar-Pouyani (2009), Fathinia et al. (2010), Torki (2010b)., Published as part of Eskandarzadeh, Naeimeh, Rastegar-Pouyani, Nasrullah, Rastegar-Pouyani, Eskandar, Fathinia, Behzad, Bahmani, Zahed, Hamidi, Kordiyeh & Gholamifard, Ali, 2018, Annotated checklist of the endemic Tetrapoda species of Iran, pp. 507-537 in Zoosystema 40 (24) on page 524, DOI: 10.5252/zoosystema2018v40a24, http://zenodo.org/record/4336795, {"references":["FATHINIA B., RASTEGAR- POUYANI N., DARVISHNIA H. & RAJABIZA- DEH M. 2010. - The snake fauna of Ilam Province, southwestern Iran. Iranian Journal of Animal Biosystematics 6 (1): 9 - 23."]}

Due to their particular phylogenetic position and biological characteristics, squamate reptiles and, in particular, snakes are becoming an increasingly important model for fields such as evolutionary biology, molecular ecology and adaptation. Recently, during a study to analyze the evolutionary history of European whip snakes, we found a LINE1 (L1)-like sequence (GenBank accession no. LM644476), herein called TRL1L, and while there are data on the abundance of L1 in snakes, their genomic and chromosome localization is still largely unexplored. We therefore performed a study to obtain information on TRL1L abundance, distribution and conservation in snake species, belonging to the Colubridae, Lamprophiidae and Viperidae families, using quantitative dot-blot and fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH). TRL1L showed a high identity with homologous segments of L1s of lizards the Anolis carolinensis and Lacerta agilis and the zebrafish Danio rerio. The discovered sequences are truncated L1 elements which occur with a low copy number, about 0.1% of the genome of the species studied. This evidence suggests that L1 retroposons have a similar landscape in lizard and snake genomes, probably because similar processes limited L1 distribution in their genomes. TRL1L showed a non-random chromosome distribution pattern. It was scarcely located on autosomes and on the euchromatic W chromosome of Cerastes vipera, while mostly found on the heterochromatic W chromosome of Hierophis carbonarius and Elaphe quatuorlineata. Our data support the hypothesis that a ‘purifying selection’ against the accumulation of L1 elements takes place in recombining regions and highlight the possible role of these elements in the differentiation processes of the snake heterochromatic W chromosome. Interestingly, the preferential distribution of TRL1L on the heterochromatic W chromosomes of the studied snakes appears to be similar to that observed in mammals for L1 accumulation on differentiated Y chromosomes. This finding suggests that a convergent process may have taken place in the differentiation of vertebrate heterochromatic sex chromosomes

In this work, we performed a biogeographic analysis with Bayesian binary MCMC (BBM) statistical dispersal-vicariance analysis (S-DIVA) and species distribution models (SDM) on three phylogenetically closely related Mediterranean whipsnakes (Hierophis gemonensis, H. carbonarius, H. viridiflavus), to investigate the pathways of their geographical diversification and locate putative refugial areas in the last glacial maximum (LGM). Our analysis suggests that the diversification processes between the studied species overall followed an east-west route, from eastern Greece to the Iberian Peninsula and continental France, highlighting a significant role of dispersal and vicariance processes at both inter- and intraspecific levels. In particular, the main lineage-splitting events between H. gemonensis, H. carbonarius and H. viridiflavus coincide with two events of vicariance, involving respectively eastern Greece and eastern Italy, and eastern Italy and western Italy, Iberian Peninsula and continental France. SDM analyses highlight the occurrence of multiple putative glacial refugia in the Balkans, Italy and southern France, which represent well the occurrence of distinct "refugia within refugia" in the main Mediterranean peninsulas. Furthermore, our results suggest how these refugia may have played an important role during the Quaternary climatic oscillations in shaping the current haplotype distribution of European whipsnakes. © 2018 Elsevier GmbH.

A phylogeographic analysis of eight species complexes of European reptiles was performed using different molecular methods. While mitochondrial genes (mainly cytochrome b sequences) enabled conclusions about phylogeography and differentiation, additional application of bisexually inherited markers provided information about speciation stages. As species with similar distribution patterns in southern and Central Europe were selected, matching phylogeographic patterns are useful for drawing general conclusions: (1) The species complexes are in different stages of speciation. In some cases, cryptic species were detected. (2) Highest genetic diversity occurs in southern Europe, the Near East and the Caucasus, regions corresponding with glacial refuges in the Iberian, Apennine and Balkan Peninsulas as well as in Turkey and the Caucasus. Often, several microrefugia must have existed in close neighbourhood. Additional microrefugia were located in southern France and in the Carpathian Basin. (3) North Africa and the Middle East did not serve as glacial refuges for Central or northern European lineages and are typically inhabited by independent clades. (4) Evidence for multiple range retractions and expansions, which were postulated for the times of Pleistocene climatic oscillations, could be found in the Balkans, but in Central Europe their traces have been wiped out by the last glacial. Only the Holocene invasion has left imprints in the genomes from this area. (5) Central and northern Europe were recolonized from Balkan and Pontic refugia in the Holocene.

The concept of evolutionary convergence in morphological traits among phylogenetically unrelated organisms because of their ecological similarities is one of the most venerable in evolutionary ecology, and indeed has attracted the attention of ecologists for a long time. The ‘whip snakes’ are phylogenetically unrelated, morphologically and ecologically convergent species, which are characterized by slender bodies, long tails, large eyes, alertness, diurnality, saurophagy, oviparity, and rapid movement. It has been hypothesized that their morphology has evolved as a response preying on quick-running diurnal prey, mainly lizards. Here I compared two species of saurophagous whip snakes, the European Coluber ( Hierophis ) viridiflavus and the African Psammophis phillipsii . I explored whether the proximate factors which influence the presence of the two species in their natural habitat are the same in both Mediterranean central Italy ( Coluber viridiflavus ) and in tropical Nigeria ( Psammophis phillipsii ). I also used as control two other species of colubrids, Natrix natrix in Italy and Lamprophis fuliginosus in Nigeria. I selected 11 independent variables that are general for both study systems, and that are easily identified for their presence/absence in/around the site of capture of each snake specimen, and then explored the effects of these variables on the presence of the two species using a robust statistical design, i.e. a forward stepwise logistic regression model. My modelling analyses indicated that two variables influenced positively (i.e. the presence of lizards (LIZ) and of tall grass (GRS)), and one influenced negatively (the presence of water bodies (WBS)), the African species' presence. With regard to the European species, only two variables influenced positively and significantly the snakes presence, i.e. LIZ and GRS. Overall, the comparison of the two models clearly showed that both species' presence was influenced exactly by the same variables, despite the different continents and environmental conditions. The two control species were influenced by entirely different variables. Hence, robust modelling statistics revealed a extreme ecological similarity between the phylogenetically unrelated Psammophis and Coluber , clearly indicating that their peculiar morphologies have evolved to prey a rapid moving type of diurnal prey (lizards) in a specific type of microhabitat (tall grass). As there was no significant correlation between LIZ and GRS, hence the positive influence of GRS on both the snake species' presence cannot be considered as a mere correlate of the LIZ variable, but is likely that the peculiar morphological adaptations of these snakes are particularly efficient in this type of microhabitat compared to others.

Four protein-encoding mitochondrial genes (cytochrome b, NADH-dehydrogenase subunits 1, 2 and 4) and one nuclear (c-mos) gene were sequenced to infer phylogenetic relationships among Old and New World representatives of racers and whipsnakes, Coluber (sensu lato). New World Coluber (Coluber sensu stricto, including Masticophis) and Salvadora proved to have affinities with the Old World non-racer colubrine genus Ptyas (and possibly Elaphe s.l. and Coronella), whereas Old World ‘Coluber’ form several basally related clades; these are (1) Hemorrhois(Spalerosophis-Platyceps); (2) Hierophis, with Eirenis nested within this paraphyletic genus and (3) ‘Coluber’ dorri as the sister taxon to Macroprotodon cucullatus. The position of ‘Coluber’ zebrinus along with Hemerophis socotrae located at the base of the Old World racer radiation forming the possible sister group to all remaining Palearctic racers and whipsnakes remains less well supported. Nevertheless, inter- and subgeneric relationships among many of the Old World racer groups have been resolved.

Morphological and molecular data of Coluber (sensu lato) andreanus and all recognised species of the Palaearctic whip snake genus Hierophis Fitzinger are presented. Morphologically, Andreas' racer shows remarkable similarities to dwarf snakes (Eirenis spp., Pseudocyclophis persicus). Derived conditions of head and body pholidosis including dorsal scale reduction pattern and the number of apical pits separate Eirenis Jan and C. (s.l.) andreanus from Hierophis spp. Character states strongly support sister group relationship of dwarf snakes to Andreas' racer. Molecular analyses confirm monophyly of Hierophis spp., C. (s.l.) andreanus, and dwarf snakes of the genus Eirenis, and paraphyly of Hierophis auct. MtDNA sequences indicate a basal position of the eastern Palaearctic H. spinalis vis-a-vis the western species group (H. cypriensis, H. gemonensis, H. viridiflavus). These taxa belong to an early radiation within whip and dwarf snakes. The eastern Mediterranean H. caspius, H. jugularis, and H. schmidti appear to represent a paraphyletic grouping including C. (s.l.) andreanus (12S rDNA sequence data). Conflicting molecular and morphological results are discussed and the character phylogeny of external morphological features is re-assessed.

External morphology, skull bones, vertebrae, visceral topography and hemipenis features of the Sokotra racer were examined. Considerable differences exist vis-a-vis Palaearctic and East African racers and the insular species is thus referred to a monotypic genus, Hemerophis. The isolated position of H. socotrae (Gunther, 1881) is confirmed by nucleotide sequences of two mitochondrial genes, cytochrome c oxydase I and 12S rRNA. As to its phylogenetic relationship, H. socotrae requires further comparison with Afrotropical colubrids. Based on morphology and molecular data (mtDNA), the whip snake Tyria najadum Eichwald and related eastern Mediterranean species, the East African Coluber florulentus group, and the Arabian endemics Zamenis elegantissimus Gunther and Z. variabilis Boulenger are referred to Platyceps Blyth. Hemorrhois Boie is composed of the western H. algirus (Jan) and H. hippocrepis (Linnaeus), and an eastern subgroup with H. nummifer (Reuss) and H. ravergieri (Menetries). Hemorrhois and Platyceps spp. belong to a monophyletic group including the mainly SaharoSindian genus Spalerosophis Jan. The composition and systematic content of Hierophis Fitzinger remain unclear. To judge from mtDNA data, eastern Mediterranean species including H. caspius (Gmelin) are much closer to Eirenis modestus (Martin) than to the purely European H. gemonensis (Laurenti) and H. viridiflavus (Lacepede). Additional studies with more taxa are necessary to scrutinize the sister group relationship of Eirenis Jan with Hierophis spp. and to assess their phylogenetic affinities with other Palaearctic racer genera.