Ablepharus rueppellii, or Rüppell's Snake-eyed Skink is a species of skink found in the Middle East. It was formerly considered a subspecies of Ablepharus kitaibelii, but has since been distinguished. It is possible that what is currently recognized as this species is actually two distinct species.

Range

It is found throughout north and central Israel, western Jordan, and the Sinai Peninsula of Egypt. There has also been one unconfirmed sighting in southern Lebanon. It is also possible that it lives in Syria, though this is also unconfirmed. In the areas where it can be found, it is generally uncommon. It is found in the leaf litter of forested or shrubby areas, and in Egypt it is usually found near oases. It is highly localized in densely vegetated areas.

In Israel the species is common and can be found in cities. It is one of the few reptiles capable of living in areas afforested with Aleppo pine (These are very widespread in Israel).

Possible Threats

There are few threats to the species as a whole, though deforestation and loss of traditionally farmed orchards may affect specific populations. The species is protected by legislation in Israel.

References

1. ^ Werner, Y., Disi, M., Mousa Disi, A.M., Crochet, P-A. & El Din, S.B. (2008). Ablepharus rueppellii. In: IUCN 2008. IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Retrieved 18 February 2009.

• Gray, J.E. 1839. Catalogue of the slender-tongued saurians, with descriptions of many new genera and species. Ann. Mag. Nat. Hist. (1)2: 331–337 (287–293)
• Lymberakis, P. and Kalionzopoulou, A. 2003. Additions to the herpetofauna of Syria. Zoology in the Middle East 29: 33–39.
• Schmidtler, J.F. 1997. Die Ablepharus kitaibelii - Gruppe in Süd-Anatolien und benachbarten Gebieten (Squamata: Sauria: Scinidae). Herpetozoa 10(1/2):35-63

Eukaryota

Ablepharus kitaibelii, the European copper skink, Juniper skink or European Snake-eyed skink, is a species of lizards from the skink family (Scincidae).

This small, slender lizard grows up to 15 cm long, and lives in Eastern Europe and southwestern Asia. It is native to Greece (including the Aegean Islands), Cyprus, Romania, Bulgaria, the former Yugoslavia, Hungary, Albania, the Czech Republic, Slovakia, the Caucasus, Turkey, Syria, Israel, Jordan, Lebanon, the Sinai Peninsula of Egypt and possibly Iraq. The fitzingeri subspecies is known from Slovakia, Hungary, Greece and the island of Corfu. The stepaneki subspecies is known from Bulgaria and Romania.

It is a shy species, which lives under stones and leaves in dry places, such as south slopes, fields, and meadows. The skin is bronze coloured, with dark sides. The eyelids are immovable, in contrast to many other skinks.

A. kitaibelii is active during twilight, and hunts for insects and small snails. It is a typical ground dweller, and dislikes climbing. The species is protected. Many former subspecies have been promoted to categorization as species, such as Ablepharus rueppellii and Ablepharus budaki.

References

• Species Ablepharus kitaibelii at The Reptile Database