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PROCEEDINGS OF THE CALIFORNIA ACADEMY OF SCIENCES 
Series 4, Volume 64, No. 8 
species now regarded as primarily East African in distribution and extending northwards to the Nile 
Delta region (Schatti, 1988), with disjunct forms in Nigeria and Cameroon (Sindaco et al. 2013), 
and according to Schatti (2004) Schleich (1987) confused one specimen of Hemorrhois algirus for 
P. rogersi (ZSM 1983/151) (see Werner 1909 for a discussion of early records of Zamenis [or Col¬ 
uber ] algirus). Schatti (2006) regarded P. rogersi as conspecific with P. ventromaculatus (Gray, 
1834) and Schatti and Schmitz (2006) suggested that P chesneii (Martin, 1838) might be the cor¬ 
rect name for the northeast African and Middle Eastern snakes related to this taxon. Schatti et al. 
(2012), however, referred populations of P. cf. ventromaculatus occurring from Libya to southern 
Syria and Jordan to P. karelini rogersi, which they regarded as distinguished only by subtle color 
pattern differences from the nominate form occurring in Asia. Schatti et al. (2013) have since con¬ 
firmed that the name P chesneii applies to another species from Iran and Pakistan. However, Sin¬ 
daco et al. (2013), based on Schatti’s earlier interpretation, used Platyceps “chesneii ” for the North 
African and Middle Eastern forms and suggested that records from Iran, Pakistan, Afghanistan and 
Middle Asia are referable to other, unnamed, members of the P. karelini group. Most recently 
Schatti et al. (2014) considered the distribution of C. karelini to extend from Libya to Lake Balqash 
(Kazakhstan) and Pakistan. Ibrahim (2013) and Werner (2016), however, have subsequently treat¬ 
ed P. rogersi as a full species. The sister-taxon relationship between P karelini and P rogersi had 
earlier demonstrated by Nagy et al. (2004). 
IUCN Threat Status. — Least Concern. 
Platyceps saharicus Schatti and McCarthy 2004:693, fig. 1 
Playceps saharicus Schatti and McCarthy 2004. Saharo-Arabian racers of the Platyceps rhodorachis complex 
- description of a new species (Reptilia: Squamata: Colubrinae). Revue Suisse de Zoologie, 111: 
691-705. 
Holotype.— FMNH 72108, “Egypt: St. Catherine’s Monastery area, Wadi el Sheikh” [Sinai]. 
Coluber rhodorachis rhodorachis, Kramer and Schnurrenberger 1963:501. 
Coluber rhodorachis, Le Berre 1989:286. 
Coluber rhodorachis, Schleich, Kastle, and Kabisch 1996:484. 
Platyceps saharicus, Sindaco, Venchi, and Grieco 2013:131 
Distribution.— Southern Israel, Palestinian Authority (West Bank), southern Jordan and 
northwestern Saudi Arabia, through Sinai and Egypt (and far northern Sudan) east of the Nile. Scat¬ 
tered western records in southeastern Algeria, southern Libya, and northern Chad (Schatti and 
McCarthy 2004; Geniez and Gauthier 2008). Material cited from Eritrea and Ethiopia by Largen 
and Spawls (2010) as P rhodorachis has been provisionally assigned to P. tessellatus by Perry 
(2012) [= P saharicus sensu Schatti et al. 2014, see Comments below], but retained in P rhodor¬ 
achis by Sindaco et al. (2013). Records supposedly attributable to this taxon, regardless of the 
name applied to it, from as far east as Afghanistan (Baha El Din 2006a) have been called into ques¬ 
tion (see Werner 2016). Perry’s (2012) mention of record(s) from Oman appears to be in error and 
Omani records in the P. rhodorachis group have been considered of uncertain taxonomic status by 
Sindaco et al. (2013). The sole specific Libyan record is based on MZUF 00659 from Ayn Murr 
(Scortecci 1935c) (see Comments). 
Libyan Records (Map 54): CYRENAICA: Kufrah : 580: MZUF 00659 [a paratype of Platy¬ 
ceps saharicus Schatti and McCarthy, 2004]; Scortecci 1935c; Zavattari 1937; Schatti and 
McCarthy 2004; Perry 2012. “Cyrenaica”: Sochurek 1979. 
Comments. — Schatti and McCarthy (2004) distinguished P. saharicus from true P. rhodor¬ 
achis, now considered restricted to Iran and northeastern Iraq, and through Middle Asia to south- 
