In the present study we use an unprecedented database of 5,535 distributional records to infer the diversity, ecological preferences and spatial distribution of the 60 species of terrestrial reptiles of the United Arab Emirates (UAE), and use the 57 native species to test the effectiveness of the protected areas’ network in conserving this unique vertebrate fauna. We infer a time-calibrated phylogeny with 146 species of squamates and 15 genes including all UAE terrestrial reptile species to determine the phylogenetic diversity (PD) and evolutionary distinctiveness (ED) of the native species and to compare it with the distribution of the hotspots of native species richness. The results of this study indicate that the sampling effort is remarkable, covering 75% of the country’s territory representing nearly the entire climatic space of the UAE defined by the mean annual temperature and the total annual precipitation, as well as the multivariate climatic space defined by a principal component analysis (PCA). Species richness is highest in the northeast of the country, in a transitional area from sandy desert to the mountainous terrain of the Hajar Mountains. The highest PD of a single square cell of 10 arc-minutes grid is of 2,430 million years (my) of accumulated evolutionary history and the strong correlation between PD and species richness suggests that the raw number of species is a good surrogate to quantify the evolutionary history (i.e., PD). The species with the highest values of ED are those in families represented by only one species in the UAE. Finally, the assessment of the UAE protected areas shows that, despite their relevance in protecting the terrestrial reptiles, they do not offer adequate protection for some threatened species. Therefore, a reassessment of some of the protected areas or the creation of species specific conservation action plans are recommended in order to ensure the preservation of the unique diversity of UAE terrestrial reptiles.

Aim: Deserts are generally perceived as areas of low diversity, and hence receive little attention from researchers and conservationists. Squamates are the dominant group of vertebrates in arid regions, and as such represent an ideal model to study biodiversity patterns in these areas. We examine spatial patterns of diversity, evolutionary history and endemism of terrestrial squamates of the Arabian Peninsula and test hypotheses on the role of topography and history of isolation so as to identify possible environmental drivers of diversification. Location:The Arabian Peninsula.Taxon: Squamate reptiles (Squamata; lizards and snakes). Methods:We generated distribution maps for all Arabian squamate species (including yet undescribed) and reconstructed their phylogenetic relationships using existing and newly produced genetic data for nearly all the species. We assessed patterns of the distribution of species richness, phylogenetic diversity and phylogenetic endemism across the peninsula to identify areas that could be considered evolutionary or endemicity hotspots for squamates. We evaluated community turnover across the peninsula and assessed the possible environmental drivers affecting the diversity of Arabian squamates in a regression framework. Results:The main hotspots of Arabian squamate diversity are mostly along the mountains that rim the peninsula while the most arid, central regions support a low diversity of species. The distribution of the phylogenetic diversity mirrors that of the species richness. Phylogenetic endemism is also highest in the mountains, especially when only endemic species are analysed. The deserts of northern Arabia are poor in terms of species richness and they show low connectivity to the peninsular communities.Topographic heterogeneity is the strongest predictor for Arabian squamates, followed by elevation. There is no correlation between richness and temperature. Main conclusions: The mountains of Arabia support rich and unique squamate communities that are dominated by local radiations of closely related and narrow-ranging species. In particular, the Asir Mountains of SW Arabia, Dhofar Province of Oman and

The genus Psammodromus (Lacertidae) comprises six species. Three of the species are morphologically similar, phylogenetically closely related, and are distributed in the Iberian Peninsula (besides P. algirus): P. occidentalis (Western Iberia), P. hispanicus (Central Spain), and P. edwarsianus (Eastern Spain). Previous studies have shown these three species to have allopatric distributions in Iberia, though there are still many areas such as Andalucía where it is unclear which species of Psammodromus occurs. In this study we present nine new records of Psammodromus from key places in southern Spain. Since the three Iberian species are difficult to differentiate by morphology, specimens were genetically identified using mitochondrial DNA data and compared to all six species of the genus. Here we present an updated distribution map of Psammodromus specimens identified with molecular methods, increasing the ranges of all three species. We also propose wider regions of potential sympatry between P. occidentalis and P. hispanicus, and P. edwarsianus and P. hispanicus than previously recorded.