Range extension and habitat suitability modeling of the horned spider-tailed viper, Pseudocerastes urarachnoides
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.22855586Keywords:
Road construction, habitat destruction, potential distribution, venomous snakeAbstract
The horned spider-tailed viper (Pseudocerastes urarachnoides), a Near Threatened endemic species of the Zagros Mountains, is renowned for its unique caudal luring adaptation that mimics a spider to attract prey. This study provides the first documented record of the species in Kermanshah Province, Iran, adding two new locality records (four specimens) to the existing dataset and modeling its potential distribution using the Maximum Entropy (MaxEnt) approach. Based on 40 occurrence records and 21 environmental and topographical variables, the MaxEnt model showed excellent predictive performance, as indicated by a high average Area Under the Curve (AUC=0.968± 0.011). The analysis identified Slope (51.7%) and mean temperature of the coldest quarter of the year (Bio11, 34.7%) as the most influential predictors, collectively contributing 86.4% to the model. These results suggest that the species distribution is associated with specific topographic and thermal regimes. The findings expand the known ecological range of P. urarachnoides and highlight its presence in habitats characterized by steep slopes and limestone substrates. Notably, these identified suitable habitats are increasingly threatened by anthropogenic activities. Specifically, road construction in the region poses a severe risk of habitat destruction and fragmentation. This study underscores the urgent need for targeted conservation measures and monitoring of these newly identified populations in Kermanshah Province.
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