Zuhair Sami Amr

The psammophilous colubrid genus Lytorhynchus is widely distributed in the deserts of the Saharo‐Sindian region and adjacent areas. The taxonomy of the genus and the number of recognised species have remained unstable since the last taxonomic revision in 1970, with differing views on the taxonomic status of L. gaddi and L. kennedyi . As no comprehensive study has included all species in a phylogenetic context, we present here the first phylogenetic and biogeographical hypothesis for all but one recognised species ( L. gasperetti ) based on three mitochondrial and four nuclear genetic markers. Our time‐calibrated phylogeny revealed that the genus originated in the late Oligocene–early Miocene, with an ancestral geographic range within the present‐day Irano‐Turanian region. Most diversification events occurred during the Miocene and were likely driven by tectonic movements, mountain uplifts, and increasing aridification across the region. Our results are largely congruent with the traditional taxonomic concept of the genus and its recognised species. Phylogenetic analyses recovered L. gaddi and L. kennedyi as distinct lineages separate from L. diadema , with which they were previously treated as synonyms, subspecies or colour variants. However, this distinction is not fully reflected in all the nuclear loci or in species delimitation analyses, possibly due to limited sampling and incomplete lineage sorting. Accordingly, species‐level status for both taxa is provisionally proposed pending further investigation.

Despite its small size, Palestine is very rich in biodiversity relative to its latitude due to its geographical position – a land bridge between Eurasia and Africa – and its geologic history and features. Despite this richness, the environment has been declining over the past few decades due to a combination of various factors such as, land fragmentation, climate change, habitat destruction, a dramatic increase in human population, invasive species, wars/conflict, and overexploitation of resources. This chapter) briefly reviews these challenges through ecological, political, and institutional lenses, drawing on published literature and research carried out by the Palestine Institute for Biodiversity and Sustainability (PIBS), 2) examines lessons learned from attempts to conserve nature under these difficult circumstances, and 3) conducts a strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats (SWOT) analysis and makes reasoned recommendations for strengthening conservation through community engagement, restoration, transboundary coordination by incorporating indigenous knowledge, nature-based solutions, and scientific capacity building.

A new species of Scorpio Linnaeus, 1758 is described from Al Ula Governorate, Al Madinah Province, Saudi Arabia. Scorpio furvus sp. nov. is distinguished from closely related congeners, including S. fuscus, S. kruglovi, S. palmatus, S. jordanensis, and S. yemenensis, by a unique combination of morphological characters notably the granulation pattern of the pedipalp chela, metasomal proportions, pectinal structure and length, and overall dark coloration. Morphometric comparisons further support its distinct status. The discovery of this species highlights the underestimated diversity of the genus Scorpio in the Arabian Peninsula and reinforces the view that the Scorpio maurus complex comprises multiple geographically restricted taxa requiring continued integrative taxonomic investigation.

Background: The striped hyena (Hyaena hyaena) occurs in a wide range from north and east Africa, through southwest Asia to India, but its distribution is increasingly patchy and many of its populations are in decline due to intense human pressure. Its genetic diversity and structure, phylogeography, and evolutionary history, remain poorly understood. Methods: In this study, we investigated mitochondrial DNA variation in Algerian striped hyenas. Moreover, with the aim of contributing to our understanding of the evolutionary history of the species, we also examined samples from other geographic regions and compared our results with those of the only previous study in which individuals from across the range of the species were analyzed. In particular, we performed a wide range of analyses of demographic history and estimation of the age of the extant mitochondrial DNA variation. Results and Conclusions: The Algerian population sample was monomorphic. Overall, the global patterns of genetic diversity and the results of some demographic history analyses support a scenario of population growth in the species, estimated to have occurred in the Late Pleistocene, but many of the analyses did not detect a significant signal of growth, most likely a result of the limited power provided by a small number of segregating sites. The estimates, from three different methods, for the time to the most recent common ancestor (TMRCA) of the mitochondrial DNA variation hovered around 400 ka, coinciding with one of the longest and warmest interglacials of the last 800,000 years, with environmental conditions similar to the Holocene.

The herpetofauna of nine Saudi Arabian islands in the Arabian Gulf was studied. A total of 20 species of amphibians and reptiles within 12 families was reported. The number of species per island ranged from one in four islands to 11 in Tarout Island and tended to increase with island area. The colonization of species was made possible by human introduction, especially of geckos. A classification based on species presence/absence data ranked the islands according to their similarity, geographical location, size, and human use, which influenced reptile communities. A comparison between the reptiles on other islands belonging to the United Arab Emirates, Kuwait, and Iran in the Arabian Gulf was also presented.

The cheetah ( Acinonyx jubatus ) experienced a steep population decline and has been extirpated from 98% of their historical range, including the Arabian Peninsula, where it played a role as top predator maintaining healthy food webs and ungulate populations. The serendipitous discovery of seven naturally mummified cheetah in caves along with skeletal remains of 54 cheetah, along with their putative prey, in the Northern region of Saudi Arabia provided an unexpected opportunity to study the genetic make-up of Arabian cheetah to inform conservation measures. The mummified cheetahs, the first reported natural mummification of a large felid, showed ¹⁴ C calibrated ages dated 4223 ± 40 years BP to 127 ± 40 years BP. Full genome sequence of the mummified cheetahs showed that only the youngest individual clustered with A. j. venaticus (the Asian subspecies) while the older samples analyzed clustered with North-western African cheetah ( A. j. hecki ). These results show that rewilding efforts, believed to be hindered until recently by the exceedingly low population size of Asian cheetah, can be sourced from captive breeding of the closest subspecies of the discovered cheetahs. Our results highlight the important role arid soil caves may play as repositories of ancient biodiversity informing, in the absence of benchmarks, conservation and rewilding efforts.

The insectivores (order Eulipotyphla) of Saudi Arabia consist of six species in four genera within two families (Erinaceidae and Soricidae). Details on the past and present distribution of the insectivores are included as well as illustrations for each species, along with available data on their habitat preferences and biology. The Ethiopian hedgehog, Paraechinus aethiopicus, was the most common species inhabiting the arid deserts of Saudi Arabia. An analysis of the insectivorous fauna of Saudi Arabia revealed that they have two major zoogeographical affinities: the Palaearctic (Hemiechinus auratus, Paraechinus hypomelas and Crocidura gueldenstaedtii) and Afrotropical–Palaearctic (Paraechinus aethiopicus), which are endemic to the Arabian Peninsula (Crocidura dhofarensis), and one introduced species (Suncus murinus). Southwestern Saudi Arabia has the highest species richness. The Arabian white-toothed shrew, Crocidura arabica, is expected to occur in the extreme southwest. The conservation status and threats affecting insectivores in Saudi Arabia are highlighted.

Several new populations of Leiurus were studied from various habitats in Jordan, including specimens previously identified as Leiurus quinquestriatus (Ehrenberg, 1828) and Leiurus hebraeus (Birula, 1908). A new species, Leiurus aylaensis sp. n. is described from Aqaba in southern Jordan, and Leiurus abdullahbayrami Yağmur, Koç & Kunt, 2009 is recorded in Jordan for the first time, extending its geographical range from Türkiye, Syria and Lebanon to the south. A detailed illustration of Leiurus hebraeus (Birula, 1908) and Leiurus jordanensis Lourenço, Modrý & Amr, 2002 are also provided. Biological and geographical notes are also provided.

A checklist of the wild mammals of Syria including their current status and geographical distribution is provided. Data related to 110 mammalian species were collected following a comprehensive review of available literature records, grey data, and online observations combined with photographic evidence and in situ surveys carried out between 2006 and 2023. The checklist comprises seven orders, 36 families, 73 genera (subgenera), and 110 species, and includes data on 15 globally threatened species of wild mammals. Overall, we report up-to-date information on taxonomic revisions, historical and current geographical range, as well as the conservation status recently assessed by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) for one species of hyrax, two lagomorphs, 36 rodents, eight insectivores, 27 chiropterans, 20 carnivores, seven terrestrial artiodactyla, and nine cetaceans.