Identifying high snakebite risk area under climate change for community education and antivenom distribution.

Snakebite is one of the largest risks from wildlife, however little is known about venomous snake distribution, spatial variation in snakebite risk, potential changes in snakebite risk pattern due to climate change, and vulnerable human population. As a consequence, management and prevention of snakebite is hampered by this lack of information. Here we used habitat suitability modeling for 10 medically important venomous snakes to identify high snakebite risk area under climate change in Iran. We identified areas with high snakebite risk in Iran and showed that snakebite risk will increase in some parts of the country. Our results also revealed that mountainous areas (Zagros, Alborz, Kopet-Dagh mountains) will experience highest changes in species composition. We underline that in order to improve snakebite management, areas which were identified with high snakebite risk in Iran need to be prioritized for the distribution of antivenom medication and awareness rising programs among vulnerable human population.

Phylogenetic relationships of the gray-toad agama, Phrynocephalus scutellatus (Olivier, 1807), species complex from Iran.

The gray toad agama, Phrynocephalus scutellatus (Olivier, 1807) species complex is confined to the Iranian plateau, and forms one of the most widespread, but rarely studied species of the family Agamidae. It represents a complex with many local populations inhabiting a variety of habitats, and exhibiting considerable morphological, genetic and ecological variations. We analyzed sequences of the mitochondrial ND2 gene and tRNA-Trp and tRNA-Ala derived from 89 geographically distant populations. The sequences data strongly support a basal separation of the populations of southeastern-south--central Iran from those occurring in the North. The subsequent radiation, fragmentation, and evolution of these major assemblages have led to four discernible geographical lineages in Iran: southeastern--south-central, west-central, east-northeastern and Khaf. The southeastern--south-central radiation is the earliest lineage and Khaf lineage is probably related to the Afghan plateau. Separation of northern clades from each other can be explained by the presence of large deserts in central Iran. Due to the lack of sufficient geological information, the divergence between the northern and southern clades cannot be explained by the present data.