Three new cliff racer species from the Sultanate of Oman (Reptilia: Squamata: Colubrinae) and zoogeographic traits of its herpetofauna

This study investigates the distribution and geographic variation of East Arabian taxa of the Platyceps rhodorachis complex. Platyceps hajarensis sp. nov. from the Eastern Oman Mountains and their periphery deviates in morphological characters from P. r. rhodorachis (Jan, 1863) distributed beyond the Gulf (Iran) and P. gallagheri sp. nov. of the Ras Musandam area. Cliff racers from Masirah Island and central Al-Wusta (P. masirae sp. nov.) considerably differ vis-à-vis polymorphic P. hajarensis and Dhofar populations with as yet unresolved taxonomic status. Morphologically, the latter are most similar to East Yemen cliff racers. The distribution of the new Omani taxa is compared to geographic patterns observed among the regional terrestrial herpetofauna. Ranges of certain southern Arabian reptiles and the systematics of P. variabilis (Boulenger, 1905) are briefly reviewed.