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A total of 70 herpetofauna species from 3 Orders and 18 Families were surveyed during a period of two years (2005-2007) in Southern Jordan. The Ophidia included Leptotyphlopidae, Typhlopidae, Boidae, Colubdridae, Atractaspididae, Elapidae and Viperidae. The Sauria included Gekkonidae, Chamaeleonidae, Agamidae, Lacertidae, Sincidae, Anguidae and Varanidae. Testudines included Cheloniidae, Dermochelyidae, Emydidae and Testudinidae. The species listed were all resident and mostly found throughout the year. The diversity of terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems in the study area likely encouraged species presence. The results reinforce the necessity for long-term inventory planning in order to understand the ecology and the dynamics of herpetofauna and other wildlife communities in the study area. The increasing human impact on the existing natural resources in Southern Jordan has threatened the ecology and diversity of wildlife species to such a degree that populations of anurans and many reptiles are declining in diversity, status and abundance. The author recommends improving cooperation of different parties to enhance public awareness and to implement environmental laws and legislation to conserve sensitive and rare species of herpetofauna.

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The present paper of N. N. SZCZERBAK was originally published in Russian as `Katalog afrikanskih Jascurok` by the Academy of Sciences, Institute of Zoology, Museum of Zoology, USSR, Kiev (83 pp., 30 maps) in 1975. Lists of synonyms, bibliography, maps and table of contents - all being parts of the original paper - have not been included in this translation which was carried out with the consent of the author by R. GÜNTHER (Berlin) and H. GRILLITSCH (Vienna). The English summary was taken over as provided in the original version. As a SHORT NOTE in this issue of HERPETOZOA subsequent to the translation comments and updated addenda by W. MAYER are provided indicated by [aa* bb* etc.] in the text.