Further taxonomic studies are needed into the relationship between Phrynocephalus helioscopus and P. persicus; as some authors treat them as being conspecific. P. horvathi is variously treated as a subspecies of P. helioscopus or P. persicus; the latter is accepted by Barabanov and Ananjeva (2007). Specific status for P saidalievi, previously included within P. helioscopus, has been confirmed by Solovyeva et al. (2014).

European regional assessment: Vulnerable (VU)
EU 27 regional assessment: Not Recorded

This species is listed as Vulnerable in Europe, as the extant subpopulation in this region has an extent of occurrence of around 7,200 km², it is considered to occur at no more than 10 locations, and there is an ongoing decline in the extent and quality of its habitat.

In the European region, this species occurs in European Russia, where it is sporadically distributed in the left-bank portion of the Astrakhan region (as the nominate species P. h. helioscopus). It previously ranged much further west, with historical records known from Kalmykia and eastern Ciscaucasia (the latter a single record from 1928) (Pestov et al. 2021). It was probably lost from Kamylkia by the 1980s and is now considered to be extinct in this region (I. Doronin pers. comm. 2022). Around 10 subpopulations occur in the Astrakhan region (I. Doronin pers. comm. 2022).

Outside the European region, this widespread species ranges from Asian Russia (the southwest of the Altai Territory), Kazakhstan and northeastern Iran (Kopet Dagh mountain range), through Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan to northwestern China (the Ili River Basin, the northwest part of Dzungarian Basin, and Tacheng, all in Xinjiang - X.G. Guo and L. Shi pers. comm. 2018) and southwestern Mongolia. The species' presence in Chechnya is unconfirmed (D. Melnikov pers. comm. 2016) and it was considered extinct here by Lotiev (2007). Records from Tajikistan, Kyrgyzstan and the Fergana Valley region of Uzbekistan are attributable to Phrynocephalus saidalievi (see Taxonomic Notes). It has been recorded up to 1,000 m asl in Russia (R. Nazarov pers. comm. 2016), but has been recorded from 1,200-1,400 m asl in Mongolia (Terbish et al. 2006 and refs therein), and as low as 400 m asl in China (X.G. Guo and L. Shi pers. comm. 2018).

This is generally a common species, but may be subject to some local decline due to the conversion of land in Central Asia for agricultural use and development. From 0.5 to 10–20 animals per hectare have been recorded in varied natural habitats in Kazakhstan (Brushko 1995, T. Dujsebayeva unpubl. data 2009-2011), and up to four to six specimens per kilometre in Turkmenistan (Shammakov 1981). In China, it is locally common with a stable population (X.G. Guo and L. Shi pers. comm. 2018).

In the Astrakhan region the species inhabits depressions of clayey semi-desert with dense soils and sparse vegetation - takyrs and solonchaks. In the Altai Territory, it lives in relic belt forests, where it inhabits sand dunes, sparse dead cover pine forest with patches of open sand, country forest roads, occurs on fresh and old burnt areas. In the north of the range, it appears after wintering in April and is active until the second half of September - early October. It feeds on ants, small beetles and orthoptera. Presumably makes two clutches - in May to June and in July. The clutch consists of two to eight eggs, the young appear in July. High mortality of young is typical, with only 15% of under yearlings surviving to winter dormancy (Bozhansky 2014, Pestov et al. 2021). Sexual maturity occurs after the first wintering, and life expectancy is up to five years (I. Doronin pers. comm. 2022).

This species is found in clay and stony desert, on alkali soils and in and semi-desert areas, generally with a sparse cover of vegetation. Animals can be found in dry stream beds and sandy areas mixed with pebbles (Anderson 1999). It is also known from sandy areas, for example in western Kazakhstan (T. Dujsebayeva pers. comm. 2016), and it is found in desert steppe with short vegetation in Mongolia (Terbish et al. 2013). While it is often found in flat areas, it is found in clay hills in Turkmenistan. It is normally absent from both sandy areas and grassland. It favours areas with limited vegetation such as humilis, Peganum harmala. It feeds on ants and other insects. It lays about two to five eggs per clutch (Zhao et al. 1999).

In Kazakhstan lizards leave their overwintering grounds from mid-March to the second half of April, with mating taking place between May to the end of July (I. Doronin pers. comm. 2022). In Armenia and Turkmenistan, mating has been recorded in early September (I. Doronin pers. comm. 2022).

In parts of its range this species is threatened by overgrazing and habitat transformation to agriculture, as well as the destruction of sensitive habitats such as clay desert by road construction. Ecophysiological climate modelling based on recorded thermal tolerances in this lizard predicted probabilities of between 30 - 70% that this species would be lost from low elevations across its range by 2070 (Sinervo et al. 2018). It was expected to persist at higher elevations in both of these authors' models, although it is not presently known to reach the higher elevations (close to or more than 2,000 m) at which they predicted a probability of persistence of 100%.

The reduction of this species' European range was due to habitat changes: the disappearance of takyr-like areas in the semi-desert zone in the north of Kalmykia and in Ciscaucasia, where the species was sporadically distributed. In Kalmykia takyrs suitable for the species and located along the ancient channel of the Volga were turned into lakes during the Soviet era as a result of hydromelioration (drainage). In the Astrakhan region, Sunwatcher habitats are practically of no economic importance. In the Altai Territory, the limiting factors are the felling of forests and fires within them, leading to the destruction of natural habitats (Bozhansky 2014, Pestov et al. 2021).

There is no use of or trade in this species in Europe.

Other than general research activities, no direct conservation measures are currently needed for this species as a whole.

This species is found in protected areas, including many in China. It is rare in Mongolia and is included in that country's 2013 Red Data Book, as well as being covered by the Rare Reptiles Mongolian Government Act 2012 (Terbish et al. 2013). It is listed in the "List of Beneficial or of Important Economic or Scientific Value Terrestrial Wild Animals under States Protection", under the protection of the "Law of the People's Republic of China on the Protection of Wildlife" (L. Shi, X.G. Guo and B. Cai pers. comm. 2018).

It is listed in the Red Book of Russia with the category and status "2 - a species that is declining in number and / or distribution"; V – Vulnerable (in Russia according to the IUCN scale – VU A1abc, Ba2b(i,ii,iii,iv) (Pestov et al., 2021). In Russia, it is protected in the Bogdo-Baskunchak Nature Reserve, the Sands of Burley nature reserve (Astrakhan region) and the Volchikhinsky complex reserve of regional significance (Altai Territory).