This species is included in Hemorrhois, rather than Coluber, following Nagy et al. (2004).

European regional assessment: Least Concern (LC)
EU 27 regional assessment: Least Concern (LC)

The Horseshoe Whip Snake is assessed as Least Concern for Europe and for the EU27 Member States in view of its wide distribution, tolerance of a degree of habitat modification, presumed large population, and because it is unlikely to be declining. Although multiple pressures have been identified to the Sardinian subpopulation and it is considered a species of local conservation concern here, the origin of this subpopulation requires confirmation.

In Europe, this species is present in central and southern Portugal, southern, central and eastern Spain (with a northern range limit in Gerona; Speybroeck et al. 2016), southern Sardinia (Italy) and nearby San Pietro islet, and on Pantelleria Island (Italy) (Speybroeck et al. 2016). It has been introduced to Mallorca and Ibiza (Speybroeck et al. 2016), the latter as an accidental introduction (as a stowaway) first recorded in 2003 (Silva-Rocha et al. 2015). Over the last 10 years Sardinian records have only been taken from the area of the town of Cagliari, although older records exist from additional sites on this island (C. Corti pers. comm. 2022). The species is found from sea level up to 1,850 m asl in Europe (Feriche 2017).

The previous European Red List assessment of this species (Mateo Miras et al. 2009) suggested that the Italian island subpopulations were probably introduced in historical times. A subsequent review of the Sardinian subpopulation suggests that it is more likely to be native, and possibly relictual, at least on this island (Luiselli et al. 2010), however the available molecular studies did not include Sardinian samples C. Corti pers. comm. October 2022). From a morphological point of view (preliminary data, Corti et al. 2000) the Sardinian population appears similar to that of the island of Pantelleria (southern Sicily), presumed to be an introduction, and Tunisia, which may suggest human-mediated dispersal from North Africa. The data prior to 2010 show different points for southwestern Sardinia, but in the last ten years, the species has only been reported from the town area of Cagliari (C. Corti pers. comm. October 2022).

The range extends out of the European region to North Africa, where it is found from Morocco, eastwards through northern Algeria to northern Tunisia. It is found from sea level up to 2,660 m asl (Geniez 2018).

It is usually common except on Sardinia (Speybroeck et al. 2016), where it has been described as rare (Mateo Miras et al. 2009). It is scarce in Catalonia, at the northern limit of its range, where it is restricted to arid environments below 600 m asl, although it is abundant and the population may be expanding in Girona (Escoriza 2018). A study modelling population trends based on citizen science data collected between 1980 and 2017 found that the population was stable in Spain over this period (Santos et al. 2022).

This snake is primarily terrestrial but also climbs, typically to reach birds and nests (Speybroeck et al. 2016). It occurs in a wide variety of arid, dry and rocky habitats. It is very adaptable to modified habitats, and commonly found in scrubland, coastal plains, arable land, pastures, vineyards, almond and olive groves, rural gardens, pasture, villages and cities in and around buildings, generally in areas with vegetation (Geniez 2018). In Europe, it is found in dry, rocky, sunny areas with open maquis, as well as a range of modified habitats (Speybroeck et al. 2016). It is active between March and October in the north of its range, and for as few as five months in mountainous areas of North Africa, but may be active for longer periods in warm coastal areas (Speybroeck et al. 2016, Geniez 2018). In its native range the females lay clutches of up to 11 eggs in June or July (mean 6.8 based on sources compiled by Santos et al. 2022), which hatch in August-September (Speybroeck et al. 2016). These reproductive traits vary in the invasive population in the Belearic Islands (Montes et al. 2019). It has an assumed generation length of 5 years (Santos et al. 2022), inferred by these authors to be a year later than the age at maturity

This snake is locally threatened by accidental mortality on roads, occasional persecution, and also by accidental poisoning through the use of agrochemicals. Its risk of exposure to the latter is however relatively limited (Mingo et al. 2016). The Sardinian subpopulation is considered among the rarest snakes in Europe, and it is threatened here by infrastructure development and possibly by climate change (Corti et al. 2000, Bombi et al. 2011, Luiselli et al. 2012). Bombi et al. (2011) conducted bioclimatic modelling which suggested that habitat suitability would have become strongly constrained by 2020, and that only a single locality on Sardinia (with an area of 11 km²) may remain suitable for this species by 2050. Most remaining localities where it was known to survive on the island as of Bombi et al. (2011) are already urbanised, although this species is tolerant of urbanised environment (E. Montes pers. comm. 2023). It is regarded as an invasive species in Ibiza, where it preys on the endemic Ibiza wall lizard Podarcis pityusensis (Montes et al. 2019).

This species appears not to be traded internationally, but has a high propensity to be introduced as stowaways with ornamental vegetation.

This species is listed in Annex II of the Bern Convention and is presumed to occur in a number of protected areas. It is a priority species for conservation in Italy and has been protected by law since 1981, but as of Bombi et al. (2011) no conservation initiatives had been undertaken to protect the Sardinian subpopulation. The areas of Sardinia expected to retain suitable habitat for the snake should be prioritised for protection and ecological corridors connecting these refugia maintained or, as necessary, created (Bombi et al. 2011). Annual campaigns are conducted by the Belearic Government to eradicate snakes from Ibiza (E. Montes pers. comm. 2023).