A recent record of Pine Marten Martes martes from the Caspian region of Iran
Kambiz BARADARANI1 and Ehsan M. MOQANAKI2*
Abstract
In March 2014 a Pine Marten Martes martes was video-recorded in a forest southeast of Neka city, northern Iran. To our knowl- were from the south-eastern Caspian coast. Together with a recent unpublished record from Gilan province, this video supports theedge, earlier this is speculations the first verifiable that this record species’s of a free-livingIranian distribution Pine Marten extends, in Iran. at All least, previous throughout confirmed the Caspian records forests of Pine in Marten the northern in Iran foothills of Alborz Mountains.
Keywords: Alborz Mountains, distribution range, Hyrcanian deciduous forest, locality record, Mustelidae, northern Iran
ﮔﺰارش ﺟﺪﯾﺪي از ﺣﻀﻮر ﺳﻤﻮر ﺟﻨﮕﻠﯽ Martes martes در ﺟﻨﮕﻞ ﻫﯿﺮﮐﺎﻧﯽﻫﺎي ﻫﯿﺮﮐﺎﻧﯽﻫﺎي در ﺟﻨﮕﻞ اﯾﺮانﺷﻤﺎل اﯾﺮانﺷ ﻤﺎل
ﭼﮑﯿﺪه ﭼﮑﯿﺪه اواﯾﻞ اﺳﻔﻨﺪﻣﺎه 1392 از ﯾﮏ ﺳﻤﻮر ﺟﻨﮕﻠـﯽ در ﺣـﻮاﻟﯽ روﺳـﺘﺎي دروﯾـﺶ ﺧﯿﻠـﮏ در ﺟﻨـﻮب ﺷـﺮﻗﯽ ﺷـﻬﺮ ﻧﮑـﺎ ﻓﯿﻠﻢ ﺑﺮداري ﺷﺪ . ،اﯾﻦ ﮔﺰارش ﻧﺨﺴﺘﯿﻦ ﺳﻨﺪ ﻗﻄﻌﯽ از ﯾﮏ ﺳﻤﻮر ﺟﻨﮕﻠﯽ زﻧﺪه در داﺧﻞ زﯾـﺴﺘﮕﺎه ﺧـﻮد در اﯾـﺮان اﺳﺖ . ﻫﻤﻪ ﮔﺰارش ﻫﺎي ﺣﻀﻮر ﺗﺎﯾﯿﺪﺷﺪه ﮔﺬﺷﺘﻪ از ﺳﻤﻮر ﺟﻨﮕﻠﯽ در اﺳﺘﺎن ﮔﻠـﺴﺘﺎن ﺑـﻮده اﺳـﺖ . اﯾـﻦ ﻓـﯿﻠﻢ ﺑـﻪ ﻓـﯿﻠﻢ اﯾـﻦ . اﺳـﺖ ﻫﻤﺮاه ﮔﺰارش اﻧﺘﺸﺎرﻧﯿﺎﻓﺘﻪ دﯾﮕﺮي از اﺳـﺘﺎن ﮔـﯿﻼن، ﺑـﺎ ﻧﻈﺮﯾـﻪ ﭘـﺮاﮐﻨﺶ ﺳـﻤﻮر ﺟﻨﮕﻠـﯽ در ﺣـﺪاﻗﻞ ﺳﺮﺗﺎﺳـﺮ زﯾﺴﺘﮕﺎه ﺟﻨﮕﻠﻫﺎي ﻧﯿﻢﯽ ﻫﯿﺮﮐﺎﻧﯽ رخ ﺷﻤﺎﻟﯽ رﺷﺘﻪ ﻫﻢﮐﻮه اﻟﺒﺮز .ﺧﻮاﻧﯽ دارد .ﺧﻮاﻧﯽ دارد ﻫﻢﮐﻮه اﻟﺒﺮز رخ ﺷﻤﺎﻟﯽ رﺷﺘﻪ ﻫﯿﺮﮐﺎﻧﯽ ﻧﯿﻢﯽ ﺟﻨﮕﻠﻫﺎي زﯾﺴﺘﮕﺎه
Pine Marten Martes martes is a forest-specialist mustelid of the a decomposing carcase was discovered by local wildlife Palaearctic region, with a broad distribution range from Ireland authorities in Gasht-e Rudkhan and Siah-Mazgi Protected and Scandinavia to western Siberia (Proulx et al. 2004, Kranz et al. 2008). By contrast, records across the southern parts of its geographical distribution in southwest Asia are scarce. Kranz et al. (2008) considered Iran to be the southernmost coun- try within the species’s range. Pine Marten records from Iran comprise a handful of historical ones from the southeastern Caspian coast (Fig. 1). Ellerman & Morrison-Scott (1951) noted an undated specimen from Astarabad (now Gorgan), Golestan province, in the Natural History Museum, U.K. Mis- onne (1959) reported a skin of unknown origin from Bandar Shah (now Bandar Torkaman), a port city approximately 16 km from any forest habitat. Lay (1967) collected a Pine Mar- ten skin obtained from a forest approximately 18 km east of Gorgan (Fig. 1). The intervening 47 years have seen no new Pine Mar- ten records published for Iran (Harrington & Dareshuri 1976, Etemad 1985, Firouz 2005, Karami et al. 2008, Ziaie Fig. 1. Pine Marten Martes martes occurrence records along the of Tonekabon city, Mazandaran province (Ziaie 2008) and, Hyrcanian forests (shaded dark grey) of the northern slope of the Alborz a2008). road-kill, However, within unverified Golestan reportsNational existPark fromin 2011 hills (Safaei south Mountains, northern Iran. Circles: historical records in Golestan province; et al. 2012) (Fig. 1). The latter was probably a misidenti- dark polygon: unpublished record from Gilan province; asterisk: the = Beech) Marten Martes foina. The provincial record of Pine Marten here reported, Geli Khak, Mazandaran province; wildlife authority has no record of the supposed incident question mark: Ziaie’s (2008) unverified report (see text for details). Inset fied(Mahmoud Stone (Shakiba, Golestan Department of the Environ- shows approximate location of Alborz and Zagros Mountains in north ment (DoE), Golestan, Iran, verbally 2014). In October 2009 and northwest to southwest Iran, respectively.
Small Carnivore Conservation, Vol. 51: 82–84, December 2014 82 Pine Marten in Iran
Fig. 2. The Pine Marten Martes martes in Geli Khak Forest, vicinity of Darvish Khilak of Neka county, March 2014 (Photos: D. Abpeykar).
Area (36°56′–37°11′N, 49°03–20′ nally through the Caspian deciduous forests. However, farther record from Gilan province (www.farsnews.com/newstext. westward in the Iranian Caucasus and down along the dry php?nn=8807130930) (Appendix 1).E), the first confirmed deciduous forests of Zagros Mountains, Pine Marten occur- rence remains questionable. Misonne (1959) relayed reports Ali Ahmadi Zarrinkolayi (AAZ), have attempted to document that fur dealers in Esfahan city regularly traded Pine Marten wildernessSince 2011, in Mazandaran one of us (KB) province. and a documentary In May 2011, filmmaker, AAZ met Davoud Abpeykar (DA), a local shepherd passionate about the from this part of the country, as well as from northern Iraq region's wildlife. AAZ purchased a handycam video camera for (Iraqiskins purportedlyKurdistan; Amrfrom 2009), the Zagros remain region. lacking, Verifiable meaning records that DA and trained him to record freely every wildlife species or Pine Marten occurrence along the Zagros Mountains remains interesting scene he encounters during his daily work. hypothetical. In early March 2014, DA visited the village of Darvish Khilak Pine Marten is said to be generally associated with trees (36°33′47″N, 53°28′56″E), approximately 20 km southeast of and forest patches (Proulx et al. 2004, Mergey et al. 2011). Neka city. Northward within a nearby forest locally known as Geli Khak, he sighted a medium-sized animal on a mature than 8% of the country holds natural forest (c. 133,640 km²; Hornbeam Carpinus betulus L. While the animal looked una- Anon.Its presumed 2008 cited rarity in Sagheb-Talebi in Iran might et simplyal. 2013). reflect Yet, the that arbo less- ware of his presence, DA recorded this observation for 2:41 minutes. Almost one month later, AAZ & KB met DA and re- surveys targeting it may also be linked to the current paucity viewed his video records. We easily recognised this Pine Mar- ofreal information and elusive from nature Iran. of Pine Marten and lack of any field ten from its typical Martes body characteristics and the yellow Pine Marten is commonly considered to be one of the most forest-dependant mammals of the Palaearctic (Proulx record of the Pine Marten in Mazandaran province, but also et al. 2004). In Europe deforestation and anthropogenic frag- neck-patch (Fig. 2). This video is not only the first confirmed mentation of forest constrain its distribution, density and gene natural habitat in Iran. et al. 1998, Mergey et al. 2011, Ruiz-Gonzalez the firstThe verifiable Pine Marten evidence appears of ato free-living be resting Pine and Martenremains in still its et al. 2014). During the past century, Iran has lost two-thirds flow (e.g. Kurki seconds. DA could not recall the exact place, date and time of (Sagheb-Talebi et al. 2013). Even worse is that presently only thison the observation. tree. Then Theit suddenly approximate notices location DA and was flees 36°34 after′ 07a few″N, 0.65%of its forest of Iran’s through natural intensified forests receivehuman-derived any level deforestation of legal pro- 53°29′50″E, at 420 m asl judging from Google Earth. Geli Khak tection (Sagheb-Talebi et al. 2013). Destruction and degrada- Forest is part of a relatively large midland forest block of the tion of forest are therefore potentially threatening the Pine central Hyrcanian region that expands along the Neka Rud Marten in Iran. (River) east to Golestan province. This temperate broadleaf - mixed forest has remained almost unlogged during the past decade because of restrictions on timber harvest following the the apparentlyConfirmation much of Pinemore Marten abundant presence Stone in Marten Iran has (Proulx prov eten al.difficult 2004, becauseZiaie 2008) of both and morphological lack of interest similarities among Iranian with communities are patchily present at low density. Dominant biologists. A survey of Iranian biologists and local DoE of- trees1999 are flood. Hornbeam, Nevertheless, Chestnut-leaved forest-dependant Oak Quercus agro-pastoralist castanei- folia C. A. Mey, maples Acer spp. and Caucasian Elm Zelkova of which would be noteworthy. carpinifolia (Pall.) C. Koch. Average annual rainfall is around fices might reveal further records of Pine Marten in Iran, all 950 mm and annual temperature averages 17.5 °C, resulting in Acknowledgements a semi-humid temperate climate (www.mazandaranmet.com/ We would like to thank Davoud Abpeykar for sharing this rare foot- page.php?p=researches). age of the Pine Marten, and Ali Ahmadi Zarrinkolayi for his coopera- The historical and recent records in the northern slopes tion and providing the camera. We are grateful to two anonymous of the Alborz Mountains support Lay’s (1967) suggestion that reviewers for their comments. Koros Rabiei (Mazandaran DoE) is current Pine Marten distribution in Iran extends longitudi- thanked for supporting AAZ and KB’s work in Mazandaran.
83 Small Carnivore Conservation, Vol. 51, December 2014 Baradarani & Moqanaki
References Amr, Z. S. 2009. Mammals of Iraq. Draft checklist prepared for Nature l’Iran. Mémoires de l’Institut Royal des Sciences Naturelles de Bel- Iraq, Sulaimani, Kurdistan-Iraq. Available online at:
Appendix 1
Pine Marten Martes martes carcase discovered in Gasht-e Rudkhan & Siah-Mazgi Protected Area, Gilan province, October 2009, the first confirmed record of the species in Iran for over 40 years (Photo: Gilan Department of the Environment).
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