In the Lower-Volga Region Habitat, in Particular, to the Astrakhan Region and Republic Kalmykia

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northeastern habitat border of of M. monspessulanus still remain underre - Malpolon monspessulanus vealed because of the mosaic character of its distribution. This applies to the northeast - (Hermann , 1804) ern part of the whole M. monspessulanus in the Lower-Volga region habitat, in particular, to the astrakhan region and republic Kalmykia. Malpolon monspessulanus (H ermann , Until recently, the records of M. mons - 1804), is the only representative of the genus pessulanus in the Lower-Volga region with - Malpolon in the russian herpetofauna, in the astrakhan region and its adjacent ter - inhabiting southeastern european russia ritories have been rare enough. There were (a nanJeVa et al. 2004). In the whole, the no exact data about these reptiles at that distribution limits of this species are well time. In the astrakhan region, few findings known. However, some peripheral habitats of M. monspessulanus at the boundary with

Fig. 1: Distribution of Malpolon monspessulanus (Hermann , 1804) in the Lower-Volga region. 1-2 - astrakhan region ; 3-11 - Kalmykia . 1 – Chernyi Yar district, near town Solionoe Zaymishche (Zm SSU); 2 – nariman district, Kos-Kyzyl sands (IeVB); 3 – malye Derbety district, near town Khonch-nur (Zm KSU); 4 – Yustin district, near town Tsagan aman (K IreeV 1982); 5 – Yustin district, near town Chompot (K IreeV 1982); 6 – Yustin district, near town Tatal (K IreeV 1982); 7 – Yustin district, near town Bergin (Polynnoe) (K IreeV 1982); 8 – Yustin district, near town Smushkovo (K IreeV 1982); 9 – Yashkul district, near town Khulkhuta (Zm mSU); 10 – Yashkul district, ur. Davsun -Khuduk (Zm KSU ); 11 – Yashkul district , ur. malye Buzgi (ZIn ). Collections acronyms. Zoological museums of the Kalmykian (Zm KSU, elista), moscow (Zm mSU, moscow) and Saratov State Universities (Zm SSU, Saratov), Institute of ecology of the Volga river basin, russian academy of Sciences (IeVB, Togliatti) and Zoological Institute, russian academy of Sciences (ZIn, Saint-Petersburg). Beitrag_10_(Seiten89-103_ShortNotes)_SHORT_NOTE.qxd 01.08.2011 11:51 Seite 2

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Kalmykia in the right-bank part (Yenotaev - insignificant increase of the M. monspessu - ka district) were known; in addition, in the lanus abundance and slow expansion of the left-bank part (Krasnyi Yar district), speci - habitat borders in the Lower-Volga region mens were caught near the town Dosang in could be expected in the near years. The 1953 ( BOZHanSKI 2004), and reported from further dynamics of M. monspessulanus dis - the Kharabali (v. mikhay lovka) and Kras - tribution in the astrakhan region and its nyi Yar (v. Seitov ka) districts (De Haan adjacent territories requires thorough stud - 1999). ies. However, a field survey in spring of reFerenCeS: a nanJeVa , n. B. &OrLOV , n. 2009 enabled the author to reveal the habi - L. &KHaLIKOV , r. G. &DareVSKI , I. S. &rYaBOV , S. tation of M. monspessulanus much north - a. &BaraBanOV , a. V. (2004): Атлас пресмыкаю - щихся Cеверной Евразии: таксономическое разно - ward of the known points in the astra khan образие, географическое распространение и приро - region. as an example, the habitation of M. доохранный статус. [ atlas of the reptiles of north monspessulanus on open stationary sites eurasia: taxonomic diversity, distribution, conservation near the town Solionoe Zaymishche status]. Sa int -Peter sburg (Zo o logical Insti tute, russian academy of Sciences), 232 pp. B aKIeV , a. G. &PeS- (47°55’n, 46°07’e) in the Chernyi Yar dis - KOV , a. n. (2006): Медянка и ящеричная змея в trict (1 in Fig. 1) was revealed on 25 april, Астраханской области. [ Grass-snake and lizardsnake 2009. There, the relative abundance of M. in the astrakhan region ].- Topical problems in herpeto - monspessulanus in the course of the route logy and toxinology, To gliatti; 9: 13-14. B OZHanSKI , a. T. (2004): Ящеричная змея. - Красная книга Астра - was two individuals per 10 km. Compara - ханской области. [ Lizard snake. - red book of the ble values of the abundance are characteris - astrakhan region ]. astrakhan (Publishing House of the tic of M. monspessulanus in similar stations Lower-Volga Center of ecological education), pp. 215- in the adjacent territory of the repub lic 216. C HernOV , S. a. (1954): Эколого-фаунистиче - ский обзор пресмыкающихся юга междуречья Kalmykia (T aBaCHISHIn & Z HDO KOVa Волга – Урал. [ ecologo-faunistic review of reptiles in 2002; Z HDOKOVa 2003). moreover, some - the southern Volga-Ural interfluve ].- Proceedings of the what earlier (12 may, 2005) the habitation Zoological Institute of the academy of Sciences USSr, of M. monspessulanus was revealed in the Leningrad; 16: 137-158. De Haan , C. C. (1999) : Mal- polon monspessulanus (Hermann , 1804) - europäische Kos-Kyzyl sands (46°20’n, 47°09’e) (2 in eidech sennatter; pp. 661-756. In: BöHme , W. (ed.): Fig. 1) in the nariman district, the astra - Handbuch der reptilien und amphibien europas. Vol. khan region (B aKIeV & P eSKOV 2006). 3/IIa: Schlangen II: Serpentes II: Colubridae 2 (Boi- These available data are evidence of ginae, natricinae). Wiebelsheim (aula). KIreeV , V. a. (1982): Земноводные и пресмыкающиеся Кал- the distribution of M. monspessulanus being мыкии. [ amphibians and reptiles of Kalmykia]. Ph. D. wide , but of mosaic character, in the vast thesis, Schmalhausen Institute of Zoo logy, Kiev, 20 pp. territories of the astrakhan region and the TaBaCHISHIn , V. G. &ZHDOKOVa , m. K. (2002): adjac ent republic Kalmykia. The existing Морфо-экологическая характеристика калмыцких популяций ящеричной змеи ( Malpolon monspessu - evidence of M. monspessulanus penetration lanus Hermann , 1804 ). [ The morpho-ecological char - to the territory of the Kharabali and Krasnyi acterization of the montpellier snake ( Malpolon mon - Yar districts in the astrakhan Trans-Volga spessulanus Hermann , 1804) population in Kal - region (C HernOV 1954; De Haan 1999) was mykia ].- Povolzhskiy Journal of ecology, Saratov; 2: 297-301. TITKOVa , T. B. (2003): Изменения климата not confirmed by the present collections and полупустынь Прикаспия и Тургая в XX в. [ Climate observations. The habitation of M. mon - changes of the semi deserts of the Caspian region and spessulanus is mainly due to cereal-worm - Turgay in the 20th century ].- Izvestiya rossiiskoi wood communities and bush brushwood akademii nauk. Ser. geogr., mos cow ; 1: 106-112. ZHDOKOVa , m. K. (2003): Эколого-морфологический among ridge and dissipating sands. The анализ фауны амфибий и рептилий Калмыкии. administrative boundary with the Volgograd [ecologo-morphological analysis of the fauna of region is the northern limits of the M. mon - amphibians and reptiles in Kalmykia]. Ph. D. thesis, spessulanus habitat, in the east the reliable Samara State University , Samara, 20 pp. habitation zone of M. monspessulanus is KeY WOrDS: reptilia: Squamata: Serpentes: Colubridae: Malpolon monspessulanus , distribution, limited by the Volga flood-lands. astrakhan region, Kalmykia, russia In view of the current trend of gradual increase of the average annual temperatures SUBmITTeD: January 17, 2011 aUTHOr: VaSILY G. T aBaCHISHIn , a. n. within the territory under study ( TITKOVa Severtsov Institute for ecology and evolution raS, 2003), some stabilization of the moisture in - Saratov branch, 24, rabochaya str., Saratov 410028, dices, and the reduction of pasture load, an russia < [email protected] >