L1 Brifih H.rpetalognal Seiery Buleti,, No. 13, 1gEt L

THE HERPETOFAUNAOF KASTELLORZO(MEGISTI) ISLAND (SE AEGEANARCHIPELAGO) STRATISvALAKOS and DIMITRIS pAPAPANACIOTOU Uhive6irv of Arhens,Deot of Biolog_y_, p SecrionEcology and Taxonumy, GR' t 5 7 - 7I one p i si i n i6 po ti s t s1z t. c, i i.- ZiEl f";; ;;; ;;; " " SUMMARY

Nine of reptiles and one speciesof amphibian are reported from the island of .-species (Ophiomons One of the teptiles punctatissimus(Bibrin and Bory) ) ls newfor the EasternAegean Islands. Some zoogeogmphical conclusions are also reponel. INTRODUCTION The herpetofaunaof rheeasrem Aegean islands has been Iiltle sludied. Duringthe fall of 19812and l9E2 we visired rhe island ofKastellorizo which lies in lhesouth_east part of the AegeanArchipelago, near the peninsulaof Lycia. Kastellorizois l40km. from Rhodesisland arid 2km. from Lycia.

Thc areaof the islandis approximatelyl0km:. The vegetationls mainlyphnsana with Gerlrtd acanthocladaand Thytrut capitatus-'fheculrivar€d areas do norerceedb.5k.{ Th" ont,/tno*n speciesofthc hcrpetofaunaof the islandis the afi.\phibi^rMeftensie!ta /,rc,hani(Steindachner, l89l) mentionedby Kiorrsisand all, 1974. METHODS AND LOCALITIES We colleg!:d animals€specially from J Iocalities:l. Agios loannis;2.Acheres;and 3. Megisri (Fig. -and _l). The ftlst locality is rocky and coveredby phrygana,the secondis in planted abandoncdcultivations and the third is aroundthc only villageof the island.Furthermore we walkedaround all thc islandand collectedanirnals also from AgiosStefanos and Agia Triada. RESULTS

Nine speciesof reptilesand one speciesof amphibian were determinedfiom the collected spccimens.From the repliles2 speciesbeiong to Gekkonidae,2toScitcidae, I toAgamidae,l to AmphisbaenidaeADd 3 to Colubridae.The Amphibian belongs to the fafilly Satamandridae.

Amphibiaff

Mertensiellaluschani (Steindachner, l89l ) 52 specimensfrom all localities.

Thc spcciesis distributed on Island (pieper, 1963),Kastellorizo Island (Kiortsisand all 1974)and Asia Minorwherc5 subspeciesare mentioned (Basoglou l97g)- Reptil€s Cy tuAbcrytuskotschyi (SEi;dachner, I870) 2 specimensfrom localitiesI and 2 One of the specimensfound on a stonein A. Ioannisregion and the other on a wall on Acheresregion. It is distributedin S. Italy, Balkans,, Israel and lran (Me.rens. 1960). Hemidactylusturcicus (Linnaeys, 1758) I specimenfrom locaiity 3 It was found on a wall. It is dist buted in all the Meditteraneanarea (Mertens, 1960). Ophiomontspu',ctdtiJjinuj (Bibron and Bory, 1833) I spccimenfrom locality I It wasfound in tbc soil. [i is distributcdin the Petloponesc,Kylhcra (Arnold, l97E)and Turkcy in Xanthus(Aodcrson aod Lcviton 1966). This is thc first rsport of thc sprcicsin ftc Eartcrn AegcanIslands. Abl.phdnt kitaih i (Eibroo and Bory lt33) I spccimcnfrom locality 3 It is distribut d in thc isla[ds of thc Acgcan Archipclago aDdAsia Minor(Mcncns, 1950)- Agona stellio (Linnaeys, 1758) 2 spccimensfrom localitics l, 4 They werefound lying on the ruinsof buildings.It is distributedin someislands of th€ Cyclades in thc castcm islands of Acgcan, in Asia Miror, Wcst Asia and North Africa cxccptEgypt (Mcrtcns, 1960). Blan'lt sttuuchi (B.&zga, 1884) I spcciocnfrom localiry I It was fouod on thc soil. It has bccrl rcponed from Rhodcs, (Wettsteh 1953),Turkcy (Basoglou1977), dlso frotn a smallislands ncar the south wcst coast ofAsia Minor (Balan, 1984). Coluber rovergie (Ra$s, 1833) 2 specimcnsfrom localities I and 2 Thcy wercfound in cultivatcdficlds. It hasbc.n rcponedfrom (wettsteir,1953), (Schncidcr, 1983) afld Turkcy (Brsoglou, 1980). Eirenis nadestu-s(Manin, 1838) 2 spccimcnsfrom localitics I and 2 Thcy werc found under ston6. It is distributedin Asia Minor, Mltilini Island, Chios Islaod, Samos Island, Cyprus, Mcsopotamia and N.w. Iran (McrtcDs, 1960). Malpolon monspet$.laruJ(Hermann, I t04) I spccimcn from locality 2 It is distributcdin all th€ Mcditcrrancanarca.

DISCUSSION Thc prescnccof thc spccirsE. nodest6, C. rarergieri, B. trnuchl, A. andM. fuJcrdri shows that Kastelorizois a typicalcastem island,likc all the islandsncar thc Asia Minorcoasts,The other spoci6 havc a wid6prcad distribution in a thc Mcditcrrancar, Balkan atld Asia Mino] regions. Thc prcscnccof O, prratdruJirtu in Kastclorizo and also in thc Pcloponessesand Kythem and its abs€nccfrom thc islands bctwccn .mphasisesonc of thc main zoogcographical problems of thc Acgean,sincc many othersp€cica show the samcdistribution, fot crampl. Zonhesalgrirus (Gastropoda,Zonitidac) mentioncdby Ricdcl, 1979.

l0 5km 1000 n AS IA H IX OR

A

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Ka6talloai:o A H.i i3t i // ! 3t.onaili ! !

FIGURE l. Map of KastellorizoIsland l. Agios Ioannis 4. Asia Triada 2. Acheres 5. A;ios Srefanos 3. Megisti

l1 REFERENCES Andersoni S.C. and Lcviton, Alan (1966),A rcvicw of the Genus Ophiomonrs (Sauvia- Scincidae)with dcsc.iptiorof thrcc ncw forms. ColilorniaAcadem! of ScienceVc1.33 No. t6- 49-534. Arnold, E.N., Bunon, J.A. (1978). l Fiekl Guide to the Repiles ahd Amphibians of Eutope. London/Glasgow: Collins. Baran, J, (1984).Taxonomis€hc unt€rsuchungcn der hcrpetofaunavon liirkischcn inscln: Dergici Seri Dz Gib I Sao I 1984,4l-52- Basoglou,M. (1978).The urodelafa\tna of Anatolia.Biologia Ga o-He enica& 325-329. Basoglou,M. and Baran,J. (197l). The.cptilcsofTurkey Part l. t8e universitesi.Fenfak ltet: kitaplot Se1,isi.No,'16. Basoglou,M. and Baran,J. ( 1980).Thc rcptilcsof Turkcy Pan 2. trgeuniversitesifen Fakalksi kitaplar SevisiNo. El. Kiortsis,V., Koutsafticis,A. andMatsakia (1974). Le Mcncnsicllade GrceceJ Nouv.llc formc de Metcnsiclla luschani(Steindachncr) dans s I Archipcl Hellqnique.Biologia Gallo- HeAenicaVol. 5 No. 2. 355-358. Mcrt€ns,R. and wernuth, H. ( 1960),Dic Amphibienund ReptilienEvrcpas, Verlag wadenar Xrare4 Franlfurt AM. Ricdel, A. Thc geographicaldist.ibution ot Zonitidae (Castropoda,Tcrrestria) in Grcecc. Biologia Gallo-H.llenica Vol. 8, 167-171. Schneidcr,B. (19E3).Zur Herpetofaulrad.r InsclnKalymnos and Tel.'l.dosSolam4ndra l9t/2, 6t:70. Wcttstein,O. (1953).Herpetologica acgca Sitsbct Ostcfi Akademy,yi's mal nat. klwien l5l 651-833.

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