Herpetology Notes, volume 11: 275-278 (2018) (published online on 11 April 2018)

New records of Mediodactylus kotschyi and Hemidactylus turcicus (Squamata: Gekkonidae) from Astypalea Island, Greece

Marcel Uhrin1,* and Petr Benda2

Two species of the family Gekkonidae occur in Greece, due to which almost no records of amphibians and Kotschyʼs gecko, Mediodactylus kotschyi (Steindachner, reptiles with full field details are available from the 1870) and the Mediterranean house gecko, Hemidactylus island. The first evidence of geckos from Astypalea was turcicus (Linnaeus, 1758) (Chondropoulos, 1986; published by Wettstein (1937, 1953), who recorded M. Valakos et al., 2008). Mediodactylus kotschyi is an kotschyi and H. turcicus in May 1935. He collected (the eastern Mediterranean faunal element occurring from name of the island he originally quoted as Astropalia) 31 south-eastern Italy and the southern Balkans (including individuals (15 males, 16 females) of M. kotschyi and 6 most of the Ionian and Aegean islands) through southern adult individuals of H. turcicus. To our best knowledge, Turkey to Cyprus and the Levant (e.g. Beutler, 1981; further data on gecko occurrence on Astypalea were Scillitani et al., 2004; Stojanov et al., 2011; Schwarz et published only in reviews that did not include faunistic al., 2016; Speybroeck et al., 2016; Mizsei et al., 2017). details (e.g. Beutler, 1981; Salvador, 1981; Valakos et Hemidactylus turcicus is widely distributed in most al., 2008; Speybroeck et al., 2016). The only exception regions of the Mediterranean basin, including Asia in recent literature is the phylogeographic study of M. Minor and the Levant in the east. Also, this species kotschyi conducted by Kasapidis et al. (2005), in which occurs on many Mediterranean islands (e.g. the Balearic the authors analysed three samples of this species from Islands, Corsica, Sardinia, Sicily, Malta, Crete, Cyprus, Astypalea, but no field details (e.g., a collection date or and several islands in the Tyrrhenian, Adriatic, Ionian a locality) were provided. and Aegean Seas; e.g. Salvador, 1981; Moravec, et Here, we present new records of M. kotschyi and H. al., 2011; Sillero et al., 2014; Speybroeck et al., 2016; turcicus from Astypalea, which were collected during Mizsei et al., 2017). Within their Greek ranges, both a field trip conducted in September 2017. Reptiles were species occur on Crete and nearby islets, as well as surveyed by inspecting potential hiding places; e.g. on some of the Aegean island groups including the abandoned and/or ruined buildings, churches, caves, Cyclades, Dodecanese and several islands in the north- rocky overhangs, etc. Altogether, 28 potential habitats eastern part of the Aegean Sea (e.g. Schneider, 1983; were inspected, but only in four of them (ca. 14%) Chondropoulos, 1986; Buttle, 1989; Foufopoulos, 1997; geckos were found (Fig. 1). Bader et al., 2009; Wilson and Grillitsch, 2009; Rato et The first observation of M. kotschyi was made on the al., 2011; Grano et al., 2015; Itescu et al., 2016). mountain ridge between the island capital (Chora) and Despite a relatively long-standing tradition of Psili Vighla Mt. (314 m), where we found this species in herpetological research on the Greek islands (Pafilis, two abandoned houses situated respectively ca. 0.5 km 2010), Astypalea ranks among those less considered, and 1.5 km north-west of the church of Aghios Ioannis Omologhitis (house 1: 36.5603° N, 26.3371° E, 193 m; house 2: 36.5617° N, 26.3252° E, 234 m; Fig. 2A). Two M. kotschyi were observed inside each house on 26 September 2017. In house 1, geckos were observed 1 Institute of Biology and Ecology, Faculty of Science, P. J. again on 29 September 2017. Both houses were built Šafárik University, Košice, Slovakia similarly from concrete blocks and roofed by steel 2 Department of Zoology, National Museum (Natural History) & Department of Zoology, Faculty of Science, Charles sheets on a wooden grid. The geckos moved freely on University, Praha, Czech Republic the walls inside, and when escaping, hid in fissures * Corresponding author. E-mail: [email protected] between the blocks or the wooden parts of the houses 276 Marcel Uhrin & Petr Benda

Figure 1. Map of Astypalea showing the sites inspected as potential gecko hiding places in September 2017: Mediodactylus kotschyi records (empty squares), Hemidactylus turcicus record (closed square), negative inspected roosts (small circles): 1 – Aghios Dimitros, church; 2 – Aghios Ioannis, church; 3 – Aghios Ioannis o Theologos, church; 4 – Aghios Konstantinos, church; 5 – Aghios Nikolaos, church; 6 – Aghrelidhi, ruined asbestos factory; 7 – Aghrelidhi, Aghios Nikolaos, church; 8 – Aghrelidhi, Aghios Ioannis, ruined village; 9 – Astypalea, new port, ruined house; 10 – Drakospilia Cave; 11 – Tou Kassa, cave; 12 – Chora, Guerini Castle; 13 – Kastellanos, house and mine; 14 – Kastellanos, abandoned military base; 15 – Katafi, house; 16 – Katafi, Aghios Ioannis Prodhromos, church; 17 – Panaghia Zafiriani, cave/quarry; 18 – Panaghia Zafiriani, church; 19 – Messa Vathy, Aghia Irini, church; 20 – Panaghia tou Thoma, church and houses; 21 – Plakes, small mine; 22 – Neghrou Caves; 23 – Livadia, Aghios Vasilios, church; 24 – Livadia, Aghios Nektarios, church.

(Fig. 2B). A second observation of M. kotschyi was A comparison of the numbers of positive and made in Panormos on 26 September 2017, in two small negative checks regarding potential habitats suggest limestone caves situated on the southern edge of the that population densities of geckos are rather low on Panormos bay (36.5857° N, 26.2757° E, 15 m; Fig. 2C). Astypalea. Astypalea is relatively small (lesser than In each of these caves, one individual of M. kotschyi 100 km2), and characterized by a uniform hilly landscape was observed. The geckos inhabited small cavities in covered by rather indiverse vegetation (Cattaneo and the cave ceiling (Fig. 2D). Both caves are extensively Grano, 2016). Moreover, the island is intensively used as a goat shelters. All observations of Kotschyʼs grazed by abundant domestic goats and sheep. Such gecko were made on Exo Nisi, the western part of the an extensive agriculture can, in result, reduce reptile Astypalea Island. populations, as it was shown e.g. for lizards of the genus The only observation of H. turcicus from Astypalea Podarcis (Pafilis et al., 2013). Nevertheless, our recent was made in Panaghia Poulariani (36.5907° N, 26.4563° observations of the two gecko species confirmed their E, 114), situated on Mesa Nisi, in the eastern part of the permanent presence in Astypalea after more than eighty island. One individual of this species was found in the years. Panaghia Poulariani church on 27 September 2017 (Fig. 2EF). New records of Mediodactylus kotschyi and Hemidactylus turcicus, Greece 277

Figure 2. Observations and habitats of geckos on Astypalea. A – house 1.5 km NW of the church of Aghios Ioannis Omologhitis (Aghios Ioannis II), habitat of Mediodactylus kotschyi. B – M. kotschyi found 0.5 km NW of the church of Aghios Ioannis Omologhitis (Aghios Ioannis I). C – entrance to a small cave in the Panormos Bay, inhabited by M. kotschyi. D – M. kotschyi in a ceiling cavity of a small cave in Panormos Bay. E – houses on the grounds of the church of Panaghia Poulariani, inhabited by Hemidactylus turcicus. F – an individual of H. turcicus from the Panaghia Poulariani church. All photos by Marcel Uhrin. 278 Marcel Uhrin & Petr Benda

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Accepted by Wouter Beukema