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Southernmost European island from the cyclades, and the islands of crete record of Malpolon insignitus and kythira, the last being closest (8.3 km) to the island of Elafonisos, from where its (GEoFFroy DE ST-h ilairE , 1809) occurrence is reported here for the first time. To the best of our knowledge the The genus Malpolon FiTzinGEr , 1826 nearest island harboring M. insignitus is comprised two species, the circummedi - hydra at the argolic Gulf ( clark 1970). terranean and near East Montpellier Snake Elafonisos is a small island (area: 19 M. monspessulanus (hErMann , 1804), and km 2) located only 570 m off the coasts of the north african to Southwest asian Moila the south Peloponnese (36°29’n, 22°58’E, Snake M. moilensis (r EuSS , 1834) , until Fig. 1). according to PauSaniaS (2nd cen - most recently when the genus underwent a tury a. D.) the island was connected with taxonomic revision ( BöhME & D E Pury the mainland in antiquity and home to a 2011 ) resulting in the generic separation of thriving population of red deer ( Cervus ela - the above taxa and the resurrection of phus ), a fact that is reflected in Elafonisos’ PETEr ’s (1862) name Rhagerhis moilensis . name, the ‘island of Deer’ (from Greek The distribution of M. monspessulanus in - elafos – έλαφος and nisos – νήσος , meaning volved three continents: its native territory, deer and island, respectively). During a north africa (the genus originated from the field survey from 14 to 15 September 2011, typically african Psammophinae subfamily, the authors recorded three M. insignitus kElly et al. 2003), Europe and asia, includ - specimens at different sites of the island. ing all the Medi terranean coastal regions, one adult was detected while crossing a with the exception of the italian Peninsula, road in the northwestern part of the island. thereby forming a biogeographical gap ( DE a juvenile was seen to bask at the base of a haan 1999 ). big rock and escaped immediately after For decades, three distinct subspecies noticing our presence. another juvenile were recognized: Malpolon m. monspessu - was a fresh, almost undamaged road-kill lanus , occurring in Southwest Europe, from the east of Elafonisos. The little male Morocco and coastal algeria, Malpolon m. (hemipenes present) individual (total insignitus (GEoFFroy DE ST-h ilairE , 1809), length: 690 mm, head width: 21 mm, head ranging from east Morocco to western height: 12 mm, head length: 32 mm, body Syria, and Malpolon m. fuscus (F lEiSch- mass: 70 g) was preserved in alcohol and Mann , 1831) , distributed in southeast added to the herpetological collection of Europe and Turkey as far as western iran the Museum of natural history of crete (DE haan 1997 ). carranza et al. (2006), (accession number Mnhc 80.3.54.62). based on morphological and molecular The finding of three specimens in 24 analyses, suggested elevating the subspecies person-hours spent searching in the field, insignitus to full species status comprising within a distance of less than 9 km, speaks in two subspecies, M. insignitus fuscus and M. favor of a population density, comparable to insignitus insignitus . in this revised view, the levels reported by TaBachiShin (2011 ). Greek populations formerly attributed to This is the first record of M. insignitus Malpolon monspessulanus fuscus are as - fuscus on the island of Elafonisos, though signed to M. insignitus fuscus . this species is common on the neighboring Malpolon insignitus fuscus (FlEiSch - mainland of the Peloponnese ( clark 1968) Mann , 1831), is widely distributed in where it was reported, among various other Greece from sea level up to 2,000 m a.s.l., places, from the prefecture of lakonia to occurring in phrygana, maquis and woods which Elafonisos belongs (B uTTlE 1987). (valakoS et al. 2008). The Eastern Mont - Together with the populations from the pellier Snake is among the commonest islands of rhodes (but see BaDEr et al. snakes of the country, widespread through - 2009) and kastellorizo ( valakoS & PaPa- out the mainland and also found on most PanaGioTou 1985) which are, however, sit - ionian and several aegean offshore islands uated on the continental shelf of asia, this (chonDroPouloS 1989; v alakoS et al. record at about 36°30’n, is the southern - 2008). however, it is completely absent most European island record of the species. FINAL_SHORT_NOTE_VERSION_Jablonsky_etal_European_Turkey_grafiklayout_jablonsky1.qxd 10.07.2012 14:41 Seite 9

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Fig. 1: The island of Elafonisos is located off the west coast of the easternmost peninsular appendage of the South Peloponnese (Greece), northeast Mediterranean Basin.

acknoWlEDGMEnTS: We are grateful to pp. 661-756. in: BöhME , W. (ed.): handbuch der rep - P. l yMBErakiS (curator of reptiles, Museum of natural tilien und amphibien Europas. vol. 3/iia: Schlangen ii: history of crete, iraklion, crete, Greece) for drawing Serpentes ii: colubridae 2 (Boiginae, natricinae). the map. Wiebelsheim (aula). kElly , c. M. r. & B arkEr , n. P. & v illET , M. h. (2003): Phylogenetics of advanced rEFErEncES: BaDEr , T. & r iEGlEr , c. & snakes (caenophidia) based on four mitochondrial GrilliTSch , h. (2009): The herpetofauna of the island of rhodes (Dodecanese, Greece).- herpetozoa, Wien; genes.- Systematic Biology, cary; 52: 439-459. PauSaniaS (2nd century a. D.): Description of Greece 21: 147-169. BöhME , W. & D E Pury , S. (2011): a note (in ten books). Translated by W. h. S. JonES and h. a. on the generic allocation of Coluber moilensis rEuSS , oMEroD . loeb classical library volumes. cambridge, 1834 (Serpentes: Psammophiidae).- Salamandra, Ma (harvard university Press); london (William rheinbach; 47 (2): 120-123. BuTTlE , D. ( 1987): ob - servations on some of the herpetofauna of the Pelo- heinemann ltd.). PETErS , W . (1862): über die von ponnese.- British herpetological Society Bulletin, dem so früh in afrika verstorbenen Freiherrn von BarniM und Dr. harTMann auf ihrer reise durch london; 20: 22-28. carranza , S. & a rnolD , E. n. & aegypten, nubien und dem Sennâr gesammelten PlEGuEzuEloS , J. M. (2006): Phylogeny, biogeography and evolution of two Mediterranean snakes, Malpolon amphibien.- Monatsberichte der königlichen akade - monspessulanus and Hemorrhois hippocrepis (Squama - mie der Wissenschaften zu Berlin, Berlin; 1862 (Mai): ta, colubridae), using mtDna sequences.- Molecular 271-279. TaBachiShin , v. G. (2011): northeastern hab - itat border of Malpolon monspessulanus (hErMann , Phylogenetics and Evolution, San Diego; 40: 532-546. 1804) in the lower-volga region. herpeto zoa, Wien; chonDroPouloS , B. P. (1989): a checklist of Greek reptiles. 2. The snakes. herpetozoa, Wien; 2: 3-36. 24: 89-90. valakoS , E. D. & P aFiliS , P. & S oTiroPou - loS , P. & l yMBErakiS , P. & M aranGou , P & F ouFo - clark , r. J. (1968): a collection of snakes from PouloS , J. (2008): reptiles and amphibians of Greece. Greece. British Journal of herpetology, london; 4: 45- [Frankfurter Beiträge zur naturkunde, vol. 32] 48. clark , r. J. (1970): a further contribution to the herpetofauna of the islands of the argo-Saronic Gulf, Frankfurt am Main (chimaira Publications), 463 pp. valakoS , S. & P aPaPanaGio Tou , D. (1985): The her - Greece.- British Journal of herpetology, london; 4: petofauna of kastellorizo (Megisti) island (SE aegean 185-188. DE haan , c. c. (1997): Malpolon monspes - archipelago).- British herpetological Society Bulletin, sulanus (hErMann , 1804); pp. 366-367. in: GaSc , J. P. london; 13: 9-12. & c aBEla , a. & c rnoBrnJa -i Sailovic , J. & D olMEn , D. & G roSSEnBachEr , k. & h aFFnEr , P. & l EScurE , J. kEy WorDS: Malpolon insignitus , distribu - & M arTEnS , h. & M arTinEz rica , J. P. & M aurin , h. tion, Greece, Elaphonisios, Europe & o livEira , M. E. & S oFianiDou , T. S. & v EiTh , M. & SuBMiTTED: november 09, 2011 zuiDErWiJk , a. ( eds ): atlas of amphibians and reptiles in Europe. collection Patrimoines naturels, 29, auThorS: Panayiotis PaFiliS (corresponding Societas Europaea herpetologica, Muséum national author < [email protected] > ), ariadne SkElla , d’histoire naturelle & Service du Patrimone naturel, Department of zoology and Marine Biology, School of Paris. DE haan , c. c. (1999): Malpolon monspessu - Biology, university of athens, Panepistimiopolis, 157- lanus (hErMann , 1804) – Europäische Eidechsennatter; 84, ilissia, athens, Greece