sign in sign up
<<
Home , Mithymna, Mytilene, Strofades, Tarentola, Tarentola mauritanica

Herpetology Notes, volume 10: 157-159 (2017) (published online on 19 April 2017)

New record of mauritanica (: ) from Lesvos island,

Vangelis Mizerakis1,* and Ilias Strachinis2

The Tarentola Gray, 1825 belongs to the family (Argentina and Uruguay) and the USA (Baez and Phyllodactylidae, where it has been recently placed Biscoito, 1993; Arnold and Ovenden, 2002; Kraus, (Gamble et al., 2008). (Linnaeus, 2008; Barreiros et al., 2010; Rato et al., 2010; Macat et 1758), commonly named as “Moorish Wall ”, al., 2014; Rato et al., 2015). Herein, we present a new is a Mediterranean gecko with a widespread record of T. mauritanica, from Lesvos island (Northern distribution, found from Israel and the northern Aegean), Greece. part of Africa (Western Sahara, Morocco, Algeria, Lesvos () is the third largest Greek island and Tunisia, Libya, Egypt), to the southern part of Europe it is located in the Northeastern Aegean Sea (Fig. 1). It (, , France, Italy and Croatia), has an area of 1,636 km2 and it lies 9 km from the north, extending through many large Mediterranean and about 13 km from the east of the Turkish western like the Balearic Islands, Sicily, Corsica, Sardinia, coast (Gulf of Edremit). The island’s human population Malta, Gozo and (Radovanovic, 1941; Bons and is 85,330 according to 2011 census (Hellenic Statistical Geniez, 1996; Martinez-Rica et al., 1997; Arnold and Authority, 2011). Lesvos consists of a separate regional Ovenden, 2002; Harris et al., 2004; Rato et al., 2010; unit of the Northern Aegean region and its capital is 2012; 2015; Speybroeck et al., 2016; Fig. 1). In Greece (Mytilini), located on the east of the island, it has been recorded on the [, facing the Turkish coast. The island constitutes a popular (Ithaki), Strofades, , Stamfani islet, tourist destination attracting a significant number Arpiia islet, and recently on (Kerkyra)], on Crete (including the islet Dia), and in the western part of the Peninsula (Chondropoulos, 1986; Valakos and Mylonas, 1992; Harris et al., 2004; Wilson, 2006; Valakos et al., 2008; Macat et al., 2014). All European populations share a single mitochondrial haplotype (Harris et al., 2004) that is possibly originated in Morocco (Rato et al., 2010). Tarentola mauritanica is often associated with human habitation and this probably gives us strong clues as to the anthropogenic introduction of the species into new localities (Arnold & Ovenden, 2002), such as the Macronesian Archipelagos (islands Tenerife and Madeira), the Balearic Islands, South America

1 Department of Environment, , Lesvos, Greece Figure 1. (A) Map of Greece showing the location of Lesvos 2 School of Biology, University of island (Northern Aegean). (B) Map showing the approximate (AUTh), Thessaloniki, Greece geographic distribution of Tarentola mauritanica, according to * Corresponding author e-mail: [email protected] Speybroeck et al. (2016). 158 Vangelis Mizerakis & Ilias Strachinis

Figure 2. A) Moorish Wall Gecko (Tarentola mauritanica) found in town of Lesvos, Greece, 2011. This record constitutes the first observation of the species on the island of Lesvos. B) An adult Moorish Wall Gecko on a house wall near Lesvos port, Greece, 2014. C) A Moorish Wall Gecko (adult specimen) captured near Lesvos port, Greece, 2016 (voucher# NHMC80.3.86.137, Natural History Museum of Crete). Photo A by Frank Wood; photos B and C by Vangelis Mizerakis.

of birdwatchers and all kind of naturalists, amongst the area by F. Wood, despite several search attempts. The conventional tourists. Hitherto, there have been several next observation of the species on the island was made herpetofaunal surveys on Lesvos (Broggi, 1978; Tsunis near the port of Mytilene (Lat. 39.1063°, Lon 26.5605°) and Dimitropoulos, 1994; Buttle, 1995; Kasapidis et by the first author (VM) and his colleague Vladikas al., 1996; Cattaneo, 2003; Hofstra, 2003; 2008) that Kleovoulos-Dimitrios, on 29 June 2014, where two highlight the richness of the island’s herpetofauna, but adult specimens were observed (Fig. 2B). Subsequently, with no reference to the Moorish Wall Gecko. the species was observed again by VM on 20 June 2015, The first observation of the Moorish Wall Gecko (two adult specimens) and on 15 June 2016 [four adult on Lesvos was made in Mithymna (Molyvos) on specimens and one juvenile; 1 specimen (Fig. 2C) and 18 September 2011, at midday (Lat. 39.3648°, Lon. 2 tissue vouchers in Natural History Museum of Crete: 26.1778°), by Frank Wood, a wildlife photographer from NHMC 80.3.86.137, NHMC 80.3.86.138, NHMC Tottington, UK (pers. comm., 2013). His observation 80.3.86.139] in the exact same location. All individuals concerns a single individual found under a litter bin observed by VM were seen in the late afternoon moving next to a taxi rank (Fig. 2A). Frank Wood contacted on walls in a house garden near the island’s main port. the second author (IS) requesting species identification. Our observations complement the current known Since then no other individuals have been observed in range of the Moorish Wall Gecko. This is the first record New record of Tarentola mauritanica from Lesvos island, Greece 159 of an established population of the Moorish Wall Gecko on 1 August 2016. on an Aegean island, as all of the species’ observations Hofstra, J. (2003): Herpetological observations on the Greek island in Greece are from the Ionian Islands, Western of Lesbos. Podarcis 4: 101–111. Hofstra, J. (2008): An addition to the herpetofauna of the Greek Peloponnese and Crete (Chondropoulos, 1986; Valakos island Lesbos. Podarcis 9: 2–10. and Mylonas, 1992; Harris et al., 2004; Wilson, 2006; Kasapidis, P., Provatidou, S., Maragou, P., Valakos, E.D. (1996): Valakos et al., 2008; Macat et al., 2014; Fig. 1A). Given Neue Daten über die Herpetofauna von Lesbos (Ägäische Inseln, that introduced species can affect negatively the native Griechenland) und einige biogeographische Bemerkungen über fauna and flora, we deem that monitoring the Moorish die Inseln des nördöstlichen ägäischen Archipels. Salamandra Wall Gecko’s population on Lesvos is important, in 32: 171–180. order to record and prevent possible negative impacts Kraus, P. (2008): Alien and Amphibians: A Scientific Compendium and Analysis. Springer Verlag 563 pp. and faunal interactions the species’ occurrence could Macat, Z., Starcova, M., Cervenka, J., Jablonski, D., Sandera, M. cause on the island. (2014): A molecular assessment and first record of Tarentola mauritanica (Squamata: Phyllodactylidae) on Corfu, Greece. Acknowledgements. We would like to give special thanks Salamandra 50: 172–176. to Frank Wood for providing us his data and observations and Martínez-Rica, J.P. (1997): Tarentola mauritanica. – pp. 214−215 granting us his permission to use them in this document. We in: Gasc, J.P., Cabela, A., Crnobrnja-Isailovic, J., Dolmen, also give many thanks to Vladikas Kleovoulos-Dimitrios for his D., Grossenbacher, K., Haffner, P., Lescure, J., Martens, H., contribution to the surveys which lead to the records made back Martínez Rica, J.P. Maurin, H., Oliveira, M.E., Sofianidou, in 2014, and to Stephanos A. Roussos for a pre-peer review of T.S., Veith, M., Zuiderwijk, A. (eds): Atlas of amphibians and the document. reptiles in Europe. Collection Patrimoines Naturels 29, Societas Europaea Herpetologica, Muséum National d’Histoire Naturelle References & Service du Patrimoine Naturel, Paris 496 pp. Radovanović, M. (1941): Zur Kenntnis der Herpetofauna des Arnold, N., Ovenden, D. (2002): A Field Guide to the Reptiles and Balkans. Zoologischer Anzeiger Leipzig 136: 145−159. Amphibians of Britain and Europe. London, United Kingdom, Rato, C., Carranza, S., Perera, A., Carretero, M.A., Harris, D.J. Harper Collins Publishers. (2010): Conflicting patterns of nucleotide diversity between Báez, M., Biscoito, M. (1993): First record of Tarentola mauri­ mtDNA and nDNA in the Moorish gecko, Tarentola mauritanica. tanica mauritanica from the island of Madeira (NE Atlantic). Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution 56: 962–971. First symposium of fauna and flora of the Atlantic islands. Rato, C., Carranza, S., Harris, D.J. (2012): Evolutionary history October, 1993, Funchal, Madeira. Abstracts p. 7. of the genus Tarentola (: Phyllodactylidae) from the Barreiros, J.P., Elias, R.B., Lourenço, J., Dias, E., Borges, P. Mediterranean Basin, estimated using multilocus sequence data. (2010): First records of Tarentola mauritanica (Linnaeus, 1758) BMC Evolutionary Biology 12: 1−12. (Reptilia; Gekkonidae) in the Azores. Arquipelago. Life and Rato, C., Harris, D.J., Carranza, S., Machado, L., Perera, A. (2015): Marine Sciences 27: 73−75. The of the Tarentola mauritanica species complex Bons, J., Geniez, P. (1996): Anfibios y Reptiles de Marruecos (Gekkota: Phyllodactylidae): Bayesian species delimitation (incluyendo Sáhara Occidental). Atlas Biogeográfico. Aso­ supports six candidate species. Molecular Phylogenetics and ciación Herpetológica Española 319 pp. Evolution 94: 271–278. Broggi, M.F. (1978): Herpetologische Beobachtungen auf der Insel Speybroeck, J., Beukema, W., Bok, B., Voort, J.V. (2016): Field Lesbos (Griechenland). Salamandra 14: 161–171. Guide to the Amphibians & Reptiles of Britain and Europe. Buttle, D. (1995): An introduction to: the amphibians and reptiles London, United Kingdom, Bloomsbury. of the Greek islands. Reptilian Magazine 3: 15–25. Tsunis, G., Dimitropoulos, A. (1994): The amphibians and reptiles Cattaneo, A. (2003): Note erpetologiche sulle isole egee di Lesvos, of Lesvos and (, Greece). Biologia Gallo- Chios e . Bollettino del Museo Civico di Storia Naturale Hellenica 22: 37–48. di Venezia 54: 95–116. Valakos, E., Mylonas, m. (1992): Distribution and ecological Chondropoulos, B.P. (1986): A checklist of the Greek reptiles. I. aspects of the herpetofauna of Strofadhes Islands (Ionian The . Amphibia-Reptilia 7: 217−235. Archipelago, Greece). Herpetozoa 5: 33−39. Gamble, T., Bauer, A.M., Greenbaum, E., Jackman, T.R. (2008): Valakos, E.D., Pafilis, P., Sotiropoulos, K., Lymberakis, P., Out of the blue: a novel, trans-Atlantic clade of (Gekkota, Maragou, P., Foufopoulos, J. (2008): Amphibian and Reptiles of Squamata). Zoologica Scripta 37: 355–366. Greece. Chimera publications. Frankfurt am Main 463 pp. Harris, D.J., Batista, V., Lymberakis, P., Carretero, M.A. (2004): Wilson, M.J. (2006): Herpetological observation on the Greek Complex estimates of evolutionary relationships in Tarentola islands of Keffalinia and Zakynthos. Herpetological Bulletin 97: mauritanica (Reptilia: Gekkonidae) derived from mitochondrial 19−28. DNA sequence. Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution 30: 855–859. Accepted by Daniel Portik Hellenic Statistical Authority (2011): 2011 Population-Housing Census. Available at: http:// http://www.statistics.gr. Accessed