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A new record of land, employing a low level of mechaniza - Testudo graeca ibera PAllAS , 1814, tion. A single male specimen of T. graeca in southern Serbia ibera (Fig. 1), about 19 cm in straight cara - pace length, was found on May 13, 2011, in Until the beginning of the 21st centu - the Preševo valley, one km northwest of the ry, the known distribution of the Spur-thigh - village of Miratovac, at approximately 550 ed Tortoise Testudo graeca ibera PAllAS , m altitude (42°16’19.70’’N; 21°39’8.77’’E; 1814, in the Balkan Peninsula was restricted National Grid Reference UTM 10 km x 10 to FYR of Macedonia, Greece, the European km EM58). The locality represents a small part of Turkey, Bulgaria and Romania fragment of oak forest surrounded by (GASc et al. 1997); insufficient information shrubs, meadows and agricultural land, was available on its occurrence in southeast close to a tiny creek at the foot hills of the Albania ( HAxHiU 1998). contemporary in - latinska Mt. Since the specimen was formation points to the species’ presence in a retrieved by a West Siberian laika dog, larger region of the southeastern Balkan deployed for locating tortoises, there is Peninsula ( vAN DiJk et al. 2004) from where some uncertainty as to the exact spot where its range extends across Asia Minor into the the tortoise was found within a radius of up levantine and caucasus area as far as iran to 100 meters. Six Testudo hermanni GME- (BUSkiRk et al. 2001; S iNDAcO & J EREM - liN , 1789, were spotted in the surrounding čENkO 2008 ). area. Other recorded species of the batra - There is, however, lack of knowledge cho- and herpetofauna in place, included about the distribution of T. graeca ibera in larvae of the Triturus cristatus (lAURENTi , Serbia, in that only two records from the 1768 ) complex, Bom bina variegata (liN - area in question were published thus far. NAEUS , 1758), Lacerta viridis (lAURENTi , The first dates back in 1943 and refers to 1768), Podarcis muralis (lAU RENTi , 1768), three specimens from kosovska Mitrovica, P. tauricus (PAllAS , 1814) and Vipera am - deposited in Zoologische Staatssammlung, modytes (liNNAEUS , 1758). Earlier records München (ZSM 1-3/2000) ( BUSkiRk et al. confirmed the presence of Lissotriton vul - 2001); the second comes from the village of garis (liNNAEUS , 1758), Pelophylax ridi - čivčije in the Pčinja River valley, close to bundus (PAllAS , 1771), Natrix natrix the border to FYR of Macedonia ( TOMOvić (liNNAEUS , 1758), N. tessellata (lAURENTi , et al. 2004). 1768) and Dolichophis caspius (GMEliN , During the period May 9-13, 2011, a 1789) in the Preševo valley ( cRNOBRNJA - Serbian/Bulgarian research team (Bird Pro - iSAilOvić , unpublished data). Except T. tection and Study Society of Serbia, Habi - graeca , no reptile species typical and Prot and Balkani Wildlife Society) explored exclusive to the Mediterranean biogeo - the extreme southeast and south of Serbia, graphical provinces ( MATvEJEv 1961) were i.e, the mountains of Rudina, Dukat, Besna recorded in the Preševo area thus far. For kobila, kozjak and Rujan (range of maxi - comparison, the insect fauna showed clear mum altitudes 968-1923 m a.s.l.), including signs of Mediterranean elements: e.g., the the valleys of Pčinja and Preševo (mini - Ortho pteroidea Bradyporus dasypus and mum altitudes about 400 and 390 m a.s.l., Ameles decolor , as well as the lepidoptera respectively), by mapping habitats and Anthocharis gruneri , Leptidea duponcheli , species of importance in the framework of Spialia phlomidis and Iolana iolas (POPO - the Natura 2000 network. The Preševo vić & M ilENkOvić 2012; authors, pers. valley is situated in the west of the Pčinja obs.). River valley; both are morphologically sep - information on the Serbian distribu - arated by the Rujan Mt. (968 m) and, as an tion of Mediterranean herpetofaunal ele - anthropogenic barrier, highway E75 that ments is fragmentary ( TOMOvić et al. 2004; connects north and south Serbia. The habi - RiSTić et al. 2006). The known sites are tats mainly consist of fragmented oak restricted to the western and eastern corners forests ( Quer cus pubescens ), dry, rocky of southernmost Serbia, and surrounded by pastures, and large acreages of agricultural mountains. The Preševo valley in the mid - All_Short_Notes_SHORT_NOTE.qxd 15.01.2013 15:21 Seite 2

152 SHORT NOTE HERPETOZOA 25 (3/4) Wien, 30. Jänner 2013 SHORT NOTE

Fig. 1: Male specimen of Testudo graeca ibera PAllAS , 1814, from Preševo valley, south Serbia.

dle of south Serbia, is more exposed to var - started its Holocene return northward ious climatic oscillations and perhaps less (FRiTZ et al. 2007). its present range was hospitable to strictly thermophilic reptile certainly shaped by climatic and orograph - species. ic criteria, both in a historical and ecologi - The species’ refugia during the last cal context. glacial period were western Asia Minor, it was presumed earlier that the distri - the southeastern Balkans, and western and bution area of T. graeca in Serbia is strictly central caucasus region, from where it bound to habitats dominated by the Medi- All_Short_Notes_SHORT_NOTE.qxd 15.01.2013 15:21 Seite 3

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terranean climate ( TOMOvić et al. 2004; kEllER , c. & A NDREU , A. c. (2001): Testudo graeca RiSTić et al. 2006). However, in continen - liNNAEUS , 1785 – Maurische landschildkröte; pp. 125- 178. in: FRiTZ , U. (Ed.): Handbuch der Reptilien und tal southeastern Europe, this species occurs Amphibien Europas, Bd. iii/A Schildkröten (Testu- in a wider range of habitats including alti - dines) i (Bataguridae, Testudinidae, Emydidae); tudes up to 1500 m (A RNOlD & O vENDEN Wiebelsheim (Aula). FRiTZ , U. & H UNDSDöRFER A. k. 2002; vAN DiJk et al. 2004). Thus, field & Š iROký , P. & A UER , M. & k AMi , H. & l EHMANN , J. & M AZANAEvA , l.F. & T üRkOZAN , O. & W iNk , A. herpetologists are encouraged to search for (2007): Phenotypic plasticity leads to incongruence this tortoise beyond the margins of its between morphology-based taxonomy and genetic dif - known range. ferentiation in western Palaearctic tortoises ( Testudo The Spur-thighed Tortoise is listed in graeca complex; Testudines, Testudinidae).- Amphi- bia-Reptilia, leiden; 28: 87-121. GASc , J.-P. & c A- Annexes ii and iv of the Habitats Directive BElA , A. & c RNOBRNJA -i SAilOvić , J. & D OlMEN , D. & (92/43/EEc), in Appendix ii of the Berne GROSSENBAcHER , k. & H AFFNER , P. & l EScURE , J. & convention and in Appendix ii of the ciTES MARTENS , H. & M ARTíNEZ -R icA , J. P. & M AURiN , H. & convention. it is currently recognized as OlivEiRA , M. E. & S OFiANiDOU , T. S. & v EiTH , M. & ZUiDERWiJk , A. (Eds.) (1997): Atlas of amphibians and ‘vulnerable’ in the iUcN Red list ( vAN DiJk reptiles in Europe. Paris (Societas Europaea Herpetolo- et al. 2004) and assigned as ‘Strictly Pro - gica, Muséum National d’Histoire Naturelle & Service tected’ by Serbian law ( ANONYMOUS 2010a, du Patrimoine Naturel [collection Patrimoines Natu- 2010b). As already suggested by TOMOvić rels 29]. HAxHiU , i. (1998): The Reptilia of Albania: Species composition, distribution, habitats.- Bonner et al. (2004), Serbian populations of T. grae - Zoologische Beiträge, Bonn; 48: 35-57. MATvEJEv , S. ca ibera are marginal and thus, fragile in D. (1961): Biogeografija Jugoslavije.- Biološki institut terms of viability. The new record extends NR Srbije, Monograph 9, Beograd (Naučna knjiga), the known distribution area of this species pp. 232 pp. POPOvić , M. & M ilEN kOvić , M. (2012): First record of Anthocharis gruneri for Serbia in Serbia 18 kilometers to the west and to (lepidoptera: Pieridae).- Phegea, Berchem; 40 (1b): the other side of the highway separating it 37-38. RiSTić , N. & T OMOvić , l. & A JTić , R. & from the population in the Pčinja River cRNOBRNJA -i SAilOvić , J. (2006): First record of the valley. Effective protection of fragmented four-lined snake Elaphe quatuorlineata (lAcéPèDE , 1789) in Serbia.- Acta Herpetologica, Firenze; 1 (2): populations requires the establishment of 135-139. TOMOvić , l. & A JTić , R. & Đ OkOvić , Đ. & appropriate connectivity between isolates ANTić , S. (2004): Records of Testudo graeca ibera either through migration corridors or by PAllAS , 1814 in Serbia and Montenegro.- Herpetozoa, active transport. A first step could be the Wien; 17: 189-191. vAN DiJk , P. P. & c ORTi , c. & MEllADO , v. P. & c HEYlAN , M. (2004): Testudo grae - inclusion of the Preševo valley in conserva - ca . in: iUcN 2012. iUcN Red list of Threatened tion areas of the ‘Emerald’ and ‘Natura Species. version 2012.1. Downloaded on 15 August 2000’ networks, as well as in ‘important 2012. Herpeto logical Areas of Serbia’. This would kEYWORDS: Reptilia: Testudines: Testudini- accelerate the implementation of suitable dae, Testudo graeca ibera , Serbia, Preševo valley, new management strategies including sustainable record, conservation, threat agriculture techniques essential for tortoise SUBMiTTED: March 13, 2012 migrations and population viability. AUTHORS: Andrey RAlEv , Balkani Wildlife AckNOWlEDGEMENTS: We are grateful to Society, 67 Tsanko Tserkovski str, entr. 3, floor 2, apt. U. F RiTZ (Dresden) and A. k OvATcHEv (Sofia) for valu - 3, Sofia 1421, Bulgaria < [email protected] >; Miloš able comments. The field study was partially support - POPOvić (corresponding author < milos@habiprot. ed by the project “Wings Across the Balkans” funded org.rs >) HabiProt, Zvezdanska 24, 19000 Zaječar, by the European commission, contract no. 226298, Serbia; Milan RUŽić , Bird protection and Study Society Rufford Small Grants Foundation project no. 9495 and of Serbia, Bate Brkića 18, 21000 Novi Sad, Serbia Ministry of Education and Science of Republic of < [email protected] >, Peter SHURUliNkOv , Natio- Serbia Grant no. 173025. nal Museum of Natural History Sofia, Bulgarian Aca- demy of Sciences, Tsar Osvoboditel, 1, 1000, Sofia, REFERENcES: ANONYMOUS (2010a): Reg - ulation on proclamation and protection of strictly pro - Bulgaria < [email protected] >; Girgina tected and protected plant, animal and fungi species. DASkAlOvA , Hadzhi Dimitur, 9, 8800 Sliven, Bulgaria Official Gazette RS 5/10. [in Serbian]. ANONYMOUS < [email protected] >; lachezar SPASOv , Balkani Wildlife Society, 67 Tsanko Tserkovski str, entr. 3, floor (2010b): Regulation on proclamation and protection of ; strictly protected and protected plant, animal and fungi 2, apt.3, Sofia 1421, Bulgaria, < [email protected] > Jelka species. Appendix 1. Strictly protected species. Official cRNOBRNJA -i SAilOvić , Faculty of Sciences and Mathe - Gazette RS 5/10. [in Serbian]. ARNOlD , E. N. & O vEN- matics, University of Niš, višegradska 33, 18000 Niš, DEN , D. W. (2002): A field guide to the reptiles and Serbia; institute for biological research “Siniša amphibians of Britain and Europe. london (Harper Stanković”, University of Beograd, Despota Stefana collins Publishers ltd.), pp. 288. , BUSkiRk , J. R. & 142, 11000 Beograd, Serbia < [email protected] >