Broggi_Kythera April 2014_hErPEToZoA.qxd 08.08.2016 10:20 seite 1

hErPEToZoA 29 (1/2): 37 - 46 37 Wien, 30. Juli 2016

The herpetofauna of the Island of Kythera (, ) (Amphibia; reptilia)

die herpetofauna der Insel (Attika, Griechenland) (Amphibia; reptilia)

MArIo F. B roGGI

KUrZFAssUnG die Insel Kythira ist Teil des südägäischen Inselbogens, der sich vor mehreren Millionen von Jahren bilde - te und von der Peloponnes-halbinsel über Kreta, und rhodos nach Anatolien erstreckt. In seiner Pflan- zen- und Tierwelt hat Kythira viel mit dem Peloponnes gemeinsam. Bislang wurden etwa sechzehn Amphibien- und reptilienarten von der Insel beschrieben, die sich durch ihren Wasserreichtum, besonders im norden, aus - zeichnet. die vorliegende Arbeit trägt die verstreute Information zur herpetofauna von Kythira zusammen und erweitert sie durch eigene Beobachtungen. ABsTrACT The Island of Kythera lies in the southern Aegean arc of , which formed millions of years ago and extends from the Peninsula, , Karpathos and to Anatolia. With regard to its flora and fauna, Kythera has much in common with the Peloponnese. To date, about six teen species of amphibians and rep - tiles were reported to occur on the island, which has abundant water resources, in the north especially. In this paper, the scattered information on the island’s herpetofauna is compiled and enriched by author’s observations. KEy Words Amphibia; reptilia; Testudo marginata , Caretta caretta , Algyroides moreoticus , new island record, faunis - tics, Island of Kythera, Greece

InTrodUCTIon

The Ionian Island of Kythera forms a consists of acid metamorphosed rock, but bridge between the Peloponnese Peninsula for the most part, it is of calcareous origin. and the Island of Crete, thus delineating the Kythera (Fig. 1) has an area of 280 km 2; it island arc to the west. The is 29 km long and 16 km wide, most of its Aegean continental land mass is located in are steep. The island’s offers an active geological region where subduc - little variety, with a main basement forming tion of the African plate under the Eurasian a plateau at 300-400 m a.s.l. At 506 m a.s.l., plate is at work. The land mass started to Mermigaris is the highest point on the break into islands about 13 million years island. The 6-10 km long ravines and gul - ago. Crete became isolated from Anatolia lies in the north are a significant feature of some 10 million years ago and from the the island’s relief. A comprehensive natural Peloponnese about 5.3 million years ago history of the island was published as early (KAsAPIdIs et al. 2005). as in 1837 by JAMEson . L EonhArd (1899) Kythera lies no more than about eight described the hydrology of Kythera as fol - kilometers south of the little south Pelopon - lows: “Individual streams are fed by major nesian offshore island of and not springs, like those at Mylopotamos and even 20 km from , the tip of the Karavas, and hence carry water throughout easternmost peninsular promontory of the the year, although they do not reach the sea southern Peloponnese. In geological terms, in the dry season, and they serve a flourish - Kythera is an extension of the Taygetos ing milling industry…. The canyon-shaped Mountain range. The north of the island streams give the monotonous plateau land - Broggi_Kythera April 2014_hErPEToZoA.qxd 08.08.2016 10:20 seite 2

38 M. F. B roGGI

scape of the interior a character of its own.” Kythera 1:35,000 and orAMA editions In spring, some of the streams around #339 Kythira 1:50,000, both of which are Potamos, the largest village in the north, GPs-compatible. carry water, which remains longest in the herpetological exploration of rocky pools and can support amphibian re - Kythera.- The earliest, although merely production. Barrier beaches and lagoons at enumerative and unsupported information the mouth of the watercourses that are a typ - on the herpetofauna of Kythera was given ical feature of many Greek islands are less by JAMEson (1837) in his ‘notes on the nat - common on Kythera ( BroGGI 1994) and ural history and statistics of the Island of present only on the east near Lagadi Cerigo and its dependencies’ where he below Paleochora, and at Vythoulas near wrote at page 64: “ belonging to the Paleopoli where they constitute the island’s class reptilia, although not very abundant, only significant wetland structures, attrac - yet still representatives of the following tive to migrant birds in particular (Figs. 2-7). genera were observed: Testudo graeca , The island’s current human population Emys europaea , Chelonia caretta , Lacerta of about 3,500 inhabitants mirrors a strong agilis , ocellata , viridis , Ascalabotes , decline compared with 15,000 reported for Oligodon natrix , Viperium , Coluber berus , the period of the second World War ( hAdJI- , Rana esculenta , Hyla dIMITrIoU 2013). Agriculture (olives) and arborea , Bufo communis . Every stream and apiculture are the dominant occupations. marsh in spring teems with frogs which domestic Greek tourism is becoming in - make a noise rather grating to the ear.“ In creasingly important, although it is largely succeeding herpetological papers this restricted to the middle of summer. In source was largely neglected except for a Australia alone, the Kytheran diaspora is paper on tortoises on thought to be about 60,000 strong and has (W ATson 1962) . no printed paper focused some influence on the island (returnees, on the herpetofauna of Kythera alone has tourists). Many peripheral villages were been published to date. In 1930, WErnEr abandoned and the buildings left to decay or summarized the knowledge on the distribu - are now used as holiday homes. In the last tion of herpetological species on the Aegean few decades, the phrygana vegetation com - and and enumerated eight monly found on the island has developed species known to occur on Kythera without into macchia and is gradually being trans - indicating particular sources other than the formed into dense stands of oak in the north. collectors sTorCh and rEIsEr for the Cat In the deep valleys, where water is available : Gymnodactylus kotschyi , Hemi - for longer periods of the year, plane trees dactylus turcicus , Lacerta viridis major , (Platanus orientalis ) and oleander ( Nerium Ablepharus pannonicus , Typhlops vermicu - oleander ) grow. laris , Coluber gemonensis , Elaphe leopar - The botany of Kythera is well re - dina and Tarbophis fallax . In fact, corre - searched (e.g., GrEUTEr & r EChInGEr sponding vouchers from that time are stored 1967; d ELForGE 2010). Kythera is the loca - at the natural history Museum in Vienna. tion of the natura 2000 area Gr 3000013 In his 7th report on his expeditions to (Kythira Kai Gyro nisides, , Greece, WErnEr (1937) included a list of dragonera, Antidragonera, , Kapello, the species observed during a week Koufo Lai Fidonisi) covering areas of the spent on Kythera and found that the island northern and eastern coasts and seven rocky fauna and flora has much in common with offshore islets. Kythera is of great impor - the southern Peloponnese, but little with the tance for birdlife and a relevant migration species on the islands of the southern Ionian path to Crete via Island. There sea, with which Kythera for a long time is little on Kythera but there formed an administrative unit. According to is an excellent work by the landscape pho - this author, Kythera represents part of a tographer Tzeli hAdJIdIMITrIoU (2013). In bridge from Maina (= Mani), the central spite of the island’s limited importance for southern peninsular promontory of the tourism, numerous maps are available Peloponnese, to Crete. Kythera, however including the sKAI/TErrAIn map #346 has none of the endemic species of Broggi_Kythera April 2014_hErPEToZoA.qxd 08.08.2016 10:20 seite 3

The herpetofauna of the Island of Kythera 39

(1938: 75) Typhlops vermicularis , although the latter is absent from the summary of the individual islands. From the amphibians he referred to Bufo viridis (1938: 24). To the nine herpetological species reported by WErnEr (1937, 1938) PIEPEr (1970) added Rana ridibunda and Ophiomorus punctatis - simus and speculated that Hyla or Clemmys might be present . C hondroPoULos (1986, 1989) did not contribute new species records, whereas, ArnoLd & B UrTon (1978) added Natrix tessellata to the fauna of Kythera. VALAKos et al. (2008) among others, followed ArnoLd & B UrTon (1978) although the presence of N. tessellata was not confirmed since. BroGGI (1994) added the Grass snake ( Natrix natrix persa ) to the list of species. GAsC et al. (1997) men - tioned Coluber caspius to occur on Kythera, which was adopted by KrEInEr (2007) and VALAKos et al. (2008), although not shown on the distribution map. sILLEro et al. (2014) no longer included this record in their updated distribution atlas of amphib - ians and in Europe. The caspius report is also doubted by Augusto CATTAnEo Fig. 1: Map of the Ionian Island of Kythera (Greece). (in litt. 1.1.2015) and may be due to Abb 1: Karte der Ionischen Insel Kythira misidentification, since the juveniles of (Griechenland). Dolichophis caspius and gemo - nensis are very similar. In the report on a field trip to Kythera undertaken from 28 May to 5 June 2011, sPEyBroECK (2011) refers to nine species the Peloponnese, which he says is because observed: Mediodactylus kotschyi , Able - the southernmost part of the Peloponnese is pharus kitaibelii , Lacerta trilineata and completely barren and too dry even for Hierophis gemonensis were frequently ob- xerophilous lizards. Apart from the Balkan served at almost all sites . Pelophylax ridi - Green Lizard, no lizards are reported from bundus kurtmuelleri was seen in the streams the island in his above work. Below, the of the north, Natrix natrix persa in brooks names of the taxa follow the nomenclature with stagnant water and Bufo viridis was used by the respective authors. WErnEr thought to be detected for the first time. (1937) listed the following species: Gymno - Further records comprised Telescopus fallax dactylus kotschyi , Hemidactylus turcicus , (five times, including two roadkills) where - Lacerta viridis major , Ablepharus kitaibelii as, Ophiomorus punctatissimus , Typhlops (“not very common”), Coluber gemonensis vermicularis and Zamenis situla were not gemonensis (“the commonest snake, with seen. sPEyBroECK (2011) was sceptical slightly more striking markings than on the about the claimed presence of Rana graeca mainland”), Elaphe leopardina (“apart from (source of information unknown to the gemonensis , apparently the only snake on author of the present note) and Natrix tes - Kythera”), with the genus Vipera complete - sellata , but did not exclude the presence of ly absent from the island. In his synopsis on Testudo sp., Eryx jaculus or Elaphe quator - the amphibians and reptiles of Greece lineata . (WErnEr 1938: 94) he mentions Tarbophis Apart from a herpetological excursion fallax and in his descriptions of the species to the Island of Elafonisos ( BroGGI 2015), a Broggi_Kythera April 2014_hErPEToZoA.qxd 08.08.2016 10:20 seite 4

40 M. F. B roGGI

potential stepping stone connecting between ied, sunny and rainy, warm and cold. on the the Peloponnese and Kythera, two visits second trip (6-18 April 2015), the weather were made to the Island of Kythera by the was always cool and windy, with maximum author and his companions thanked in the temperatures of 16 degrees Celsius, clouds acknowledgments. on the first trip (24 and rain in the first week and continuous April to 6 May, 1989), the weather was var - sunshine in the second.

sPECIEs ACCoUnT

The following species were reliably re- at approx. 200 m a.s.l., sideronero spring leading to ported from the island. records of the author’s Platani stream northwest of Potamos at approx. 160 m a.s.l., near Agios Mamas in a side stream with spring, 1989 and 2015 excursions to Kythera are pre - Milous stream in the gorge area near Mitata at approx. sented under ‘observations’. 100 m a.s.l., south of Viaradika in the stream at Agios Vasilios on the road to Paleopoli with frequent calls heard in the whole network of streams in the valley, Bufotes viridis around Mylopotamos in the area of the waterfall and (LAUrEnTI , 1768) the 23 ruined watermills at approx. 250-100 m a.s.l. Calls - Mitata, from spring pools immediately below references: ? J AMEson (1837 - “ Bufo commu - the church at 360 m a.s.l. nis ”), WErnEr (1938), s PEyBroECK (2011) . observations: Tadpoles - trough near stavli to the west of Potamos (1989); 1 semi-adult specimen, Testudo marginata near Gerakianika (1989); tadpoles - (sChoEPFF , 1795) three expanses of surface water 1 km west of stathlanika (April 8, 2015); 1 adult, 1 semi-adult, tad - references: JAMEson (1837), WATson (1962), poles, calls heard by day - 80 m x 40 m expanse of MAnTZIoU et al. (2004). water south of Aroniadika near the main road to the no reports exist of tortoise sightings north at the turning to Aloizianika at approx. 400 m a.s.l. (April 9, 2015); tadpoles - open cistern with on Kythera except a first mention by waterlilies near the cemetery at about 100 m JAMEson (1837) cited by WATson (1962) . a.s.l. Evidence is provided, however, by a mito - It is reasonable to assume that the chondrial dnA study into the Aegean species is common in the north of the island Mauremys rivulata (VALEnCIEnnEs , 1833) where it breeds in the numerous pools in the by MAnTZIoU et al. (2004). The authors brooks. compared these Mauremys populations with, among others, a Pelophylax kurtmuelleri from Kythera (national history Museum of (G AydA , 1940) Crete, nhMC 80.3.22.6). no further com - mentary is provided, however. references: JAMEson (1837 - as Rana esculen - on 8 April, 2015, the author of the ta ), PIEPEr (1970 - as Rana ridibunda ), V ALAKos et al. (2008), sPEyBroECK (2011) . present contribution visited Paleopoli and observations: The Balkan Frog was mainly its well known skandeia restaurant. The found in the north of the island where the watercourses proprietors run a small tortoise enclosure are usually not yet dry at that time of the year. Frogs with some twenty specimens of the Margin- of different size - 1989: spring areas around Karavas, brooklets and cisterns near Agios Patrikia north of Agia ated Tortoise, which also breeds there. Pelagia, south of Agia Pelagia in the Krini Ghalani According to the proprietress, the animals spring area, Platani to the west of Potamos on the way are partly from the island, some of them res - to Lygia Bay, Kako Lagadi near Palaeochora, Koufo - cued after road accidents, and partly from gialou near Perlegianika east of Aroniadika, west of Kako Lagadi near Milopota mos, Mylon near Mitata, the Peloponnese. Their son also confirmed stream near Fatsadika in the south of the central observations of specimens living in the wild plateau, approaching the mouth of the staklalagado of the island. stream south of Moni Myrtidion. 2015: canyon brook - observations: A sighting was made on 12 April, lets around Karavas, near Lygies-ocheles Beach to the 2015, by Christian BUrrI and Wilfried KAUFMAnn , west of Potamos at approx. 100-200 m a.s.l., west of members of this year’s travel party, who saw a big Trifolianika on the path to Paleochora at approx. 100 m Marginated Tortoise on a road south of dhrymonas a.s.l., Platani stream on the path to Likomondio Beach (36°11’5.989” n, 22°57’22.355” E) at 352 m a.s.l. Broggi_Kythera April 2014_hErPEToZoA.qxd 08.08.2016 10:20 seite 5

The herpetofauna of the Island of Kythera 41

Caretta caretta Hemidactylus turcicus (LInnAEUs , 1758) (LInnAEUs , 1758)

references: JAMEson (1837), sPEyBroECK references: ? JAMEson (1837 - Ascalabotes ), (2011). WErnEr (1930, 1937, 1938), WETTsTEIn (1953), JAMEson (1837) referred to Chelonia VALAKos et al. (2008), sPEyBroECK (2011 - photo - caretta for Kythera in general and sPEy- graph, but not mentioned in text ). observations: single specimens - illuminated BroECK (2011) to two specimens of the stone wall at hotel Marou in Agia Pelagia (May 2, Loggerhead Turtle coming to Kapsali Bay 1989), well north of dhrymonas at approx. 360 m a.s.l. to lay their eggs every year. A biologist (April 10, 2015), cistern at the roof-top of the church at from Kythera, who runs a regional produce Trifilianika (April 13, 2015). shop in Chora, said turtles lay eggs in the sandy bays of diakofti, in Limni Bay near Lacerta trilineata Paleopoli and in Kapsali (stavros Emma- (BEdrIAGA , 1886) nuel, verbal comm.). The proprietor of the Lemoni restaurant in Kapsali, reported that references: JAMEson (1837 - Lacerta viridis ; his Lacerta agilis , and [ L. ] ocellata could be related to in Kapsali Bay the last ovipositions and juvenile L. trilineata ), WErnEr (1930, 1937, 1938), hatchlings were observed in 2013 (Kostas WETTsTEIn (1952, 1953), VALAKos et al. (2008), Belbas, verbal comm., 17.4.2015). sPEyBroECK (2011). The Balkan Green Lizard is common Mauremys rivulata on the island and was observed frequently. (VALEnCIEnnEs , 1833) on the second trip most of the specimens seen were juveniles. references: ? JAMEson (1837 - as Emys - paea ). The Balkan Terrapin is common on Ablepharus kitaibelii the Peloponnese Peninsula and found on (BIBron & B ory dE sT. V InCEnT , 1833) Crete. Kythera offers potential terrapin references: WErnEr (1930, 1937, 1938), WETT - habitats in those stream sections of the north sTEIn (1953), PIEPEr (1970), GrUBEr (1974), VALAKos that do not run dry in summer, and in the et al. (2008), sPEyBroECK (2011). barrier beach lagoon at Kakia Lagada south The snake-eyed skink was frequently of Agia Pelagia. The author’s searches con - found throughout the island. ducted in those areas were in vain although observations: In 2015 large numbers were seen the local biologist stavros Emmanuel re- near Arei to the east of Mylopotamos. ported the author that a friend had told him he had seen terrapins in the Karavas area in Ophiomorus punctatissimus the north of the island. The Balkan Terrapin (BIBron & B ory dE sT. V InCEnT , 1833) therefore is not unlikely to be present on Kythera whereas the occurrence of Emys references: PIEPEr (1970), B roGGI (1994), V A- LAKos et al. (2008) . Known from the neighboring orbicularis (LInnAEUs , 1758) is. This terra - Island of Elafonisios ( BroGGI 2015). pin species is found on the Peloponnese, but observations: A single specimen - south of almost certainly absent from Kythera which dokana (east of Mylopotamos) in a ditch near the main lacks the ample backwaters and wetlands road (May 4, 1989). that are essential for Emys . Xerotyphlops vermicularis Mediodactylus kotschyi (MErrEM , 1820) (sTEIndAChnEr , 1870) references: WErnEr (1921, 1930, 1938), GrIL - LITsCh & G rILLITsCh (1993). references: ? JAMEson (1837 - Ascalabotes ), WErnEr (1930, 1937, 1938), WETTsTEIn (1953), Its presence on the island as reported BEUTLEr (1975), VALAKos et al. (2008), sPEyBroECK by WErnEr (1921, 1930, 1938) refers to a (2011) . specimen collected by o. s TorCh in 1912 on warm days this most common rep - along with B. viridis , M. kotschyi and T. fal - tile on the island was seen by the author on lax . The specimen is stored at the natural many dry walls. It was generally a frequent history Museum in Vienna under inventory find beneath stones and in ruins. number 15406: 27 ( GrILLITsCh & G rIL- Broggi_Kythera April 2014_hErPEToZoA.qxd 08.08.2016 10:20 seite 6

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The herpetofauna of the Island of Kythera 43

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LITsCh 1993). Xerotyphlops records were formal addition to the herpetofauna of never reported from that island since. Kythera lacks subsequent confirmation, and sPEyBroECK (2011) doubted the statement at Hierophis gemonensis all. But there are good reasons not to go as (LAUrEnTI , 1768) far because the watercourse system of north Kythera (no fish, but water frogs and fresh - references: WErnEr (1930, 1937, 1938), WETT - water crabs) represents an appropriate habi - sTEIn (1953), VALAKos et al. (2008), sPEyBroECK (2011). tat. Also, N. tessellata populations hunting Both WErnEr (1930) upon first men - in saline coastal waters as observed in - PEyBroECK tion from the island and s (2011) ous places (e.g., , Crete - GrU sChWITZ consider the the com - et al. 1999: 618; Caspian sea in Azerbaijan - monest snake species on the island, a find - BroGGI unpublished) may exist on the ing that is confirmed by the author’s obser - island. Besides, Kythera would constitute a vations. observations: dead specimen about 55 cm long natural link between the N. tessellata popu - - mule track near the Platani stream west of stavli lations of the Peloponnese and Crete. (May 28, 1989); specimen about 60 cm long - side of the road at Agios Kosmas (May 29, 1989); single spec - Zamenis situla imens - near the shore at Agios Patrikia (May 2, 1989), Agios dimitrios (May 4, 1989), extensive farmland (LInnAEUs , 1758) near Perlegianika west of Potamos (May 4, 1989), west of Potamos towards the Lygies-ocheles Bay (April 4, references: WErnEr (1930, 1933: 127, 1937, 2015), under a wooden door lying on the ground in 1938), WETTsTEIn (1953), VALAKos et al. (2008). Likodimou Bay (April 9, 2015), on the road near the The Leopard snake was first reported hamlet of Prosio north of Karavas (April 16, 2015), a by WErnEr (1930). The voucher is kept juvenile in a wall north of Kapsali (by Peter GooP , April 16, 2015). under 24164 at the natural history Museum in Vienna. Alexander KoCyAn (University of Natrix natrix persa Potsdam) showed the author a photograph (PALLAs , 1814) (taken in 2012 at Ekklisia Agios Pantelei- monas near Fratsia) of a roadkill specimen as references: ? JAMEson (1837 - as Oligodon a recent confirmation of the presence of the natrix ), BroGGI (1994), sPEyBroECK (2011). Leopard snake on the island. observations: A juvenile between Trifylianika and Paleochora in the water of a side stream of the Telescopus fallax Kako Lagadi (April 3, 1989), a juvenile on a flooded path by the Platani stream west of Potamos at 200 m a. (FLEIsChMAnn , 1831) s. l. on the way to the Lygies-ocheles Bay (April 4, 1989), dr. Alexander KoCyAn (University of Potsdam) references: WErnEr (1912, 1930, 1937, 1938), showed the author a photograph of a Grass snake taken WETTsTEIn (1953), PIEPEr (1970), GrUBEr (1974), on 13 April, 2008 in the irrigation system of the upper - VALAKos et al. (2008), sPEyBroECK (2011). most watermill at the Mylopotamos stream. This species in known from the island It can be assumed that most streams in through WErnEr by a specimen at the nat- the north of the island that carry water for an ural history Museum in Vienna (nhMW extended period of the year are home to 20113: 3). sPEyBroECK (2011) observed five populations of the Grass snake. European Cat on the island. observations: The single sighting made on 30 April, 1989 refers to a roadkill specimen about 80 cm Natrix tessellata long, without any visible signs of injury, found beneath (LAUrEnTI , 1768) a rock on the road leading south to Viaradika from Mitata. references: ? JAMEson (1837 - as Viperium , maybe a typographic error in place of [ Oligodon ] viperinum ), ArnoLd & B UrTon (1979), GrUsChWITZ et al. (1999), VALAKos et al. (2008). data deficient species Without indicating the source of infor - mation ArnoLd & B UrTon (1979) reported Algyroides moreoticus this snake on the Island of Kythera. This (BIBron & B ory dE sAInT VInCEnT , 1833 ) view was followed by GrUsChWITZ et al. (1999) and VALAKos et al. (2008). To the Apart from the Balkan Green Lizard, author’s knowledge, however, the snake’s no other lacertid species were ever found on Broggi_Kythera April 2014_hErPEToZoA.qxd 08.08.2016 10:20 seite 9

The herpetofauna of the Island of Kythera 45

Kythera ( ChondroPoULos 1986; V ALAKos ruled out since it is found in close vicinity 2008). on several occasions during the on the Peloponnese Peninsula. suitable authors’ visit to the island in 2015, however, habitats for H. arborea are certainly avail - lizards were seen which resembled neither able on Kythera and its presence on the the Balkan Green Lizard nor wall lizards island would easily bridge the distribution (Podarcis ). A sighting made at approx. 340 gap between the Peloponnesian and Cretan m a.s.l. on a track at Agios dimitrios near populations. Pourko, to the south of dhrymonas, on 12 Final remarks.- The inhabitants April 2015, can be described as follows: a of many Greek islands have a strong aver - slim, smallish, flat-lying specimen, grey, no sion to and fear of anything that slithers markings, with uniform keeled scales and a along without legs. surprisingly, discus - very long tail. This description fits the sions with some of the residents of Kythera Greek Algyroides . The lizards were ex- revealed a more positive attitude towards tremely shy and no photographs could be snakes there. The son of the owners of the taken. This sighting requires confirmation. skandeia restaurant in Paleopoli, for exam - JAMEson (1837) included the Euro - ple, said that snakes were a welcome sight pean Treefrog, Hyla arborea (LInnAEUs , because they brought good luck and people 1758), and two species of viper under the were in any case aware of the absence of names Coluber berus and Vipera ammo- poisonous snakes on the island. This view dytes in his list of herpetological species was frequently confirmed insofar as the occurring on Kythera. neither treefrogs nor defensive attitude usually encountered vipers were ever reported from the island when enquiring about snakes was not dis - since. From its ecology, the cool-adapted played on Kythera. According to the native species Vipera berus (LInnEUs , 1758) is not biologist stavros Emmanuel, few roadkill at all a Mediterranean island dweller and snakes are seen on the island, because driv - was certainly added here erroneously ers usually swerve to avoid them. during whereas, the nose-horned Viper, V. ammo - two visits to Kythera only one roadkill (Cat dytes (LInnEUs , 1758), is widespread among snake in 1989) was detected, compared with the Ionian and Islands. Its poten - the author’s usual observations of many run tial occurrence on Kythera should not be over snakes on other islands.

ACKnoWLEdGMEnTs

The author is grateful for communications port of nature protection on Kythera. Kostas Belbas received from his longstanding travel companions, dr. provided specific information on the turtles in the Christian Burri, dr. Peter Goop, Wilfried Kaufmann sands of Kapsali Bay. Also, the author is grateful for and Mag. Günther stadler. sincere thanks also go to valuable information received from dr. Alexander the local expert and biologist stavros Emmanuel of Kocyan (Potsdam University, Germany). Chora (, Greece) for his tips and work in sup -

rEFErEnCEs

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dATE oF sUBMIssIon: June 19, 2015 Corresponding editor: heinz Grillitsch

AUThor: Mario F. BroGGI ‒ st. Mamertenweg 35, 9495 Triesen, Principality of Liechtenstein < mario. [email protected] >.