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Zoologisch-Botanische Datenbank/Zoological-Botanical Database

Digitale Literatur/Digital Literature

Zeitschrift/Journal: Herpetozoa

Jahr/Year: 2018

Band/Volume: 30_3_4

Autor(en)/Author(s): Benicio Ronildo A., Martins Marcio

Artikel/Article: Defensive behavior of a juvenile durissus LINNAEUS, 1758 217-218 All_Short_Notes:SHORT_NOTE.qxd 02.03.2018 17:19 Seite 15

SHORT NOTE HERPETOZOA 30 (3/4) Wien, 28. Februar 2018 SHORT NOTE 217

western France.- Herpetological Journal, London; 19: edge of a forest fragment. With the 135-142. RAHmAN , S. C. & R ASHid , S. m. A. & d AS , approach of the observer the exhib - K. & J ENKiNS , C. & L uiSELLi , L. (2013): monsoon does matter: annual activity patterns in a assemblage ited the be havior of dorso-ventral flattening from Bangladesh.- Herpetological Journal, London; or rather lateral spreading of the body (Fig. 23: 203-208. ROSEN , P. C. & L OWE , C. H. (1994): 1). This behavior, which is displayed to Highway mortality of in the Sonoran desert of appear larger, is related to the snakes’ mor - southern Arizona.- Biological Conservation, Oxford; 68: 143-148. ROW , J. R. & B LOuiN -d EmERS , G. & phological characteristics, visually oriented WEATHERHEAd , P. J. (2007): demographic effects of predators, habitat use ( GREENE 1979) and road mortality in black ratsnakes ( Elaphe obsoleta ).- phylogeny ( mARTiNS et al. 2008). Recently, Biological Conservation, Oxford; 137: 117-124. a number of variations in the behavior of C. RuGiERO , L. & m iLANA , G. & P ETROZZi , F. & C APuLA , m. & L uiSELLi , L. (2013): Climate-change-related durissus were recorded, ranging from arbo - shifts in annual phenology of a temperate snake during real habitat use ( BENíCiO 2016) to swim - the last 20 years. - Acta Oecologica, Paris; 51: 42-48. ming (FERRANTE et al. 2015). Body flatten - SHEPARd , d. B. & d RESLiK , m. J. & J ELLEN , B. C. & ing is a common defensive behavior PHiLLiPS , C. A . (2008): road mortality around an oasis in the illinois Corn desert with emphasis on observed in various snake species of sever - the endangered eastern massasauga.- Copeia, Ann al families such as dipsadidae ( TOZETTi et Arbor; 2008: 350-359. al. 2009), Elapidae ( mARquES 2002) and KEY WORdS: Reptilia: : Serpentes: ( ARAúJO & m ARTiNS 2006). Colubridae; Zamenis longissimus ; roadkill; long-term However, as to , there is only one study; rainfall; temperature; habitat; ecology; Tolfa mountains, Province of Latium, italy record of C. durissus exhibiting this behav - ior of dorso-ventral flattening, and it refers SuBmiTTEd: February 21, 2017 to a snake which was manipulated (SAWAYA AuTHORS: Lorenzo RuGiERO 1) ; massimo CAPuLA 2) ; dario CAPiZZi 3) ; Giovanni AmORi 4) ; et al. 2008). Thus, this is the first record of Giuliano miLANA 4) ; manuela LAi 5) & Luca LuiSELLi C. durissus displaying this of behavior (Corresponding author < [email protected] >) 5) without being handled, instead upon the 1) Via domenico Cimarosa 15, 00198 Roma, italy approach of an observer in nature. 2) museo Civico di Zoologia, Via Aldrovandi 18, 00197 Roma, italy ACKNOWLEdGmENTS: The authors thank 3) ARP – Agenzia Regionale Parchi - Regione Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Lazio, via del Pescaccio 96, 00166 Roma, italy Paulo (FAPESP, Proc. 2015/11821-0 & 2015/21259-8) 4) CNR – National Research Council of italy - for financial support. iSE - institute for Ecosystem Studies, via dell’uni- REFERENCES: ARAúJO , m. S. & m ARTiNS , versità 32, 00181 Roma, italy m. (2006): defensive behaviour in pit vipers of the 5) institute for development, Ecology, Conserv- genus Bothrops (Serpentes, Viperidae).- The Herpe- ation and Cooperation, via G. Tomasi di Lampedusa 33, tological Journal, London; 16 (3): 297-303. BENíCiO , 00144 Roma, italy; and department of Applied and R. A. (2016): Crota lus durissus (South American Environmental Biology, Rivers State university of Rattlesnake) arboreal habitat use.- Herpetological Science and Technology, Port Harcourt, Nigeria Review, New York; 47 (3): 477. FERRANTE , L. & mENEGuCCi , R. C. & m A CHAdO , i. F. (2015): (South American Rattlesnake). Swimming behavior to cross geographical barrier.- Herpetological Review, New York; 46 (4): 640. GREENE , H. W. (1979): Behavioral convergence in the defensive dis - defensive behavior of a juvenile play of snakes.- Experientia, Basel; 35: 747-748. Crotalus durissus mARquES , O. A. V. (2002): Natural history of the coral snake Micrurus decoratus (Elapidae) from the Atlantic LiNNAEuS , 1758 Forest in southeast Brazil, with comments on possible mimicry.- Amphibia-Reptilia, Leiden; 23 (2): 228-232. mARTiNS , m. & m ARquES , O. A. V. & S AZimA , i. On 16 February 2017, at 20:35 h, the (2008): How to be arboreal and diurnal and still stay first author observed a particular defensive alive: microhabitat use, time of activity, and defense in behavior displayed by a juvenile Cascabel Neotropical forest snakes.- South American Journal of Herpetology, São Paulo; 3 (1): 58-67. SAWAYA , R. J. & Rattlesnake, Crotalus durissus LiNNAEuS , mARquES , O. A. V. & m ARTiNS , m. (2008): Compo- 1758, in a Cerrado area in the Estação Eco - sition and natural history of a Cerrado snake assem - lógica de itirapina (22.2304°S, 47.8190°W, blage at itirapina, São Paulo State, southeastern WGS84; 783 m a.s.l.), northeastern State of Brazil.- Biota Neotropica, Cam pinas; 8 (2): 127-149. TOZETTi , A. m. & O LiVEiRA , R. B. & P ONTES , m. F. São Paulo, Brazil. The rattlesnake (snout- (2009): defensive repertoire of Xenodon dorbignyi vent-length: 640 mm; tail length: 60 mm) (Serpentes, dipsadidae).- Biota Neotropica, Campi- was found crossing a trail located at the nas; 9 (3): 157-163. All_Short_Notes:SHORT_NOTE.qxd 02.03.2018 17:19 Seite 16

218 SHORT NOTE HERPETOZOA 30 (3/4) Wien, 28. Februar 2018 SHORT NOTE

Fig. 1: A juvenile Crotalus durissus LiNNAEuS , 1758, displaying dorso-ventral flattening of the body as observed at Estação Ecológica de itirapina, State of São Paulo, southeastern Brazil.

KEY WORdS: Reptilia: Squamata: Serpentes the LC (Least Concern) category since 2006 Viperidae; Crotalus durissus ; defensive behavior, (B öHmE et al. 2016). aposematic behavior, antipredator behavior, dorso-ven - tral flattening, lateral spreading of the body, Brazil GRAY (1849) originally described M. SuBmiTTEd: June 29, 2017 xanthina as Daboia xanthina from the ruins of Xanthos (Kınık) in muğla, southwestern AuTHORS: Ronildo A. BENíCiO (Corresponding author, < [email protected] >) 1) & marcio Turkey. many studies were carried out on mARTiNS 2) the and distribution of the species 1) Programa de Pós-graduação em Ecologia e (BOdENHEimER 1944; m ERTENS 1952; B A- Recursos Naturais, Centro de Ciências Biológicas e da RAN 1976; B AşOğLu & B ARAN 1980; N iL- Saúde, universidade Federal de São Carlos, São SON & A NdRéN 1985, 1986; S CHäTTi et al . Carlos, SP, Brazil. 2) departamento de Ecologia, instituto de Bio- 1991; B ETTEX 1993; m uLdER 1995; N iLSON ciências, universidade de São Paulo, São Paulo, SP, et al. 1999; S iNdACO et al . 2000 ), which is Brazil; < [email protected] >. mostly distributed in the west Anatolian part of Turkey. The present note reports a new record of M. xanthina , which constitutes the species’ northwesternmost known Turkish Northwesternmost locality record of locality. Montivipera xanthina (GRAY , 1849) A subadult female roadkill specimen (Fig. 1; sex identified by the absence of pal - in Turkey pable hemipenes pockets) was found at Enez (Province of Edirne) on the Enez- The Ottoman Viper, Montivipera xan - İpsala highway at night time on June 22, thina (GRAY , 1849) is distributed in Turkey 2016 (40°44’757”, 26°08’589”, 5 m a.s.l.). and eastern Greece. its Turkish distribution The new locality is shown in Fig. 2 along includes a large area in the mediterranean, with the known species’ distribution. After Aegean, marmara and Central Anatolia taking tissue samples for genetic analyses, regions ( BOdENHEimER 1944; B ARAN 1976; the specimen was preserved in a mixture of BAşOğLu & B ARAN 1980; N iLSON et al . 99 parts of 70 % ethanol and one part of 10 % 1988; B ARAN et al . 2013). The species is formaldehyde solution and deposited in the generally treated as monotypic (but see Zoology Laboratory of the department of NiLSON & A NdRéN 1986; CATTANEO 2014; Biology at the Faculty of Science, Kara- STümPEL et al. 2016). The iuCN Red List deniz Technical university (Trabzon, TR) of Threatened Species classifies this viper at under KZL-234/2016, 1♀, Enez, Edirne,