HERPETOZOA 21 (1/2): 79 - 84 79 Wien, 30. Juni 2008

The herpetofauna of Lipsi (, ) and nature conservation aspects

Die Herpetofauna der Insel Lipsi (Dodekanes, Griechenland) und Aspekte des Naturschutzes

MARIO F. BROGGI

KURZFASSUNG Von der Nord-Dodekanes Insel Lipsi waren bisher eine Amphibien- und fünf Reptilienarten nachgewiesen. Nun kommen Ablepharus kitaibelii und Cyrtopodion (M.) kotschyi dazu. Lipsi soll Teil eines geplanten Meeres- Nationalparkes werden. Es werden darum die derzeit nicht nachhaltigen Aspekte der Landnutzung kommentiert und einige Anregungen für Verbesserungen unterbreitet. Als größtes Problem wird die Überbestoßung durch Kleinvieh geortet. Weiters sollte die Zersiedelung der Insel durch raumplanerische Maßnahmen verhindert wer- den. Für Bufo (P.) viridis sind Rettungsmaßnahmen zur Erhaltung der Laichplätze vordringlich.

ABSTRACT The island of Lipsi in the Northern Dodecanese was known to be home to one amphibian and five reptile species. Ablepharus kitaibelii and Cyrtopodion (M.) kotschyi have now been added to the list. Lipsi is to become part of a maritime national park. In this context the paper addresses today’s non-sustainable aspects of land use and makes suggestions for improvements. The biggest problem identified is excessive grazing by small livestock. Spatial planning measures are also proposed to prevent uncontrolled real estate development. Above all there is an urgent need for measures to protect the spawning grounds of the Bufo (P.) viridis. KEY WORDS Amphibia, Reptilia: Cyrtopodion (Mediodactylus) kotschyi, Ablepharus kitaibelii, herpetofauna, new island records, nature conservation aspects, island of Lipsi, Dodecanese, Greece

INTRODUCTION

The Northern Dodecanese island of pSCI GR 4210010, Special Protected Areas Lipsi (Lipsoi) has an area of just17 km2 and SPA GR 4210013). The main focus was is an insider tip for for those who want to directed on the marine ecosystems and avi- spend individual Greek island holidays. fauna (e.g. Larus audouinii). The flora is Lipsi lies 12 km east of the island of also diverse and includes a number of end- and 11 km north of . It has a maximum emic species such as Allium dodecanesii elevation of 277 m. The west of the island in (PANITSA & TZANOUDAKIS 2001; HELLENIC particular is extremely dry and stony, while ORNITHOLOGICAL SOCIETY 1999). the eastern part has some gentle fertile val- In the Northern Dodecanese a wildlife leys that permit cultivation and human set- refuge has been established comprising four- tlement in places. Lipsi’s about 600 inhabi- teen islets in the Arki area. There are plans tants are concentrated in the port, while new to extend it to create a maritime park called holiday homes are mainly to be found along “Northern Dodecanese Islands and Islets the east coast. The Lipsiots live mainly on National Park” in the archipelago of Lipsi, tourism and agriculture, with a focus on Arki and ” with a total of 52 stock farming and fishing. islands and islets (personal communication In 1999 Lipsi and the 24 islets in the by Anastasia MILIOU on 16.1.2007 and vicinity form an archipelago, which – to- < www.archipelago.gr >). gether with Arki and Agathonisi – was made The focus of this paper is put on the the subject of scientific study by the HELLE- herpetofauna of Lipsi and the nature conser- NIC ORNITHOLOGICAL SOCIETY (HOS) in the vation measures to be taken in anticipation framework of the Natura 2000 programme of the island’s inclusion in a maritime (proposed Sites of Community Interest national park. 80 M. F. BROGGI

HERPETOFAUNA

The literature exclude the possibility of their presence on the island, however, but concluded that they Little herpetological research was must be very rare. During his visit to the done on Lipsi until well into the 1980s island, FOUFOPOULOS (1997) found just one (FOUFOPOULOS 1997), with just three biblio- specimen of Ophisops. CLARK (2000) was graphic references to be found relating to also able to confirm the presence of B. (P.) the two snake species Hemorrhois nummifer viridis in the vicinity of the port, and he (REUSS, 1834) (CHONDROPOULOS 1989) and found a freshly killed M. xanthina, 72 cm in (GRAY, 1849) (NIL- length. SON & ANDREN 1986; TIEDEMANN & GRIL- GRILLITSCH & GRILLITSCH (1999) also LITSCH 1986). CLARK (1968) was the first to list Telescopus fallax (FLEISCHMANN, 1831) record the Ottoman Viper in the Eastern for Lipsi on the basis of records at the Aegean, on Leros und Patmos. The first find Senckenberg Research Institute and Natural on Lipsi is dated 1984 (Naturhistorisches History Museum, Frankfurt am Main (SMF Museum Wien, Inv. Nr. 28303, shedding of 68591, 69029). the skin, leg. GRILLITSCH). In her herpeto- The HELLENIC ORNITHOLOGICAL SO- logical survey of the Dodecanese, DIMAKI CIETY (1999) kindly made available an (2002) mentions only these two snake unpublished table of the herpetological species, which testify that in an earlier geo- species observed on islands and islets in- logical period Lipsi was connected to cluding Lipsi. The table provides the first Anatolia. record of Ablepharus kitaibelii (BIBRON & Heinz GRILLITSCH (personal commu- BORY DE SAINT-VINCENT, 1833) and in- nication on 21 January 2007) also mentions cludes sightings of P. najadum, T. fallax, H. his sighting of Bufo (Pseudepidalea) viridis nummifer, M. xanthina and B. (P.) viridis, tadpoles in a pool near the port, which he but not C. (M.) kotschyi, H. turcicus or O. visited at the beginning of May 1984 elegans. Emys orbicularis (LINNAEUS, (Naturhistorisches Museum Wien, Inv. Nr. 1758) is also to be found on the list. When 28317, leg. TIEDEMANN). queried, it was stated that that sighting relat- Andreas MEYER of the Office for the ed to a shell found in a dry channel near Protection of Amphibians and Reptiles in Mersina on the north coast, which may have Switzerland (KARCH) visited Lipsi in April been washed up from the sea. and October 1996. He was able to observe Bufo (P.) viridis LAURENTI, 1768, Platyceps The author’s observations najadum (EICHWALD, 1831), Ophisops ele- gans MÉNÉTRIES 1832, Hemidactylus turci- During my visit to the island from 9 - cus (LINNAEUS, 1758), M. xanthina and – as 20 April 2007, no surface water was to be a new sighting – Cyrtopodion (Medio- found. The vegetation was suffering from dactylus) kotschyi (STEINDACHNER, 1870) an extremely dry and warm winter, and it (unpublished e-mail dated 28.9. 2007). had become necessary to import water from In his paper on the Northern Dodeca- . nese, FOUFOPOULOS (1997) produced the first The first day of my visit brought a records of H. turcicus turcicus, O. elegans sighting of a Snake-eyed Lizard (O. ele- macrodactylus BERTHOLD, 1842 and P. na- gans). It must be a familiar sight on the jadum dahlii SCHINZ, 1883 and confirmed island and not rare at all. Why FOUFOPOU- M. xanthina. CLARK (2000) was not famil- LOS (1997) only saw the species once and iar with the work of FOUFOPOULOS (1997) several other herpetologists not at all is hard when he visited Lipsi and Agathonisi in to understand, as it is relatively easy to find. June and July 1998. He quotes Paul PERRY, Perhaps the explanation is the season in an Australian herpetologist he met on the which they did their field work. island who thought that Lipsi had no lizards. Confirmation was also found for A. CLARK himself saw no lizards during his kitaibelii as listed by the HELLENIC ORNI- visit to Lipsi. He said it was unwise to THOLOGICAL SOCIETY (1999). The Snake- The herpetofauna of Lipsi (Dodecanese, Greece) and nature conservation aspects 81

Fig. 2: The juvenile from figure 1 was sighted follo- wing the new kerb of a road with edge stones on both sides – a veritable trap for the Ottoman Viper. Abb. 2: Das Jungtier von Abbildung 1 wurde beim Abgehen der neuen, an beiden Seiten der Straße ange- brachten Bordsteinkanten beobachtet.

A 60 cm specimen of M. xanthina was found recently killed on the road near Moschato on 10 April 2007. A brightly col- ored juvenile, about 30 cm long, was seen following the kerbstone of the road near Agios Giannis on 11 April 2007 (Fig. 1). We also found an intact skin shedding, measuring about 70 cm, to the north of the village in a vegetable garden. There have been reports of Ottoman Viper bites on the island, but they are not thought to have been fatal. On Leros it is known that victims have been hospitalized. On 12 April 2007 Peter GOOP found Fig. 1: A brightly colored juvenile Montivipera the carcass of a Loggerhead Sea Turtle xanthina (GRAY, 1849) on the road near Agios INNAEUS Giannis, Island of Lipsi, Dodecanese, Greece. Caretta caretta (L , 1758) near Kissiria on the north coast of the island. Abb. 1: Leuchtend gefärbtes Jungtier von Monti- vipera xanthina (GRAY, 1849) auf der Straße bei Agios There are many reports of the turtles being Giannis, Insel Lipsi, Dodekanes, Griechenland. trapped in fishing nets. There are no suit- able biotopes for E. orbicularis on Lipsi. Andreas MEYER’s unpublished sight- eyed Skink is also common throughout ing of Kotschy’s Gecko C. (M.) kotschyi Lipsi, and was found particularly frequently was confirmed. FOUFOPOULOS (1997) found in the west of the island around Moschato. this gecko on Lyra, an islet lying just a few Dahl’s Whip Snake (P. najadum dahlii) was hundred metres to the south-east of Lipsi. sighted on 16 April 2007 to the west of the The HELLENIC ORNITHOLOGICAL SOCIETY port in the area of Limni. In the vicinity of (1999) also recorded its presence on Lyra as Agios Giannis in the east of the island, a well as on North and South Aspronisia to young farmer described ritualized combat the east. On the last day of our stay on between two snakes, which from the Lipsi, after repeated searches of the island’s description were identified as Dahl’s Whip numerous dry-stone walls, we managed to Snakes. The Turkish Gecko (H. turcicus) find Kotschy’s Gecko on an elevation near was observed several times in and near Papadria, which is within sight of Lyra in wells around the village. the south. In view of the many suitable bio- 82 M. F. BROGGI topes on the island, it is difficult to say why With one amphibian and seven reptile this gecko, which is otherwise common in species, the herpetofauna of Lipsi is meager. the Aegean, should be so rare on Lipsi. On nearby Leros which is, however three From descriptions given by vegetable times as big, there are also populations of growers, I consider it possible that the worm- Testudo graeca LINNAEUS, 1758, L. stellio, snake Typhlops vermicularis (MERREM, Blanus strauchi (BEDRIAGA, 1884), T. ver- 1820) is to be found on Lipsi. The presence micularis, Eryx jaculus (LINNAEUS, 1758), on the island of the agama Laudakia stellio Dolichophis caspius GMELIN, 1789, Eirenis daani (BEUTLER & FRÖR, 1980), on the other modestus (MARTIN, 1838) and Natrix natrix hand, can be ruled out, although I have seen (LINNAEUS, 1758) (BROGGI 1997). it on Leros and Patmos.

NATURE CONSERVATION AND ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION ASPECTS

Like the Southern Dodecanese island Infrastructure upgrade projects of , Lipsi is an attractive individual with EU funding holiday destination for nature-lovers and culture tourists (BROGGI 2006). For pack- Lipsi, too, has its blue EU notice age holidays, on the other hand, the island boards showing the funds invested in the has little to offer in the way of attractive individual case. Whereas the money may beaches or historical sights, and is also rela- have been spent wisely in the island’s port, tively remote. Even so, there are certain there is reason for scepticism with regard to things on Lipsi that are not conducive to the new oversized roads leading to infertile sustainable development and need to be areas. Above all, highway construction is a addressed in the context of the creation of a door-opener for uncontrolled real estate national park. These aspects are discussed development. Sealed asphalt roads instead below with the emphasis on conservation of of the traditional dirt tracks are a threat to the island’s herpetofauna. M. xanthina in particular, as shown by the dead specimen found. The juvenile report- Water supply ed above was sighted following the new kerb of a road with edge stones on both There is a shortage of water on Lipsi. sides – a veritable trap for the Ottoman Demand for water for irrigation and above Viper (see Fig. 2). all tourism outstrips supply, and it accord- ingly has to be imported. Open tanks were Waste disposal originally used to collect water, but they have been largely replaced by groundwater Most of the islands are still far from pumps in the valley flats. The high level of having a properly managed waste disposal consumption is causing the watertable to system. Most of them have uncontrolled sink so that the pumps have to be relocated tips, which are usually left burning, and at a greater depth. That in turn causes waste material sometimes drops into the fis- increased intrusion of salt water from the sures and gullies and ends up in the sea. sea and thus higher levels of salinity in the That is the case on Lipsi. The result is im- groundwater. These changes in water man- proved nutrition for the Brown Rat (Rattus agement and the properties of the water are norvegicus) and Carrion Crow (Corvus an existential threat to B. (P.) viridis, which corone), which can impact the whole eco- is losing its last spawning grounds of system. The Brown Rat is a common sight anthropogenic origin – having long since on Lipsi, and the Hooded Crow (Corvus lost its natural spawning grounds. Unless cornix) appears to be unusually numerous. targeted measures are taken to protect their Together with the Little Owl (Athene noc- spawning grounds, the Green Toad popula- tua), they are one of the most striking fea- tions on Lipsi will die out. tures of the island’s fauna. The herpetofauna of Lipsi (Dodecanese, Greece) and nature conservation aspects 83

Spatial planning that direction has already been taken with regard to the island’s surprisingly large Greece does not have a land register. stocks of cattle, which are marketed as Lipsi Any plot of 4 stronas (= 4000 m2) or more Beef in one of the island’s taverns. may normally be used to construct a build- ing that is up to 200 m2 on plan. That gen- Protection of the species eral rule permits uncontrolled property development, and this is in fact happening From conversations with the local on Lipsi on the north-east, east and south- people, it is clear that they distinguish east coasts. Signs offering land for sale are between the different snake species on the a frequent sight in the open country. The island. It is mainly the Ottoman Viper that focus of these construction activities is they kill, and they do so whenever they find beach locations and other picturesque spots, one. It is a wonder that the Ottoman Viper which are also of importance for the island’s is still to be found on this little island; nor- herpetofauna. mally M. xanthina prefers locations that are rich in flora and even wet to semi-wet sites, Overgrazing whereas Lipsi is a dry place with meagre vegetation. It is true that the Ottoman The overstocking of the Greek islands Vipers on Lipsi are probably concentrated in with goats and sheep that has been encour- the areas with the most vegetation, such as aged by EU subsidies is the biggest envi- the flat land behind Lipsi village, where ronmental problem in the Aegean, with the there are gardens and glasshouses, but that traditional shepherd culture replaced by a is also where conflict with human beings is system of uncontrolled grazing that takes no most likely. Were these ecological niches account of the grazing capacity of the land. to disappear as a result of further extensifi- Such developments are even to be observed cation of agriculture and subsequent over- on a number of islets around Lipsi. The grazing, the Ottoman Viper’s future on Lipsi result is degradation of the flora and would become very uncertain indeed. increasing erosion. The miles of fences There is little awareness on the island built on the island have become almost insu- of the need to protect the species. That is perable obstacles for tourists, and fire has reflected in the treatment meted out to pro- also become a hazard, as the shepherds pre- tected species like the Monk Seal (Mona- viously employed controlled burning to chus monachus) and sea turtles, which fish- encourage fresh growth on the pastures. ermen say they still kill. The empty shotgun Among other things, overgrazing is a gener- shell cases lying around everywhere are in- al threat to the endemic plant species on the dicative of the pressure of hunting on Lipsi, islands. Overstocking also reduces the eco- and the Chukar Partridge (Alectoris chu- logical margins and niches and hence the kar), for example, is now a rare sight. That biotopes for the herpetofauna and their prey. in turn means a loss of prey for snakes. Energy supply Information for tourists Electricity is delivered to Lipsi via a It would be beneficial to provide the cable from Leros. With their attractive wind individual tourists on Lipsi with more infor- conditions and long hours of sunshine, the mation, e.g. in the form of an illustrated islands would be well equipped to achieve nature guide. That would help extend the independence in terms of energy supply. tourist season, which is currently concen- tred on the peak months of July and August. Organic farming During our visit in spring, which is so inter- esting in terms of natural history, on the Given the island’s attraction for nature other hand, there were hardly any tourists lovers and culture tourists, it would make on Lipsi. Signposted paths are also needed sense for local farmers to offer some organ- for tourists wishing to discover the natural ic produce for these visitors. A small step in environment. 84 M. F. BROGGI

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

I am grateful to Alois KEMPF, WSL, Birmens- of the Institute of Marine & Environmental Research of dorf (ZH) for researching the natural history literature. the (Archipelago) helped with further use- Heinz GRILLITSCH of the Vienna Natural History Mu- ful information. Sincere thanks also go to the party that seum and Andreas MEYER of the Office for the Pro- joined my field trip: Edith WALDBURGER (Buchs SG), tection of Amphibians and Reptiles in Switzerland Christian BURRI (Trimmis GR), Peter GOOP (Vaduz), (KARCH) kindly communicated their observations on Wilfried KAUFMANN (Balzers, FL), Louis JÄGER Lipsi. Danae PORTOLOU provided the natural history (Schaanwald, FL) and Günter STADLER (Frastanz). data of the Ornithological Society, and Anastasia MILIOU

REFERENCES

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DATE OF SUBMISSION: November 8, 2007 Corresponding editor: Heinz Grillitsch

AUTHOR: Mario F. BROGGI, Im Bretscha 22, FL-9494 Schaan, Fürstentum Liechtenstein < mario.broggi@ adon.li >