A Review of Eleven Short-Term Reptile Surveys in the Western Balkans
Total Page:16
File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb
View metadata, citation and similar papers at core.ac.uk brought to you by CORE Original Scientific Paper Hyla VOL. 2013., No. 1, 3– 18 Žagar et al.2013 ISSN: 1848-2007 A review of eleven short-term reptile surveys in the Western Balkans Pregled jedanaest kratkotrajnih istraživanja faune gmazova na području zapadnog Balkana *1,2,3 1,4 1,5 1,6 1,2 ANAMARIJA ŽAGAR , VESNA CAFUTA , KATARINA DRAŠLER , TOMAŽ JAGAR , MIHA KROFEL , MARTINA 1,7 1,8 9 1,4 1,10 LUŽNIK , ERIKA OSTANEK , VESNA PETKOVSKA , GRIŠA PLANINC , MAJA SOPOTNIK , MELITA 1,11 VAMBERGER 1 Herpetološko društvo - Societas herpetologica slovenica, Večna pot 111, SI-1001 Ljubljana, Slovenia 2 Biotechnical Faculty, University of Ljubljana, Večna pot 111, SI-1001 Ljubljana, Slovenia 3 CIBIO, Centro de Investigação em Biodiversidade e Recursos Genéticos, Universidade do Porto, Campus Agrário de Vairão, 4485-661 Vairão, Portugal 4 Škofjeloška cesta 25, SI-1215 Medvode, Slovenia 5 Ulica bratov Mivšek 32, SI-1353 Borovnica, Slovenia 6 Tomšičeva 1a, SI-3310 Žalec, Slovenia 7 Faculty of Mathematics, Natural Sciences and Information Technologies, University of Primorska, Glagoljaška 8, SI-6000 Koper, Slovenia 8 Mali Otok 7, SI-6230 Postojna, Slovenia 9 Institute for Water of the Republic of Slovenia, Hajdrihova 28c, SI-1000 Ljubljana, Slovenia 10 Frenkova pot 26, SI-1231 Ljubljana Dobrunje, Slovenia 11 Museum of Zoology, Senckenberg Dresden, Dresden, Germany *Corresponding author: anamarija.zagar@gmail.com Abstract In this paper we present distributional data for reptiles from different localities in the Western Balkans. During an 11 year period (2002-2012) we collected new data in the frame of spring student research camps organized by the Biology Students’ Society (DŠB). Surveys were conducted by members of the herpetological groups that were mostly biology students. Surveys were located on five islands Dugi otok, Brač, Korčula, Mljet, and Pag, one peninsula Pelješac (Croatia), in the continental area around Kamenovo and Lake Skadar (Montenegro), 3 Original Scientific Paper Hyla VOL. 2013., No. 1, 3– 18 Žagar et al.2013 ISSN: 1848-2007 Dojran Lake (Macedonia), at lower Neretva Delta (Croatia) and around Niš (Serbia). Altogether 34 different reptile species were recorded in the surveys. The species lists comprised of 7-22 different species per single locality. The highest reptile biodiversity was recorded around Dojran Lake in Macedonia. Key words: Reptiles, Reptilia, Distribution, Western Balkans Sažetak U radu se prikazuju distribucijski podatci za gmazove sa različitih lokaliteta na području zapadnog Balkana. Tijekom razdoblja od 11 godina (2002. – 2012.) prikupili smo nove podatke u okviru studentskih istraživačkih kampova organiziranih od strane Društva studenata biologije (DSB). Istraživanja su provedena od strane pripadnika herpetološke sekcije koju većinom čine studenti biologije. Istraživanja su provedena na pet otoka, Dugi otok, Brač, Korčula, Mljet i Pag, jednom poluotoku, Pelješac (Hrvatska), na kontinentalnom području oko Kamenova i Skadarskog jezera (Crna Gora), okolici Dojranskog jezera (Makedonija), na području donjeg dijela rijeke Neretve (Hrvatska) i oko grada Niša (Srbija). Istraživanjem je ukupno zabilježeno 34 različite vrste gmazova. Na pojedinim lokalitetima zabilježeno je od 7 do 22 vrste gmazova, a najveća raznolikost zabilježena je oko Dojranskog jezera u Makedoniji. Ključne riječi: Gmazovi, Reptilia, rasprostranjenost, zapadni Balkan 4 Original Scientific Paper Hyla VOL. 2013., No. 1, 3– 18 Žagar et al.2013 ISSN: 1848-2007 INTRODUCTION 2009, POLOVIĆ & LJUBISAVLJEVIĆ, 2010). Scarcer, but The reptile species richness and composition as well as increasing in the last few years, are publications from the distributional knowledge in the Western Balkans are Macedonia (PETKOVSKI ET AL., 2000, STERIJOVSKI, 2006, highly diversified across the area. The Balkan peninsula STERIJOVSKI ET AL., 2011) and Bosnia and Herzegovina is still one of the most understudied areas of Europe, (BRELIH & DŽUKIĆ, 1974, JELIĆ & LELO, 2011, despite the high species diversity reported here (DŽUKIĆ JABLONSKI ET AL., 2012, KOREN ET AL., 2012). There are & KALEZIĆ, 2004). Assessment of six different areas in also few general distributional overviews of reptile the Balkan peninsula revealed the highest diversity of species for former Yugoslavia (RADOVANOVIĆ & reptiles in the »Adriatic triangle« (Montenegro and NW MARTINO, 1950, RADOVANOVIĆ, 1951, DŽUKIĆ, 1995), Albania), where DŽUKIĆ & KALEZIĆ (2004) also noted and for Western Palearctic, including the Balkan the highest concentration of endemics in the Balkans. Peninsula, published by the Societas herpetologica italica (SINDACO & JEREMČENKO, 2008). Review for the First surveys of the Balkan herpetofauna date back to the genus Vipera in the Western and central Balkans was late 19th and the beginning of the 20th century (literature also published recently (JELIĆ ET AL., 2013). review in: JABLONSKI ET AL., 2012). From the middle of the 20th century on, several studies or reports focused on In the last decade information systems allow easy islands or archipelagos of Croatia (BRELIH & DŽUKIĆ, distribution of information via internet, including data on 1974, CVITANIĆ, 1984, ARNOLD, 1987, CORTI ET AL., hepretofauna of the Balkan peninsula. Since 2006 an 1999, GRILLITSCH ET AL., 1999, SCHMIDTLER, 1999, internet-based database of photos and records of SEHNAL & SCHUSTER, 1999, TOTH ET AL., 2006, amphibians and reptiles from the Balkan area is available KLETEČKI ET AL., 2009, VERVUST ET AL., 2009, KOREN and annually up-dated with new records (BALEJ & ET AL., 2011), as well as inland areas of Croatia (BRELIH JABLONSKI, 2006-2008). A similar database with a & DŽUKIĆ, 1974, HENLE, 1985, ARNOLD, 1987, checklist of species was created for Montenegro (AJTIĆ SCHMIDTLER, 1999, KRČMAR ET AL., 2007, KRYŠTUFEK ET AL., 2004) but the web-page is not working anymore &KLETEČKI, 2007, KRYŠTUFEK ET AL., 2008, BARIŠIĆ & today. BOGDANOVIĆ, 2011, JELIĆ & BOGDANOVIĆ, 2011, SZOVENYI & JELIĆ, 2011, JELIĆ, 2012, JELIĆ & KARAICA, Our aim was to join and present the newly gathered 2012, KOREN ET AL., 2012), Serbia (BRELIH & DŽUKIĆ, distributional data for reptiles from different localities in 1974, TOMOVIĆ & DŽUKIĆ, 2003, KRČMAR ET AL., 2007, the Western Balkans. New data was collected in the RISTIĆ ET AL., 2007, CRNOBRNJA-ISAILOVIĆ ET AL., 2011, frame of the spring student research camps organized by RALEV ET AL., 2013), and Montenegro (BRELIH & the Slovene Biology Students’ Society (Društvo DŽUKIĆ, 1974, DŽUKIĆ, 1991, CRNOBRNJA-ISAILOVIĆ & študentov biologije – DŠB – from the Biotechnical DŽUKIĆ, 1995, CRNOBRNJA-ISAILOVIĆ & DŽUKIĆ, 1997, faculty at the University of Ljubljana) in the period DŽUKIĆ ET AL., 1997, TOMOVIĆ ET AL., 2000, between 2002-2012. This collection of new records will CRNOBRNJA-ISAILOVIĆ, 2002, TOMOVIĆ ET AL., 2003, contribute to the existing knowledge of reptile fauna in VAN DER VOORT, 2003, AJTIĆ ET AL., 2005, KRČMAR ET this understudied region of Europe. AL., 2007, LJUBISAVLJEVIĆ ET AL., 2007, JOVANOVIĆ, 5 Original Scientific Paper Hyla VOL. 2013., No. 1, 3– 18 Žagar et al.2013 ISSN: 1848-2007 METHODS The basis for the preparation of this report was the data In the first four years (2002-2005) the group surveying gathered by members of the herpetological groups that reptiles was also surveying amphibians, whereas after were conducting field work during the spring student 2006 the group was focused only on reptiles and in the research camps organized by DŠB in the period of 2002- years 2007 and 2008 there were even two reptile groups 2012. Each year the camp was organized in a different working separately in order to gather more data. Groups location in the Western Balkans and so reptile surveys were led by one to three mentors that were more were conducted in 11 different areas (Tab. 1, Fig. 1), experienced biology students (Tab. 1). Group’s among which seven were located in Croatia (five on the participants were biology students and their number islands, one on a peninsula, and one in the continental varied between 3 and 10 (Tab. 1). region), two in Montenegro, one in Serbia and one in Macedonia. Table 1. Consecutive years, locations and exact dates of the spring student camps with information on mentors, number of participants (Part.) and number of field days (F. days) conducted by the herpetological or reptile groups. Tablica 1. Godine, lokacije i točni datumi proljetnih studentskih kampova sa informacijama o mentorima, broju sudionika (Part.) te broju terenskih dana (F. days) koje su izvele herpetološke skupine ili skupine za gmazove. Lable Year Location Date Mentor(s) Part. F. days 1 2002 Dugi Otok (Croatia) 20th April – 28th April G. Planinc 6 8 2 2003 Brač (Croatia) 18th April – 26th April V. Cafuta 6 7 3 2004 Korčula (Croatia) 24th April – 1st May V. Cafuta 8 8 4 2005 Kamenovo 23th April – 29th April M. Lužnik 4 6 (Montenegro) 5 2006 Pelješac (Croatia) 23th April – 30th April M. Lužnik, V. 5 6 Petkovska, A. Žagar 6 2007 Pag (Croatia) 27th April – 5th May M. Vamberger (1st gr.) 4 7 A. Žagar (2nd gr.) 3 4 7 2008 Mljet (Croatia) 26th April – 3rd May M. Vamberger (1st gr.) 6 6 M. Sopotnik (2nd. gr.) 5 6 8 2009 Lake Skadar 25th April – 2nd May G. Planinc 10 7 (Montenegro) 9 2010 Dojran Lake 24th April – 1st May T. Jagar, E. Ostanek 10 6 (Macedonia) 10 2011 Neretva Delta 23rd April – 1st May K. Drašler 8 5 (Croatia) 11 2012 Niš (Serbia) 28th April – 5th May K. Drašler 9 5 Our main goal was to survey various suitable habitats to altitudes. Open sea was not surveyed. When possible, detect different species of terrestrial and freshwater reptiles were determined by sight and photographed. reptiles in the area. Groups checked a wide variety of When species determination was not possible by sight, habitats to ensure detection of the whole reptile the individuals were captured either with the noose (for community in the surveyed area; from dry and rocky lacertids), hands (terrapins, legless lizards and non- parts to water bodies and overgrown areas at different venomous snakes) or with a hook (venomous snakes), 6 Original Scientific Paper Hyla VOL.