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Notes on the Diet and Reproduction Ofthe Cyclades Blunt-Nosed Viper

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Notes on the Diet and Reproduction Ofthe Cyclades Blunt-Nosed Viper Brr IIERPETOZoAro (3/4):l?l - r75 I(URZE MITTEILLINC / SHORTNOTE Wi.'! 30.D.z.mber 1997 Noteson the diet and reproduction ofthe CycladesBlunt-nosed Viper, Macroviperaschweizeri (WERNER, 1935) (Squ2mata:Serpentes: Vip€ridae) Bemcrkulgenzur Nahtung und Fonpflanzung derMllosotte., Mocrovipera scrveireri (WER\ER,l9l5) (Squamala:Scrp€ntcs: Viperidac) CIILOE ADAMoPOULoU & EFSTRATIoSD VTAXOS & Ar,tAsrAstosLEGArcs KURZEASSL]NO Id.lngrb.n Nrhlng und ForpnMnE hildsir.h{ Mrlo\onln! V,..ovrr..o rctc?rz"a (WrRNIR 1935).*erden sffiocfrr ^' D.e 1r unreRuchrhExmpla. nffbr rr\ Mur.Lrbs.rmlunqflr D'e /lnllmrBiF Arr.:le dd Ntrrnng$iek b.hgh ,Bgcsor. \Jgerid. (42.800),Lioe.[Rn r2t,aqq i6s.t r7lotr wrb.r6<c (tmetmlicfi Xif6.l3.4%). Dicfdsdclns Cclcs.sra&nurfa&d qq br clf Eid ABSTITACT PEI'miMry t|!u 6 $. did rd rcpr.dud'd or rh. C}tl.d6 Blqr.Nsd \ipq, Ltactoqpaa t.hwEen (wd \-1 l9r 5 '' om v iio\ q. rcp.dcd all s?cflmesc\dnrncd (24 ) .d. frommuselT colle-rod Ovtrltt ,u- frlri.al proponionof nre\ iqs: RoJ.DLsra2 8%,. I|ar(ll 40!).bnd! 0"" , invmebml6{md'nlv Colcoprdr 28.4%} Clulch si& oben.d .&s.d non four ro d.vd ovr. '21 KEY WORDS s.rrqb: vipdidE, Ma.dtp.& rcr*,!?r( di.( rqroductiol eeloa) Ii,lilos.cr@ The CycladesBlunl-nosed Vper ,lta- siream beds with Nerium oleande\ Pis- craviperuschweizeri (lyEp.ltER, 1935) is en- tacia lentiscus Myrlus canmunis demiclo the tlle Weslen Clcladesidands (SrUBBst985). ^nd of Milos, Kimolos, PolyaiBosand Sif os in This uniquc, higNy threateneds!e- the SoulhAegean (Greece). cies is facing crliDction.It is considercd Macrovipera schweize is rem rk- endangeredaccording to the 1996 ruCN ablefor beinglhe only European\iper that Red Lisl of Threatened Aninuls (WCMC is o\iparcus (ARNoLD& BURToNl9?8). 1996),in spiteof Ihe campaignsmad€ by Adultsmeasure up lo 80 cm (TL) (ScHwEr- manyscientists and naturalisls.Continuous zER1957; ARNoLD & BuRroN1978). This habihl destruction and lhe evident dcfi. viper is found in a wide vari€ly of habitats ciencyin applying(h€ law are the main includingdry rockyoulcrops and cullivaled reasonsfor declinc.Furlhermorc, lery lillle land (ScHwEr?-ER1935, 1949: SruBRs 1985). is known on the ecologyof lhis ryccies and As far as it is known,lhe mostimporlanl mostdal1 com€from animolsin captivity populadonsoccur on Milos IslaDd.Toda] or anecdotalobscrvalions (e. g., ScIlwEl- only certainhabitats seem to hold signifi- zER1949, 1957; PERRY & BroDy 1986). cant nurnbcrs(in total: ?000,8000indi- The prcsentwork was stimulaledby viduals, SruBBs 1985).The Blunl-nosed the fact thal lack of basicecological knowl- Vipcr is parlicularlyiound in the westem edgeis hindering thc setting up of efrective pan of $c island(whcre also the rarered conservationplans. Biety occurs).There it lives in shellcred, Consideringlhar {i) rhc rhrcirerung denscly vegctatedplaces with rocky slopes silualionofM s.r)'?izer"rpopulalions for- or along water coursessuch as scasonal bids the captureof animalsand (ii) that t74 CH. ADAMOPOWOU & E.D VAUXOS & A IIOAXTS mus€um sDecimensare useful foa the re- and insectrvoresarc the main prey groups rnevalof+ological datawilhoul removing (e.9., PRnsrr t9?l). Althoughinsectivores anirnalsfrom the $ild. we examinedall are abundantin the habitetsof the viper specimensfrom Milos island(24) lhat r€re (ADAMopor,r-ou,unpubl- dara), they wcre deposiledat $e Herpetologicalcollections not foundin the stomachsexamined. This ofthe MuseumKoenig in Bonn(Germany) nraybe relatedto the fact thal in spnng and at the Nallral HistoryMuseum of Vi- ($hen the snakesw€re collected),vipers in enm (Austria).One specimen had a labora- Milos areactive during the moming(BRU- tory mousein its slomachand, therefore, No 1985;SrLrBBs 1985). At this time of the \ras excludedfro lhis study.we meas- year they probably prey mainly on rod€nts wed the specimensfor body lenglh, r€- and not on inseclivores which ar9 more moveddle entiredigestivo lmct and exam- nocturnal(cApLr-A & LulsELLr1990). i ed it for the presenceof prey remnrnts. pddal.iJ ,,i/arr,s representsthe most Prey ilems were identified to the lowest abundant lizard species in the island taxonomiccategory possible. reachingvery hjgh populalion d€nsities The slomach contents were summa- (SruBBs 1985; ADAj\roPouLou,unpubl. rizedin two wals: i) proportionofthe total data).This could be the reasonwhy this numberof preyitems in the stomachs(%n) lizard was the only reptilespecies present and ii) propodon of vipers4ting a given in the stomachs. Vipera annodytes me- prey taxon (F). ln four female specimens r,dloralisBour-ENcER, 1903 has also been we examined the number of eggs in the obsewedto feedon lizardsin the insular oviduct and measuredtheir length and ecosy$ems of the Aegean (vdAKos & widlh 10the nearestmm with verniercalli- Vr-AcHoPAxos1989; VaraKos 1990)- percentage pers._ The of arthropods in the for the rdenullcallonoI nalrs ano stomachs examined was telatively high. featlers from th€ stomachsof the animals, Nevertheless,these anhropods could repre- rhe method of DE MAxJNrs & AoNELLI sent secondaiilyingested remains fiom tle (1993)was used.Identificadon keys and stomachsof preyedlizards EucIERo & al. photographswere obrained from DAY 1995).However, among the vipersexarn- (j966),KELLER (1980. I98l) aodDE M^- ined, arthropodswere also found in stom- RrNrs& AaNELLT(1991). Comparalive hair achs that did not conlain lizards. An],way, material was sa pled from identified anhropodswere found in small specimens specimensdeposited in the ZoologicalMu- CfL < 52 cm) only. This might meanthat seumof theUniversity ofAthens. tle diet compositionof small individuals A totalof 24 animalswas examined. ditrersfrom that in adults.Other small vi- ofwhich 12had identifiablefood residuals perssuch as trI !,"ririi @oNA?ARrE,1833) in their slomachs-Small mammals(Rartus liequentlyprey on arthropods(AGRIMI & sp., nd) represented42.8% of the diet LulsELLr1992). (F=50), lacedd lizards IPodarcis nilensis The analysis of reproductive traiis (BEDRTAGA1882), n=31 21.4% 1P=25), was carfied out on four female museum birds fPasseriformesundet., n=ll 7% specimenswhich werecollected in spdng (I-8.3). Invenebrates Imostly undeter- (May). Number of ova in the firsi three mined Coleoptera, n=4. F=251 were also animals was I l, 6 and 4, respectively.The presentin the diet amountingto 28.4%of oviducts of the fourlh animal were dam- $e total numberof prey itemi. agedand the numberof ola coonled(2) The absenceof publisheddata regard- $rs excludedfrom the anallsis.Funher- ing the complele fauna oi srMll mammals more, one of the ll ova was deformedand of Milos Islanddoes not permil us to hy- not measured.Egg length(n = 20): 12.9- Dothesizeon the Dreferenceof rodenls in 31.5 mm (x = 22.74mm, SD 5.68 mn); ile diet. However; recent unpublished re- egg $idth (n = 20): 5.3 - 14.5 mm (I = sults from mammal rapping carried out by 10.78mn, SD 2.5 mm). ouJ team, indicate a predominanceof R, Until now, informationon tle repro- j"alfus ard insectivoresamong small mam- d]octjot\of M- schweizericomes exclusively mals. The najority of the Europeanvipers ftom capliveanimals. ScHwElzER (1949, feeds on small mammals where rodents 1957)obscNed egg depositionin threefe- On th. diet ed EproduclionofMa *o,ipta schveizeri t75 male animals. In the first case the clutch Our observations,as far as clutch size sizewas 7 (egt lenglh 35 - 47 Im) Tl,e is concemed,are jn agreementwith Drevi- clutch size in lhe other Blo caseswar ousrepons. Consrdering yh;eizeri (leng lhatM. elelen r 13 - 37 mm)and s€veneqss. usually lays irs eggs in lale slrnmer respecdvely.In all cases.onlv about50aA (ScHwElzER1957: BRUNo t985). lhe com- of the eggs hatcbed.PERiy & BroDy paratively srnall e8g size found (1986) in our reported simitar resutts from three sp€cimeff is attributed to the early Deriod years' observalionson a female in caotivitv of collection(May). Altlroush (clurch M'rcr*er- size: 7 - ll. e8g len4h: li - 4j zeais oneof Lhebiggesl vipers of Europe, mm..aboul 30 % ofrhe eSes$ere norferdl- rls crurcnslze ts srmrtarto $at ofthe other rzeo). Europeanvipers (BR6o 1985). ACXiIOWLEDCMENTS wc would like to lhant Dr. W. BdI{Ia (Bom) Musum (aon4 Ce'r]dy) &d $e Nsuditui$h* sd D^. F TEDE}irN dd It. cR0rnse lvimat. Mueumorwifl (vitu4 A@ia). $ho tindly allowed us ro e@nE ttt Mitav@i This eudy % $pporLd by J.rw,:en lhc Cnsd Sene sp*ims tom $e H.@rolosjot c; .e bn.l rbr R*rch rd T*hnoto$r, proJ.dno. L29t/ lion ot 6e Ajevndtr Xoqis Z.ot;s.at -tffldue od REFERINCES AaRn{. U & LrrsEL4 L. d99?} Fecdinr y,pera 373-413. sdeds ofrhe vip* !ruth" idth, A; RUAMIO, ";e L & CA?LT]-A M. & FlIPlL E & trines.- Herptulosi(alJ.; : 37.a2. LLlsEru L (1995): F@d habils of MediiF,med (1973)i ArNoLD, E. N, & BURmNJ, A A fietd popurdiod ofthe sm@ti sni(e (Catun?tla aushacat.- ro the Buide replil* ad mrnibiu of drnlin & Hsrpet J.; J {4): 3 I6,3 18. Europe- L.ndon(Colliro), 273 ip. scirs€zF& H. (l9l5j: B.'rrac ru R@dtim- (1935): BP!,No.s t \ip*dlblia.dE!- hun, dd Lslgdppe von Mrtos(Cvd.).- Blitta Aon, rapc- Bologn (EdaBri6le), 268 pt Ta&.-lnd.: 46 8-L5. cAlulrt M. & LlnsELLr.L.l l990r.AmtBs of scHtr€zEq H (t913): w.nfs obq dic R+ $e snr enrmts ot hperc asp^ Gon & a;a or;rrat rilimqeh dr 9lrd*dlrchd Ky yg.ta (Tolfa !.ber;a ILly mounaiN, tjliur): a new medod 10sludv r?6c",a von Milos, eine ErdeFir.^d4 6tft!.r Aiur the Emdrialsmall d'lmah.- Hslnx ln.s.[ 2: lol. T.fu..krde.: 49: 3l-J8. t01 scls@EE H. ( | 949) p. BdhB tur Kmhis dq DE MAuMs, A M. & Aowlr 0993): cuide Ain dd Lebeinal^m.. lo the nis6&p€ &alysis of lt !i& m.lmah h'i6: In- Aqur, T.m. z.:2 (9): ls6-r59 sa-livor4 RodfltD ed tjgonolpha.- Aolt Z@t.. To.i- s(wErz€r.
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