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Vipera Graeca, V. Renardi and V. Ursinii

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Vipera Graeca, V. Renardi and V. Ursinii Basic and Applied Herpetology 32 (2018) 77-83 The distribution of meadow and steppe vipers (Vipera graeca, V. r enardi and V. ursinii): a revision of the New Atlas of Amphibians and Reptiles of Europe Edvárd Mizsei1,2,*, Oleksandr Zinenko3, Neftalí Sillero4, Vincenzo Ferri5, Stephanos A. Roussos6, Márton Szabolcs2 1Department of Ecology, University of Debrecen, Egyetem tér 1, 4026, Debrecen, Hungary. 2Department of Tisza River Research, Danube Research Institute, Centre for Ecological Research, Hungari- an Academy of Sciences, Bem tér 18/c, 4026 Debrecen, Hungary. 3The Museum of Nature; Department of Zoology and Animal Ecology, Biological Faculty, V. N. Karazin Kharkiv National University, Svobody 4, 61022, Kharkiv, Ukraine. 4CICGE Centro de Investigação em Ciências Geo-Espaciais, Faculdade de Ciências da Universidade do Porto, Observatório Astronómico Prof. Manuel de Barros, Alameda do Monte da Virgem, 4430-146 Vila Nova de Gaia, Portugal. 5Laboratory of Zoology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Rome “Tor Vergata”, via Cracovia 1/3, I- 00139 Rome, Italy. 6Department of Biological Sciences, University of North Texas, Denton, Texas, USA 76203. *Correspondence: E-mail: [email protected]. Received: 28 November 2017; returned for review: 15 January 2018; accepted 14 March 2018. In some cases, species’ distributions have not been accurate and some geographical areas were not accounted for in the New Atlas of Amphibians and Reptiles of Europe (NA2RE), a project per- formed by the Mapping Committee of the Societas Europaea Herpetologica (SEH). The distribu- tion of species within the Vipera ursinii-renardi group were presented jointly as a single taxon (“Vipera ursinii/renardi”), without differentiation between the meadow viper V. ursinii, the steppe viper V. renardi, and the recently described Greek meadow viper Vipera graeca. Here we present a revised 50×50 km resolution distribution map of this group with new records, eliminating putative or erroneous records and extinct populations. Additionally, we filled several spatial gaps in the distribution of V. renardi in Eastern Europe by incorporating recent regional overviews, previously considered ambiguous or inaccessible to most researchers, due to language barriers. Key words: Biogeography, mapping, NA2RE, snake, threatened species, Viperidae. The New Atlas of Amphibians and main unresolved (but see Wielstra et al., Reptiles of Europe (hereafter NA2RE; Sil- 2014). Species groups have often been the lero et al., 2014a,b) was created to present subject of continuous taxonomic studies and provide accurate knowledge on the and rearrangements; thus, species status of spatial distribution of amphibians and rep- some lineages, borders of area, extent of tiles in Europe. It is the most comprehen- overlaps, and potential hybrid zones are sive and up-to-date spatial database of often unknown or unrecognised (e.g. European herpetofauna. However, exact GvoŽdík et al., 2010). distributions of some species groups re- The distribution of viper species of the DOI: https://dx.doi.org/10.11160/bah.94 Supplementary material available online SHORT NOTES ursinii‐renardi group (sometimes referred as with available data in published or un- the Acridophaga subgenus), have been published sources; (iii) added new species’ jointly presented as a single taxon in presence when we had available data for a NA2RE “Vipera ursinii/renardi”, including cell previously showing species’ absence records of both the meadow viper V. ursi‐ (=0); (iv) deleted species’ presence (1→0) nii and steppe viper V. renardi. The latter was when there was no evidence of presence not accepted previously as a full species (mainly by erroneous identification of spe- by the Societas Europaea Herpetologica cies and locations); (v) changed status of (SEH) (footnote 9 on table 3 in Sillero et cells to historical where there was no ob- al., 2014a), despite that species delimitation servations for the last 25 years, and pro- between V. ursinii and V. renardi had vided the date of last observations; and been proved or discerned (Nilson An- finally (vi) we added a comment to each drén, 2001; Ferchaud et al., 2012; GvoŽdík cell where changes were implemented. We et al., 2012). Further mitochondrial and nucle- determined the species according to recent ar DNA evidences also support the species molecular studies on meadow and steppe status of these lineages (Zinenko et al. vipers (Ferchaud et al., 2012; Zinenko et 2015; Mizsei et al., 2017). A recent taxonomic al., 2015; Mizsei et al., 2017). Following the change has also influenced the current results of Ferchaud et al. (2012) and Zinen- known distribution of this group, as the ko et al. (2015), we treated Vipera lotievi Greek meadow viper Vipera graeca, a for- (Nilson et al., 1995) as V. renardi s.l. To re- mer subspecies of V. ursinii, was elevated to vise the distribution we used literature the species level (Mizsei et al., 2017). Addi- sources (Sukhov, 1928; Bannikov et al., tionally, most of the distribution within 1977; Nilson Andrén, 2001; Vlasov the former Soviet Union is poorly under- Vlasova, 2001; Dotsenko, 2003; Krecsák stood because of the lack of accessible ob- et al., 2003; Filippi Luiselli, 2004; Ferri servation records. In fact, V. renardi, Marconi, 2006; Ghira, 2007; Vedmederja which is more common in lowland et al., 2007; Zinenko Bakiev, 2007; Ferri steppes, is more widespread than previ- Pellegrini, 2008; Seliunina, 2008; Ko- ously depicted in the NA2RE (e.g. Zinen- tenko Kukushkin, 2008; 2009; Strugariu ko et al. 2015). Most published occurrence et al., 2011; Zamfirescu et al., 2012; records are hard to find or overlooked, as Cogălniceanu et al., 2013; Debelo they are often harboured in regional publi- Chibilyov, 2013; Frolova Klimov, 2013; cations and written in local languages. Jelić et al., 2013; Lyet et al., 2013; Bakiev et Here, we have compiled these observa- al., 2015; Péchy et al., 2015; Tupikov tions to update the map. Zinenko, 2015; Zinenko et al., 2015; Bakiev We revised the presence records of the et al., 2016; Mizsei et al., 2016); museum col- group, differentiating V. ursinii, V. renardi lections (The M. Shcherbak Zoological Mu- and V. graeca in the NA2RE data seum, National Museum of Natural Histo- (Supplementary Material) cell by cell. We ry at the National Academy of Sciences of have (i) identified cells with species’ pres- Ukraine, Kiev; The Museum of Nature at ence (=1); (ii) confirmed species’ presence V. N. Karazin Kharkiv National Universi- 78 SHORT NOTES Figure 1: Revised distribution of meadow and steppe vipers in Europe. ty, Kharkiv, Ukraine); and records from agriculture on steppic habitats of V. re- our personal unpublished databases, and nardi and V. ursinii in the former USSR coun- other unpublished sources (see acknowl- tries, there was temporary relief for step- edgements). The date of each record was pic habitats, and a shift in the way of their taken from the corresponding publication; management. Simultaneously, national in the case when no date was available in Red data books and sometimes local moni- the text, we used the date of the publica- toring programs started to gather current tion for which it was referenced in. All data about local species in newly estab- records before 1992 (from 25 years ago) lished independent countries. were considered as “historical”. After that We added seven cells to the distribu- point, with the maximum pressure from tion of V. graeca from new populations recent- 79 SHORT NOTES ly discovered (Fig. 1). Furthermore, only we increased the known distribution of V. one cell was confirmed and another one graeca by 87.5% , V. renardi by 63.8%, and V. was deleted because observations suggest ursinii by 34.0% in 50×50 km grid cells. presence only in the neighbouring cell. We We assume that at this scale (50×50 km validated the presence of V. renardi in 42 grids), further fieldwork may only slightly cells, added 173 new cells based on pub- increase the currently known range of V. lished (N = 144 cells), and unpublished graeca and V. ursinii. However, it is possible to observations of the authors (N = 29 cells), improve our knowledge of the distribution listed 69 as historical, and deleted 6 cells at finer scales, mostly in the reticulating (erroneous species identification in the mountain ranges in the Balkan Peninsula literature; specification and correction of where these species live in isolated high geographic coordinates of localities), most alpine meadows that have been poorly of them located in the north-eastern edge explored. Due to the large distribution of of the species’ distribution in Europe. V. renardi in Eastern Europe, which was most- However, we were unable to validate 56 ly continuous in the past, there is potential cells where V. renardi is present in the for substantially extending the list of local- NA2RE, but kept these cells as occupied in ities of these species and filling gaps in the the database until these areas are further known distribution, mostly in Southern investigated. The distribution of V. ursinii Russia. Greater prevalence of “historical” (separated from the distribution of V. observations (before 1992) in that region, graeca and V. renardi) remained the same in indicates a need for contemporary surveys most parts (33 cells), but we added 17 cells and consistent monitoring. Recent habitat mainly in the Balkan Peninsula based on loss, population size decrease, and popula- the comprehensive database of Jelić et al. tion extinctions may be overlooked due to (2013). We have changed the status of 17 data deficiency. Northern isolated histori- cells to “historical”, mostly in Bessarabia cal records in Russia may have resulted (Ukraine, Romania, and Republic of Mol- from range fluctuations in postglacial dova), the eastern edge of the species times (Zinenko Bakiev, 2007), similarly range (V. ursinii ssp. moldavica). Most to other reptile species in the region likely, all populations have gone extinct in (Marosi et al., 2012); many of these popula- these areas due to habitat alteration by tions are most likely to be extinct now.
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