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Distribution and Activity of Caspian Whip Snake Dolichophis Caspius (Gmelin, 1789) (Reptilia: Colubridae) in South-Wester N Bulgaria

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Distribution and Activity of Caspian Whip Snake Dolichophis Caspius (Gmelin, 1789) (Reptilia: Colubridae) in South-Wester N Bulgaria ECOLOGIA BALKANICA 2019, Special Edition 2 pp. 116-137 Distribution and Activity of Caspian Whip Snake Dolichophis caspius (Gmelin, 1789) (Reptilia: Colubridae) in South-Wester n Bulgaria Alexander N. Pulev1* , Borislav Y . Naumov2 , Lyuben D . Domozetski1, Lidi a G. Sakelarieva1 , George N. Manolev1 1 - South-West University “Neofit Rilski”, Faculty of Mathematics and Natural Sciences, Department of Geography, Ecology and Environmental Protection, 66 Ivan Mihailov Street, 2700 Blagoevgrad, BULGARIA 2 - Institute of Biodiversity and Ecosystem Research, Bulgarian Academy of Sciences, 2 Yurii Gagarin Street, 1113 Sofia, BULGARIA *Corresponding author: [email protected] Abstract. The purpose of the study is to supplement, summarize and analyse data about the distribution and activity of Dolichophis caspius in south-western Bulgaria. The new data about the species were collected from 1991 to 2019 during herpetological surveys. The total number of records until now is 420: 148 of them can be found in previous publications, and 272 are reported for the first time. There are published data about 10 pieces of shed skins, and other 17 are newly registered. All data available indicate, that D. caspius is widespread in the study area. The species spreads northward throughout Zemen Gorge in the Struma River valley, and northward throughout Momina Klisura Gorge in the Mesta River valley. It is the most common snake in these areas (up to 1000-1100 m a.s.l.) where 12 other snake species also occur. D. caspius is active from the third decade of March till the first decade of November. No winter activity of the species has been recorded, despite the active search in December, January and February in some years. The period of activity can be divided in three – a period of very low, low and high activity. The snake is very warm-loving. It remains active even during the hottest months, and was observed only during the day most often around mid-day and 4 p.m. Key words: Serpentes, colubrid snakes, ecology, ethology, biogeography, Ba lkan Peninsula. Introduction caspius eiselti (Zinner, 1972) was also included The Caspian Whip Snake (or the Large (see ZINNER, 1972). It is considered now that Whip Snake), Dolichophis caspius (Gmelin, the taxon D. caspius eiselti belongs to the 1789), is one of the largest, swiftest and species D. jugularis, so D. caspius is a strongest European snakes. In the recent past monotypic species (see CATTANEO, 2012; this Whip Snake was regarded as a 2018). subspecies of Dolichophis jugularis (Linnaeus, The geographical range of the Caspian 1758), but today it has a rank of a species. Whip Snake spreads over south-eastern Until recently, in addition to the nominate Europe and the extreme part of western Asia: form (D. caspius caspius) the subspecies D. Hungary, S Romania, E Bosnia-Herzegovina, © Ecologia Balkanica Union of Scientists in Bulgaria – Plovdiv http://eb.bio.uni-plovdiv.bg University of Plovdiv Publishing House Distribution and Activity of Caspian Whip Snake Dolichophis caspius (Gmelin, 1789) (Reptilia: Colubridae)... Croatia, Macedonia (now North Macedonia), indicate that in 2018 the species emerged S Montenegro, Serbia, Albania, Bulgaria, from hibernation during the third decade of Greece (including many islands), W Turkey March and the first decade of April. There (including Imroz Island), Moldavia, S are also 2 published records of winter activity Ukraine, SW Russia (Dagestan), extreme NW in Bulgaria (see BURESCH & ZONKOV, 1934; Georgia, extreme NE Turkey and extreme NE BESHKOV, 1964). In the territory of the Azerbaijan (WALLACH et al., 2014). In country the Whip Snake is active only during Bulgaria the species is widespread in the the day (BESHKOV & NANEV, 2002; BISERKOV lower parts, up to about 800-1100 m a.s.l., et al., 2007; STOJANOV et al., 2011). where the climate is warmer (BESHKOV & Data about the distribution and activity NANEV, 2002; BISERKOV et al., 2007; STOJANOV of the Caspian Whip Snake in south-western et al., 2011). As an exception, the species was Bulgaria are reported by BURESCH & ZONKOV found in Maleshevska Mountains (south- (1934), BESHKOV (1964, 1974), BESHKOV & western Bulgaria) at 1580 m a.s.l. (BESHKOV, NANKINOV (1979), BESHKOV & GERASIMOV 1974). In south-western Bulgaria this snake is (1980), BESHKOV & DUSHKOV (1981), NÖLLERT distributed in some parts of the valleys of et al. (1986), KANTARDZHIEV (1992), BISERKOV Struma and Mesta Rivers, as well as on the (1995), PETROV & BESHKOV (2001), PESHEV et slopes of the surrounding mountains al. (2005), NAUMOV (2005), PETROV et al. (BISERKOV et al., 2007; STOJANOV et al., 2011). (2006), PULEV & SAKELARIEVA (2011, 2013), The species is a East Sub-Mediterranean TZANKOV et al. (2011), DOMOZETSKI (2013), faunal element and its significance for the POPGEORGIEV et al. (2016), GROZDANOV et al. zoogeographical subdivision of Bulgaria was (2016), MALAKOVA et al. (2018), MANOLEV et defined by PULEV (2016) to be quite great. D. al. (2019), CAS (2010-2019), BALEJ & caspius was defined as an indicator species JABLONSKI (2006-2019), and DYUGMEDZHIEV et which range delineates very well the al. (2019). Most publications contain the place boundaries of the Sub-Mediterranean areas and date (sometimes the time) of registration, in the country. the individuals observed (number, age, The Caspian Whip Snake occurs in condition), the shed skins, and more recent natural, but also in anthropogenic habitats. It papers include also geographical coordinates was registered in some large cities in of the locations. Bulgaria – Russe (KOVATSCHEFF, 1912), The main purpose of the study is to Plovdiv (MOLLOV & VELCHEVA, 2010), supplement, summarize and analyze data Blagoevgrad (PULEV & SAKELARIEVA, 2013), about the distribution and activity (seasonal and Burgas (NATCHEV et al., 2016). and 24-hour) of D. caspius in south-western Concerning its activity, according to Bulgaria. ZINNER (1972) “throughout its distributional range the species hibernates between Material and Methods December and March; the time of highest The new data about the Caspian Whip activity is from April to June; the mating Snake were collected from 1991 to 2019, more season is between the end of March and the intensively during the last years – 2013-2019 end of May; the eggs are laid about 1½ to 2 (more than the half of the records), and with months after mating”. In the territory of single records in some years (1991, 1994, Bulgaria, the species is active from late 1999-2001, 2004, 2007). The species has been March/early April to late October, and the registered during herpetological surveys copulation takes place in May/early June (field trips) in various habitats. It has been (BESHKOV & NANEV, 2002; BISERKOV et al., searched for, day and night, in different 2007; STOJANOV et al., 2011). The results from months (including in December, January, and a research conducted in south-western February in some years), and in various Bulgaria by DYUGMEDZHIEV et al. (2019) weather conditions. The specimens killed on 117 Pulev et al. the road have been registered both Data which are not included in some accidentally and as a result of targeted previous publications (NAUMOV, 2005; PULEV searches. The dead individuals have been & SAKELARIEVA, 2011; 2013; DOMOZETSKI, defined as “fresh” when their death occurred 2013; MALAKOVA et al., 2018) are added in within 48 hours before their registration. this article and marked with ** in Appendices Unpublished data from the collection of 1 and 2. the Regional Historical Museum in the city of All data of observation (locality, Blagoevgrad (RHMB), collected in south- geographic coordinates, altitude, date and western Bulgaria in 1978, 1980, 1982, and time, the number, age and condition of 1984, were also used for the present research. individuals) are summarized in tables and All published and new data about observed the localities are marked on a map. alive and dead individuals, and shed skins have been used to specify the spread of the Results and Discussion species in south-western Bulgaria. All data The total number of records of (published and new) about alive, “fresh” Dolichophis caspius in south-western Bulgaria road-killed and other found “fresh” dead until now is 420: 148 of them can be found in specimens have been included in the analysis previous publications, and 272 are reported of the seasonal activity pattern. The twenty- now for the first time (see Appendices 1 and four-hour activity pattern has been analysed 3). based on all published and new data about Records of more than 168 individuals the alive active individuals for which the have been published till now (not always time of observation was recorded. detailed). At least 135 of them were alive at The separate locations of the species the time of their registration, 11 were found (both new and published) were grouped dead (probably killed by people) and 22 were according to their affiliations to the squares road-killed (15 of them “fresh”). The number of the Universal Transverse Mercator (UTM) of reported adults is the highest (n=55), grid with a resolution of 5×5 km. The grid- followed by the number of juveniles (n=13) cells were indicated by the codes of the 10- and subadults (n=8). Exact dates, geographic km quadrates of Military Grid Reference coordinates or sufficiently precise locations System (MGRS; spatially identical with UTM) have been specified for most of the records and capital letters (A-D) were used to denote (three of them were during the hibernation the separate 5×5 km squares within every period), while the information about the time 10×10 km square (A indicates the of observation is extremely scarce (see southwestern square, B – the northwestern, C Appendix 1). – the southeastern, and D – the northeastern). The new data about D. caspius in south- Mapping and map visualization were done western Bulgaria include 272 records (263 in the projection coordinate system “WGS 84 field observations and 9 museum specimens) UTM 35N” by means of ArcGIS v.
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