Indigenous Reptiles
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A Very European Tale – Britain Still Has Only Three Snake Species, but Its Grass Snake Is Now Assigned to Another Species (Natrix Helvetica)
SHORT COMMUNICATION The Herpetological Bulletin 141, 2017: 44-45 A very European tale – Britain still has only three snake species, but its grass snake is now assigned to another species (Natrix helvetica) UWE FRITZ1* & CAROLIN KINDLER1 1Senckenberg Natural History Collections Dresden, Museum of Zoology, A. B. Meyer Building, 01109 Dresden, Germany *Corresponding author Email: [email protected] ollowing several investigations of the phylogeography and systematics of grass snakes (Fritz et al., 2012; FKindler et al., 2013, 2014; Pokrant et al., 2016), we published a further detailed study on this topic in August (Kindler et al., 2017). Our new investigation revealed that only very limited gene flow occurs between western barred grass snakes and eastern common grass snakes. Consequently, we concluded that the barred grass snake (Fig. 1), previously a subspecies, should be elevated to a full species. August being the ‘silly season’ for news stories led the local media, including the highly respected BBC, to claim that Britain has now an additional snake species, i.e. four instead of three species – the northern viper (Vipera Figure 1. Young N. helvetica showing the distinctive lateral bars berus), the smooth snake (Coronella austriaca) as well as from which the species common name the ‘barred grass snake’ is derived (photo: © Jason Steel) two species of grass snake, the common grass snake (Natrix natrix) and the newly recognised barred grass snake (Natrix helvetica). findings. However, some southern populations identified This upheaval resulted from a complete misunderstanding by Thorpe with barred grass snakes, for instance from of a press release by the Senckenberg Institution. The press northern Italy, turned out to be distinct from N. -
The Changing Face of the Genus Vipera I 145
The changing face of the genus Vipera I 145 THE CHANGING FACE OF THE GENUS VIPERA By: Twan Leenders, Prof. Bromstraat 59, 6525 AT Nijmegen, The Netherlands. Contents: Introduction - Systematic review - Characteristics of the different groups: Pelias group - Rhinaspis-group - Xanthina-complex - Lebetina-group - Russelli-group - Pseudoce rastes persicus - Literature - Note added in proof English correction by Chris Mattison. * * * INTRODUCTION The systematic division of the genus Vipera changes almost constantly. Not only because of the description of several new species, but also because our understanding of the interspecific relationships improves. Sometimes a certain species is thought to be more closely related to another than it was previously, and is granted the subspecies-status but it can also happen the other way around, when a subspecies is granted the species-status. Nowadays, advanced techniques are being used to establish or rule out kinship. Originally the division of the animal kingdom was entirely based on external characteris tics. Later this was combined with internal anatomic characteristics such as hemipenis structure or skeletal features. Currently, relationships are, together with the characteris tics already mentioned established by analysis of chromosomes or the chemical composition of venom or tissue. Because it is very hard to know with any certainty what the relationship between species is and how their evolutionary development occurred, any scientist who is working on the subject has his ( or her) own ideas regarding the 'real' development. In systematics (= biological science which is dedicated to the relationship between organisms and their taxonomic placement) two important directions exist: the so-called 'splitters' and 'lumpers'. -
Species Diversity of Snakes in Pachmarhi Biosphere Reserve
& Herpeto gy lo lo gy o : h C it u n r r r e O Fellows, Entomol Ornithol Herpetol 2014, 4:1 n , t y R g e o l s o e Entomology, Ornithology & Herpetology: DOI: 10.4172/2161-0983.1000136 a m r o c t h n E ISSN: 2161-0983 Current Research ResearchCase Report Article OpenOpen Access Access Species Diversity of Snakes in Pachmarhi Biosphere Reserve Sandeep Fellows* Asst Conservator of forest, Madhya Pradesh Forest Department (Information Technology Wing), Satpura Bhawan, Bhopal (M.P) Abstract Madhya Pradesh (MP), the central Indian state is well-renowned for reptile fauna. In particular, Pachmarhi Biosphere Reserve (PBR) regions (Districts Hoshangabad, Betul and Chindwara) of MP comprises a vast range of reptiles, especially herpetofauna yet unexplored from the conservation point of view. Earlier inventory herpetofaunal study conducted in 2005 at MP and Chhattisgarh (CG) reported 6 snake families included 39 species. After this preliminary report, no literature existing regarding snake diversity of this region. This situation incited us to update the snake diversity of PBR regions. From 2010 to 2012, we conducted a detailed field study and recorded 31 species of 6 snake families (Boidae, Colubridae, Elapidae, Typhlopidea, Uropeltidae, and Viperidae) in Hoshanagbad District (Satpura Tiger Reserve) and PBR regions. Besides, we found the occurrence of Boiga forsteni and Coelognatus helena monticollaris (Colubridae), which was not previously reported in PBR region. Among the recorded, 9 species were Lower Risk – least concerned (LR-lc), 20 were of Lower Risk – near threatened (LR-nt), 1 is Endangered (EN) and 1 is vulnerable (VU) according to International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) status. -
Behavioural And.Pdf
Published by Associazione Teriologica Italiana Volume 29 (2): 211–215, 2018 Hystrix, the Italian Journal of Mammalogy Available online at: http://www.italian-journal-of-mammalogy.it doi:10.4404/hystrix–00119-2018 Research Article Behavioural and population responses of ground-dwelling rodents to forest edges Maria Vittoria Mazzamuto∗, Lucas A. Wauters, Damiano G. Preatoni, Adriano Martinoli Environment Analysis and Management Unit, Guido Tosi Research Group, Department of Theoretical and Applied Sciences, University of Insubria, via J.-H. Dunant 3, 21100 Varese, Italy Keywords: Abstract bank vole wood mouse Forest edges can affect the behaviour, physiology and demography of small mammals. We tested survival whether there was a response in abundance, distribution, personality selection or foraging behaviour seed predation of ground-dwelling rodents to a forest–meadow edge in two study areas in Northern Italy over a 1- personality year period. We used capture-mark-recapture to evaluate species distribution, abundance, survival GUD and personality, while Giving-up Density was used to test their foraging behaviour and the cost associated to it. All tests were carried out on the forest edge and at 50 and 100 m from the edge along Article history: three parallel transects 90 m long. We detected two species in both areas: Apodemus sylvaticus Received: 8/06/2018 and Myodes glareolus. We found a neutral effect of the edge on species number, survival and on Accepted: 3/12/2018 individual’s personality (activity/exploration tendency). Bank voles occurred more along the edge and both taxa took more seeds from trays along the edge. The hypothesis of edge avoidance was not Acknowledgements confirmed in any of the variables examined. -
Management Plan National Park Prespa in Albania
2014-2024 Plani i Menaxhimit të Parkut Kombëtar të Prespës në Shqipëri PPLLAANNII II MMEENNAAXXHHIIMMIITT II PPAARRKKUUTT KKOOMMBBËËTTAARR TTËË PPRREESSPPËËSS NNËË SSHHQQIIPPËËRRII 22001144--22002244 1 Plani i Menaxhimit të Parkut Kombëtar të Prespës në Shqipëri 2013-2023 SHKURTIME ALL Monedha Lek a.s.l. Mbi nivelin e detit BCA Konsulent për ruajtjen e biodiversitetit BMZ Ministria Federale për Kooperimin Ekonomik dhe Zhvillimin, Gjermani CDM Mekanizmi për Zhvillimin e Pastër Corg Karbon organik DCM Vendim i Këshillit të Ministrave DFS Drejtoria e Shërbimit Pyjor, Korca DGFP Drejtoria e Pyjeve dhe Kullotave DTL Zevendes Drejtues i Ekipit EUNIS Sistemi i Informacionit të Natyrës së Bashkimit Evropian GEF Faciliteti Global për Mjedisin GFA Grupi Konsulent GFA, Gjermani GNP Parku Kombëtar i Galicicës GO Organizata Qeveritare GTZ/GIZ Agjensia Gjermane për Bashkëpunim Teknik (Sot quhet GIZ) FAO Organizata e Kombeve të Bashkuara për Ushqimin dhe Bujqësinë IUCN Bashkimi Ndërkombëtar për Mbrojtjen e Natyrës FUA Shoqata e Përdoruesve të Pyjeve, Prespë KfW Banka Gjermane për Zhvillim LMS Vende për monitorimin afatgjatë LSU Njësi blegtorale MC Komiteti i Menaxhimit të Parkut Kombëtar të Prespës në Shqipëri METT Mjeti për Gjurmimin e Efektivitetit të Menaxhimit MoE Ministria e Mjedisit, Shqipëri MP Plan menaxhimi NGO Organizata jo-fitimprurëse NP Park Kombëtar NPA Administrata e Parkut Kombëtar NPD Drejtor i Parkut Kombëtar (aktualisht shef i sektorit të PK të Prespës të Drejtorisë së Shërbimit Pyjor, Korçë) PNP Parku Kombëtar i Prespës ÖBF AG Korporata -
Herpetofaunistic Diversity of the Cres-Lošinj Archipelago (Croatian Adriatic)
University of Sopron Roth Gyula Doctoral School of Forestry and Wildlife Management Sciences Ph.D. thesis Herpetofaunistic diversity of the Cres-Lošinj Archipelago (Croatian Adriatic) Tamás Tóth Sopron 2018 Roth Gyula Doctoral School of Forestry and Wildlife Management Sciences Nature Conservation Program Supervisors: Prof. Dr. Faragó Sándor Dr. Gál János Introduction In recent years the Croatian islands, especially those of the Cres-Lošinj Archipelago became the focus of research of herpetologists. However, in spite of a long interest encompassing more than a hundred years, numerous gaps remain in our herpetological knowledge. For this reason, the author wished to contribute to a better understanding by performing studies outlined below. Aims The first task was to map the distribution of amphibians and reptiles inhabiting the archipelago as data were lacking for several of the smaller islands and also the fauna of the bigger islands was insufficiently known. Subsequently, the faunistic information derived from the scientific literature and field surveys conducted by the author as well as available geological and paleogeological data were compared and analysed from a zoogeographic point of view. The author wished to identify regions of the islands boasting the greatest herpetofaunal diversity by creating dot maps based on collecting localities. To answer the question which snake species and which individuals are going to be a victim of the traffic snake roadkill and literature survey were used. The author also identified where are the areas where the most snakes are hit by a vehicle on Cres. By gathering road-killed snakes and comparing their locality data with published occurrences the author seeked to identify species most vulnerable to vehicular traffic and road sections posing the greatest threat to snakes on Cres Island. -
Habitat Use of the Aesculapian Snake, Zamenis Longissimus, at the Northern Extreme of Its Range in Northwest Bohemia
THE HERPETOLOGICAL BULLETIN The Herpetological Bulletin is produced quarterly and publishes, in English, a range of articles concerned with herpetology. These include society news, full-length papers, new methodologies, natural history notes, book reviews, letters from readers and other items of general herpetological interest. Emphasis is placed on natural history, conservation, captive breeding and husbandry, veterinary and behavioural aspects. Articles reporting the results of experimental research, descriptions of new taxa, or taxonomic revisions should be submitted to The Herpetological Journal (see inside back cover for Editor’s address). Guidelines for Contributing Authors: 1. See the BHS website for a free download of the Bulletin showing Bulletin style. A template is available from the BHS website www.thebhs.org or on request from the Editor. 2. Contributions should be submitted by email or as text files on CD or DVD in Windows® format using standard word-processing software. 3. Articles should be arranged in the following general order: Title Name(s) of authors(s) Address(es) of author(s) (please indicate corresponding author) Abstract (required for all full research articles - should not exceed 10% of total word length) Text acknowledgements References Appendices Footnotes should not be included. 4. Text contributions should be plain formatted with no additional spaces or tabs. It is requested that the References section is formatted following the Bulletin house style (refer to this issue as a guide to style and format). Particular attention should be given to the format of citations within the text and to references. 5. High resolution scanned images (TIFF or JPEG files) are the preferred format for illustrations, although good quality slides, colour and monochrome prints are also acceptable. -
Photographic Identification in Reptiles: a Matter of Scales
Amphibiti-Reptilia 31 (2010): 4il9 502 Photographic identification in reptiles: a matter of scales Roberto Sacchil,*, Stefano Scali2, Daniele Pellitteri-Rosal, Fabio Pupinl , Augusto Gentillil, Serena Tettamanti2, Luca Cavigioli2, Luca Racinar , Veronica Maiocchil , Paolo Galeottil. Mauro Fasolal Abstract. Photographic identification is a promising marking technique alternative to the toe-clipping, since it is completely harmless, cheap. and it allows long time identification of individuals. Its application to ecological studies is mainly limited by the time consuming to compa.re pictures within large datasets and the huge variation of ornamentation pattems among dilTerent species, which prevent the possibility that a single algorithrn can effectively work for more than few species. Scales of Reptiles offer an effective alternative to omamentations for computer aided identilication procedures. since both shape and size of scales are unique to each individual, thus acting as a fingerprint like omamentation patlems do. We used the Interactive Individual ldentification System (t3S) software to assess whether different individuals of two species of European lizards (Podarcis muralis and Lacerta bilineata) can be reliably photographically identilied using the pattern of the intersections among pectoral scales as fingerprints. We found that I3S was able to itlentity different individuals among two samples of 21 individuals for each species independently from the emor associated to the ability of the operators in collecting pictures and in digitizing the pattenr of intersections among pectoral scales. In a database of 1043 images of P. muraLis collected between 2007 and 2008, the software recognized 987o of recaptures within each year. and 99c/o of the recaptures between years. In addition. -
A Case of Self-Cannibalism in a Wild-Caught South-Italian Asp Viper, Vipera Aspis Hugyi (Squamata: Viperidae) Piero Carlino Olivier S
Bull. Chicago Herp. Soc. 50(9):137, 2015 A Case of Self-cannibalism in a Wild-caught South-Italian Asp Viper, Vipera aspis hugyi (Squamata: Viperidae) Piero Carlino Olivier S. G. Pauwels Museo di Storia naturale del Salento Département des Vertébrés Récents Via Sp. Calimera-Borgagne km 1 Institut Royal des Sciences naturelles de Belgique 73021 Calimera, Lecce Rue Vautier 29, B-1000 Brussels ITALY BELGIUM [email protected] [email protected] On 27 August 2014 at 1130 h, a female Vipera aspis hugyi Mattison, 2007). It seems to be often caused by the stress gener- Schinz, 1834 (18 cm total length) was found in a retrodunal ated by captivity, as is apparently also the case here. environment (40.003121°N; 18.015930°E, datum WGS84; 4 m asl) between the Mediterranean sea and a pine forest, ca. 6 km SE of Gallipoli town, Lecce Province, southeastern Italy. This taxon was already known from three other localities in Lecce Province (Fattizzo and Marzano, 2002) and its occurrence in this newly recorded locality was not unexpected. The snake was temporarily removed from its habitat because it was surrounded by people and at obvious risk to be killed, with the intention to release it at the same spot a week later. It seemed healthy at the time of its capture, and was kept in a standard terrarium (24– 28EC, 70–85% humidity) at the Provincial Wildlife Recovery Center of Lecce (input protocol OFP 331/14). After five days in captivity it was found dead, having ingested more than one- fourth of its own body. -
The Rufford Foundation Final Report
The Rufford Foundation Final Report Congratulations on the completion of your project that was supported by The Rufford Foundation. We ask all grant recipients to complete a Final Report Form that helps us to gauge the success of our grant giving. We understand that projects often do not follow the predicted course but knowledge of your experiences is valuable to us and others who may be undertaking similar work. Please be as honest as you can in answering the questions – remember that negative experiences are just as valuable as positive ones if they help others to learn from them. Please complete the form in English and be as clear and concise as you can. We will ask for further information if required. If you have any other materials produced by the project, particularly a few relevant photographs, please send these to us separately. Please submit your final report to [email protected]. Thank you for your help. Josh Cole, Grants Director Grant Recipient Details Your name Aleksandar Simović Distribution and conservation of the highly endangered Project title lowland populations of the Bosnian Adder (Vipera berus bosniensis) in Serbia RSG reference 17042-1 Reporting period March 2015 – March 2016 Amount of grant £ 5,000 Your email address [email protected] Date of this report 30.03.2016 1. Please indicate the level of achievement of the project’s original objectives and include any relevant comments on factors affecting this. achieved Not achieved Partially achieved Fully Objective Comments Precisely determine With very limited potential habitats in distribution Vojvodina province we found adders in 10 new UTM squares (10 x 10 km). -
A Review of the Taxonomy of the European Colubrid Snake Genera Natrix and Coronella, with the Creation of Three New Monotypic Genera (Serpentes:Colubridae)
58 Australasian Journal of Herpetology Australasian Journal of Herpetology 12:58-62. ISSN 1836-5698 (Print) ISSN 1836-5779 (Online) Published 30 April 2012. A review of the taxonomy of the European Colubrid snake genera Natrix and Coronella, with the creation of three new monotypic genera (Serpentes:Colubridae). RAYMOND T. HOSER 488 Park Road, Park Orchards, Victoria, 3134, Australia. Phone: +61 3 9812 3322 Fax: 9812 3355 E-mail: [email protected] Received 2 March 2012, Accepted 8 April 2012, Published 30 April 2012. ABSTRACT There have been several phylogenetic studies involving the Keeled Snakes of genus Natrix and Smooth Snakes of genus Coronella as recognized at start 2012. The exact status of each genus in terms of species composition has been the subject of argument among taxonomists, including whether or not well-recognized species such as N. tessellata, N. natrix and C. girondica are actually composites of several similar species. Within the last decade, several studies have shown the divergence between the three members of the genus Natrix to be from 12 to 27 million years ago (Guicking et. al. 2006), and probably further back for the three extant members of the genus Coronella (see comparative results in Pyron et. al. 2011). As a result each genus is subdivided three ways. Natrix natrix remains as the sole taxon in that genus. N. maura is placed within a new genus Jackyhosernatrix gen. nov. and N. tessellata is placed in the new genus Guystebbinsus gen. nov. Coronella austriaca remains as the sole taxon in that genus, while C. brachyura is placed in the genus Wallophis Werner, 1929, and C. -
The Adder (Vipera Berus) in Southern Altay Mountains
The adder (Vipera berus) in Southern Altay Mountains: population characteristics, distribution, morphology and phylogenetic position Shaopeng Cui1,2, Xiao Luo1,2, Daiqiang Chen1,2, Jizhou Sun3, Hongjun Chu4,5, Chunwang Li1,2 and Zhigang Jiang1,2 1 Key Laboratory of Animal Ecology and Conservation Biology, Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China 2 University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China 3 Kanas National Nature Reserve, Buerjin, Urumqi, China 4 College of Resources and Environment Sciences, Xinjiang University, Urumqi, China 5 Altay Management Station, Mt. Kalamaili Ungulate Nature Reserve, Altay, China ABSTRACT As the most widely distributed snake in Eurasia, the adder (Vipera berus) has been extensively investigated in Europe but poorly understood in Asia. The Southern Altay Mountains represent the adder's southern distribution limit in Central Asia, whereas its population status has never been assessed. We conducted, for the first time, field surveys for the adder at two areas of Southern Altay Mountains using a combination of line transects and random searches. We also described the morphological characteristics of the collected specimens and conducted analyses of external morphology and molecular phylogeny. The results showed that the adder distributed in both survey sites and we recorded a total of 34 sightings. In Kanas river valley, the estimated encounter rate over a total of 137 km transects was 0.15 ± 0.05 sightings/km. The occurrence of melanism was only 17%. The small size was typical for the adders in Southern Altay Mountains in contrast to other geographic populations of the nominate subspecies. A phylogenetic tree obtained by Bayesian Inference based on DNA sequences of the mitochondrial Submitted 21 April 2016 cytochrome b (1,023 bp) grouped them within the Northern clade of the species but Accepted 18 July 2016 failed to separate them from the subspecies V.