The Dadia–Lefkimi–Soufli Forest National Park, Greece: Biodiversity, Management and Conservation

THE DADIA–LEFKIMI–SOUFLI FOREST NATIONAL PARK, GREECE: BIODIVERSITY, MANAGEMENT AND CONSERVATION Edited by Giorgos Catsadorakis and Hans Källander Illustrations by Paschalis Dougalis WWF Greece Athens 2010 5 THE DADIA–LEFKIMI–SOUFLI FOREST NATIONAL PARK, GREECE: BIODIVERSITY, MANAGEMENT AND CONSERVATION Editors: Giorgos Catsadorakis, Hans Källander, P.O. Box 403, Villavägen 6, Dadia, SE-240 35 Harlösa, GR-68 400 Soufli, SWEDEN GREECE [email protected] [email protected] Suggested citation: Author’s name. 2010. Title of paper. – In: Catsadorakis, G. and Källander, H. (eds). The Dadia–Lefkimi–Soufli Forest National Park, Greece: Biodiversity, Management and Conservation. WWF Greece, Athens, pp. 000–000. © 2010, WWF Greece Published by: WWF Greece, 26 Filellinon str., GR-105 58 Athens, Greece Tel:+30 2103314893, fax: +302103247578 e-mail: [email protected] http://www.wwf.gr ISBN 978-960-7506-10-8 Typeset by ZooBo Tech, Torna Hällestad, Sweden Printed by Schema + Chroma, GR-574 00 Sindos, Thessaloniki, http://www.kethea-print.gr Illustrations by Paschalis Dougalis Maps on pages 18–28, 36, 42, 86, 89, 217 and 231–243 prepared by Nikolaos Kasimis, those on pages 23, 27 and 232 by Konstantinos Poirazidis. The book was printed on130 g FSC-certified Sappi Era Silk paper. Cover photo: Giorgos Catsadorakis. 6 The mammalian fauna: an annotated list Giorgos Catsadorakis and Dimitris Bousbouras Excluding bats, 30 mammalian species have been recorded with certainty in the DNP, while ten more may be present. Of the former, the status of three is uncertain, and three are only accidental in the park. All rodents, insectivores and mustelids are very poorly known. Three species are of Anatolian origin. European Lynx Lynx lynx and European Souslik Citellus citellus are considered extinct. Biogeographically, the record of Suncus etruscus is of interest. The preservation and further diversification of the present landscape mosaic and the preservation of natural hedges along the cultivated fields are crucial for most small mammals. The main threats to large terrestrial mammals come from poisoned baits (Wolf Canis lupus, Golden Jackal Canis aureus), poaching (Roe Deer Capreolus capreolus) and overhunting (Brown Hare Lepus europaeus, Wild Boar Sus scrofa), while the few Eurasian Otters Lutra lutra are potentially threatened by food scarcity because of the construction of small dams on streams, the creation of dikes and removal of stream vegetation. Badgers Meles meles, Red Foxes Vulpes vulpes, Beech Martens Martes foina and hedgehogs suffer from heavy traffic mortality on asphalt roads. Keywords: Mammals, Greece, Dadia National Park, faunistics, mammal conservation, Balkan mammals Introduction data obtained through analysis of pellet and nest con- tents of nocturnal and diurnal birds of prey as well as To date, there has been no systematic study on the mam- unpublished information provided by several research- malian fauna of the Dadia–Lefkimi–Soufli National ers and local people. Despite that effort, the importance Park (DNP) with the exception of a study of bats (see of small and medium-sized mammals as potential prey Papadatou, this volume) and a short study of woodmice of the park’s raptorial birds and their contribution to the Apodemus spp. (Bousbouras 1999). Ondrias (1966), in diets of the raptors remain largely unknown, since the his review of rodents of Greece, had no sample from bulk of the so far collected evidence is circumstantial. the area (the closest sampling locality was Kallithea, a In the present paper we review all published and un- few km outside the park), nor did Vohralík and Sofiani- published information on the mammalian fauna of the dou (1992) include DNP as a sampling locality in their DNP, with the exception of bats which are presented study of the mammals of Thrace (the closest locality was elsewhere in this book (Papadatou, this volume). The Mikro Dereio). The first effort to gather and review the data are compared with those gathered in neighbouring data available on the mammals of the area took place parts of Bulgaria and the Eastern Rhodopes, which have in the early 1990s within the framework of the Specific been slightly better studied (Minkova 2004, Spassov Environmental Study for the designation of the area as and Markov 2004). Nomenclature and species sequence a National Park (Adamakopoulos et al. 1995). At that follow Mitchell-Jones et al. (1999) but the important time Bousbouras et al. (unpublished) had attempted to changes made recently (Wilson and Reeder 2005) are trap rodents and insectivores during a short period of also indicated when proper. A full list of species and time; they also attempted to collate various published their conservation status are shown in Table 1. 207 The Dadia–Lefkimi–Soufli Forest National Park The insectivores issue. However, DNP has an annual mean temperature of 14.3° C (Maris and Vasileiou 2009) and is c. 40 km Regular and abundant visual observations of Eastern from the sea coast. Hedgehog Erinaceus concolor (Erinaceus roumanicus ac- Remains of Crocidura spp. have been found in pellets cording to Wilson and Reeder 2005) provide evidence of Eagle Owl Bubo bubo (D. Bousbouras, in Adamako- for a wide distribution all over the park. Remains were poulos et al. 1995). Bi-coloured White-toothed Shrew also found in a nest of Egyptian Vulture Neophron perc- Crocidura leucodon was captured in 1994 (Bousbou- nopterus, and the species was also recorded as prey of ras 1999). Both Crocidura leucodon and Lesser White- Lesser Spotted Eagle Aquila pomarina (Vlachos 1989), toothed Shrew C. suaveolens might be present in the Imperial Eagle Aquila heliaca (A. Wittgen, in Adama- DNP. The latter species is considered by Vohralík and kopoulos et al. 1995), and Long-legged Buzzard Buteo Sofianidou (1992) to be the most common shrew in rufinus (Alivizatos 1996). Eastern Hedgehog is a species Thrace. Finally, Adamakopoulos et al. (1995) mention widely distributed in Thrace (Vohralík and Sofianidou that the Water Shrew Neomys fodiens was observed by 1992). Helmer and Scholte (1985), but we have been unable Dead moles (Talpa sp.) and mole hills have been to locate any such record in their report. Also, according found in many places in the park, admittedly in very to the maps in Mitchell-Jones et al. (1999), it is much low densities despite the quite large expanses of pastures less likely to occur in this area than Miller’s Water Shrew and fields with deep soils. No taxonomic studies have Neomys anomalus. been made so far and the observed animals have only been identified to genus. The species most likely to be found in Thrace is Talpa europaea (Vohralík and Sofi- The lagomorphs and rodents anidou 1992, Mitchell-Jones et al. 1999, Kryštufek and Vohralik 2001), which is also the species whose range The Brown Hare Lepus europaeus is a species with a wide extends all over Turkish Thrace (Kryštufek and Vohralik distribution all over the park. Repeated releases of cap- 2001). All species of the genus are classified as Insuffi- tive-bred animals of unknown origin have been made ciently Known in the Red Data Book for the Vertebrates by the hunters’ clubs. Every year at least 60–80 hares are of Greece (Karandinos and Legakis 1992). In the DNP, killed by the hunters of Dadia village alone. It has been remains of Talpa sp. have been found in pellets of Impe- found in pellets of Golden Eagle Aquila chrysaetos and rial Eagle (A. Wittgen, in Adamakopoulos et al. 1995). Imperial Eagle (A. Wittgen, in Adamakopoulos et al. One adult Pygmy White-toothed Shrew Suncus 1995) and Lesser Spotted Eagle (Vlachos, in Adamako- etruscus was caught by G. Catsadorakis in November poulos et al. 1995). 2004 at the outskirts of Dadia village. This is one of the The Red Squirrel Sciurus vulgaris is distributed all less studied and less well known species of the Greek over the park, but the population seems to be sparse. mammalian fauna, and DNP is one of the few sites in The species was considered as a pest up to the 1960s and Greece where the species has been recorded. In fact, the state paid bounty for proved killings. The European the captured individual represents the second record Souslik Spermophilus citellus was formerly widespread in for the Greek and Bulgarian part of Thrace as Vohralík the park (Helmer and Scholte 1985, K. Pistolas, pers. and Sofianidou (2000) found two specimens in Barn comm.). Colonies at Mangazi, close to Dadia, were ex- Owl Tyto alba pellets collected at the outskirts of the terminated in the 1970s. The last known colony within town of Didymoteicho in 1994. Minkova (2004) stated the park, in the agricultural zone of Lyra, was destroyed that this shrew was found in many raptor pellets in the unintentionally in 1992 by heavy machinery remov- Sakar Mountains. However, it was neither captured live ing soil and it seems the species failed to re-establish in nor were specimens ensured otherwise. Various authors the area. It had been found in pellets of Golden Ea- have proposed specific isotherms as indicative of the gle (A.Wittgen, in Adamakopoulos et al. 1995), Lesser range border of the species as for example the average Spotted Eagle (Vlachos 1989, A. Wittgen, in Adama- annual isotherm of 12° C, the January isotherm of 0° kopoulos et al. 1995), Imperial Eagle (A. Wittgen, in C or the July isotherm of 20° C (Popov and Nijagolov Adamakopoulos et al.1995) and Long-legged Buzzard 1991 in Minkova 2004, Vohralik and Sofianidou 2000, (Ch. Alivizatos, pers. comm.). Vohralík and Sofianidou Kryštufek 2003). Although apparently a lowland species (1992) observed it around Fylakto in June 1991. (found generally below 1000 m asl), its actual range is Among dormice, the Forest Dormouse Dryomys still too poorly explored to give definite answers to this nitedula and the Fat Dormouse Glis glis have been re- 208 G.

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