AutorenPDF-vorlage_All_Short_Notes_SHORT_NOTE.qxd 28.07.2015 15:31 Seite 13

SHORT NOTE HERPETOZOA 28 (1/2) Wien, 30. Juli 2015 SHORT NOTE 101

ler) [Turkish herpetofauna (amphibians & reptiles)]. update to volume 1. latina (Edizioni Belvedere), pp. Ankara (Republic of Turkey, Ministry of Environ- 543. STÜMPEl , N. & J OgER , u. (2009): Recent advan - ment), pp. XIII, 214. BARAN , İ. & I lgAZ , Ç. & A vcI , A. ces in phylogeny and taxonomy of Near and Middle & K uMluTAş , Y. & O lguN , K. (2012): Türkiye amfibi Eastern vipers – an update.- ZooKeys, Sofia; 31: 179- ve sürüngenleri. (Amphibians and reptiles of Turkey). 191. TEYNIé , A. ( 1987): Observations herpetologiques Ankara (TÜBİTAK Popüler Bilim Kitapları) pp. 204. en Turquie, l ère partie.- Bulletin de la Société BARAN , İ. & K uMluTAş , Y. & T OK , c.v. & O lguN , K. Herpétologique de France, Paris; 43: 9-18. & I lgAZ , Ç. & K ASKA , Y. & T ÜRKOZAN , O. & İ RET , F. KEY WORDS: Reptilia: Squamata: Serpentes: (2004): On two herpetological collections made in east viperidae, Montivipera wagneri , new record locality, Anatolia (Turkey).- Herpetozoa, Wien; 16 (3/4): 99- distribution, Horasan, Erzurum, Anatolia, Turkey 114. DOWlINg , H. g. (1951): A proposed standard of counting ventrals in snakes.- British Journal Herpeto- SuBMITTED: November 26, 2013. logy, london; 1: 97-99. HERRMANN , H. W. & J OgER , AuTHORS: Yusuf KuMluTAş , (corresponding u. & l ENK , P. & W INK , M. (1999): Morphological and author < [email protected] >) – Dokuz Eylül molecular phylogenies of viperines: conflicting evi - university, Faculty of Science, Department of Biology, dence? Kaupia, Darmstadt; 8: 21-30. JOgER , u. (2005): Buca-İzmir, Turkey; Çetin IlgAZ – Dokuz Eylül Montivipera NIlSON , T uNIYEv , A NDREN , O RlOv , J OgER , university, Faculty of Science , Department of Biology, HERRMAN , 1999; pp. 61-62. In: BöHME , W. (Ed.): Buca-İzmir, Turkey < [email protected] >; Kamil Handbuch der Reptilien und Amphibian Europas. cANDAN , Ege university, Faculty of Science, Depart- Wiesbaden (AulA verlag). JOgER , u. & T EYNIé , A. & ment of Biology, Bornova-İzmir, Turkey < kamilcandan FucHS , D. (1988): Morphological characterization of @yahoo.com >. Vipera wagneri NIlSON & A NDRéN , 1984 (Reptilia: viperidae), with first description of the males.- Bonner Zoologische Beiträge, Bonn; 39 (2/3): 221-228. KASKA , Y. & K uMluTAş , Y. & A vcI , A. & N IlSON , g. (2009): Montivipera wagneri . In: IucN 2012. IucN Size of caimans killed by humans Red list of Threatened Species. WWW document at a hydroelectric dam in the available at < http://www.iucnredlist.org > (last ac- cessed: June 17, 2014). lENK , P. & K AlYABINA -H AuF , Madeira River, Brazilian Amazon S. & WINK , M. & J OgER , u. (2001): Evolution ary rela - tionships among the true vipers (Reptilia: viperidae) inferred from mitochondrial DNA se quences.- crocodilians face conflicts with hu- Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution, San Diego; mans where they use aquatic environments 19: 94-104. MAllOW , D. & l uDWIg , D. & N IlSON , g. to seek food, leisure and housing. The Nile (2003): True vipers. Natural history and toxicology of crocodile, Crocodylus niloticus lAuRENTI , old world vipers. Malabar, Florida, (Krieger Publishing company), pp. 359. NIlSON , g. & A NDR éN, c. ( 1984): 1768 , and the Saltwater crocodile, Croco - Systematics of the Vipera xanthina complex (Reptilia: dylus porosus ScHNEIDER , 1801, are among viperidae). 2. An overlooked viper within the xanthina the species that most frequently attack species-group in Iran.- Bonner Zoologische Beiträge, humans ( BOYlE et al. 2009; WEBB et al. Bonn; 35 (1/3): 175-184 . NIlSON , g. & A NDRéN , c. (1986): The mountain vipers of the Middle East - the 2010), but also other species are killed by Vipera xanthina complex (Reptilia: viperidae).- local people, who believe that the crocodil - Bonner Zoologische Monographien, Bonn; 20: 1-90. ians compete with them for food, principal - NIlSON , g. & A NDRéN , c. (1992): The species concept ly fish. Killing of crocodilians has intensi - in the Vipera xanthina complex: reflecting evolution - ary history or hiding biological diversity?- Amphibia- fied with habitat loss caused by fishing, Reptilia, leiden; 13: 421-424. NIlSON , g. & A NDR éN, sand mining, hydropower, tourism and c. & F läRDH , B. (1988): Die vipern der Türkei. housing in areas close to rivers and other Salaman dra, Rheinbach; 24 (4): 215-247. NIlSON , g. aquatic environments ( FERguSSON 2010). & TuNIYEv , B. & A NDRéN , c. & O RlOv , N. & J OgER , u. & H ERRMANN , H. (1999): Taxonomic position of the This has caused an increase in the likelihood Vipera xanthina complex.- Darmstädter Beiträge zur of attacks on humans ( WAllAcE et al. Naturgeschichte, Darmstadt, 8: 99-102. ScHäTTI , B. & 2012). BARAN , İ. & S Igg , H. (1991): Rediscovery of the Four species of crocodilians occur in Bolkar viper: morphological variation and systematic implications on the ‘ Vipera xanthina complex’.- the Amazon region, and one, the Black Amphibia-Reptilia, leiden; 12: 305-327. ScHäTTI , B. caiman, Melanosuchus niger (S PIX , 1825) , & B ARAN , İ. & S Igg , H. (1992): The ‘ Vipera xanthina can reach 6.0 m in length ( MEDEM 1983). complex’ – a reply to NIlSON and ANDRéN .- Amphibia- There are many reports of attacks on Reptilia, leiden; 13: 425. SINDAcO , R. & v ENcHI , A. & c ARPANETO , g. M. & B OlOgNO , M. (2000): The rep - humans during activities, such as fishing, on tiles of Anatolia: A checklist and zoogeographical the shores and rivers ( DA SIlvEIRA & analysis.- Biogeographia, Bologna; 21: 441- 554. THORBJARNARSON 2010; HADDAD & F ON- SINDAcO , R. & v ENcHI , A. & g RIEcO , c. (2013): The reptiles of the Western Palearctic. 2. Annotated check - SEcA 2011). Fishing with fixed hooks is not list and distributional atlas of the snakes of Europe, prohibited under Brazilian law and fisher - North Africa, Middle East and central Asia, with an men make use of this practice in many AutorenPDF-vorlage_All_Short_Notes_SHORT_NOTE.qxd 28.07.2015 15:31 Seite 14

102 SHORT NOTE HERPETOZOA 28 (1/2) Wien, 30. Juli 2015 SHORT NOTE

Fig. 1:. Black caiman, Melanosuchus niger (S PIX , 1825) , killed by a gun shot. Reservoir area of the Santo Antônio dam, Madeira River, RO, Brazil .

A c

B D

Fig. 2: . Size distribution of the caimans killed by humans in the reservoir area of the Santo Antônio dam, Madeira River, RO, Brazil. A - Melanosuchus niger (S PIX , 1825) (N = 42) ; B - Caiman yacare (D AuDIN , 1802) (N = 6) ; c - Paleosuchus trigonatus (S cHNEIDER , 1801) (N = 3) ; D - Paleosuchus palpebrosus (c uvIER , 1807) (N = 3) . AutorenPDF-vorlage_All_Short_Notes_SHORT_NOTE.qxd 28.07.2015 15:31 Seite 15

SHORT NOTE HERPETOZOA 28 (1/2) Wien, 30. Juli 2015 SHORT NOTE 103

Amazonian Rivers ( BARTHEM 1987; B AYlEY Most dead Black caimans were longer than et al. 1989). crocodilians are attracted by 2.0 m Svl (Fig. 2) and had gun-shot wounds. fish caught on the lines. Hydroelectric dams The estimated maximum Svl of the Black change river shorelines and often force caimans was 247.0 cm. caimans into closer contact with people. In Accordingly, all four species of this study, the author recorded crocodilians Amazonian crocodilians suffer from contact killed by humans in the newly flooded with people where they share aquatic envi - Santo Antônio dam, Madeira River, Ama - ronments, even though most caiman species zon Basin. do not pose threat to humans. In particular From September 2010, to May 2013, Melanosuchus niger , which occupies large dead caimans floating near the banks of the rivers and lakes, is hunted by people in the Madeira River and its tributaries were re- region of the Madeira River. They fre - corded (Fig. 1). The reservoir area of the quently regard these biggest Amazonian Santo Antônio dam (8° 47’S, 63°57’W), caimans as an imminent danger and kill Madeira River, was formed in October/No - them, as is known for two large Old World vember 2011 and extends to 100 km at inun - crocodilians, C. porosus (WHITAKER 2008) dation periods. Each dead caiman was and C. niloticus (WAllAcE et al. 2011). inspected to determine the cause of death There are however only marginal reports of based on physical evidence, such as bullet illegal hunting of M. niger in the Amazon wounds or the presence of a hook. The region ( RêBElO & M AgNuSSON 1983; D A length of the head (tip of snout to posterior SIlvEIRA & T HORBJARNARSON 1999). end of cranial plate, Hl cm) of dead indi - In the Bolivian Mamoré River, which viduals was measured using a measuring is a tributary of the Madeira River, the max - tape. This measure was used to estimate imum total length of M. niger was estimat - snout-vent length (Svl cm) since decompo - ed to be 4.94 m based on a head length of sition negatively affects correct measure - 58.8 cm ( THORBJARNARSON & M cINTOSH ment of trunk and tail. The relationship 1987). In this latter study, 52 % of the between Hl and Svl for the four species killed M. niger individuals had an estimated was calculated by measuring numerous total length of more than 4.00 m (i.e., Svl individuals captured in the area and released > 2.00 m). In conclusion, with regard to the at the site of capture immediately after region of the Madeira River, the conflict measuring. The following equations were between humans and crocodilians is focused computed: for Melanosuchus niger Svl = on large individuals of M. niger . -4293 + 3927 *Hl (N = 94, r2 = 0997, p < Most dead caimans had gun-shot 0.001); for Caiman yacare (D AuDIN , 1802) wounds, however no meat had been taken Svl = -3126 + 4033 * Hl (N = 118, r2 = from the body. One M. niger and one C. 0993, p < 0.001); for Paleosuchus palpe - yacare were lacking tails, indicating that the brosus (c u vIER , 1807) Svl = -3350 + 4121 individuals had been killed (also) for food. * Hl (N = 97, r2 = 0.995, p < 0.001); and for Many caimans died because they swallowed Paleosuchus trigonatus (S cHNEIDER , 1801) hooks or drowned in gill nets. Flooding by Svl = 0986 + 3504 * Hl (N = 121, r2 = the dammed river makes the crocodilians 0882, p < 0.001). Analyses were done in the come into closer contact with fishermen and SYSTAT Program (Systat Software Inc., others, which will probably increase con - San Jose, cali fornia, uSA). flicts in the future. For the benefit of all par - Over the period of two years, the ties involved, downstream translocation is author encountered the following dead croc - thus recommended for caimans approaching odilian individuals (estimated snout-vent hydroelectric dams to prevent the reptiles’ length [Svl] in parentheses): 42 M. niger deaths both in the area of the turbines and (58.6 - 247.0 cm), six C. yacare (68.4 - 89.6 floodgates. cm), three P. palpebrosus (74.9 - 82.4 cm) AcKNOWlEDgMENTS : The author is grate - and three P. trigonatus (36.0 - 78.1 cm). ful for financial and logistic support by Santo Antônio The caimans had been killed by gun shots Energia, Embrapa, INPA and Sete Soluções. Special thanks go to the people of the Ornelas company, espe - (36), hooks (9), water turbulence near the cially Aurimar Sarmento, Pedro Almeida, Thiago Ra- dam walls (4) and unidentified causes (5). belo, Daniel Martins, Marcos Silva, Manoel Rodrigues AutorenPDF-vorlage_All_Short_Notes_SHORT_NOTE.qxd 28.07.2015 15:31 Seite 16

104 SHORT NOTE HERPETOZOA 28 (1/2) Wien, 30. Juli 2015 SHORT NOTE

and Jeffer son Silva. William Magnusson provided cor - SuBMITTED: February 12, 2014 rections to the text. caimans were captured under AuTHOR: Zilca cAMPOS < zilca.campos@ license number 138/2011-IBAMA. embrapa.br > – Embrapa Pantanal, cP 109, corumbá, REFERENcES: AuST , P. &, B OYlE , A. &, MS 79320-900, Brazil. FERguSON , R. & c OulSON , T. ( 2009):. The impact the Nile crocodiles on rural livelihoods in northeastern Namibia.- South African Journal of Wildlife Research, Durban; 39 (1): 57-69. BAlAguERA -R EINA , S. A. A remarkable age and size record (2012):. Attacks and human-crocodile conflict in local communities in colombia.- IucN crocodile Specialist of a male Jewelled lizard, group Newsletter, gainesville; 31 (2): 12-13. BAYlEY , Timon lepidus (DAuDIN , 1802) P. B. & P ETRERE , M . Jr. (1989):. Amazon fisheries: assessment methods, current status and management options.- canadian Special Pub lication of Fisheries and Six years ago, the authors reported on Aquatic Sciences, Ottawa; 106: 385-398. BARTHEM , R. the (preliminary) record age of a Jewelled B. (1987):. uso de redes de espera no estudo de ritmos lizard, Timon lepidus (DAuDIN , 1802), in the circadianos de algumas espécies de peixes nos lagos de várzea do rio Solimões.- Revista Brasileira de herpetocultural facility of the Zoologisches Zoologia, curitiba; 3: 409-422. DA SIlvEIRA , R. & Forschungsmuseum Alexander Koenig THOR BJARNARSON , J. B. (1999):. conservation implica - (ZFMK), Bonn, germany ( ESSER & B öHME tions of commercial hunting of Black and Spectacled 2009). This specimen, a male originating caiman in the Mamirauá Sustainable Development Reserve, Brazil.- Biological conservation, Barking; 88 from near cadiz, southern Andalusia, Spain, (1): 103-109. FRANK , l. (2006):. living with lions: was received in 1986 as an adult whose age laikipia predator Project. Kilimanjaro. lion con - was judged of at least four years. After 24 servation Project. January 2005 - June 2006.- Annual years of captive maintenance, at an age of Report / Museum of vertebrate Zoology, Berkeley; pp. ca. 28 years, this male had become the 1-15. HADDAD , Jr . v. & F ONSEcA , W. c. (2011):. A fatal attack on a child by a Black caiman ( Melano- ancestor of a successful breeding group. suchus niger ).- Wilderness & Environmental Medicine, However, in 2002 the big old male showed New York; 22 (1): 62-64. MEDEM , F. (1983):. los first signs of senility, for example, one eye crocodylia de Sur America. volume II. Bogota (colciencias, universidad Nacional de colombia), pp. became blind. 259. PAcKER , c. &, I KANDA , D. &, K ISSuI , B. & A literature review had shown that the KuSHNIR , H. ( 2005):. lion attackes on humans in normal maximum age of Timon lepidus was Tanzania.- Nature, london; 436 (7053): 927-928. between 11 and 17 years ( DEcAuX 1897, REBêlO , g. H. & M AgNuSSON , W . E. (1983):. An analy - sis of the effect of hunting on Caiman crocodilus and FlOWER 1925, S lAvENS & S lAvENS 1993, Melanosuchus niger based on the sizes of confiscated cHEYlAN & g RIllET 2004). lEEPER (1951) skins.- Biological conservation, Barking; 26 (2): 95- gave even 20 years as the possible maxi - 104. THORBJARNARSON , J. B. & M cINTOSH , P. E. mum age but this information was chal - (1987):. Notes on a large Melanosuchus niger skull from Bolivia.- Herpetological Review, New York; 18: lenged by MERTENS (1975: „ohne freilich 49-50. TREvES , A. & N AugHTON -T REvES , l. (1999):. präzise Angaben zu machen“ = „without Risk and opportunity for humans coexisting with large providing precise data“) and BIScHOFF et al. carnivores.- Journal of Human Evolution, Oxford; 36: (1984: „soll erreicht worden sein“ = claimed 275-282. WAllAcE , K. M. &, l ESlIE , A. J. & c Oul- to have been reached). All these data refer SON , T. (2011): living with predators: a focus on the issues of human-crocodile conflict within the lower to captive specimens. In contrast, according Zambezi vallery.- Wildlife Research, collingwood; 38 to skeletochronological results ( cASTIllA & (8): 747-755. WEBB , g. J. W. &, M ANOlIS , S. c. & cASTANET 1986), the life span of T. lepidus BRIEN , M . l. (2010):. Saltwater crocodile Crocodylus in the wild rarely exceeds five years. In this porosus ;. Pppp. 99-113. in In: MANOlIS , S. c. & STEvENSON , c. (Eds.): crocodiles. Status Survey and study, six years were reached by only 8 % of conservation Action Plan. Third Edition.,ed. by the females and 17 % of the males. Accord- Darwin (S.c. Manolis and c. Stevenson. crocodile ing to these authors, the documented maxi - Specialist group): Darwin. WHITAKER , N. (2008) : Survey of human/crocodile conflict in the union Terri- mum age of free-ranging Jewelled lizards tory of the Andaman Islands, Hut Bay, little Andaman, was 11 years. January 2008. WWW document available at < http:// As mentioned above, the male de- www.iucncsg.org/365_docs/attachments/protarea/ Whit- scribed here showed the first age-dependent f1a1ce 2f.pdf > [last accessed: November 7, 2014]. handicaps when it was twenty years old. KEY WORDS : Reptilia: crocodylia; Alligato- But its unilateral blindness did not hinder it ridae; Caiman yacare , Melanosuchus niger, Paleo - suchus palpebrosus , Paleosuchus trigonatus , crocodil - to copulate with the two females sharing its ians, size, conflicts, interaction with men, threats, terrarium (one of them being only few years dams, conservation, Amazon, Brazil younger) and continue to produce offspring.