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The Sardinian grass snake (Natrix natrix cetti) is a Critically Endangered snake endemic to Sardinia (Italy), for which information is still scarce. In the present work, we report information obtained from 36 observations of N. n. cetti... more
The Sardinian grass snake (Natrix natrix cetti) is a Critically Endangered snake endemic to Sardinia (Italy), for which information is still scarce. In the present work, we report information obtained from 36 observations of N. n. cetti performed in different areas of the Island. Three different colorations were mainly observed and darker snakes were in general males and big adults; the only juvenile found showed a complete different dorsal colouration. Snakes were observed active during day-time and often far from the aquatic habitats.
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numerous regional and national organisations have collected new chorological data from large parts of Europe. Furthermore, the taxonomic progress have contributed to multiple changes and new species descriptions. The Mapping Committee of... more
numerous regional and national organisations have collected new chorological data from large parts of Europe. Furthermore, the taxonomic progress have contributed to multiple changes and new species descriptions. The Mapping Committee of the SEH presents here the New Atlas of Amphibians and Reptiles in Europe (NA2RE), a system of distributed databases. Each distributed database has a national focus and is implemented in an online network, accessible through standard interfaces, thus sharing spatial-temporal data. A Web interface facilitates the access to distributed data as if it was one virtual integrated database. Upon user request, the Web interface searches all distributed databases for the requested data, integrating the answers in an interactive map. This methodology can easily actualise the records, as well as the taxonomy and systematics. Under this approach, data duplication is avoided and national databases are maintained in its own country. This system is implemented usin...
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How a native gecko manages to coexist with an alien rodent in the Mediterranean since thousands of years? What kind of eco-ethological adaptations or evolutionary adjustments enables this gecko to persist? The present study explores the... more
How a native gecko manages to coexist with an alien rodent in the Mediterranean since thousands of years? What kind of eco-ethological adaptations or evolutionary adjustments enables this gecko to persist? The present study explores the interaction between the endemic European Leaf-toed gecko (Euleptes europaea) and the alien Black rat (Rattus rattus). In the last 30 years, we compared 26 populations inhabiting “rat” and “rat-free” islands and islets in Tunisia, Sardinia, Corsica and Southern France. Geckos’ populations can persist despite the occurrence of rats. In the presence of rats: 1) geckos’ average body size tends to decrease towards medium-sized individuals; 2) geckos shift their spatial behaviour avoiding to forage “in the open”; 3) geckos’ body condition is not affected by the presence of rats. Moreover, shortly after rats’ eradication, geckos’ population structure seems to change and larger sized geckos prevail while the spatial behaviour is much more conservative. The m...
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European plethodontid salamanders (genus Speleomantes; formerly Hydromantes) are a group of eight strictly protected amphibian species which are sensitive to human-induced environmental changes. Long-term monitoring is highly recommended... more
European plethodontid salamanders (genus Speleomantes; formerly Hydromantes) are a group of eight strictly protected amphibian species which are sensitive to human-induced environmental changes. Long-term monitoring is highly recommended to evaluate their status and to assess potential threats. Here we used two low-impact methodologies to build up a large dataset on two mainland Speleomantes species (S. strinatii and S. ambrosii), which represents an update to two previously published datasets, but also includes several new populations. Specifically, we provide a set of 851 high quality images and a table gathering stomach contents recognized from 560 salamanders. This dataset offers the opportunity to analyse phenotypic traits and stomach contents of eight populations belonging to two Speleomantes species. Furthermore, the data collection performed over different periods allows to expand the potential analyses through a wide temporal scale, allowing long-term studies.
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graphical regions, and 15% in the Continental one. However, there were no statistical significant differences among the regions, suggesting that the rate of amphibian site loss was similar in different parts of Italy. This nation-wide... more
graphical regions, and 15% in the Continental one. However, there were no statistical significant differences among the regions, suggesting that the rate of amphibian site loss was similar in different parts of Italy. This nation-wide monitoring project demonstrated that in Italy, during the last thirty years, a relevant proportion of amphibian breeding habitats has been destroyed or altered. The main cause of site alteration were land reclamation and water extraction.
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The transition from traditional to intensive farming, aimed at large–scale production, has rapidly altered agricultural landscapes, leading to the reduction and fragmentation of natural habitats and to the consequent loss of biodiversity.... more
The transition from traditional to intensive farming, aimed at large–scale production, has rapidly altered agricultural landscapes, leading to the reduction and fragmentation of natural habitats and to the consequent loss of biodiversity. Herpetofauna is seriously threatened by agriculture intensification worldwide, but less is known about its distribution in agro–ecosystems, especially at field scale. We analysed reptile abundance and diversity in eight agricultural and semi–natural land uses, and inside vegetated buffer strips interspersed among fields. Interestingly, most reptiles were recorded in the buffer strips while intensive crops and pastures hosted just one lizard species. Richness of individuals and species increased when strips were connected to semi–natural areas, independently of their width and vegetation structure. In view of our results, that highlight the role of minor landscape features for the presence of vertebrates in intensive agro–ecosystems, we recommend th...
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ABSTRACTIllegal trade is threatening tortoise populations worldwide since decades. Nowadays, however, DNA typing and forensic genetic approaches allow to investigate geographic origin of confiscated animals and to relocate them into the... more
ABSTRACTIllegal trade is threatening tortoise populations worldwide since decades. Nowadays, however, DNA typing and forensic genetic approaches allow to investigate geographic origin of confiscated animals and to relocate them into the wild, provided that suitable molecular tools and reference data are available. Here we assess the suitability of a small panel of microsatellite markers to investigate patterns of illegal translocations and to assist forensic genetic applications in the endangered Mediterranean land tortoise Testudo hermanni hermanni. We used the microsatellite panel to (i) increase the understanding of the population genetic structure in wild populations with new data from previously unsampled geographic areas (overall 461 wild individuals from 28 sampling sites); (ii) detect the presence of non-native individuals in wild populations; and (iii) identify the most likely geographic area of origin of 458 confiscated individuals hosted in Italian seizure and recovery ce...
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565 salamanders stomach contents of two European cave salamanders (Hydromantes strinatii and H. ambrosii), subdivided in 313 individuals with empty stomach, 37 with non-recognizable contents, and 215 individuals with full stomach,... more
565 salamanders stomach contents of two European cave salamanders (Hydromantes strinatii and H. ambrosii), subdivided in 313 individuals with empty stomach, 37 with non-recognizable contents, and 215 individuals with full stomach, including information on 978 recognized prey items.
The volume collects the contributions to the Fifth International Symposium on the Lacertids of the Mediterranean Basinheld on the island of Lipari between 7 and 11 May 2004. The study of the Mediterranean lacertid lizards represents a key... more
The volume collects the contributions to the Fifth International Symposium on the Lacertids of the Mediterranean Basinheld on the island of Lipari between 7 and 11 May 2004. The study of the Mediterranean lacertid lizards represents a key point for understanding the mechanisms regulating the evolution of the Mediterranean’s ecosystems and in particular those ones related to islands. Conservation of biodiversity is the main target that such a knowledge significantly contributes to fulfil.
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Based on genetic and morphological evidence, Senczuk et al. (2019) formally raised the Podarcis populations from the Western Pontine Islands, previously classified as several subspecies of P. siculus, to species rank, i.e. Podarcis... more
Based on genetic and morphological evidence, Senczuk et al. (2019) formally raised the Podarcis populations from the Western Pontine Islands, previously classified as several subspecies of P. siculus, to species rank, i.e. Podarcis latastei (Bedriaga, 1879). This taxonomic change was not accepted in the checklist of the European herpetofauna by Speybroeck et al. (2020), recently published on Amphibia-Reptilia. In this note we respond to the reasons given by Speybroeck and colleagues and support the validity of Podarcis latastei as an endemic Italian species.
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The determination of a species trophic niche can clarify its functional role within a food web and how prey resources are used in relation with the spatial and temporal variability of environmental conditions. This information may result... more
The determination of a species trophic niche can clarify its functional role within a food web and how prey resources are used in relation with the spatial and temporal variability of environmental conditions. This information may result particularly useful for the implementation of conservation plans of endangered species having a cryptic behaviour or living in places difficult to be surveyed. Here we present the first long-term study on the trophic niche of the Italian cave salamander Speleomantes italicus, a strictly protected facultative cave species that seasonally exploits surface environments (e.g., forested areas) as well as both natural and artificial subterranean environments. We analysed the diet variation of six populations of S. italicus inhabiting natural caves, surveyed 24 times in a full year. During the surveys, all sampled individuals were subjected to stomach flushing and the ingested prey were identified and enumerated; furthermore, salamanders’ body condition wa...
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Photographic identification is an emerging method for recognising wild animals. This harmless methodology allows researchers to identify “naturally marked” individuals and therefore study their specific ecology and behaviour. However,... more
Photographic identification is an emerging method for recognising wild animals. This harmless methodology allows researchers to identify “naturally marked” individuals and therefore study their specific ecology and behaviour. However, before incurring potential data loss, it is recommended to test the methodology on the target species and evaluate the pros and cons. We assessed the reliability of photographic identification in adult Hydromantes salamanders from three species. Specifically, we assessed whether the dorsal pattern of adult salamanders changed over time, thus evaluating its potential use as a reliable marking methodology. We used capture-mark-recapture and controlled conditions (i.e. individuals kept in fauna boxes) to evaluate potential changes in the dorsal pattern of Hydromantes through time. We did not observe any change in the dorsal pattern in the three species during the study period. Photographic identification might be a useful marking technique for these endan...
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BackgroundHotspots of intraspecific genetic diversity represent invaluable resources for species to cope with environmental changes, and their identification is increasingly recognized as a major goal of conservation ecology research.... more
BackgroundHotspots of intraspecific genetic diversity represent invaluable resources for species to cope with environmental changes, and their identification is increasingly recognized as a major goal of conservation ecology research. However, even for iconic and endangered species, conservation strategies are often planned without thorough information on the geographic patterns of genetic variation. Here, we investigated the spatial patterns of genetic variation of the endangered Hermann’s tortoise Testudo hermanni in the Italian Peninsula by genotyping 174 individuals at 7 microsatellite loci, with the aim to contribute to planning effective conservation strategies.ResultsOrdination-based and Bayesian clustering analyses consistently identified three main genetic clusters, one spread in the central and northern part of the peninsula, and two restricted to southern Italy and Sicily, respectively. The highest levels of genetic diversity were found in populations of the southern clus...
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Chelonians are among the animal groups with the poorest conservation status. Since tortoises are long-lived species that need very long time to reach sexual maturity, they are extremely vulnerable to human pressure. Despite their... more
Chelonians are among the animal groups with the poorest conservation status. Since tortoises are long-lived species that need very long time to reach sexual maturity, they are extremely vulnerable to human pressure. Despite their endangered status, there are no common strategies for the development of conservation actions. At the “Mediterranean workshop to develop tortoise conservation strategiesâ€, scientists, conservation associations, environmental managers, IUCN advisers and CITES inspectors met in October 2019 in Alicante (Spain). The aims were to update the diagnosis of the conservation status of the Hermann’s tortoise (Testudo hermanni) and the spur-thighed tortoise (Testudo graeca) and to suggest strategies that guarantee their preservation at the Mediterranean Region. The main conclusions are summarized by: i) Mediterranean tortoises are wild endangered species that must be protected in, and together with, their natural habitat. Their main threats are habitat loss and ...
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Lacertid lizards have long been a fruitful field of scientific enquiry with many people working on them over the past couple of hundred years. The scope of the field has steadily increased, beginning with taxonomy and anatomy and... more
Lacertid lizards have long been a fruitful field of scientific enquiry with many people working on them over the past couple of hundred years. The scope of the field has steadily increased, beginning with taxonomy and anatomy and gradually spreading so that it includes such topics as phylogenetics, behaviour, ecology, and conservation. Since 1992, a series of symposia on lacertid lizards of the Mediterranean basin have taken place every three years. The present volume stems from the 2004 meeting in the Aeolian Islands. In the volume a wide range of island topics are considered, including the systematics of the species concerned, from both morphological and molecular viewpoints, interaction with other taxa, and conservation. The last topic is especially important, as island lizards across the world have often been vulnerable to extinction, after they came into contact with people and the animals they introduced. The volume also has papers on the more positive aspects of human influen...
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... Islamic law has devised and formalised specific rules for formulating public policies and making trade-offs between public and private interest. Maslaha (public interest) may lead to an understanding of sustainability in its broader... more
... Islamic law has devised and formalised specific rules for formulating public policies and making trade-offs between public and private interest. Maslaha (public interest) may lead to an understanding of sustainability in its broader terms. ...
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Podarcis tiliguerta is a wall lizard endemic to the Mediterranean islands of Corsica and Sardinia. Previous findings of high mtDNA and morphological diversity have led to the suggestion that it may represent a species complex. Here, we... more
Podarcis tiliguerta is a wall lizard endemic to the Mediterranean islands of Corsica and Sardinia. Previous findings of high mtDNA and morphological diversity have led to the suggestion that it may represent a species complex. Here, we analysed mitochondrial and nuclear markers (mtDNA, 3110 bp; 6 nDNA loci, 3961 bp) in P. tiliguerta sampled from thirty-two localities across Corsica and Sardinia. We find much greater intraspecific genetic divergence than between sister species of other Mediterranean island Podarcis, i.e., between P. lilfordi and P. pityusensis. We detected three mtDNA clusters in Corsica (North, South-East and South-West) and either two or three in Sardinia (North vs. South) depending on the clustering method. Only one or two nDNA groups were identified within each main island (again, depending on the method). A Bayesian time-calibrated multispecies coalescent tree was obtained from mtDNA and provided statistical support for a Miocene origin of the species (13.87 Ma,...
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Nel presente lavoro vengono riportati i risultati relativi ai monitoraggi della diversità faunistica per i seguenti standard: 4.2c, 4.3 (olivo), 4.6. I risultati ottenuti sono nel complesso interessanti sia dal punto di vista... more
Nel presente lavoro vengono riportati i risultati relativi ai monitoraggi della diversità faunistica per i seguenti standard: 4.2c, 4.3 (olivo), 4.6. I risultati ottenuti sono nel complesso interessanti sia dal punto di vista metodologico sia per quanto concerne gli aspetti conservazionistici e gestionali. Emerge l’importanza di utilizzare più indicatori o gruppi tassonomici che comprendano taxa ecologicamente e funzionalmente diversi per valutare la “biodiversità â€. Relativamente allo sfalcio è stato osservato che una “blanda gestione†dei ritirati dalla produzione può favorire un certo incremento di biodiversità sia per quanto riguarda gli Artropodi, sia per quanto riguarda i Rettili. Risultati concordi sono stati osservati anche negli oliveti dove la gestione della vegetazione al suolo (sfalcio) sembrerebbe incrementare la diversità . Tuttavia è opportuno ricordare che l’effetto monitorato, almeno nei ritirati dalla produzione, non è quello immediatamente succ...
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A precise knowledge of the spatial distribution of taxa is essential for decision-making processes in land management and biodiversity conservation, both for present and under future global change scenarios. This is a key base for several... more
A precise knowledge of the spatial distribution of taxa is essential for decision-making processes in land management and biodiversity conservation, both for present and under future global change scenarios. This is a key base for several scientific disciplines (e.g. macro-ecology, biogeography, evolutionary biology, spatial planning, or environmental impact assessment) that rely on species distribution maps. An atlas summarizing the distribution of European amphibians and reptiles with 50 × 50 km resolution maps based on ca. 85 000 grid records was published by the Societas Europaea Herpetologica (SEH) in 1997. Since then, more detailed species distribution maps covering large parts of Europe became available, while taxonomic progress has led to a plethora of taxonomic changes including new species descriptions. To account for these progresses, we compiled information from different data sources: published in books and websites, ongoing national atlases, personal data kindly provid...
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Landscape simplification and loss of natural and semi-natural habitats are the major causes of biodiversity decrease in agricultural landscapes. In order to mitigate the effects of intensive agricultural management the Ministry of... more
Landscape simplification and loss of natural and semi-natural habitats are the major causes of biodiversity decrease in agricultural landscapes. In order to mitigate the effects of intensive agricultural management the Ministry of Agricultural, Food and Forestry Policies in Italy has included the agronomic measures Rational management of set aside, Grass strips to control soil erosion and Vegetation buffers along watercourses in the decree on cross compliance. In this paper we review the results of a field research performed in Central Italy. The aim of the study was to evaluate the efficacy of the above mentioned GAEC standards for animal diversity enhancement. Using different animal groups as indicators, superficial Arthropod fauna and Herpetofauna, we found striking differences in the biodiversity levels of areas characterized by the application or by the lack of GAEC standards, with the latter being characterized by a significatively impoverished fauna. In particular, the set as...
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... Special thanks are due to Samvel Geghamyan, Anna Vardanyan, Sergei Drovestki and Marko Rakovic for logistic support. References Arakelyan, M., Danielyan, F., Corti, C., Sindaco, R., Leviton, AE (2010): Herpetofauna of Armenia and... more
... Special thanks are due to Samvel Geghamyan, Anna Vardanyan, Sergei Drovestki and Marko Rakovic for logistic support. References Arakelyan, M., Danielyan, F., Corti, C., Sindaco, R., Leviton, AE (2010): Herpetofauna of Armenia and Nagorno Karabakh. ...
Research Interests: Engineering, Physics, Chemistry, Spatial Ecology, Biology, and 15 moreEcology, Medicine, Multidisciplinary, Earth and Environmental Sciences, Biological Sciences, Humans, Spatial, Species Distribution, Anthropogenic, PLoS one, Spatial Distribution, Theoretical Models, Ecosystem, Akaike Information Criterion, and Species Specificity
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Speleomantes are the only plethodontid salamanders present in Europe. Multiple studies have been performed to investigate the trophic niche of the eight Speleomantes species, but none of these studies included hybrid populations. For the... more
Speleomantes are the only plethodontid salamanders present in Europe. Multiple studies have been performed to investigate the trophic niche of the eight Speleomantes species, but none of these studies included hybrid populations. For the first time, we studied the trophic niche of five Speleomantes hybrid populations. Each population was surveyed twice in 2020, and stomach flushing was performed on each captured salamander; stomach flushing is a harmless technique that allows stomach contents to be inspected. We also assessed the potential divergence in size and body condition between natural and introduced hybrids, and their parental species. Previously collected data on Speleomantes were included to increase the robustness of these analyses. In only 33 out of 134 sampled hybrid Speleomantes we recognized 81 items belonging to 11 prey categories. The frequency of empty stomachs was higher in females and individuals from natural hybrid populations, whereas the largest number of prey...
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Data related maximum size of intact prey recognized from Hydromantes stomach contents.
Data are related to 1,250 salamanders from 19 different populations. For each salamanders is shown the stomach condition and all prey items recognized at order level
Abstract. The phylogeography of the colubrid snake Hierophis viridiflavus was estimated using ND4 mtDNA sequences and a fragment of the nuclear marker β-fibrinogen intron 7. This species has a wide distribution across the Mediterranean... more
Abstract. The phylogeography of the colubrid snake Hierophis viridiflavus was estimated using ND4 mtDNA sequences and a fragment of the nuclear marker β-fibrinogen intron 7. This species has a wide distribution across the Mediterranean region, and is characterized by three distinct colour patterns (“viridiflavus”, abundistic, and melanic-melanotic) with a quite well defined geographic distribution. The “viridiflavus ” pattern occurs in the northwestern and central areas of the species ’ range, the abundistic pattern is typical of the individuals from Corsica and Sardinia, and the melanic-melanotic coloration is present in northeastern and southern Italy, and Sicily. A total of 42 individuals from most of the species ’ range (including Pyrenees, central France, Italian Peninsula, Corsica, Sardinia and Sicily) were analyzed. Results support the existence of two different