Amphibians - Reptiles
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The region of the Rodopi Mountain-Range with the abundance of water and the middle leveling expanses favors the development of a wide variety of amphibians and reptiles.
In the National Park of Rodopi Mountain-Range one can locate various species of amphibians, Caudata and Anura. This is happening due to the intense presence of water and to the light intensity of human activities.
The most important habitats of amphibians in the area are the meadows without large inclination where rivers flow by. The ponds, the rivers and creeks widenings are the most important places of reproduction for the majority of these species.
Within the area of the National Park, 14 species of amphibians have been registered such as the Yellow-bellied Toad (Bombina variegata) and the Balkan-Anatolian Crested Newt (Triturus ivanbureschi). The most abundant species in the area is the Common Frog (Rana temporaria) and the Salamander (Salamandra salamandra) Furthermore, the existence of the Alpine Newt (Ichthyosaura alpestris) is very interesting due to the fact that it has been registered only in very few locations in the National Park.
Moreover, the area of the National Park has a rich and exceptional herpetofauna due to the territorial diversity and the flora mosaic.
Among the reptiles, the presence of the north European species of the Sand Lizard (Lacerta agilis) and the Adder (Vipera berus) is very interesting as they are found at their southernmost range in Europe. Very significant is also the lizard species of Zootoca vivipara, which has been recorded for the first time in the Rodopi Mountain-Range National Park.
Another interesting reptile species in the National Park are all four turtles which exist in the area, that is the two terrapins, the European Pond Terrapin (Emys orbicularis) and the Balkan Terrapin (Mauremys rivulata) and the two tortoises, the Herman's Tortoise (Testudo hermanni) and the Greek Tortoise (Testudo graeca). Some of the snakes that someone can encounter in the National Park are the Four-lined Snake (Elaphe quatuorlineata), the European Ratsnake (Zamenis situla), etc.
An indicative table of amphibians and reptiles, which are found in the Rodopi Mountain-Range National Park, follows:
AMPHIBIANS & REPTILES OF THE RODOPI MOUNTAIN-RANGE NATIONAL PARK (RMNP) |
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Amphibian Species of the RMNP and conservation status |
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No |
SCIENTIFIC NAME |
COMMON NAME |
RED LIST of THREATENED SPECIES of GREECE |
IUCN Red List |
HABITATS DIRECTIVE 92/43/EEC |
BERN CONVENTION |
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CAUDATA |
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Salamandridae |
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1 |
Lissotriton graecus Wolterstorff |
Greek Newt |
NE |
LC |
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ΙΙΙ |
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2 |
Lissotriton schmidtleri Raxworthy |
Schmidtler's Smooth Newt |
NE | LC | IIΙ | |||||||
3 |
Salamandra salamandra L. |
Salamander |
NE |
LC |
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ΙΙΙ |
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4 |
Ichthyosaura alpestris Laurenti |
Alpine Newt |
VU/EN |
LC |
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ΙΙΙ |
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5 |
Triturus ivanbureschi Arntzen & Wielstra |
Balkan-Anatolian Crested Newt |
NT |
LC |
II, IV |
II |
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ANURA |
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Bufonidae |
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6 |
Bufo bufo L. |
Common European Toad |
LC |
LC |
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III |
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7 |
Bufotes viridis Laurenti |
Πράσινος φρύνος, Ζάμπα |
LC |
LC |
IV |
II |
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Bombinatoridae (Discoglossidae) |
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8 |
Bombina variegata L. |
Yellow-bellied Toad |
LC |
LC |
II, IV |
II |
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Hylidae |
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9 |
Hyla arborea L. |
Common Tree Frog |
LC |
LC |
IV |
II |
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Ranidae |
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10 |
Pelophylax ridibundus Pallas |
Marsh Frog |
LC |
LC |
V |
III |
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11 |
Pelophylax kurtmuelleri Gayda |
Balkan Frog |
LC |
LC |
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12 |
Rana dalmatina Fitzinger in Bonaparte |
Agile Frog |
NE |
LC |
IV |
II |
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13 |
Rana graeca Boulenger |
Stream Frog |
NE |
LC |
IV |
III |
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14 |
Rana temporaria L. |
European Common Frog |
VU |
LC |
V |
III |
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Herpetofauna of the RMNP and conservation status |
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No |
SCIENTIFIC NAME |
COMMON NAME |
RED LIST of THREATENED SPECIES of GREECE |
IUCN Red List |
HABITATS DIRECTIVE 92/43/EEC |
BERN CONVENTION |
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TESTUDINATA |
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Emydidae |
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1 |
Emys orbicularis L. |
European Pond Terrapin |
NT |
NT |
II, ΙV |
II |
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Geoemydidae |
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2 |
Mauremys rivulata Valenciennes) |
Balkan Terrapin |
LC |
LC |
II, IV |
II |
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Testudinidae |
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3 |
Testudo graeca L. |
Greek Tortoise |
LC |
VU |
II, IV |
II |
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4 |
Testudo hermanni Gmelin |
Herman's Tortoise |
VU |
NT |
II, IV |
II |
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SAURIA |
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Anguidae |
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5 |
Anguis fragilis L. |
Slow Worm |
LC |
LC |
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III |
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6 |
Pseudopus apodus Pallas |
European Glass Lizard |
LC |
LC |
IV |
II |
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Lacertidae |
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7 |
Lacerta agilis L. |
Sand Lizard |
LC |
LC |
IV |
II |
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8 |
Lacerta viridis Laurenti |
European Green Lizard |
LC |
LC |
IV |
II |
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9 |
Podarcis muralis Laurenti |
Wall lizard |
LC |
LC |
IV |
II |
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10 |
Podarcis erhardii Bedriaga |
Erhard's Wall lizard |
LC |
LC |
IV |
II |
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11 |
Podarcis tauricus Pallas |
Balkan Wall Lizard |
LC |
LC |
IV |
II |
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12 |
Zootoca vivipara Lichtenstein |
LC |
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Scincidae |
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13 | Ablepharus kitaibelii Bibron & Bory de Saint-Vincent | Snake-eyed Skink | LC | LC | IV | II | ||||||
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OPHIDIA |
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Colubridae |
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14 |
Coronella austriaca Laurenti |
Smooth Snake |
LC |
LC |
IV |
II |
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15 |
Dolichophis caspius Gmelin |
Caspian Whipsnake |
LC |
LC |
IV |
III |
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16 |
Elaphe quatuorlineata Lacépède |
Four-lined Snake |
LC |
NT |
II, IV |
II |
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17 |
Zamenis situla L. |
European Ratsnake |
LC |
LC |
II, IV |
II |
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18 |
Zamenis longissimus Laurenti |
Aesculapian Snake |
LC |
LC |
IV |
II |
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19 |
Platyceps najadum Eichwald |
Dahl's Whip Snake |
LC |
LC | IV | II | ||||||
20 |
Telescopus fallax Fleischmann |
European Cat Snake |
LC | LC | IV | II | ||||||
Natricidae | ||||||||||||
21 |
Natrix natrix L. |
Grass Snake |
LC |
LC |
|
III |
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22 |
Natrix tessellata Laurenti |
Dice Snake |
LC |
LC |
IV |
II |
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Psammophiidae | ||||||||||||
23 |
Malpolon insignitus Geoffroy Saint-Hilaire |
Eastern Montpellier Snake |
LC |
LC |
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III |
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Typhlopidae |
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24 |
Xerotyphlops vermicularis Merrem |
Worm Snake |
LC |
LC |
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III |
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Viperidae |
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25 |
Vipera ammodytes L. |
Nose-horned Viper |
LC |
LC |
IV |
II |
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26 |
Vipera berus L. |
Adder |
LC |
LC |
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III |
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REFERENCES: |
- NATURA 2000 |
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- Hellenic Zoological Society. (2009). Red List of Threatened species of Greece |
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- Hellenic Ministry for the Environment Physical Planning & Public Works (H.M.E.P.P.P.W.), (2002). Special Environmental Study (S.E.S.) of the Rodopi Mountain-Range. [The file folder and content of the S.E.S. is based on the compilation and evaluation of the studies Tsiaoussi et. al. 1996 (Specific Management Plan for the site Periochi Elatia (GR1140003). Greek Biotope-Wetland Centre), Christoforidou et. al. 1998 (Special Environmental Study of Frakto - Haidou Koula and Surrounding Peaks. Prefecture of Drama) and Gatzogiannis et. al. 1999 (Special Environmental Study of the Rodopi region. Project LIFE- NATURE, ARCTOS (Phase II)/ LIFE96 NAT/GR/003222) and has been approved by the 186837/3275/25.9.2006 decision of the General Secretariat for Environment of the H.M.E.P.P.P.W.]. Vol. A & B. Athens: pp 513. |
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- B.P. PETROV, N. TZANKOV, H. STRIJBOSCH, G. POPGEORGIEV, V. BESHKOV. (2006). The herpetofauna (Amphibia and Reptilia) of the Western Rhodopes mountain (Bulgaria and Greece) |
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- CHONDROPOULOS, B.P. (1986): A checklist of the Greek reptiles. I. The lizards. Amphibia-Reptilia, Volume 7, Number 3, 1986, pp. 217-235(19) |
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- CHONDROPOULOS, B.P. (1989): A checklist of Greek reptiles. II. The snakes. Herpetozoa (Wien) 2 (1/2), 3-36. | ||||||||||||
- ASIMAKOPOULOS B.( 1997a.) Aspects of the ecology of Rana graeca in Greece (Amphibia: Ranidae).- In: W. Bohme, W. Bischoff, T. Ziegler (eds.), Herpetologia Bonnensis, 11-19. |
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- KONSTANTINOS SOTIROPOULOS & ANASTASIOS LEGAKIS & ROSA-MARIA POLYMENI. (1995). A review of the knowledge on the distribution of the genus Triturus (RAFINESQUE, 1815) in Greece, HERPETOZOA 8 (1/2) : 25 – 34 Wien | ||||||||||||
- SOTIROPOULOS, K., ELEFTHERAKOS, K., DZUKIC, G., KALEZIC, M. L., LEGAKIS, A. & POLYMENI, R. M., (2007). ‘Phylogeny and Biogeography of the Alpine Newt Mesotriton alpestris (Salamandridae, Caudata), Inferred from mtDNA Sequences.’ Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution, 45: 211-226. | ||||||||||||
- Kornilios P., Limberakis P., Giokas S., Fraguedaki-Tsoli S., Chondropoulos B.P. (2012). Contribution to the study of phylogeography in the Eastern Mediterranean: the case of the fossorial snake Typhlops vermicularis Merrem, 1820 |
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- Strachinis, Ilias & Karagianni, Korina. (2019). No one ever noticed: First report of Zootoca vivipara (Lichtenstein, 1823) in Greece. Herpetology Notes. 12. 53-56. |
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Glossary for the tables of the amphibian & reptilian species | ||||||||||||
Red List of Threatened species of Greece / IUCN Red List Categories and Criteria: |
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CR: Critically Endangered |
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ΕΝ : Endangered |
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VU: Vulnerable |
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ΝΤ: Near Threatened |
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LC: Least Concern |
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DD: Data Deficient |
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ΝΕ: Not Evaluated |
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Habitats Directive 92/43/EEC: |
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II : Annex II (Animal and Plant species of community interest whose conservation requires the designation of special areas of conservation) |
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IV: Annex IV (Animal and Plant species of community interest in need of strict protection) |
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V: Annex V (Animal and Plant species of community interest whose taking in the wild and exploitation may be subject to management measures) |
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Bern Convention: |
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II : Appendix II (Strictly protected fauna species) |
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III : Appendix III (Protected fauna species) |