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)

Amphibian Species of the RMNP and conservation status

No

SCIENTIFIC NAME

COMMON NAME

RED LIST of THREATENED SPECIES of GREECE

IUCN Red List

HABITATS DIRECTIVE 92/43/EEC

BERN CONVENTION

CAUDATA

Salamandridae

1

Lissotriton graecus Wolterstorff

Greek Newt

NE

LC

ΙΙΙ

2

Lissotriton schmidtleri Raxworthy

Schmidtler's Smooth Newt

NE

LC

IIΙ

3

Salamandra salamandra L.

Salamander

NE

LC

ΙΙΙ

4

Ichthyosaura alpestris Laurenti

Alpine Newt

VU/EN

LC

ΙΙΙ

5

Triturus ivanbureschi Arntzen & Wielstra

Balkan-Anatolian Crested Newt

NT

LC

II, IV

II

ANURA

Bufonidae

6

Bufo bufo L.

Common European Toad

LC

III

7

Bufotes viridis Laurenti

Πράσινος φρύνος, Ζάμπα

LC

IV

II

Bombinatoridae (Discoglossidae)

8

Bombina variegata L.

Yellow-bellied Toad

LC

II, IV

II

Hylidae

9

Hyla arborea L.

Common Tree Frog

LC

IV

II

Ranidae

10

Pelophylax ridibundus Pallas

Marsh Frog

LC

V

III

11

Pelophylax kurtmuelleri Gayda

Balkan Frog

LC

12

Rana dalmatina Fitzinger in Bonaparte

Agile Frog

NE

LC

IV

II

13

Rana graeca Boulenger

Stream Frog

NE

LC

IV

III

14

Rana temporaria L.

European Common Frog

VU

LC

V

III

Herpetofauna of the RMNP and conservation status

No

SCIENTIFIC NAME

COMMON NAME

RED LIST of THREATENED SPECIES of GREECE

IUCN Red List

HABITATS DIRECTIVE 92/43/EEC

BERN CONVENTION

TESTUDINATA

Emydidae

1

Emys orbicularis L.

European Pond Terrapin

NT

II, ΙV

II

Geoemydidae

2

Mauremys rivulata Valenciennes)

Balkan Terrapin

LC

II, IV

II

Testudinidae

3

Testudo graeca L.

Greek Tortoise

LC

VU

II, IV

II

4

Testudo hermanni Gmelin

Herman's Tortoise

VU

NT

II, IV

II

SAURIA

Anguidae

5

Anguis fragilis L.

Slow Worm

LC

III

6

Pseudopus apodus Pallas

European Glass Lizard

LC

IV

II

Lacertidae

7

Lacerta agilis L.

Sand Lizard

LC

IV

II

8

Lacerta viridis Laurenti

European Green Lizard

LC

IV

II

9

Podarcis muralis Laurenti

Wall lizard

LC

IV

II

10

Podarcis erhardii Bedriaga

Erhard's Wall lizard

LC

IV

II

11

Podarcis tauricus Pallas

Balkan Wall Lizard

LC

IV

II

12

Zootoca vivipara Lichtenstein

LC

Scincidae

13

Ablepharus kitaibelii Bibron & Bory de Saint-Vincent

Snake-eyed Skink

LC

IV

II

OPHIDIA

Colubridae

14

Coronella austriaca Laurenti

Smooth Snake

LC

IV

II

15

Dolichophis caspius Gmelin

Caspian Whipsnake

LC

IV

III

16

Elaphe quatuorlineata Lacépède

Four-lined Snake

LC

NT

II, IV

II

17

Zamenis situla L.

European Ratsnake

LC

II, IV

II

18

Zamenis longissimus Laurenti

Aesculapian Snake

LC

IV

II

19

Platyceps najadum Eichwald

Dahl's Whip Snake

LC

IV

II

20

Telescopus fallax Fleischmann

European Cat Snake

LC

IV

II

Natricidae

21

Natrix natrix L.

Grass Snake

LC

III

22

Natrix tessellata Laurenti

Dice Snake

LC

IV

II

Psammophiidae

23

Malpolon insignitus Geoffroy Saint-Hilaire

Eastern Montpellier Snake

LC

III

Typhlopidae

24

Xerotyphlops vermicularis Merrem

Worm Snake

LC

III

Viperidae

25

Vipera ammodytes L.

Nose-horned Viper

LC

IV

II

26

Vipera berus L.

Adder

LC

III

REFERENCES:

- NATURA 2000

- Hellenic Zoological Society. (2009). Red List of Threatened species of Greece

- 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.

- 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)

- CHONDROPOULOS, B.P. (1986): A checklist of the Greek reptiles. I. The lizards. Amphibia-Reptilia, Volume 7, Number 3, 1986, pp. 217-235(19)

- 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.

- 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

- http://www.herpetofauna.gr

- Strachinis, Ilias & Karagianni, Korina. (2019). No one ever noticed: First report of Zootoca vivipara (Lichtenstein, 1823) in Greece. Herpetology Notes. 12. 53-56.

Glossary for the tables of the amphibian & reptilian species

Red List of Threatened species of Greece / IUCN Red List Categories and Criteria:

CR: Critically Endangered

ΕΝ : Endangered

VU: Vulnerable

ΝΤ: Near Threatened

LC: Least Concern

DD: Data Deficient

ΝΕ: Not Evaluated

Habitats Directive 92/43/EEC:

II : Annex II (Animal and Plant species of community interest whose conservation requires the designation of special areas of conservation)

IV: Annex IV (Animal and Plant species of community interest in need of strict protection)

V: Annex V (Animal and Plant species of community interest whose taking in the wild and exploitation may be subject to management measures)

Bern Convention:

II : Appendix II (Strictly protected fauna species)

III : Appendix III (Protected fauna species)

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