Journal of Threatened Taxa |
www.threatenedtaxa.org | 26 February 2021 | 13(2): 17670–17683
ISSN 0974-7907 (Online) | ISSN 0974-7893
(Print)
https://doi.org/10.11609/jott.6959.13.2.17670-17683
#6959 | Received 02 December 2020 | Final
received 13 February 2021 | Finally accepted 20 February 2021
Herpetofaunal inventory of Van
Province, eastern Anatolia, Turkey
Mehmet Zülfü Yıldız 1,
Naşit İğci 2 & Bahadır
Akman 3
1 Zoology Section, Department of
Biology, Faculty of Arts and Sciences, Adıyaman University, Adıyaman, Turkey.
2 Department of Molecular Biology
and Genetics, Faculty of Arts and Sciences, Nevşehir Hacı Bektaş Veli
University, Nevşehir, Turkey.
3 Hunting and Wildlife Program,
Department of Forestry, Vocational School of Higher Education for Technical
Sciences, Iğdır University, Iğdır, Turkey.
1 yildizzulfu@yahoo.com, 2 igcinasit@yahoo.com.tr
(corresponding author), 3 bahadirakm@hotmail.com
Editor: S.R. Ganesh, Chennai Snake Park,
Chennai, India. Date of publication: 26
February 2021 (online & print)
Citation: Yidiz, M.Z., N. Igci & B.
Akman (2021). Herpetofaunal inventory of Van
Province, eastern Anatolia, Turkey. Journal of Threatened Taxa 13(2): 17670–17683. https://doi.org/10.11609/jott.6959.13.2.17670-17683
Copyright: © Yildiz et al. 2021. Creative Commons Attribution
4.0 International License. JoTT allows
unrestricted use, reproduction, and distribution of this article in any medium
by providing adequate credit to the author(s) and the source of publication.
Funding: This study was supported within
the framework of the National Biodiversity Inventory and Monitoring Project
coordinated by the Republic of Turkey Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry
General Directorate of Nature Conservation and National Parks.
Competing interests: The authors declare no competing
interests.
Author
details: NAŞİT İĞCİ is a
biotechnologist and herpetologist, currently working as Associate Professor in
Nevşehir Hacı Bektaş Veli University Department of Molecular Biology and
Genetics (Turkey). His research includes biochemistry and pharmacology of snake
venoms, and the ecology and systematics of amphibians and reptiles of Turkey.
He has co-authored over 40 peer-reviewed papers on herpetology, toxinology and
proteomics and a book on proteomics. MEHMET ZÜLFÜ YILDIZ is a herpetologist,
working as Full Professor at the Department of Biology in Adiyaman University
(Turkey) and has extensive experience on the herpetofauna of east and southeast
Anatolia. His interests cover biodiversity, ecology, systematics, molecular
phylogeny of reptiles and amphibians, and venom studies of vipers. He has
authored or co-authored over 50 peer-reviewed papers on herpetology. Mehmet
Zülfü is editor in chief of Commagene Journal of Biology, Editor of Biharean
Biologist, and Acta Biologica Turcica journals. BAHADIR AKMAN is a
herpetologist, working as Assistant Professor at the Department of Forestry
(Hunting and Wildlife Program), Vocational School of Higher Education for
Technical Sciences in Iğdır University (Turkey). His research interests cover
biodiversity, ecology and systematics of amphibians and reptiles of Turkey. He
studies biodiversity, ecology and systematics of reptiles and amphibians. He
has authored or co-authored over 40 peer-reviewed papers on herpetology.
Bahadır is managing editor of Commagene Journal of Biology, and section editor
of Adıyaman University Journal of Science.
Author contribution: MZY attended all the field
studies, contributed to species identification, manuscript writing and
preparation of the figures. NI attended all the field studies, contributed to
species identification and drafted the manuscript. BA attended the field studies,
contributed to species identification and figure preparation. All the authors
contributed to manuscript revision.
Acknowledgements: We would like to express our
gratitude to staff of the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry of Van
Department for their support during the project. We thank Prof. Özdemir ADIZEL (Van Yüzüncü
Yıl University Biology Department, Van, Turkey) and Mr. Emre BULUM for their
help during field studies. We would also like to thank Mr. Eren GERMEÇ and
Ms. Olcay ÇENGEL for their help in preparing the map and Mr. Sıtkı YILDIZ
(Anadolu Agency, Directorate of Ağrı province) for providing Salamandra
infraimmaculata photographs and locality information from Çatak (Van) and
Mr. Mehmet GÜL for Dolichophis schmidti photographs from Van province.
Note: Preliminary results of this
study was presented in 12th National Ecology and Environment Congress, held in
Muğla, Turkey between the dates 14‒17 September 2015.
Abstract: In this study, amphibian and
reptile diversity in the province of Van (eastern Anatolia, Turkey) was
surveyed. For this purpose, four
herpetological excursions (20 days in total) were conducted covering all the
districts of the province in 2014. In
this paper, up-to-date herpetofaunal inventory of Van Province, including two
urodelian, four anuran, two chelonian, 15 saurian (lizards), and 14 ophidian
(snakes) species (six amphibians and 31 reptiles in total) is presented. To the best of our knowledge, Salamandra
infraimmaculata, Heremites auratus, Dolichophis jugularis, Eirenis
modestus, and Telescopus fallax were recorded for the first time in
the province of Van. Additionally, the
first published print record of Stellagama stellio in Van Province is
presented. The major threat to the herpetofaunal diversity in surveyed habitats
was found as human-origin habitat degradation.
With the georeference database obtained in this study, it will be
possible to determine the actual distribution ranges of the species and to
guide decision-makers. The results of
the study will provide a useful basis for future monitoring studies and
distribution information will contribute to the conservation of the species of interest.
Keywords: Amphibia, biodiversity,
check-list, distribution, new record, Reptilia.
Abbreviations: CITES—The Convention on International
Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora | DD—Data Deficient | GPS—Geographical Positioning System |
IUCN—The International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources |
LC—Least Concern | NE—Not Evaluated
| NT—Near Threatened |
VU—Vulnerable | WGS84—World Geodetic System of 1984.
Turkish: Bu çalışmada, Van ilinin (Doğu
Anadolu, Türkiye) kurbağa ve sürüngen biyoçeşitliliği araştırılmıştır. Bu
amaçla, 2014 yılında tüm ilçeleri kapsayacak şekilde toplam 20 gün olmak üzere
dört arazi çalışması gerçekleştirilmiştir. Bu yayında Van iline ait güncel
herpetofauna envanteri sunulmaktadır. Elde edilen verilere göre güncel olarak
Van ilinde iki kuyruklu kurbağa, dört kuyruksuz kurbağa, iki kaplumbağa, 15
kertenkele ve 14 yılan olmak üzere toplam altı amfibi ve 31 sürüngen türü
bulunmaktadır. Salamandra
infraimmaculata, Heremites
auratus, Dolichophis jugularis, Eirenis modestus ve Telescopus fallax
türleri bu çalışma ile Van’dan ilk defa kaydedilmiştir. Ayrıca daha önce Van
ilinden fotoğraf ile kaydedilen Stellagama stellio ise basılı makale
kaydı olarak ilk kez verilmiştir. Çalışma yapılan habitatlarda herpetofauna
çeşitliliğini tehdit eden en önemli faktör insan kaynaklı habitat parçalanması
olarak bulunmuştur. Bu çalışmada elde edilen coğrafi referans veri tabanı ile
türlerin güncel dağılışlarının belirlenmesi mümkün olacaktır ve bu veriler
karar-vericileri yönlendirecektir. Çalışmanın sonuçları gelecekte yapılacak
izleme çalışmaları için temel oluşturacaktır ve dağılış verileri türlerin
koruma planlarına katkı sağlayacaktır.
INTRODUCTION
Amphibians and reptiles are important parts of various
ecosystems and make up a considerable part of the global vertebrate
diversity. Their central role is to
maintain the energy flow and nutrient cycling between trophic levels
(Valencia-Aguilar et al. 2013).
Additionally, as they depend on the habitat microstructure, they are
good indicators to monitor the ecosystem health (Budak & Göçmen 2008). Therefore, inventory and monitoring amphibian
and reptile diversity are important to assess the speciesʼ population statuses
and provide useful information for ecosystem management (Morrison et al.
2008). The identification and protection of any species are
constrained by the lack of information regarding the abundance, distribution,
and habitat requirements of the threatened species (Smith et al. 1997). The course of future management strategies
for the threatened species depends on this type of baseline information (Blamford
& Gaston 1999) that comes from the inventory and monitoring studies
(Morrison et al. 2008). Short-term monitoring studies are more
feasible and draw a general framework for a species or habitat, while long-term
monitoring studies produce more valuable data allowing to assess the change in
ecological communities over time. Both
approaches are essential for developing evidence-based species conservation
programs (Smith et al. 1997; Blamford & Gaston 1999; Morrison et al. 2008;
Magurran et al. 2010).
Turkey has a very rich floral and faunal diversity due
to its special biogeographical features which makes this region one of the
important intersections of biodiversity hotspots (Ambarlı et al. 2016; Gür
2016). Herpetofauna surveys have been
conducted in Turkey by many researchers (Venzmer 1922; Bird 1936; Bodenheimer
1944; Clark & Clark 1973; Başoğlu & Baran 1977, 1980; Başoğlu et al.
1994; Baran & Atatür 1998; Eksilmez et al. 2017; Avcı et al. 2018; Yıldız
et al. 2019; Akman et al. 2020; Gidiş & Başkale 2020; Üçeş & Yıldız
2020). Many new findings, especially
after 2000, provided the most recent information and revealed the rich
herpetofauna diversity of Turkey (e.g., Sindaco et al. 2000; Baran et al. 2004;
Göçmen et al. 2007; Yıldız et al. 2007; Hür et al. 2008; Göçmen et al. 2009;
Afsar and Tok 2011; Akman et al. 2013; Göçmen et al. 2013a,b, 2014; Cihan &
Tok 2014; Tok & Çiçek 2014; İğci et al. 2015; Yıldız & Iğci 2015; Akman
et al. 2016; Kumlutaş et al. 2017; Sarıkaya et al. 2017; Akman et al. 2018;
Avcı et al. 2018; Yıldız et al. 2018a,b; Mebert et al. 2020; Üçeş & Yıldız
2020; Yıldız 2020).
East Anatolian region is a transitional zone between
the continents, and its high mountainous structure produces different types of
habitats for the flora and fauna elements.
These special features make the region one of the hotspots for
biodiversity (Şekercioğlu et al. 2011; Ambarlı et al. 2016). Van Province is located in eastern Turkey and
on the closed basin of Lake Van, the largest lake of the country. Van is surrounded by high mountains; 53% of
the province consists of mountains, 33% of plateaus, and 14% of the plains,
approximately. High mountains are mainly
located on the south and north, and there are high plateaus in the eastern part
of the province. The average altitude of
Van Province is approximately 2,000 m (Baylan et al. 2013). The province has a continental climate with
an average temperature ranging 3.3–11.7 °C and the main vegetation is the
steppe (Baylan et al. 2013; Kalkan et al. 2019). Locality records of some amphibians and reptiles
from Van Province were previously published in herpetofauna notes or
species-oriented studies (e.g., Clark & Clark 1973; Franzen & Sigg
1989; Schmidtler & Lanza 1990; Schmidtler et al. 1994; Uğurtaş 2001; Ilgaz
et al. 2007; Tayhan et al. 2011; Yıldız & İğci 2015; Akman et al. 2016) and
books (Başoğlu & Baran 1977, 1980; Başoğlu et al. 1994; Budak & Göçmen
2008). The herpetofauna of the province,
however, has not been studied in detail.
Since inventory studies are important for developing species conservation
plans, it is aimed in this study to determine the herpetofauna diversity of the
province and provide an updated species list and distribution data.
MATERIALS AND METHODS
Four herpetological surveys between 25 May and 20
September (20 days in total) were conducted in the province of Van in 2014 (in
May, June, August, and September). The
area was divided into 150km2 (1: 25.000) grids and at least one
suitable site in each grid was surveyed for amphibians and reptiles. Field studies were conducted in various
habitats (e.g., wetlands, forests, steppes, dune, high mountains, settlements,
and agricultural areas). A total of 283
localities, ranging 1,252–2,990 m, were surveyed during these excursions. One-hundred-and-seven localities in which at least
one amphibian and/or reptile species was observed are shown on a map (Figure
1). Different sites within the range of
5km2 are shown as one point to obtain a comprehensible map. The geographical coordinates of the stations
were recorded by using the geographical positioning system (GPS) device (Garmin
Montana 650). Coordinates were recorded
as latitude and longitude in decimal degrees and referenced to the World
Geodetic System of 1984 (WGS84) datum.
The coordinates were deposited in The Noah’s Ark Biodiversity Database
(The Republic of Turkey, Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry, General
Directorate of Nature Conservation and National Parks).
During the field studies, reptiles were identified by
either visual encounter or caught by hand for detailed examination if
needed. Amphibians were identified by
the visual encounter and anuran calling surveys or caught. Sampling from lakes was done by using a scoop
if needed. Opportunistic records (e.g.,
by the way) and road-kills were also obtained.
Photographs of the live animals were taken on-site using digital
cameras. After the examination and
photographing, the animals were released at the same locality where they had
been captured.
Identification of the common species was performed by
referencing the literature (Başoğlu & Baran 1977, 1980; Leviton et al.
1992; Baran & Atatür 1998; Budak & Göçmen 2008). The species were grouped into chorotype
categories as proposed by Vigna Taglianti et al. (1999). Species endemic to Anatolia were categorized
as “Anatolian endemic”, one species (Parvilacerta parva (Boulenger,
1887)) was assigned to “Armeno-E-Anatolian endemic” and main chorotypes were
used for other species. Additionally,
the conservation status of the amphibians and reptiles was noted according to
the International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources (IUCN)
Red List of Threatened Species, version 2020.2 (IUCN 2020), the Convention on
International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES)
(CITES 2020), and the Convention on the Conservation of European Wildlife and
Natural Habitats (BERN Convention 2020).
RESULTS
As a result of the literature and field surveys, a total
number of six species of amphibians and 31 species of reptiles belonging to 13
different families were recorded in the province of Van in this study. Species list with their locality numbers,
conservation status, and related references is given in Table 1 and in situ
photographs of the observed species are demonstrated in Images 1, 2, and
3. Briefly, six species of amphibians
(Families: Salamandridae (two), Bufonidae (one), Pelobatidae (one) and Ranidae
(two)), two species of chelonians (Families: Testudinidae (one) and Geomydidae
(one)), 15 species of lizards (Families: Agamidae (two), Scincidae (three),
Lacertidae (10)), and 14 species of snakes (Families: Typhlopidae (one),
Natricidae (two), Colubridae (s.l.) (10), Viperidae (one)) were inventoried. --
All three anurans that were observed during the field
studies (Bufotes sitibundus (Pallas, 1771), Pelophylax ridibundus (Pallas,
1769), and Rana macrocnemis Boulenger, 1885) were common in the
province, based on the number of the localities. As a salamander species, Neurergus
strauchii (Steindachner, 1887) was recorded from two different localities
and Salamandra infraimmaculata (Mertens, 1948) from only one
locality. Testudo graeca
Linnaeus, 1758 was found in 12 and Mauremys caspica (Gmelin, 1774) was
recorded in three localities in different parts of the province of Van. Among lizards, Ophisops elegans
Ménétries, 1832 and Paralaudakia caucasia (Eichwald, 1831) were the most
common species with 31 and 19 localities, respectively. Darevskia raddei (Boettger, 1892) was
observed as the most common rock lizard in the province of Van, with 15
localities. Natrix tessellata
(Laurenti, 1768) was the most common snake species in the province of Van, with
25 different localities. Dolichophis
jugularis (Linnaeus, 1758) and D. schmidti (Nikolsky, 1909) were
also common with 11 and 10 locality records.
According to the IUCN Red List (IUCN 2020), one
species (Darevskia bendimahiensis (Schmidtler, Eiselt & Darevsky
1994)) is categorized as Endangered (EN), two species (S. infraimmaculata
and Montivipera raddei (Boettger, 1890)) are Near Threatened (NT), and
two species (N. strauchii and T. graeca) are classified as
Vulnerable (VU). The IUCN categories of
other species (LC, DD, or NE) are listed in Table 1. All of the
species are under protection according to the BERN convention appendices II and
III; however, only one species (T. graeca) is regulated by CITES.
The species of amphibians and reptiles in the province of
Van can be grouped into 10 chorotype categories (Table 1, Figure 2). SW-Asiatic is the main chorotype (51.4%),
which is represented by 19 species.
Chorotype with the second highest percentage (16.2%) is
Turano-Mediterranean, which is represented by five species. Anatolian endemic chorotype includes three
species (8.1%). A pie chart of all the
chorotypes is presented in Figure 2.
DISCUSSION
Eastern and southeastern Anatolia is a hotspot region for
amphibian and reptile biodiversity with many endemic species (Ilgaz 2019). This study presents the results of a detailed
herpetofaunal survey in the province of Van (eastern Anatolia). It provides an updated herpetofaunal
inventory of the province with five new provincial records and many new
localities of some poorly known species.
Among 37 species inventoried, three of them are endemic to Turkey (east
Anatolia).
Recent studies in east Anatolia
recorded 27 species of amphibians and reptiles in the province of Iğdır
(Tosunoğlu et al. 2010), 35 species in Ağrı (Yıldız et al. 2018a), and 36
species in Bitlis (Akman et al. 2018).
Van Province is bordered by Bitlis Province on the west and Ağrı on the
north. According to the results of the
Jaccard similarity index (Jaccard 1912), it is not surprising that herpetofauna
species of the province of Van is similar to Bitlis (Akman et al. 2018) and
Ağrı (Yıldız et al. 2018) with
percentages of 58.6% and 56.5%, respectively. With
37 species of amphibians and reptiles in total, it can be stated that
Van has a rich herpetofauna diversity and it is the only province in Turkey
inhabited by Iranolacerta brandtii (De Filippi, 1863). The first observation of I. brandtii
in Turkey was made in the province of Van, and results were published
independently by two groups the same year (Avcı et al. 2015; Yıldız & İğci
2015).
Based on the results of the study, Salamandra infraimmaculata, Heremites
auratus (Linnaeus, 1758), Dolichophis jugularis, Eirenis modestus (Martin,
1838), and Telescopus fallax (Fleischmann, 1831) were recorded
for the first time in the province of Van.
Additionally, Stellagama stellio was published from Van province
as a photographic voucher and the first published print record is presented in
this paper. Three species (N.
strauchii, D. bendimahiensis, Darevskia sapphirina (Schmidtler, Eiselt
& Darevsky, 1994)) covered in the present study are endemic to Anatolia,
Turkey. Eirenis eiselti
Schmidtler & Schmidtler, 1978 was known as an endemic species of Turkey
until the paper by Mahlow et al. (2013), that reports the species from
Syria. Eirenis thospitis
Schmidtler & Lanza, 1990 is a rare species with a limited number of
vouchers. After its original description
in 1990 (Schmidtler & Lanza 1990) based on the specimens from the province
of Van, the first additional observation was made during the field excursions
of the present study and presented before as a preliminary finding (Yıldız et
al. 2015). Afterwards, E. thospitis
was also recorded from Bitlis, a neighboring province of Van (Akman et al.
2018). Two recent papers by Mohamad
& Afrasiab (2015) and Asadi et al. (2020) reported its occurrence in
northern Iraq and Iran, respectively.
The taxonomy of the Anatolian mountain frogs belonging
to the genus Rana is still controversial. Mountain frogs (Rana sp.) both with
and without a vertebral stripe in the same locality at some of the stations
were observed during the present study.
In this paper, we considered R. camerani to be conspecific with R.
macrocnemis, following Veith et al. (2003).
The occurrence of Testudo perses Perälä, 2002
in Turkey was reported by Türkozan et al. (2004b) based on the specimens
collected in the province of Hakkari.
One of the two localities presented in that paper is very close to the
Van border (district Başkale), suggesting the occurrence of this species was
also in Van Province. Although genetic
analyses did not support the validity of T. perses as a separate species
(Fritz et al. 2007), morphological assessments revealed this taxon was a
distinct species (Türkozan et al. 2010).
The same authors, however, considered this taxon a synonym of “buxtoni”
clade after their comprehensive morphological and genetic studies and they did
not use the name T. perses in their map (Türkozan et al. 2018). We followed the most recent study by Türkozan
et al. (2018) in this regard and omitted T. perses in the species list
considering all the tortoise observations as T. graeca.
One H. auratus specimen collected from locality
101 (Akçabüyük, Çatak) during the field studies has the following morphological
characteristics: third supraocular shields are separated from the frontal
shield, the dorsal pattern consists of four longitudinal rows of small spots
rather than bigger rectangular shaped markings and has a higher number of gular
scales. These characters are in
agreement with those in the literature given for H. a. transcaucasicus
(Moravec et al. 2006; Durmuş et al. 2011).
Longitidunal rows of small spots on the dorsum is also a colour-pattern
characteristics of Heremites septemtaeniatus (Moravec et al. 2006);
however, the reliability of the contact position of third supraocular and
frontal as a distinctive character between H. auratus and H.
septemtaeniatus and the occurrence of H. septemtaeniatus in Turkey
was considered doubtful by Durmuş et al. (2011). Although taxonomic reorganization is still
needed for the aforementioned taxa (Güçlü et al. 2014), it is considered that
the sample in the present study resembles H. a. transcaucasicus, which
is not mentioned from Turkey in the previous literature (Moravec et al. 2006;
Durmuş et al. 2011; Güçlü et al. 2014).
Since any additional specimens from the site could not be found, the
morphological variation could not be assessed.
Ablepharus bivittatus (Ménétries, 1832) was known only from two localities
in Turkey (both in the province of Van) previously (Ilgaz et al. 2007) until
Yıldız et al. (2018a) reported this species in the province of Ağrı (eastern
Anatolia). Recently, Bozkurt & Olgun
(2020) combined the taxon with the genus Asymblepharus based on some
shared characters, but we follow the former taxonomic arrangement in our
species list. In the present study,
eight new localities of this species from different districts in Van (Özalp,
Saray, Başkale, İpekyolu, Gevaş) are added and it is shown that A.
bivitattus can be found in different locations in the province of Van above
2,000m where the habitat is suitable.
Darevskia sapphirina, an Anatolian endemic species of rock lizards was
firstly described from a locality close to Van-Ağrı border (Erciş), and no
additional sites were reported until the publication by Akman et al.
(2016). During the herpetological
surveys, which were conducted in the provinces of Van and Ağrı, new sites of
this species were discovered and published previously (Akman et al. 2016). We also reported some of the localities
within the species’ known range in Van province in the present paper.
Populations of Elaphe sauromates (Pallas, 1811)
in eastern Anatolia were assigned to a new species, Elaphe urartica Jablonski
et al. 2019, by a recent study. Its type locality is Kısıklı, a village nearby
Süphan Mountain in Bitlis province (Jablonski et al. 2019). The province of Van also lies within the
distribution area of E. urartica, according to the abovementioned
study. Although no individuals were
observed during the field surveys of this study, it was possible to confirm the
occurrence of this species in the province based on the reliable questionnaire
results obtained through conversation with the locals.
Based on their known distributions in adjacent
provinces (Akman et al. 2018; Yıldız et al. 2018a) and the world, it is
possible that some other species of amphibians and reptiles such as Hyla
savignyi (Audouin, 1829), Trapelus lessonae (De Filippi, 1865),
Mediodactylus heterocercus (Blanford, 1874), Heremites vittatus (Olivier,
1804), Eryx jaculus (Linnaeus, 1758), Malpolon insignitus (Geoffroy
De St-Hilaire, 1809), and Macrovipera lebetinus (Linnaeus, 1758)
may be found in Van Province.
The present study was carried out within the scope of
the National Biodiversity Inventory and Monitoring Project in Turkey. This project was launched in 2013 under the
coordination of the Republic of Turkey Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry
(formerly Ministry of Forestry and Water Affairs), General Directorate of
Nature Conservation and National Parks, and aims to obtain the most recent
biodiversity information in all the provinces of Turkey as well as to determine
the major threats. The project is almost
completed now and has resulted in the production of invaluable new information
regarding Turkeyʼs flora and fauna. Most
of the Van Province is rural and generally used as grassland (Kalkan et al.
2019). During the project, the major
threat to herpetofaunal diversity in surveyed habitats in Van Province was
found as human-origin habitat degradation generally caused by overgrazing,
construction, and pollution.
Human-caused habitat degradation is considered as the major threat for
amphibians and reptiles worlwide (Gibbons et al. 2000; Gidiş & Başkale
2020).
The knowledge of the actual distribution range and the
locality coordinates (as obtained in this study) is important and guides the
species conservation action plans (Mebert et al. 2020). Once the georeference databases are created
for every species of interest, it will be easier for authorities to make
ecosystem master plans and to make their decisions while giving construction
permissions. Moreover, more realistic
distribution modeling studies can be carried out with this kind of data. In this regard, the results of this study
provide a useful basis for future monitoring studies and distributional
information will contribute to the conservation of the species of interest.
Table 1. The list of the species of amphibians and
reptiles occurring in Van Province based on this study and bibliographic data.
The localities where the specimens were observed and identified, their status
according to Bern Convention and IUCN criteria and their chorotypes are
presented. Additionally, selected references reporting the occurrence in Van
for each species are given. Appendices II and III of the Bern Convention refer
to “strictly protected fauna species” and “protected fauna species”,
respectively. The abbreviations for IUCN criteria are explained in the
Abbreviations section of the article.
Family |
Species |
BERN |
IUCN |
Chorotype |
Localities (in this study) |
Elevation range (m) |
References |
Salamandridae |
Neurergus strauchii (Steindachner, 1887) |
III |
VU |
Anatolian
Endemic |
93,
95 |
1,676‒1,791 |
Olgun
et al. 2015; Yıldız et al. 2018b |
Salamandridae |
Salamandra infraimmaculata (Mertens, 1948) |
III |
NT |
SW-Asiatic |
103 |
1,245 |
New
record |
Bufonidae |
Bufotes sitibundus (Pallas, 1771)* |
III |
DD |
Turano-Europeo-Mediterranean |
2,
4, 5, 6, 10, 11, 13, 16, 20, 28, 29, 30, 31, 33, 34, 36, 37, 39, 40, 41, 42,
44, 45, 50, 53, 54, 55, 56, 58, 63, 68, 69, 70, 71, 72, 74, 75, 76, 77, 78,
79, 80, 81, 84, 85, 86, 87, 90, 91, 92, 94, 99, 100, 102, 104, 105, 106 |
1,454‒2,897 |
Başoğlu
et al. 1994; Mulder 1995; Baran & Atatür 1998; Budak & Göçmen 2008;
Adızel et al. 2017 |
Ranidae |
Pelophylax ridibundus (Pallas, 1769) |
III |
LC |
Turano-Europeo-Mediterranean |
4,
5, 6, 8, 9, 14, 15, 16, 18, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 29, 30, 31, 36, 38,
39, 42, 43, 45, 46, 47, 49, 50, 51, 52, 55, 57, 61, 62, 63, 64, 66, 67, 70,
78, 79, 80, 89, 90 |
1,652‒2,575 |
Başoğlu
et al. 1994; Mulder 1995; Baran & Atatür 1998; Budak & Göçmen 2008;
Adızel et al. 2017 |
Ranidae |
Rana macrocnemis Boulenger, 1885 |
III |
LC |
SW-Asiatic |
1,
6, 12, 16, 18, 19, 20, 26, 27, 29, 30, 31, 39, 49, 56, 57, 58, 59, 62, 70,
72, 74, 75, 76, 80, 81, 83, 84, 85, 88, 93, 96, 97, 98, 99, 101, 102, 104,
105, 106, 107 |
1,782‒2,972 |
Başoğlu
et al. 1994; Mulder 1995; Baran & Atatür 1998; Budak & Göçmen 2008 |
Pelobatidae |
Pelobates syriacus Boettger, 1889 |
II |
LC |
Turano-Mediterranean |
Literature
record, not observed in the present study. |
‒ |
Mertens
1953; Uğurtaş 2001; Adızel et al. 2017 |
Geoemydidae |
Mauremys caspica (Gmelin, 1774) |
II |
NE |
Turano-Mediterranean |
26,
39, 102 |
1,574‒1,803 |
Başoğlu
& Baran 1977; Fritz & Freytag 1993; Sindaco et al. 2000; Budak &
Göçmen 2008; Adızel et al. 2017 |
Testudinidae |
Testudo graeca Linnaeus, 1758 |
II |
VU |
Turano-Mediterranean |
4,
5, 11, 16, 25, 39, 87, 90, 92, 93, 99, 102 |
1,574‒2,273 |
Başoğlu
& Baran 1977; Sindaco et al. 2000; Türkozan et al. 2004a; Budak &
Göçmen 2008; Adızel et al. 2017 |
Agamidae |
Stellagama stellio (Linnaeus, 1758) |
III |
LC |
E-Mediterranean |
Web
record, not observed in the present study |
‒ |
New
print published record. (Previously published in www.turkherptil.org as a
photographical record by Ufuk Karaca) |
Agamidae |
Paralaudakia caucasia (Eichwald, 1831) |
III |
LC |
Turanian |
14,
15, 16, 17, 24, 25, 37, 39, 50, 56, 57, 68, 70, 71, 74, 79, 81, 83, 102 |
1,574‒2,741 |
Başoğlu
& Baran 1977; Mulder 1995; Sindaco et al. 2000; Budak & Göçmen 2008 |
Scincidae |
Ablepharus bivittatus (Ménétries, 1832) |
III |
LC |
SW-Asiatic |
35,
36, 56, 59, 61, 76, 82, 96 |
2,047‒2,741 |
Sindaco
et al. 2000; Ilgaz et al. 2007; Budak & Göçmen 2008 |
Scincidae |
Ablepharus chernovi Darevsky, 1953 |
III |
LC |
SW-Asiatic |
Literature
record, not observed in the present study |
‒ |
Schmidtler
1997; Sindaco et al. 2000 |
Scincidae |
Heremites auratus (Linnaeus, 1758) |
III |
LC |
SW-Asiatic |
4,
8, 101, 102 |
1,574‒2,062 |
New
record |
Lacertidae |
Lacerta media Lantz & Cyrén, 1920 |
III |
LC |
SW-Asiatic |
1,
2, 3, 5, 8, 12, 16, 62, 92, 97, 99, 100, 101, 102, 106 |
1,574‒2,504 |
Başoğlu
& Baran 1977; Mulder 1995; Sindaco et al. 2000; Budak & Göçmen 2008;
Adızel et al. 2017 |
Lacertidae |
Apathya cappadocica (Werner, 1902) |
II |
LC |
SW-Asiatic |
78,
79, 90, 93, 94, 95, 96, 99, 101, 102, 104 |
1,252‒2,523 |
Başoğlu
& Baran 1977; Eiselt 1979; Sindaco et al. 2000; Budak & Göçmen 2008 |
Lacertidae |
Darevskia bendimahiensis (Schmidtler, Eiselt & Darevsky,
1994) |
III |
EN |
Anatolian
Endemic |
23 |
2,002 |
Schmidtler
et al. 1994; Budak & Göçmen 2008 |
Lacertidae |
Darevskia raddei (Boettger, 1892) |
III |
LC |
SW-Asiatic |
18,
24, 37, 41, 50, 51, 55, 57, 58, 61, 71, 76, 77, 83, 85 |
1,663‒2,575 |
Eiselt
et al. 1993; Schmidtler et al. 1994; Sindaco et al. 2000; Arnold et al. 2007 |
Lacertidae |
Darevskia sapphirina (Schmidtler, Eiselt & Darevsky, 1994) |
III |
LC |
Anatolian
Endemic |
6,
8 |
1,887‒2,345 |
Schmidtler
et al. 1994; Sindaco et al. 2000; Arnold et al. 2007; Budak & Göçmen
2008; Akman et al. 2016 |
Lacertidae |
Darevskia valentini (Boettger, 1892) |
III |
LC |
SW-Asiatic |
16,
20 |
2,155‒2,239 |
Başoğlu
& Baran 1977; Schmidtler et al. 1994; Mulder 1995; Sindaco et al. 2000;
Arnold et al. 2007; Budak & Göçmen 2008 |
Lacertidae |
Eremias suphani Başoğlu & Hellmich, 1968 |
III |
LC |
SW-Asiatic |
30,
71, 82, 83 |
1,937‒2,163 |
Başoğlu
& Baran 1977; Mulder 1995; Sindaco et al. 2000; Budak & Göçmen 2008;
Rastegar-Pouyani et al. 2013 |
Lacertidae |
Ophisops elegans Ménétries, 1832 |
II |
LC |
E-Mediterranean |
4,
7, 9, 10, 11, 18, 26, 43, 45, 47, 48, 50, 53, 57, 64, 65, 68, 69, 70, 71, 77,
79, 85, 87, 97, 98, 99, 100, 101, 102, 104 |
1,252‒2,374 |
Başoğlu
& Baran 1977; Sindaco et al. 2000; Budak & Göçmen 2008; Adızel et al.
2017 |
Lacertidae |
Parvilacerta parva (Boulenger, 1887) |
II |
LC |
Armeno-E-Anatolian
Endemic |
16,
17, 18, 20, 30, 33 |
2,049‒2,422 |
Başoğlu
& Baran 1977; Sindaco et al. 2000; Kumlutaş et al. 2004; Budak &
Göçmen 2008 |
Lacertidae |
Iranolacerta brandtii (De Filippi, 1863) |
III |
DD |
SW-Asiatic |
31,
52, 59, 72 |
2,041‒2,309 |
Yıldız
& İğci 2015; Avcı et al. 2015; Rato et al. 2015 |
Typhlopidae |
Xerotyphlops vermicularis (Merrem, 1820) |
III |
LC |
Turano-Mediterranean |
90 |
1,868 |
Başoğlu
& Baran 1980; Sindaco et al. 2000; Budak & Göçmen 2008 |
Colubridae |
Hemorrhois ravergieri (Ménétries, 1832) |
III |
LC |
Centralasiatic |
5,
6, 23, 49, 70, 81, 102, 106 |
1,574‒2,504 |
Başoğlu
& Baran 1980; Sindaco et al. 2000 |
Colubridae |
Dolichophis schmidti (Nikolsky, 1909) |
III |
LC |
SW-Asiatic |
16,
39, 44, 45, 81, 92, 97, 99, 102, 106 |
1,574‒2,504 |
Clark
& Clark 1973; Başoğlu & Baran 1980; Sindaco et al. 2000; Adızel et
al. 2017 |
Colubridae |
Dolichophis jugularis (Linnaeus, 1758) |
II |
LC |
SW-Asiatic |
47,
48, 49, 50, 51, 52, 53, 54, 55, 56, 57 |
1,574‒2,441 |
New
record |
Colubridae |
Eirenis thospitis Schmidtler & Lanza, 1990 |
III |
DD |
SW-Asiatic |
47 |
1,903 |
Schmidtler
& Lanza 1990; Sindaco et al. 2000; Nagy et al. 2003; Mahlow et al. 2013 |
Colubridae |
Eirenis eiselti Schmidtler & Schmidtler, 1978 |
III |
LC |
SW-Asiatic |
Literature
record, not observed in the present study. |
‒ |
Sindaco
et al. 2000; Budak & Göçmen 2008; Tayhan et al. 2011 |
Colubridae |
Eirenis punctatolineatus (Boettger, 1892) |
III |
LC |
SW-Asiatic |
68 |
1,821 |
Başoğlu
& Baran 1980; Sindaco et al. 2000; Budak & Göçmen 2008 |
Colubridae |
Eirenis modestus (Martin, 1838) |
III |
LC |
SW-Asiatic |
4 |
1,969 |
New
record |
Colubridae |
Platyceps najadum (Eichwald, 1831) |
II |
LC |
Turano-Mediterranean |
2,
8 |
1,887‒1,961 |
Başoğlu
& Baran 1980; Sindaco et al. 2000; Budak & Göçmen 2008 |
Colubridae |
Elaphe urartica Jablonski et al. 2019 |
III |
NE |
SW-Asiatic |
Literature
record, not observed in the present study. |
‒ |
Jablonski
et al. 2019 |
Colubridae |
Telescopus fallax (Fleischmann, 1831) |
II |
LC |
Turano-Mediterranean |
4 |
1,893 |
New
record |
Natricidae |
Natrix tessellata (Laurenti, 1768) |
II |
LC |
Centralasiatic-European |
5,
7, 8, 16, 18, 21, 24, 26, 27, 38, 39, 43, 48, 49, 51, 71, 81, 85, 90, 92, 94,
95, 97, 99, 106 |
1,507‒2,504 |
Başoğlu
& Baran 1980; Sindaco et al. 2000; Budak & Göçmen 2008; Adızel et al.
2017 |
Natricidae |
Natrix natrix (Linnaeus, 1758) |
III |
NE |
Centralasiatic-Europeo-Mediterranean |
21,
26, 55, 61, 63 |
1,665‒2,575 |
Başoğlu
& Baran 1980; Sindaco et al. 2000 |
Viperidae |
Montivipera raddei (Boettger, 1890) |
III |
NT |
SW-Asiatic |
Literature
record, not observed in the present study. |
‒ |
Franzen
& Sigg 1989; Sindaco et al. 2000 |
* According to a recent phylogenetic study by
Dufresnes et al. (2019), populations in the Anatolia (except Thrace and some
parts of Bosphorus region) formerly identified as Bufotes variabilis are
assigned to Bufotes sitibundus. It is not included in the IUCN Red List
yet, so we used the data given for B. variabilis.
For figures
& images - - click here
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Appendix 1. Village and district names of the
localities shown on the map in Figure 1.
1. Gergili/Erciş,
20.09.2014, 2123m asl; 2. Doğancı/Erciş, 20.09.2014, 1961m asl; 3.
Ağaçören/Erciş, 20.09.2014, 1852m asl; 4. Köycük/Erciş, 20.09.2014,
1893m asl; 5. Ağırkaya/Erciş, 20.09.2014, 2273m asl; 6.
Pınarlı/Erciş, 20.09.2014, 2334m asl; 7. Kırkpınar/Erciş, 20.09.2014,
1934m asl; 8. Duracak/Erciş, 16.09.2014, 1887m asl; 9. Kayaboyun/Erciş,
16.09.2014, 2051m asl; 10. Akçayuva/Erciş, 16.09.2014, 1948m asl; 11.
Bayramlı/Erciş, 16.09.2014, 1681m asl; 12. Dinlence/Erciş, 16.09.2014,
1858m asl; 13. Oyalı/Erciş, 20.09.2014, 1809m asl; 14.
Keklikova/Erciş, 16.08.2014, 1751m asl; 15. Payköy/Erciş, 16.08.2014,
2038m asl; 16. Yankıtepe/Erciş, 16.08.2014, 2422m asl; 17.
Güllüçimen/Muradiye, 16.08.2014, 2200m asl; 18. Hıdırmenteş
Gölü/Çaldıran, 21.08.2014, 2351m asl; 19. Yukarıyanıktaş/Çaldıran,
21.08.2014, 2343m asl; 20. Soğuksu/Çaldıran, 27.05.2014, 2155m asl; 21.Oruçlu/Çaldıran,
27.05.2014, 2049m asl; 22. Sellik/Çaldıran, 15.09.2014, 2041m asl; 23.
Gümüştepe/Muradiye, 27.05.2014, 2002m asl; 24. Kemerköprü/Muradiye,
15.09.2014, 1736m asl; 25. Aşağıkozluca/Erciş, 27.05.2014, 1666m asl; 26.
Karahan/Muradiye, 27.05.2014, 1665m asl; 27. Balaklı/Muradiye,
25.06.2014, 1664m asl; 28. Beydağı/Muradiye, 25.06.2014, 1717m asl; 29.
Yuvacık/Çaldıran, 15.09.2014, 2084m asl; 30. Baydoğan/Çaldıran,
15.09.2014, 2368m asl; 31. Gülyolu/Çaldıran, 15.09.2014, 2233m asl; 32.
Yumruklu/Özalp, 16.09.2017, 2060m asl; 33. Eğribelen/Özalp, 16.09.2014,
2149m asl; 34. Yukarıtulgalı/Özalp, 16.09.2014, 2147m asl; 35.
Çubuklu/Özalp, 16.09.2014, 2084m asl; 36. Çırakköy/Özalp, 16.09.2014,
2047m asl; 37. Çakmak/Muradiye, 16.09.2014, 2092m asl; 38.
Sarımemet/Muradiye, 16.09.2014, 1969m asl; 39. Ilıkaynak/Merkez,
16.08.2014, 1974m asl; 40. Çolpan/Merkez, 15.09.2014, 1733m asl; 41.
Gedikbulak/Merkez, 27.05.2014, 1764m asl; 42. Tabanlı/Tuşba, 15.09.2014,
1843m asl; 43. Otluca/Tuşba, 16.08.2014, 1690m asl; 44.
Alaköy/Tuşba, 15.09.2014, 1724m asl; 45. Çitören/Tuşba, 25.06.2014,
1652m asl; 46. Bostaniçi Göleti/Merkez, 26.05.2014, 1784m asl; 47.
Köşebaşı/İpekyolu, 21.06.2014, 1903m asl; 48. Baklatepe/İpekyolu,
22.06.2014, 1904m asl; 49. Gövelek Gölü/İpekyolu, 21.06.2014, 2242m asl;
50. Kaymaklı/İpekyolu, 26.05.2014, 1952m asl; 51.
Aşağımollahasan/Özalp, 26.05.2014, 1949m asl; 52. Tepedam/Özalp,
26.05.2014, 2026m asl; 53. Kazımpaşa/Saray, 26.05.2014, 2125m asl; 54.
Değirmigöl/Saray, 22.06.2014, 2236m asl; 55. Yamanyurt/Saray, 26.05.2014,
2248m asl; 56. Karahisar/Saray, 22.06.2014, 2501m asl; 57.
Topsakal/Gürpınar, 22.06.2014, 2401m asl; 58. Akgöl/Gürpınar,
23.06.2014, 2371m asl; 59. Gültepe/Özalp, 23.06.2014, 2380m asl; 60.
Karlıyamaç/Özalp, 22.06.2014, 2275m asl; 61. Ekece/İpekyolu, 25.05.2014,
2575m asl; 62. Savacık/Gürpınar, 23.06.2014, 2156m asl; 63.
Gölardı/Gürpınar, 25.05.2014, 2317m asl; 64. Bakraçlı/İpekyolu,
25.05.2014, 1836m asl; 65. Kiyicak/Edremit, 25.05.2014, 1668m asl; 66.
Uğurveren/Gevaş, 25.05.2014, 1662m asl; 67. Atalan/Gevaş, 24.06.2014,
1807m asl; 68. Köprüler/Edremit, 25.05.2014, 1821m asl; 69.
Koyunyatağı/Gürpınar, 25.05.2014, 1917m asl; 70. Erkaldı/Gürpınar,
22.06.2014, 1829m asl; 71. Ortaköy/Gürpınar, 22.06.2014, 1955m asl; 72.
Çörekli/Gürpınar, 23.06.2014, 2122m asl; 73. Sevindik/Gürpınar,
22.06.2014, 2090m asl; 74. Yanal/Başkale, 18.09.2014, 2166m asl; 75.
Konuksayar/Başkale, 18.09.2014, 2432 m a.s.l: 76. Güleçler/Başkale,
18.09.2014, 2322m asl; 77. Açıkağıl/Başkale, 18.09.2014, 2026m asl; 78.
Esenyamaç/Başkale, 20.08.2014, 2047m asl; 79. Çaldıran/Başkale,
20.08.2014, 1865m asl; 80. Aşağıküme/Başkale, 19.09.2014, 2897m asl; 81.
Erek/Başkale, 20.08.2014, 2017m asl; 82. Aşalan/Başkale, 20.08.2014,
2097m asl; 83. Gedikbaşı/Başkale, 20.08.2014, 2370m asl; 84.
Yedisalkım/Gürpınar, 17.09.2014, 2314m asl; 85. Merkez/Gürpınar,
19.08.2014, 2115m asl; 86. Kuşdağı/Gürpınar, 19.08.2014, 1900m asl; 87.
Onağıl/Çatak, 17.08.2014, 1973m asl; 88. Derebaşı/Çatak, 17.08.2014,
2171m asl; 89. İliköy/Gevaş, 24.06.2014, 1781m asl; 90. Göründü/Gevaş,
24.06.2014, 1686m asl; 91. İnköy/Gevaş, 24.06.2014, 1683m asl; 92.
700 m west of Söğütlü/Tatvan, 18.08.2014, 1856m asl; 93.
Çatbayır/Bahçesaray, 18.08.2014, 1774m asl; 94. Elmayaka/Bahçesaray,
18.08.2014, 1562m asl; 95. Bahçesaray, 21.08.2014, 1676m asl; 96.
Arpit/Gevaş, 18.08.2014, 2972m asl; 97. Uzuntekne/Çatak, 17.08.2014,
2319m asl; 98. Aşağınarlıca/Çatak, 17.08.2014, 2028m asl; 99.
Bilgi/Çatak, 17.08.2014, 1674m asl; 100. Alacayar/Çatak, 17.08.2014,
1636m asl; 101. Akçabüyük/Çatak, 17.08.2014, 1782m asl; 102.
Gökçedal/Çatak, 17.08.2014, 1454m asl; 103. Dalbastı/Çatak, 17.08.2014,
2183m asl; 104. Sugeldi/Çatak, 17.08.2014, 1702m asl; 105.
Beşbudak/Gürpınar, 19.08.2014, 2482m asl; 106. Geziyurt/Gürpınar,
19.08.2014, 2379m asl.