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Demonstration against enlargement of Florence Airport, March 30, 

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Demonstration against enlargement of Florence Airport, March 30, 

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There's a project to build a new airport runaway in Florence, this would really damage the environment and protected areas in florence lowlands. This is a very crowdy protest that happened saturday 30 march 20189. People have the power!
Photo by f. Graziani

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Invasive alien species are a treath for herpetofauna

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Invasive alien species are a treath for herpetofauna

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The spreading of Trachemys scripta elegans, the invasive american freshwater turtle, has contributed to making the authochtonous european pond turtle Emys orbicularis nearly go extinct its original areal in Italy and Europe.

Photo by F. Graziani

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For this theme I read with particular attention about the tropical species of Colombia chosen by @Marley Gómez Rincón

https://padlet.com/marleytgr/m2ju397kvzqh
What is most different is of course the abundance of species, both of amphibian and reptiles, that is so evident in a tropical region... and moreover Colombia has a lot of diverse habitats due to the largeness and variousness of the territory. Caecilians for example are present in Colombia, they live only at tropical latitudes. I have never seen one of them because of their tipically Gondwanan distribution, so it's a taxonomic group that is very fascinating to me. This is the beauty of biodiversity....

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For this comparison I read, among others, the description of the species chosen by @Alexandros Ntzouvaras https://padlet.com/ntzouvo13
The Typhlops vermicularis has completely different adaptations compared to the snake I chose because is one of the few reptiles adapted to the underground life. I was very glad to learn about this species.
The amphibian he chose, Ichtyosaura alpestris, instead is present also in Italy: it leads a more aquatic life compared to Salamandrina perspicillata I described, so it has more specialised charactheristics regarding for example skin

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I examined the padlets of colleagues from central Europe (Denmark, Germany, Spain) and I saw that the main problems are very similar, one above all: the habitat fragmentation. But this is not the only issue: also Chitrydiomycosis, pollution and excessive human impact on freshwater are  common problems. It is absolutely necessary to study more in depth the ecological relations between species and habitats and work hard with authorities and politicians to do something more about conservation.

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I see that many of my colleagues of the Herpetofauna course have written about planning a voluntary organization, and I see our ideas are very similar one each other! So in this case I'm happy to say the most of us agree about what it would be useful to do to help herpetofauna

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Design the business plan of a local voluntary organisation which aims to protect the local herpetofauna.

1)      Founding the association. I imagine the founding members as friends and colleagues that are experts in biology and simply nature passionates.

2)      Collecting money through foundraising, being helped by friends and family, organising charity events (markets, concerts, and so on)

3)      Analysing together major critical issues in our territory for what concerns herpetofauna

4)      Involving volunteers among nature lovers, citizens, students

5)      Organizing activities aimed to surveillance and management of natural areas. Regarding amphbians, volunteers will create artificial ponds that will be reproductive sites, they will patrol, in the evenings, road crossing where anurans are often roadkilled while they try to reach reproductive sites. Possibly, road underpassages will be implemented involving local authorities.

6)      Organizing environmental education events to spread the knowledge about environmental issues.

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Visited Museum: The Natural History Museum of The University of Florence Amphibians and Reptiles collection

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Visited Museum: The Natural History Museum of The University of Florence Amphibians and Reptiles collection

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"Cleaning" and "managing" another trait of Terzolle river banks in Florence 

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"Cleaning" and "managing" another trait of Terzolle river banks in Florence 

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🤬
Photo by Francesca Graziani

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Possible strategies to reduce threats to Herpetofauna

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Possible strategies to reduce threats to Herpetofauna

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Authorities should manage natural habitats basing their decisions on serious studies, listening to scientists and acting always having in mind that protecting biodiversity is something that has for citizens a priceless value.
Possible strategies include:
- Financing and promoting naturalistic studies
- Encouraging environmental education in schools, public places and in natural parks, not only for children but also for adults
- Regarding habitat fragmentation more attention has to be put on ecologic corridors
- Preserving natural habitats creating more protected areas
- Natural freshwater areas are vital to amphibians, so we should reduce human impact on ponds and rivers
-Take action to mitigate alien species impact on autochthonous herpetofauna

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A long trait of Terzolle river in Florence has been cemented and there's no more natural habitat

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A long trait of Terzolle river in Florence has been cemented and there's no more natural habitat

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Photo by Francesca Graziani

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Signs of degradation in herpetofauna habitats - Tuscany

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Signs of degradation in herpetofauna habitats - Tuscany

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The main problems regarding habitat degradation for amphibian and reptiles in Italy are the following:
- Freshwater habitats degradation or destruction. Rivers are in some cases polluted but also wrongly managed by authorities who often intervene on their natural course cementing their banks and beds, deviating the flow, cutting down vegetations, in short words: destryoing natuaral habitats
- Habitat fragmentation: As mentioned before, lowlands habitats that host many herpetofauna species are destroyed or fragmented by building industrial and residential lots
- Excessive forest cutting (copse management) that damages snakes populations
- Disappearance of dunal habitats on coasts, that are shelter for lizards and saurians in general, are more and more rare because they are often cemented and destroyed.

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Visited Museum: The Natural History Museum of The University of Florence Amphibians and Reptiles collection

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Visited Museum: The Natural History Museum of The University of Florence Amphibians and Reptiles collection

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Pelophylax kl. esculentus from Tuscany

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Visited Museum: The Natural History Museum of The University of Florence Amphibians and Reptiles collection

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Visited Museum: The Natural History Museum of The University of Florence Amphibians and Reptiles collection

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Hierophys viridiflavus from Tuscany.

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Distribution range of Coronella girondica

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This snake reaches average 50 - 60 cm lenght, more difficultly 80.
The species, differently from other italian snakes, has mainly nocturnal / crepuscular; it is rarely found in the open during the day, except in the mating season when the males look for a companion. Mating takes place in spring, more frequently in May. The female lays up to 15 eggs (usually 7 or 8) in July and the young will be born in late August.
It feeds mainly on saurians, especially geckoes but also lizards and sometimes it can even swallow small snakes, three-toed skinks and slow worms
Photo by Jan Van Der Voort

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Distribution range of Salamandrina perspicillata

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This species is endemic of peninsular Italy.
It shows distinctly terrestrial habits, only females go to streams to lay eggs. Adult activity and larval development, which can extend up to 5 months, are closely related to temperatures, varying greatly depending on climate. The larval stage diet is composed of small aquatic arthropods; the young prefer to feed on Collembola, very abundant in the litter; adults feed on large invertebrates such as gastropods, arachnids, beetles and carabids.
When threatened, the spectacled salamander displays a typical defensive posture reminiscent of the "unken-reflex" (see photo) which can be held for few minutes. The salamander curls its body dorsally to a variable degree as far as forming a loop. In exhibiting this behaviour, salamanders partially display the bright red colour of the underside of the tail and limbs and a small part of the ventral pattern of their belly and throat.
As a defense mechanism, these salamanders are also capable of appearing to be dead while otherwise alive (thanatosis), lying with the back on the ground and displaying the ventral coloration

It seems that extraocular photoreceptors are involved in the migration of females towards spawning sites. However, olfaction could represent the main orientation system in the proximity of a given water body, where the finest spatial discrimination is needed. Detection of the scent of conspecifics in a terrestrial environment could be considered as one of the mechanisms adopted by these salamanders to facilitate the migration towards their winter refuges.

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This subspecies of the common Podarcis sicula is found in the following islands of the tuscan archipelago: Isola del Giglio, Capraia, Giannutri and La Peraiola (Capraia).

Photo by Vittorio Formenti

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THEME 3 - Physiology and ecology of the herpetofauna

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THEME 3 - Physiology and ecology of the herpetofauna

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Cryptobranchichnus
infericolor is a salamander described from Mountains near Pisa, Monte Passatoio (see attached paper)

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Footprints by Grallator toscanus (Huene, 1941) were found on mountains near Pisa. It was a carnivore and it lived in the Cretaceous

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The italian common viper is found in almost all italian territory. In Tuscany and other parts of central and south Italy it is represented by the subspecies V. aspis francisciredi.

http://www.serpenti-del-ticino.com/article-25333089.html
Photo by Francesca Graziani

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Vipera aspis Laghetto pian di rossaia (1) lr.JPG

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The species is found only in Sardinia, Corsica and the Tuscan Archipelago.
Photo by Paolo Mazzei

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The species is endemic to apenninic zone of north and central Italy. In Tuscany, on Apuan Alps, it is found up to 1600 m asl.
Photo by Paolo Mazzei

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Photo by Tartamare

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Photo by F.Graziani

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TUSCANY HABITATS                             3) Sea and shores

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TUSCANY HABITATS                             3) Sea and shores

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Tuscany sea coast is 230 km long, and some of its shores are a nesting habitat for sea turtles
Photo by Camping La Feniglia

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Rana italica is endemic to the Appenninic regions of italy, and quite common in Tuscany.
Photo by F.Graziani

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TUSCANY HABITATS:                                     2) MOUNTAIN STREAMS 

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TUSCANY HABITATS:                                     2) MOUNTAIN STREAMS 

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Tuscany is quite rich in mountains (The Appennini) and hills, and thus in fresh water streams and rivers. These habitats are home to fish, amphibians and crustaceans.

Photo by F. Graziani

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Photo by F. Graziani

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TUSCANY HABITATS:                                          1) WETLANDS

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TUSCANY HABITATS:                                          1) WETLANDS

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Protected area Anpil La Querciola - Sesto Fiorentino - Florence This is one of the (unfortunately) few left natural lowland habitats in Tuscany. The region territory is mostly consisting of hills and mountains, plus some small coastal plains. The largest plain in the region is the one located among the cities of Florence, Prato and Pistoia: originally it was mainly formed by wetlands but nowadays, with the industrial and residential "development", what remains of natural lowland habitats are just a few residual protected areas.
Photo by Giuliana Profeti