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STEP 2. CREATE

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

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

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Name:
Greek Herpetofauna Protection Programme (G.H.P.P.)

Accommodation:
It is a local organization, which is accommodated in Xanthi city, between the Nestos river and Lake Vistonis.

Purpose:
Its aim is to protect the region's herpetopanida by informing and raising public awareness. Also, through its action plan and volunteer work, the organization's objective is to rescue, nurture (if that is possible) and reintegrate animals into the wild.

In order for all of these to happen, there are certain things firstly that must be done.

1. For volunteers wishing to participate in the programs and actions of the organization, there will be some seminars to be followed for their better training on the subject of interest. These seminars will address the following topics:

What habitats exist in the area of interest of the organization?

In which of these habitats reptiles and amphibians are living?

What are the biotic and abiotic characteristics of the area?

What reptile and amphibian species are in the area and which of these are species of interest in our country?

Why should these species be protected?

Is herpetofauna dangerous to humans?

2. Excursions to nature should be organized for better familiarity with the habitats that reptiles and amphibians live. Landmark destinations will be:

the river Nestos (mostly the Straits of Nestos with its streams)

the lake Vistonis (with the surrounding agricultural crops)

the lagoons Lafri and Lafrouda

the Rodopi Mountains

3. Public meetings should be organized to inform the public about the role of herpetofauna, the reasons why it should be protected and the actions of the organization.
Βecause usually people don't know much about reptiles, they often treat them with fear and a negative mood, without it being necessary.

For that reason, they should be notified that most of them are not dangerous and, in fact, they are harmless and useful not only to the ecosystem, but to humans as well!

People should know what are the reasons that threaten the reptiles and what can be done to save them.

Moreover, they should be advised what to do in case they find a snake unknown to them.

Leaflets and posters should be given to everyone, with all the basics they need to know about herpetofauna.

4. Also, a bazar should be planned once a while, to search for sponsors for the funding of the organization. Various things can be sold to people, such as T-shirts, notebooks, calendars, key rings and DVDs with documentaries about herpetofaune and its role in ecosystems.

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Poster for Greek Herpetofauna Protection Programme

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Poster for Greek Herpetofauna Protection Programme

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Intensive agriculture and farming
Technology intensive farming  on large cropfields causes significant loss of biodiversity and, unlike traditional farming, it distroys all these diverse habitats importantfor amphibian and reptiles.

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Road infrastructures
Daily, reptiles and amphibians ravel sort distances in order to find food or towards the areas with water nearby (such as ponds, lakes, streams and river straits) either to drink or to breed (in the case of amphibians).

However, in order to be able to reach these areas, they often have to pass across difficult road networks. These roads are impossible obstacles to cross for many species, especially for the herpetofauna.

Therefore, in their attempt to cross these roads, amphibians and reptiles are killed by passing cars.

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It refers to harvesting a renewable resource to the point of diminishing returns. Continued overexploitation can lead to the destruction of the resource. The term applies to natural resources such as: wild medicinal plants, grazing pastures, game animals, fish stocks, forests, and water aquifers.

Εspecially for reptiles and amphibians, this is one of the most important problems they face. Amphibians and reptiles are commercially exploited and overexploited as food, as raw material for industry, as ornamental handcraft, as curiosity, as cultural traditionor as pets.

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Invasive species are called non-native plants and animals, that can cause havoc when, accidentally or intentionally, they are released outside their normal range into a new region. They ca caused massive economic and ecological losses in new locations because the natural controls of their native ecosystems were not there.

Traits of Invasive Species

capable of doing significant harm to ecosystems, economy or public health;

capable of spreading without apparent natural controls (natural predators, disease);

population levels that are unchecked;

causing major change faster than native ecosystems can accommodate;

changing major ecological processes (nutrient cycling, hydrology, fire regime, energy);

destabilizing environmental (physical or community) structure;

forming undesirable monotypic stands of vegetation that replace diverse communities;

reducing biodiversity/integrity, causing extirpations and extinctions;

reducing or eliminating a natural product, ecological service or other valued attribute.

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The threat of invasive species - Jennifer Klos

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Figure 3.

Acclimation in (a) upper and (b) lower thermal tolerance by clade.

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Plasticity in thermal tolerance has limited potential to buffer ectotherms from global warming | Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences

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Global warming is increasing the overheating risk for many organisms, though the potential for plasticity in thermal tolerance to mitigate this risk is largely unknown. In part, this shortcoming stems from a lack of knowledge about global and taxonomic patterns of variation in tolerance plasticity.

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Garbage disposal sites
Human is the only creature on earth that contaminates the environment with litter or trash produced by himself.

Many people throw a lot of trash, causing the environment (forests, rivers, lakes, e.g.), to be polluted. An example is the batteries that man throws into the ground and not into a recycling bin, eliminate toxins that penetrate into the soil and thus affect terrestrial or aquatic flora and fauna, especially the small ones, such as reptiles, amphibians and their . Another example is the plastic bags thrown into the sea, because the sea turtle confused it for food, swallow it and dies.

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Water contamination
The pollution of water has a direct effect on amphibians,  which is why any change, either reduction of aquatic ecosystems due to drought or contamination of their breeding sites, can cause serious damage in many species.

The causes of water contamination are mainly urban effluent, industrial toxic waste, fertilizers from agricultural crops, pesticides and agrochemicals rinsed out of the rain and end up in the water. Another source of contamination is the garbagethat people throw near springs or streams during a walk in the nature, which eventually end up in lakes or the sea.

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Amphibians and reptiles are ectotherms, which means that they rely on environmental temperatures to maintain their body temperature. That's why they are very vulnerable to the effects of climate change, due to their sensitivity to changes in environmental conditions.

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Edge of Extinction: Even Lizards Can't Keep Up

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Tourism is a phenomenon that, many times, has a negative impact on the environment and on the herpetofauna. It can cause serious problems to the breeding sites of many amphibian or reptile species, due to the noise they make, the garbage, the destruction of nesting areas, etc.

An important example is the case of the turtle Caretta caretta. The constant presence of tourists on the shores where these turtles are reproduced, and the noise they cause, terrorize the turtles, so they eventually avoid breeding in these areas and reduce their reproductive success.

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Tourists Disrupt Sea Turtle Nesting Site

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Greece is a country with an abundance of habitats and microhabitats. In them, you can meet a wide variety of flora and fauna and, most important, endemic species.

However, as human activities in the countryside increase, the dangers and habitat degradation also increase, leading the herpetofauna populations at a great disadvantage.

Since, amphibians are closely connected to the water, any destruction in aquatic ecosystems can harm deeply their population, and even whole species. Similar, reptiles live to rocky environments and they need the terrestrial vegetation to find refuge or to make their nests.

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Madagascar reptiles and their survival (Part 1/2)

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Madagascar reptiles and their survival (Part 2/2)

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Possible proposals for the conservation and sustainability of Malagasy reptiles

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Possible proposals for the conservation and sustainability of Malagasy reptiles

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I am Magdalene Zafeiriadou and I am a member of the "Wild Life Conservation Committee", an association consists of veterinarians, biologists, special scientists and volunteers who love wildlife. Our highly priority is to contribute to the preservation of biodiversity, due to conservation planning in areas all over the world characterised as biodiversity hotspots. Such an area is Madagascar, whose thirty-nine percent of the data-sufficient Malagasy reptiles, are threatened with extinction.

When it comes to herpetofauna, over 370 native (endemic) species of reptiles live on the island of Madagascar and the majority of them are facing extinction risks ( Jenkins RKB, et al., 2014). Habitat degradation, international reptile trade and human consumption are only some of the many threats, the species are facing.

Ιn the framework of the action of our organization, I was invited to present a report with possible solutions and proposals that could reduce those threats, but also establish a program to protect Malagasy reptiles. Below, I quote these suggestions:

1. The first important thing is monitoring and recording all the Malagasy reptiles, in order to verify their exact population dynamic.

2. Secondly, distribution and habitats of endemic species should be recorded, with any habitat degradation that can be found.

3. Thirdly, the entire community should be informed about what is an endemic species and what is its significance in the ecosystem.

4. Moreover, stricter rules should be applied on the issue of illegal trade in these species, in order to prevent the direct removal of reptiles for international trade.

5. To sensitize residents, a good idea is the direct contact of children and adults with the beauty of wildlife. This can become possible through field activities, through excursions to forests or natural history museums, or with the organization of reptile campaigns, with the necessary media.

In conclusion, it is especially important for us to take our responsibilities towards the environment that we ourselves mostly destroy. And why not to start first with the smaller ones?

Magdalene Zafeiriadou
"Wild Life Conservation Committee"

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You gave me the chance to know so much more about my country! You have done a great job researching about our local Herpetofauna and the way you presented it is beautiful as well!

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STEP 1. ACTIVATE YOUR PRIOR KNOWLEDGE – assess the problem 

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STEP 1. ACTIVATE YOUR PRIOR KNOWLEDGE – assess the problem 

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HABITATS: AMPHIBIAN: INTERNAL FERTILIZATION IN SALAMANDERS

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Physical Description:

15 to 25cm long

Black with yellow or orange markings that occur in patterns The underside is usually dark grey with fewer spots. Body length exceeds tail length, and the limbs are stout.

Ectothermic

Bilateral symmetry

Poisonous

Slight sexual dimorphism: female larger than males

Eating behavior:

invertebrate prey

generally a mixture of soft-bodied prey (such as earthworms and slugs) and harder-bodied (such as flies, millipedes, centipedes, and beetles)

Habitat:

Terrestrial Biomes: forest, woodland habitats

Habitat Regions: temperate, with much shade and nearby ponds or streams for breeding

spends much time beneath rocks or logs, or hiding in crevices to stay protected and moist.

Reproduction:

Fertilization -> internal

Breeding -> on land, but females deposit their young in water

Breeds once per year

sperm - storing and delayed fertilization (the female may retain the sperm for some time before ovulation and fertilization odcur)

-> This helps to account for the long gestation between the peak of mating season in the summer and the birth of the larvae in the following spring, after the winter hibernation.

Viviparous (the female retains the developing eggs, and the embryos derive their nourishment from the yolk. At birth the larvae are usually quite advanced, although some populations deposit young that have already metamorphosed.

Behavior:

terricolous

nocturnal

motile

sedentary

it hibernates

solitary

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9 Facts about Tiger & Fire Salamanders | Pet Reptiles

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Video 4 - Autotomy: explanation and example

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Self-amputation of Lizard. Tail cut off and regeneration

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Video 5 - Regeneration of a lizard tail

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Mitosis - Why does a lizards tail grow back

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Eupopean Green Lizard 
(Lacerta viridis)

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Eupopean Green Lizard 
(Lacerta viridis)

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Video 3 - Two males fighting

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Battle of "giants" - Lacerta viridis 😀🤼‍♂️

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Eupopean Green Lizard 
(Lacerta viridis)

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Eupopean Green Lizard 
(Lacerta viridis)

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Video 1 - Interesting facts about green lizards

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Reptile fun facts #1 EUROPEAN GREEN LIZARD (Lacerta viridis)

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Eupopean Green Lizard 
(Lacerta viridis)

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Eupopean Green Lizard 
(Lacerta viridis)

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Video 2 - A male chacing a female
Autotomy or self-amputation mecanism can be observed

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Borba guštera zelembaća / European green lizard fight (Lacerta viridis)

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Physical Description:

Up to 15 cm from the tip of the muzzle to the cloaca. The

Tail: twice the length of the body

Male: larger head, a uniform green coloring punctuated with small spots that are more pronounced upon its back. The throat is bluish in the adult male and to a lesser extent in the female.

Female: more slender, more uniform coloration, often displaying between two and four light bands bordered by black spots

Eating behavior:

mainly: insects and other small invertebrates

sometimes: fruit, bird eggs, chicks, small lizards and even mice

Habitat:

on the ground

in low, dense, bushy vegetation  in open woodland

likes to live in the sun early and late in the day.

in field margins, embankments and bramble thickets

Behavior:

Sometimes, when in danger, t sheds its tail (autotomy) to evade the grasp of a predator, regrowing it later.

Males have 73 ultraviolet-blue nuptial throat colouration that is a multiple honest signal and has important 74 roles in both intra- and intersexual selection

Reproduction:

In spring

Female: six to twenty eggs, hatching in two to four months

Maturity: the following year --> they will have doubled in size.

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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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STEP 3. CREATE

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Alpine Newt (Mesotriton alpestris)
(Laurenti, 1768)or Ichthyosaura alpestris

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Alpine Newt (Mesotriton alpestris)
(Laurenti, 1768)or Ichthyosaura alpestris

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It is a newt of the salamander order Caudata (or Urodela) in the class of amphibians.

Geographic range

Alpine newts were originally confined to Central Europe and mountainous Southern Europe. In Greece, it occurs in the high altitudes of Pindus massif, Northern Peloponnisos and Rodope, where it constitutes small and highly isolated local populations.

Description

Length: The biggest of the males can reach up to 9 cm, and the females up to 12 cm
Colour: mottled brown. During the mating season early in the year, the males exhibit dark-blue colouring on their backs; their flanks have white-black-spotted stripes below sky-blue stripes, and their bellies are bright orange. The females, in water camouflage, are mottled brown and have some weak spotting on their backs.

Ecology and habitat

This is a very aquatic species generally found close to water.

It is widespread in both alpine and lowland habitats including wet, shaded coniferous, mixed and deciduous forests, sub alpine meadows and pastureland.

The species breeds, and larval development takes place, in all stagnant waters including shallow ponds, temporary pools, lakes, and ditches, drinking troughs, ruts and sometimes slow-moving streams.

Alpine newts typically inhabit forests with good access to water in hilly to mountainous regions. They are mostly absent in forest-poor areas.

They populate well in thick deciduous forests, as well as parkland and natural gardens.

Outside the spawning season, Alpine newts live terrestrially. During the day it then stays in all kinds of undergrowth.

After the adults come out of winter dormancy, they migrate to their spawning pools (forest pools, artificial pools) and live the mating season in cool water.

Diet

Just after transition to active feeding, larvae of the Alpine Newt eat prey of the same taxa as larvae of the Carpathian Newt. During subsequent development, they consume increasing amounts of Mollusca, large forms of microcrustaceans (Daphniidae), and aquatic insects. In general, larval I. alpestris feed on more benthic prey than other syntopic larval newts. Feeding of adults is similar to that in other newts (such as those in the genus Triturus, and Lissotriton) and are generalist carnivores with a broad diet including invertebrates, crustaceans, and the eggs and hatchlings of frogs and fish.

Threats

Extensive degradation

Housing & urban areas

Commercial & industrial areas

Livestock farming & ranching

Hunting & trapping terrestrial animals

Logging & wood harvesting

Invasive non-native/alien species/diseases

Industrial & military effluents

Agricultural & forestry effluent

Habitat destruction

Conservation status in Greece:

--> Vulnerable (VU) , while Peloponnesian populations are considered as and especially Peloponnese populations are characterized as Endangered (EN) (IUCN 3.1)

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Fire-bellied toad (Bombina bombina)
(Linnaeus, 1761)

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Fire-bellied toad (Bombina bombina)
(Linnaeus, 1761)

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The fire belly toads are a group of eight species of small toads (most species typically no longer than 1.6 in or 4.1 cm) belonging to the genus Bombina.

Geographic range

The species is native to mainland Europe. In Greece, though, Bombina bombina occurs in a small part of Evros prefecture, where it exhibits a fragmented distribution (<0,5% of total population).

Description

Length: 26–60 mm long
Weight: 2-13.9 g
Body: depressed. Above, the skin is densely covered in low tubercles with black horny spines. There are no parotids behind the eyes but paired and arched gland complexes at the neck. The eardrums are not visible. Inner vocal sacs are present at the throat and webbings are well developed at the hind feet.
Colour: grey, brown or green with dark spots on the upper side and blackish with larger orange or red and smaller white spots on the underside. The skin produces a poison to protect itself from bacteria and fungi or the animal from vertebrates.
The name "fire-bellied" is derived from the brightly colored red- or yellow-and-black patterns on the toads' ventral regions, which act as aposematic coloration, a warning to predators of the toads' reputedly foul taste. The other parts of the toads' skins are green or dark brown.

Biology

The female of the species typically lays 80–300 eggs that can be found hanging off plant stems.

The offspring develop in pools or puddles.

Their metamorphosis is complete within a few weeks, peaking in July–August.

The eggs, laid in August, metamorphose only after the winter, with the toadlets attaining a length of 3–5 cm. These toadlets still have white bellies.

Distribution and habitat

The species can be found both in Europe and in areas in Asia with a moderate climate.All kinds of toads prefer habitats of stagnant water, which they are reluctant to leave. The fire-bellied toad lives primarily in a continental climate in standing water or calmer backwaters of rivers or ponds. The species can also be found in flood pools and in floodplains. The yellow-bellied species typically live at higher altitude, where they are primarily found in small bodies of water like ponds or water-filled ruts, often near small mountain streams. The Asian species also live in small bodies of water and can live at altitudes of over 3000 meters.

Diet

Tadpoles eat mainly algae and higher plants. The young toads and the adult toads consume insects, such as flies and beetles, shrimp and larvae; but also annelid worms and terrestrial.

Threats

Housing & urban areas

Commercial & industrial areas

Annual & perennial non-timber crops

Livestock farming & ranching

Domestic & urban waste water

Industrial & military effluents

Agricultural & forestry effluents (intensive agriculture, agro-chemical pollution)

climatic alterations

--> Loss of suitable habitats, especially breeding sites

Conservation status in Greece:

--> Endangered (EN) (IUCN 3.1)

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Greek meadow viper (Vipera ursinii graeca) 
(Nilson & Andrén, 1988)

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Greek meadow viper (Vipera ursinii graeca) 
(Nilson & Andrén, 1988)

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A venomous viper (snake) in the family Viperidae.

Geographic range

Endemic subspecies: (Vipera graeca)

Restricted to a few subalpine and alpine meadows on Pindos mountain range

Only in Greece and Albania

Description

Length: Adults average 40–50 cm. Females are larger than males.
Body: thick, head narrow, appearance rough. There are always several large scales or plates on the top of the head. The prominently keeled dorsal scales are in only 19 rows, and often dark skin shows between them.
Colour: It is gray, tan, or yellowish with a dark undulating dorsal stripe, which is edged with black

Distribution and habitat

It lives at high elevations in subalpine meadows above the tree line, usually between 1,600-2,000 m above sea level. A mosaic of open and closed, grass and shrub communities, formed on limestone bedrock characterize the main habitats of this snake species. Most of the observed vipers were found close to shrubs or stone piles in south-facing habitat patches.

Annual mean temperatures are about 6°C, and the meadows are partially covered by snow from winter (December) until early summer (May-June). South-facing slopes are generally inhabited as they are usually more open and rocky than north-facing slopes and presumably allow better thermoregulation because of sun exposure and hibernacula.

Diet

Mainly of Orthoptera (97%) species, of which Wing-buzzing Grasshopper (Stenobothrus rubicundulus), Platycleis spp., and Wart-biter Cricket (Decticus verrucivorus) are the most frequent prey (Mizsei et al. unpub. data).

Known predators of the species are Red Fox (Vulpes vulpes), Common Kestrel (Falco tinnunculus) and Short-toed Eagle (Circaetus gallicus).

Threats

Tourism & recreation areas

Livestock farming & ranching

Mining & quarrying

Roads & railroads

Hunting & trapping terrestrial animals

Other ecosystem modifications

Habitat shifting & alteration

Conservation status:

This viper is assessed as Endangered (EN) (IUCN 3.1)

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Greek rock lizard (Hellenolacerta graeca)  (Bedriaga, 1886)

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Greek rock lizard (Hellenolacerta graeca)  (Bedriaga, 1886)

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A species of lizard in the family Lacertidae.

Geographic range:

Endemic to southern Greece

Description

A medium-sized species, growing to a
Length: about 8 cm
Body: flattened, legs are relatively long and slender
Colour: glossy greyish-brown, sometimes more yellowish-brown, maybe with a faint reddish tinge

Males have irregular dark spots on the back and dark flanks with many small pale spots.

Females have smaller heads, fewer dark spots on the back and the pale spots on the flanks are more diffuse.

Sometimes there are one or two blue spots above the shoulder; in males, these may extend a short way along the flanks.

Underparts are yellow or orange and are usually speckled with fine dark markings, especially on the throat.

Distribution and habitat

It is found only in the Peloponnese region, at altitudes of up to 1,600 metres above sea level but usually within the range 300 to 700 metres. It is typically found near streams and pools, in light woodland, at the edge of fields bordering woodland and in shady areas of rock or scree. Its natural habitats are temperate forests, Mediterranean-type shrubby vegetation, rocky areas, and pastureland.

Behaviour

Agile species

Climbs on rocks, walls and tree trunks

Avoids prolonged periods in the full sun.

The females lay a single clutch annually consisting of 1-6 eggs, in a crevice or concealed place.

When it gets angry, it will spit acid at other animals that annoy it

Conservation status:

It is threatened by habitat loss.
-->Near Threatened (NT) (IUCN 3.1)

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Greek algyroides (Algyroides moreoticus) (Bibron & Bory, 1833)

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Greek algyroides (Algyroides moreoticus) (Bibron & Bory, 1833)

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A species of lizard in the family Lacertidae.

Geographic range:

A. moreoticus is endemic to Greece

Description

Length: up to 5cm without the tail, which is about twice as long.
Body:  Ventral view of neck with obvious colalr. Scales on back of comparable size to those on tail, overlapping, triangular and with a transverse keel.
Colour: brown with few black spots on the back. Two white strips can be distinguished on the right and left sides. On the sides, it is black with white or sometimes light blue spots.

Distribution and habitat

It occurs from sea level up to 1200m altitude, mainly in rocky or shrubby habitats near water, but also in more dry areas. It is mainly observed in the spring, as summer usually avoids the sun and high temperatures. The natural habitats of A. moreoticus are temperate forests, temperate shrubland, and plantations.

Behaviour

It is diurnal, agile and terrestrial mostly lizard. It feeds on small invertebrates. Females give little eggs each time.

Threats

Tourism & recreation areas

Annual & perennial non-timber crops

Hunting & trapping terrestrial animals

Logging & wood harvesting

Fire & fire suppression

Conservation status:

A. moreoticus is threatened by habitat loss.
-->Near Threatened (NT) (IUCN 3.1)

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STEP 1. ACTIVATE YOUR PRIOR KNOWLEDGE – assess the problem

Indeed, during the last million years the Earth underwent many climate changes. Very cold periods (glacial periods) transformed into warmer (interglacial periods), causing constant changes in ecosystems and biodiversity of flora and fauna.

Today, it is clear to scientific community that in Southern Europe - the Iberian (Spain and Portugal), the Italian and the Balkan peninsulas- there are high numbers of endemic species, whereas endemism in Northern European areas is practically non-existent.

Are these two phenomena connected??

There are some assumptions that can lead us to safe conclusions.
Firstly, not every species lived in northern Europe had all the necessary adjustments to survive. As a result, with climate change to colder periods, only a few species that managed to survive. All the rest of the species either became extinct or migrated to warmer areas. Those who stayed northern are those who developed thick insulations (i.e. furs, extra layers of fat, etc.), but they are still the minority. This is why there is low endimism in the north.
What is more, the species that movedto the south, whether to cope with the cold climate or to find food easier, are those that have finally been harmonized with the environment in these three peninsulas, the Iberian, the Italian and the Balkan. Τhis demonstrates a tendency towards the increase in endemism in these regions. Μoreover, the fact that these three peninsulas are geographically isolated implies that each of them displays its own endemism.

Consequently, the effect of climate change on both the adaptation of organisms and their behavior it is obvious.

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STEP 3. CREATE -Amphibian and reptile species of Greece

Endemic species

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 ID card  for one amphibian fossil found in my HerpetoArea

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 ID card  for one amphibian fossil found in my HerpetoArea

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† subfamily Anguinae, Gray 1825 (lizard)

Reptilia - Squamata - Anguidae

PaleoDB taxon number: 57616

Alternative spelling: Anguininae

Parent taxon: Anguidae according to R. M. Sullivan 1987

See also Cernansky et al. 2015, Estes 1976, Estes 1983, Kuhn 1966, McDowell and Bogert 1954, Meszoely 1970 and Vianey-Liaud et al. 2014

Sister taxa: Anniellinae, Bainguis, Barisia, Diploglossinae, Gerrhonotinae, Glyptosaurinae, Machaerosaurus, Odaxosaurinae,Odaxosaurus, Ophisauromimus, Xestops

Subtaxa: Anguini, Headonhillia, Ophipseudopus, Ophisaurini, Ophisauriscus, Parophisaurus

Type: Anguis

Ecology: insectivore-carnivore

Environments: terrestrial, fissure fill, fluvial-lacustrine, karst, lacustrine, cave, mire/swamp, alluvial fan, "floodplain", sinkhole, fine channel fill, fluvial-deltaic, paralic, lacustrine - small, estuary/bay, fluvial, marginal marine, lagoonal/restricted shallow subtidal, marine, coastal, "channel", deep subtidal, lagoonal, crevasse splay, coarse channel fill, wet floodplain

Age range: 66.043 to 0.012 Ma

Distribution:

1. Quaternary of Croatia (1 collection), Greece (1), Hungary (6), Israel (2), Italy (4), the Netherlands (1), Poland (2), United States (11: Florida, Texas)

2. Pliocene to Pleistocene of France (1), Hungary (1)

3. Pliocene of Austria (2), France (1), Germany (2), Hungary (5), Moldova (1), Morocco (1), Poland (4), Slovakia (1), Spain (1), Turkey(1), Ukraine (5)

4. MN 13 of Ukraine (2)

5. Neogene of Slovakia (1)

6. Miocene of Austria (4), Canada (1), the Czech Republic (2), France (3), Germany (29), Greece (3), Hungary (13), Italy (10), Kazakhstan (2), Morocco (1), Portugal (1), Romania (4), the Russian Federation (1), Serbia and Montenegro (3), Slovakia (2), Spain (8), Switzerland (1), Turkey (8), Ukraine (8), United States (4: Colorado, Delaware, Florida, Nebraska)

7. Oligocene to Miocene of Turkey (1)

8. Oligocene of Belgium (2), France (19), Germany (5), Turkey (2), United States (10: Colorado, Nebraska, Wyoming)

9. Eocene of Belgium (1), France (30), Germany (2), Portugal (1), Spain (4), Switzerland (1), the United Kingdom (3)

10. Paleocene of Belgium (1)

Total: 247 collections including 350 occurrences

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 ID card (1) for one reptilian fossil found in my HerpetoArea

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 ID card (1) for one reptilian fossil found in my HerpetoArea

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† Latonia gigantea,  Lartet 1851 (frog)
Osteichthyes - Anura

PaleoDB taxon number: 249806

Synonyms: Latonia feifari Hodrová 1987 (no. 252938), Rana batthyanyi Bolkay 1913 (no. 288759), Rana sansaniensis Lartet 1851 (no. 288771)

Belongs to Latonia according to Lartet 1851

See also Böhme 2010, Bolkay 1913 and Sanchiz 1998

Sister taxa: Latonia ragei, Latonia seyfriedi

Ecology:

Environments: terrestrial (3 collections), lacustrine (3), fluvial-lacustrine (2), fluvial-deltaic (2), lacustrine - small (1), fissure fill (1), paralic (1), fine channel fill (1)

Age range: 15.97 to 3.6 Ma

Distribution:

1. •Pliocene of Hungary (3 collections)

2. Miocene of Germany (4), Greece (1), Hungary (11), Romania (3), Serbia and Montenegro (3)

Total: 25 collections each including a single occurrence

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Balkan Terrapin

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European Pond Terrapin

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Tree Frog

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larvae of Common Newt

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Agile Frog

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Balkan Wall Lizard

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Greek Marsh Frog (,

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Large Whip Snakes (,maybe better “Caspian Whip Snake”)

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Hermann’s Tortoise

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Spur-thighed Tortoise

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Eastern Montpellier Snake

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Glass Lizards

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(photo fron the field)

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A tadpole (larva of a salamander)

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The Epirus water frog

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Yellow-bellied toad

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The grass snake

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Vipera ammodytes Nose-horned Viper

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The fire salamander

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Greek Slow Worm  (photo fron the field)

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Known commonly as Dahl's whip snake

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Greek Smooth Newt

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The European pond turtle

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(upside down)

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The Macedonian crested newt

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Greek Smooth Newt

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The European tree frog

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The common toad, European toad, or simply, the toad

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Balkan whip snake

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The European green lizard

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Greek stream frog or simply Greek frog

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Blue-throated Keeled Lizard

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Know as "wall lizard"

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Green Lizard

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Balkan wall lizard (photo from the field)

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The special ecological value of Northern Pindos National Park, which is recognized globaly, arises from the fact that within its limits two National Forests are enclosed:

the National Forest of Pindos (Valia Calda)

the Vikos- Aoos National Forest

Eleven protected areas listed in the European Network of Protected Areas “NATURA 2000”

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The foresty and aquatic ecosystem of Nestos is a national park of international importance. It is part of the Natura 2000 network and protected by the Ramsar International Convention.

The area is included in the "Important Bird Areas of Greece" (IBAs) and "Special Protection Area" (SPA), according to the Council Directive 79/409/EEC.

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Rich Flora

A variety of trees and shrubs:

1. plane trees

2. alder trees

3. willows

4. wild boars

5. cedars

6. oaks

7. rare wildflowers (violets, irises, orchids)

Rich Fauna

1. rare birds (arachnids, eagles, vultures, etc)

2. rare mammals (such as otters)

3. variety of reptiles and amphibians

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Ano Pedina (Zagori) - An important ecosystem

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Ano Pedina (Zagori) - An important ecosystem

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1. 60 species of mammals (almost all the endangered), such as bears, wolfs, wild cats, otters, Balkan chamois and roe

2. 180 species of birds (egyptian vulture, golden eagle, robin, fish hawk, osprey, ect)

3. 30 reptile species, including 16 lizard, 10 snake and 4 turtle species (presence of the Dalamatian Algyroides lizard (Algyroides nigropunctatus), the Japanese striped snake (Elaphe quatuorlineata) and the Spur-thighed Tortoise (Testudo graeca)

4. 14 amphibian species, some of particular interest, such as the salamander (Salamandra salamandra), the common toad (Bufo bufo), the European green toad (Bufo viridis) and the Alpine Newt (Triturus alpestris)

5. 17 species of fish, among which the pindovinos (Orhrias pindus) (endemic species, only found in Aoos River) and the Albanian Roach, also found in Aoos River

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Nestos is a river in Bulgaria and Greece. The banks of the river are covered mainly by deciduous trees that extend into the halfway between Bulgaria and Greece where it forms the modern boundary of Greek Macedonia and Thrace.

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Ano Pedina is a village of the prefecture of Ioannina in the municipality of Central Zagori. They are located on the southwestern slopes of Mountain Tymfis and north of Mountain Mitsikeli, built at an altitude of 960 meters above a small plateau.

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Ελληνικά Τοπία

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A small pond on the mountainside of Ano Pedina

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A small pond on the mountainside of Ano Pedina

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(a second pond)

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The marble rocks of the area, eroded by the continuous flow of river waters, create steep rocky slopes and many caves.

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A pond just outside Ano Pedina village (Central Zagori)

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A stream nearby Ano Pedina village of Central Zagori

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Here are three different ecosystems in which reptiles and amphibians live in, in two different regions of Greece: Ano Pedina in Epirus and River Nestos Straits In Thrace.

1. Fresh water habitats - Streams

2. Fresh water habitats - Ponds

3. Rocky mountainsides

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Greece, historically also known as Hellas, is a country located in Southeast Europe. Athens is the nation's capital and largest city, followed by Thessaloniki.

Greece is located at the crossroads of Europe, Asia, and Africa. Situated on the southern tip of the Balkan Peninsula, it shares land borders with Albania to the northwest, Bulgaria to the north, and Turkey to the northeast. The Aegean Sea lies to the east of the mainland, the Ionian Sea to the west, the Cretan Sea and the Mediterranean Sea to the south.

The country consists of nine geographic regions: Macedonia, Central Greece, the Peloponnese, Thessaly, Epirus, the Aegean Islands, Thrace, Crete, and the Ionian Islands.