Abstract
AbstractBackgroundThe dice snake (Natrix tessellataLaurenti, 1768) is generally considered to be a fully or partially piscivorous freshwater snake species. The aim of the study was to make the first global overview on the taxonomy and geographical distribution of the species based on own observations, available databases and the special literature.ResultsBesides freshwaters,N. tessellataturned out to hunt also in marine and terrestrial habitats predating on at least 29 and 15 species, respectively. On the basis of our data and the literature altogether, 113 prey taxa, mostly fish, were listed but 20% of them were invertebrates, amphibians, reptiles and mammals. The importance of non-fish species in the diet was especially pronounced in deserts, high mountains and in dry Mediterranean areas. In spite of the wide feeding spectrum, only fish and amphibians were found to be predominant food items over the whole species' range. Fish dominated the catch of the dice snake in most quantitative studies, except one survey in Turkey, where the ratio of non-fish prey items was over 50%.ConclusionsThe global analysis of the diet of the dice snake revealed a feeding spectrum characteristically changing over the broad distribution area including non-fish prey as well as taxa from marine and terrestrial habitats. The analysis of the feeding spectrum separated four large geographical units with further distinctions in Central and Eastern Europe. Such diversity helps explain why this species was able to colonise a large and diverse Eurasian range.
Highlights
The dice snake (Natrix tessellata Laurenti, 1768) is generally considered to be a fully or partially piscivorous freshwater snake species
The dice snake (Natrix tessellata Laurenti, 1768) is a Eurasian snake species ranging from Germany and Switzerland to China, Pakistan and Egypt (Gasc et al 1997; Ibrahim 2012; Mebert et al 2013) and is well adapted to the aquatic environment
Species composition of prey taxa Altogether, 113 animal taxa have been listed as prey for the dice snake belonging to three phyla: Mollusca, Arthropoda and Vertebrata
Summary
The dice snake (Natrix tessellata Laurenti, 1768) is generally considered to be a fully or partially piscivorous freshwater snake species. The grass snake (Natrix natrix) lives in Eurasian habitats, often inhabiting similar areas with the dice snake (Gasc et al 1997) while the viperine snake (Natrix maura) has sympatric populations in Switzerland and Italy with the dice snake (Metzger et al 2011; Scali 2011). It is listed in Annex II of the Bern Convention (1999) and it appears in Annex IV of the Habitat Directive of the European Union (1992) but due to its wide distribution and presumably large population size, it is categorised as least concern by IUCN (2012). Conservation measures should still be undertaken for this species as habitat destruction, pollution, road traffic, collection and persecution are listed as possible threats
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