Snake Conservation State in the Reserves of the Volga Basin

Abstract

There are 23 nature reserves in the Volga basin, all of them in the Russian Federation. According to our data and open access literature sources, ten out of the eleven species of snakes that are reliably known to be found in the Volga basin, inhabit and, therefore, are protected in 22 reserves. No snakes have been recorded in the Vishersky Reserve. One species inhabits the nature reserves “Basegi” and “Tsentralno-Lesnoy”, two species – in the reserves “Bolshaya Kokshaga”, “Darvinsky”, “Kaluzhskie zaseki”, “Kologrivsky forest”, “Nurgush”, “Prioksko-terrasny”, in the reserves “Bashkirsky”, “Visimsky”, “Volzhsko-Kamsky”, “Kerzhensky”, “Mordovsky”, “Oksky”, “Prisursky”, “Shulgan-Tash” and “Yuzhno-Uralsky” there are 3 species each, the reserves “Zhigulevsky” and “Volga forest-steppe” – 4 species each, in the reserves “Astrakhansky” and “Bogdinsko-Baskunchaksky” – 5 species each, in the reserve “Chornye Zemli” – 7 species. Eryx jaculus was not found in the reserves of the Volga basin. Species Eryx miliaris inhabits two reserves, Natrix natrix – 20, Natrix tessellata – 2, Coronella austriaca – 11, Elaphe dione – 4, Elaphe sauromates – 2, Hierophis caspius – 3, Malpolon monspessulanus – 1, Vipera berus – 19, Vipera renardi – 2. The latter species is represented in both reserves (Volga forest-steppe and Astrakhansky) only by the nominative subspecies Vipera r. renardi, and in the Volga Basin, by the endemic subspecies V. r. bashkirovi, which has no conservation status in regional reserves. Three species of snakes are the least prosperous in terms conservation in the Volga basin: Eryx jaculus, Eryx miliaris, and Vipera renardi.