THE FIRST RECORD OF ABLEPHARUS KITAIBELII (BIBRON AND BORY DE SAINT-VINCENT, 1833) IN THE NORTH OF OLT COUNTY

espanolRegistramos el primer caso de bifurcaciones caudales en A. kitaibelii. Esta anomalia morfologica fue identificada en un estudio de seguimiento de cuatro anos realizado en una zona de elevada presencia herpetologica en el monte Pastrina (noroeste de Bulgaria). De un total de 415 especimenes capturados, cuatro (0,96%) presentaron una duplicacion lateral simetrica o asimetrica de la cola. Se registraron unicamente bifurcaciones de la seccion caudal mas distal, lo que contrasta con las registradas en otros lagartos como, por ejemplo, Gekkonidae, Lacertidae y Teiidae, en los que se han registrado supervivencias con bifurcaciones en las secciones caudales mas proximales. catalaRegistrem el primer cas de bifurcacions caudals en A. kitaibelii. Aquesta anomalia morfologica va ser identificada en un estudi de seguiment de quatre anys portat a terme en una zona d’elevada presencia herpetologica al puig Pastrina (nord-oest de Bulgaria). D’un total de 415 especimens capturats, quatre (0,96%) van presentar una duplicacio lateral simetrica o asimetrica de la cua. Nomes es van registrar bifurcacions de la seccio caudal mes distal, la qual cosa contrasta amb les registrades en altres llangardaixos com ara Gekkonidae, Lacertidae i Teiidae, en que s’han registrat supervivencies amb bifurcacions a les seccions caudals mes proximals. EnglishWe report for the first time on the occurrence of tail bifurcations in the snake-eyed skink (A. kitaibelii). This morphological anomaly was identified during a four-year monitoring program conducted in a herpetological hot-spot at Pastrina hill (northwestern Bulgaria). From a total of 415 captured specimens, four animals (0.96%) showed symmetrical or asymmetrical lateral duplication of the tail. Only bifurcations of the distal-most caudal section were detected in contrast to some other lizards (e.g. Gekkonidae, Lacertidae, Teiidae) that are reported to survive with bifurcations at more proximal tail sections.

Ablepharus kitaibelii fitzingeri is the northernmost subspecies of the snake-eyed skink (the only representative of the genus in Europe), and an endemic species of the Carpathian Basin. Despite of its unique status in the Hungarian herpetofauna and its strict protection, no recent summary has been provided on its distribution in the country. In the last attempt, Dely (1978) presented 40 localities of the subspecies. Here we give an updated distribution of the subspecies (100 localities), based on records from the literature, collection of the Hungarian Natural History Museum (HNHM), field surveys made by the authors and observations of field researchers. The current conservation status of A. k. fitzingeri in Hungary is discussed and an updated distribution map is provided.

Most of the studies dealing with the Snake-eyed skink (Ablepharus kitaibelii) treat predominantly aspects of the distribution and taxonomy of the species. In the present study we provide information concerning the mechanism of hatching in the Snake-eyed skink and the dimensions of the hatched specimens. We collected data from wild animals, as well as from indoor incubated juveniles. The present study provides the first data concerning the weight of the newly hatched juveniles of the species and discuss on potential misleading data concerning the size of the juveniles in A. kitaibelii.

Although Ablepharus kitaibelii and its subspecies are wide-spread, being distributed from the Carpathian Basin through the Balkans to Iraq, their habitat and environmental niche is poorly known. Ablepharus kitaibelii fitzingeri is almost entirely limited to the Carpathian Basin, and is amongst the most strictly protected and least known reptiles of Central and Eastern Europe. The main aim of our study was to determine habitat use preferences of different age groups of A. kitaibelii fitzingeri and Lacerta viridis . The occurrence of green lizard was determined by the abundance of refugia rather than by the naturalness of grasslands. The snake-eyed skink prefers semi-natural grasslands with abundant tussock-forming grass or sedge species, avoiding densely shrubby places. For the first time, we show that woodland mosaics lacking shrubs and temporary grasslands next to forest edges are important for the species. Microhabitat use by snake-eyed skink varies with age group; adults preferring shady edge zones rich in leaf litter and shadier grassland spots provided by woodland mosaics, whereas juveniles were found in natural, more open grasslands far from forest edges and in woodland mosaics with dense shrubby understory. Our results contribute to a better understanding of the ecological needs of A. kitaibelii fitzingeri . Our methodology could be adapted to other species and subspecies of Ablepharus . Based on our results, it is important to reconsider habitat management activities, which should not be limited to shrub control: the main goal should be the development of a diverse habitat structure.

The two following notes concern two species of small skinks, genus Ablepharus: Lindberg's Twin-striped Skink (Ablepharus lindbergi) and the Snake-eyed Skink (Ablepharus kitaibelii). Both species are small fossorial/semi-fossorial skinks with fused eyelids and a hidden lifestyle. A. kitaibelii is distributed disjunctly in several subspecies in Central and Southeastern Europe as well as in Western Turkey, A. lindbergi is distributed in Western Afghanistan (Uetz et al. 2020).

The snake-eyed skink (Ablepharus kitaibelii) is one of the smallest European lizards and is still insufficiently studied, especially in regard to its trophic preferences. We studied a total of 100 individual faecal samples of A. kitaibelii from two sites in Western Bulgaria and collected information for the potential trophic resource (using pit-fall traps). The results showed that Araneae and Auchenorrhyncha have the largest relative share in the trophic spectrum of the species, which, to some extent, confirms what was found in previous studies. The presence of five higher taxa of invertebrates (Gastropoda, Acari, Blattodea, Orthoptera and Rhaphidioptera) in the diet of A. kitaibelii was recorded for the first time. Several cases of keratophagy (a phenomenon that has not been reported for this species) were also recorded. Regarding the main physical characteristics of the prey (evasiveness and hardness), it was found that A. kitaibelii prefers sedentary and medium moving prey regardless of its hardness. We found no differences between sexes in food preferences.

Terrestrial reptiles are threatened by numerous anthropogenic activities, including agriculture. Many agricultural methods and techniques affect the herpetofauna located in the oldest known tree crops in the Mediterranean Basin, olive trees. For the first time, we present a case of unintentional capture (and killing) of 12 snake-eyed skinks Ablepharus kitaibelii (Bibron & Bory de Saint-Vincent, 1833) on an insect control sticky trap in an olive grove in central Greece.

Microhabitat selection and seasonal activity of the snake-eyed skink, Ablephaus kitaibelii fitzingeri, are compared to the two lacertid lizards (Lacerta viridis and Podarcis muralis) that co-occur in many of its habitats. The food composition of A. k. fitzingeri is also described. Significant differences in microhabitat selection and seasonal activity among the three species were found. The snake-eyed skink was associated with open grasslands, and with a low level of scrub, bare soil and rock cover. The microhabitat preference of L. viridis was quite similar to that of the skink, but with a higher preference for scrub. P. muralis occurred in places with greater rock and bare soil cover, and more scrub than A. k. fitzingeri. Activity of the snake-eyed skink decreased dramatically in summer, probably because of the reduced thermal inertia originating from the extremely small size of this species, but its seasonal activity overlapped with those of the lacertids. Stomach content analysis of the snake-eyed skink suggests that it is a generalist predator of small, mainly flightless arthropod prey. Competition with juvenile lacertids and predation by adult L. viridis are conceivable for the snake-eyed skink.

Figure 1 from: Christopoulos A, Pafilis P (2021) An agricultural practice as a direct threat to the snake-eyed skink Ablepharus kitaibelii (Bibron & Bory de Saint-Vincent, 1833) in central Greece. Herpetozoa 34: 9-12. https://doi.org/10.3897/herpetozoa.34.e61956

Figure 2 from: Christopoulos A, Pafilis P (2021) An agricultural practice as a direct threat to the snake-eyed skink Ablepharus kitaibelii (Bibron & Bory de Saint-Vincent, 1833) in central Greece. Herpetozoa 34: 9-12. https://doi.org/10.3897/herpetozoa.34.e61956

The European snake-eyed skink (Ablepharus kitaibelii) is an endangered lizard species in Croatia, limited to a very small area in Papuk Nature Park, and several localities in the town of Ilok and the surrounding area. On Mt Papuk, the species is limited to an area of the warm southern slopes of the Turjak-Mališćak-Pliš peaks, above Velika. In the year 2019, the species was documented in a new location, on Stinice. The aim of this study is to analyse morphometric measures, relative density, predatory pressure, and to determine the sustainability of this population. Data obtained were compared with the previous research into the European snake-eyed skink on Turjak, the most researched European snake-eyed skink site on Papuk so far. The population on Stinice has lower density, and is under higher predatory pressure than the population on Turjak. Also, there are differences in some morphometric measures between these two populations that should be further explored.

The distribution of Ablepharus kitaibelii (Snake-eyed skink) in Serbia was reviewed, based on the collection of 183 records comprised of the authors’ unpublished data, observations of colleague researchers and of literature data. Roughly 68% of these records have not been published previously. Apparent distribution gaps in western and southern parts of the country were largely filled in by new findings. The absence of the Snake-eyed skink in the northern parts of our country is most likely caused by large-scale alteration and destruction of suitable habitats. Presented data provide the basis for further research and conservation assessments of this species.

FRI0424 Accessibility To Biological Therapy for Patients with Ankylosing Spondylitis in Romania Is Influenced by Area of Residence, Socio- Economic and Demographic Factors

Studies on the gut microbiome of free-living reptiles in Europe are generally fragmentary and still missing in Bulgaria. We aimed to identify and compare the fecal microbiota profiles of five syntopic lizard species from three families: the European green lizard (Lacerta viridis), the common wall lizard (Podarcis muralis), the meadow lizard (Darevskia praticola) (Lacertidae), the European snake-eyed skink (Ablepharus kitaibelii) (Scincidae), and the European slow worm (Anguis fragilis) (Anguidae), which coinhabit a low mountainous area in the western part of the country. A high-throughput sequencing of the hypervariable V3-V4 region of the 16S rRNA gene, performed on the Illumina HiSeq2500 platform, was used. The core microbiota of lizard hosts seems to be species-specific. A dynamic phyla proportion between hosts was found. The richest alpha diversity was observed in D. praticola, and the lowest alpha diversity was observed in P. muralis and A. fragilis. Within the three lacertids, the microbiota of D. praticola and L. viridis were more closely related to each other than they were to those of P. muralis. Sharing a largely common trophic resource (all species except A. fragilis are mainly insectivorous) was not an indication of similarity in their gut microbial communities.

A reinvestigation of phylogeny and divergence times of the Ablepharus kitaibelii species complex (Sauria, Scincidae) based on mtDNA and nuDNA genes