List of reptiles of Bulgaria explained

Bulgaria is a country in southeastern Europe situated entirely in the Balkan peninsula. The country is inhabited by 39 reptilian species, which makes reptiles the second least diverse class of vertebrates in the country, after Bulgaria's amphibians.[1] The list includes four species that have not been recorded in the country since the first half of the 20th century – the loggerhead sea turtle, green sea turtle, aspic viper and meadow viper. There are four turtle and two tortoise species of four families – Cheloniidae, Emydidae, Geoemydidae and Testudinidae; fifteen lizard species of four families – Anguidae, Gekkonidae, Lacertidae and Scincidae; and eighteen snake species of four families – Boidae, Colubridae, Typhlopidae and Viperidae. In addition, in recent years one turtle species, the North American pond slider, has been observed in numerous bodies of water all over the country; it has not reproduced successfully in the country and is not included in the list.[2] [3] The other two extant orders, Crocodilia and Rhynchocephalia, are not represented in Bulgaria.

The foundations of Bulgarian herpetology, or studies of amphibians and reptiles, were laid in the end of the 19th century by the teacher Vasil Kovachev, who published a number of articles on the subject and the 1912 book Herpetologic Fauna of Bulgaria.[4] In the 1930s and 1940s, the zoologist Ivan Buresh and his associate Yordan Tsonkov conducted in-depth research on the diversity and distribution of the amphibian and reptile species in the country. In the second half of the 20th century the leading Bulgarian herpetologist was Dr. Vladimir Beshkov.[4]

Bulgaria provides various habitats for reptiles. The country falls within six terrestrial ecoregions of the Palearctic realm: Balkan mixed forests, Rodope montane mixed forests, Euxine-Colchic deciduous forests, Aegean and Western Turkey sclerophyllous and mixed forests, East European forest steppe, and Pontic–Caspian steppe.[5] Bulgaria has varied topography. From north to south the main geomorphological regions are the Danubian Plain, the Balkan Mountains, the Sub-Balkan valleys, the RilaRhodope massif to the south-west, the Upper Thracian Plain and the Strandzha mountains to the south-east. Most of the country is situated within the humid continental climate region, with Alpine climate in the highest mountains and Mediterranean climate in the southernmost regions.[6] The highest diversity of reptiles is recorded in southernmost Bulgaria – the valley of the river Struma, the eastern Rhodope Mountains, the southern reaches of the river Maritsa and Strandzha. Reptiles are also most diverse at low altitudes; 15 species occur below 200m (700feet), and only five species are common above 1200m (3,900feet).[7]

Status

The worldwide (not specific to Bulgaria) conservation status of species is based on their placement in one of the following categories from the IUCN Red List.

Not evaluated

Extinct in the wild

Endangered

Vulnerable

Least concern

Most of the reptile species found in Bulgaria have been categorised as least concern or not evaluated. Four species are near-threatened (the European pond turtle, meadow lizard, four-lined snake and Hermann's tortoise), two species have been designated vulnerable (the meadow viper and spur-thighed tortoise) and two species are classified as endangered (the loggerhead sea turtle and green sea turtle).

Order Testudines

Family Cheloniidae

Cheloniidae are a family of sea turtles with worldwide distribution in all tropical oceans. The family contains seven species in five genera,[8] of which two species have been recorded in the waters off the Bulgarian Black Sea Coast.[9]

Cheloniidae
SpeciesCommon nameDistributionStatusImage
Caretta carettaloggerhead sea turtleRecorded twice along the Bulgarian Black Sea Coast, off Shabla and Primorsko[10]
Chelonia mydasgreen sea turtleRecorded only once along the Bulgarian Black Sea Coast, off Sozopol[11]

Family Emydidae

Emydidae, also known as pond or march turtles, are a family of fresh water turtles. With the exception of two species, they are only found in the Western Hemisphere. There are close to 50 species in 10 genera, of which one species occurs in Bulgaria.[12]

Family Geoemydidae

Geoemydidae are one of the largest and most diverse turtle families. They are distributed in North America, northern South America, Europe, northwestern Africa and Asia. The family contains about 70 species in 19 genera, of which one species occurs in Bulgaria.[14]

Family Testudinidae

Testudinidae, also known as tortoises, are a family of land-dwelling turtles found in North and South America, Europe, Africa and Asia. They are terrestrial and inhabit warm areas ranging from rain forests to deserts. The family contains about 50 species in 11 genera,[16] of which 2 species are found in Bulgaria.[17]

Testudinidae
SpeciesCommon nameDistributionStatusImage
Testudo graecaspur-thighed tortoiseFound in the lowlands of the country: the Danube and Upper Thracian Plains, the Black Sea coast and some river valleys[18]
Testudo hermanniHermann's tortoiseFound in the lowlands of the country: the Danube and Upper Thracian Plains, the Black Sea coast and some river valleys; recorded up to 1450m (4,760feet) altitude in the mountains[19]

Order Squamata

Suborder Lacertilia

Family Anguidae

Anguidae are a family of legless lizards distributed in the Northern Hemisphere. The group includes both egg-laying and viviparous species. There are 73 species in 10 genera,[20] [21] of which three species occur in Bulgaria.[22]

Anguidae
SpeciesCommon nameDistributionStatusImage
Anguis colchicaEastern slowwormFound in most regions of the country[23] [24]
Anguis fragiliscommon slowwormRhodope Mountains
Pseudopus apodusEuropean legless lizardOccurs in the lowlands of south-eastern Bulgaria and along the Black Sea coast, with isolated populations in the lower valleys of the rivers Rusenski Lom and Struma[25]

Family Gekkonidae

Gekkonidae are a large family of small to mid-size geckos. They have global distribution with particular diversity in tropical areas. Gekkonidae include 1033 species in 51 genera,[26] of which two species is found in Bulgaria.[27]

Gekkonidae
SpeciesCommon nameDistributionStatusImage
Mediodactylus kotschyiKotschy's geckoFound in south-eastern Bulgaria, including the Upper Thracian Plain and the eastern Rhodope Mountains, as well as along the lower Struma valley
Mediodactylus danilewskiiMediterranean thin-toed geckoFound along the Black Sea coast of Bulgaria[28]

Family Lacertidae

Lacertidae are a family of true lizards or wall lizards native to Europe, Asia and Africa. The European and Mediterranean species inhabit mainly forest and scrub habitats.[29] There are 321 species in 37 genera,[30] of which nine species occur in Bulgaria.[31]

Lacertidae
SpeciesCommon nameDistributionStatusImage
Darevskia praticolameadow lizardFound in most of the country, except for the south-western regions and the Upper Thracian valley
Lacerta agilissand lizardFound in Rila, Pirin, western Rhodope Mountains, western and central Balkan Mountains, Sredna Gora and Osogovo, as well as isolated populations in Strandzha and the northern Black Sea coast[32]
Lacerta trilineataBalkan green lizardMost common in the lowlands of eastern Bulgaria, as well as in the lower Struma valley[33]
Lacerta viridisEuropean green lizardCommon throughout the country, except for the highest mountains[34]
Ophisops eleganssnake-eyed lizardInhabits only a small area in the eastern Rhodope Mountains and the lower valley of the Maritsa river[35]
Podarcis erhardiiErhard's wall lizardOccurs in south-western Bulgaria and the eastern Rhodope Mountains[36]
Podarcis muraliscommon wall lizardWidespread throughout the whole country[37]
Podarcis tauricusBalkan wall lizardFound in the lowlands of northern and eastern Bulgaria, as well as in the lower Struma valley[38]
Zootoca viviparaviviparous lizardFound in Rila, Pirin, Vitosha, the western Rhodope Mountains, the western and central Balkan Mountains and Osogovo[39]

Family Scincidae

Scincidae are a cosmopolitan family occurring in a variety of habitats worldwide, apart from boreal and polar regions. With 1589 species, of which one is found in Bulgaria,[40] Scincidae are among the most diverse lizard families.[41]

Suborder Serpentes

Family Boidae

Boidae are a family of nonvenomous snakes found in America, Africa, Europe, Asia, and some Pacific Islands. There are 58 species in 8 genera,[43] of which one species occurs in Bulgaria.[44]

Family Colubridae

Colubridae are a family of snakes with worldwide distribution found on every continent except Antarctica. There are 844 species in 118 genera,[46] [47] of which 12 species occur in Bulgaria.[48]

Colubridae
SpeciesCommon nameDistributionStatusImage
Coronella austriacasmooth snakeFound in the whole country, up to 1600m (5,200feet) altitude; rarely recorded up to 2200m (7,200feet)[49]
Dolichophis caspiusCaspian whipsnakeInhabits most of the country, except for the high mountains of southwestern Bulgaria[50]
Elaphe quatuorlineatafour-lined snakeFound only in the southern Struma valley[51]
Elaphe sauromatesblotched snakeOccurs in the Upper Thracian Plain, the Danubian Plain, Dobrudzha and the Black Sea coast[52]
Malpolon monspessulanusMontpellier snakeFound in southern Bulgaria: lower Struma valley, eastern Rhodope Mountains, Dervent Heights and Strandzha[53]
Natrix natrixgrass snakeFound all over the country[54]
Natrix tessellatadice snakeOccurs all over the country, up to 1100m (3,600feet) altitude[55]
Platyceps collarisred whip snakeFound in several populations along the Black Sea coast to the south of Sozopol[56]
Platyceps najadumDahl's whip snakeFound in south-western Bulgaria, the eastern Rhodope Mountains, the northern foothills of the western Rhodope Mountains and the Dervent Heights[57]
Telescopus fallaxEuropean cat snakeFound in the southern Struma valley and the eastern Rhodope Mountains[58]
Zamenis longissimusAesculapian snakeWidespread throughout the whole country, up to 1600m (5,200feet) altitude, rarely recorded up to 2,000 m in Belasitsa[59]
Zamenis situlaEuropean ratsnakeFound in the southern Struma valley, the foothills of the western Rhodope Mountains and the southern Black Sea coast[60]

Family Typhlopidae

Typhlopidae are a family of blind snakes found mostly in the tropical regions of Africa, Asia, the Americas, Australia and various islands. There are 381 species in 29 genera,[61] of which one species is native to Bulgaria and Europe.[62]

Family Viperidae

Viperidae are a family of venomous snakes found worldwide, except in Antarctica, Australia, New Zealand, Ireland, Madagascar, Hawaii and various other isolated islands. They include 329 species in 33 genera,[61] of which four species occur in Bulgaria.[63]

Viperidae
SpeciesCommon nameDistributionStatusImage
Vipera ammodyteshorned viperFound in the whole country, up to 1450m (4,760feet) altitude[64]
Vipera aspisaspic viperOnly two specimens have been recorded in Bulgaria – one found near Harmanli in 1933, the other in unknown location in the beginning of the 20th century[65]
Vipera beruscommon European adderOccurs in the mountains, at an altitude of 1000– – Rila, Pirin, Vistosha, western Rhodope Mountains, western and central Balkan Mountains, central Sredna Gora and Osogovo[66]
Vipera ursiniimeadow viperKnown only from a few specimens found in the Shumen Plateau and on Lyulin Mountain; there were no records since 1934[67] until in 2003 a specimen was collected in Ludogorets Plateau in northeastern Bulgaria[68]

See also

References

Sources

External links

Notes and References

  1. Biserkov, 2007, p. 34
  2. Biserkov, 2007, p. 71
  3. Tzankov . Nikolay . Popgeorgiev . Georgi . Kornilev . Yuri . Natchev . Nikolay . Stoyanov . Andrey . Naumov . Borislav . Ivanchev . Ivo . 4 . July 2015 . First survey on the invasive Pond slider (Trachemys scripta) in Bulgaria: historic development and current situation . PDF . Hyla: Herpetological Bulletin . 2015 . 1 . 18–27 . 1848-2007 . 13 July 2017.
  4. Biserkov, 2007, p. 28
  5. Web site: Ecoregions of Bulgaria. The Encyclopedia of Earth. 13 July 2015. live. https://web.archive.org/web/20150706054651/http://www.eoearth.org/view/article/178214/. 6 July 2015.
  6. Donchev, Karakashev, 2004, pp. 55, 59–61
  7. Book: Petrov, Boyan . Boyan Petrov . 2007 . Amphibians and Reptiles of Bulgaria: Fauna, Vertical Distribution, Zoogeography, and Conservation . http://testudo.bspb.org/doc/2/PETROV_Herpetofauna_Springer2007.pdf . Fet . Victor . Popov . Alexi . Biogeography and Ecology of Bulgaria . PDF . Monographiae Biologicae . 82 . Dordrecht . . 85–107 . 10.1007/978-1-4020-5781-6_4 . 978-1-4020-5781-6 . 13 July 2017 . subscription.
  8. Web site: Cheloniidae. Animal Diversity Web. 25 March 2015. live. https://web.archive.org/web/20150402135444/http://animaldiversity.org/accounts/Cheloniidae/. 2 April 2015.
  9. Biserkov, 2007, p. 74
  10. Biserkov, 2007, p. 75
  11. Biserkov, 2007, p. 76
  12. Biserkov, 2007, p. 69
  13. Biserkov, 2007, p. 70
  14. Biserkov, 2007, p. 72
  15. Biserkov, 2007, p. 73
  16. Web site: Testudinidae. Animal Diversity Web. 25 March 2015. live. https://web.archive.org/web/20150123170954/http://animaldiversity.org/accounts/Testudinidae/. 23 January 2015.
  17. Biserkov, 2007, p. 66
  18. Biserkov, 2007, p. 68
  19. Biserkov, 2007, p. 67
  20. Web site: Anguidae. Animal Diversity Web. 25 March 2015. live. https://web.archive.org/web/20150402130409/http://animaldiversity.org/accounts/Anguidae/. 2 April 2015.
  21. Web site: Anguidae. The Reptile Database. 25 March 2015. live. https://web.archive.org/web/20150222092656/http://reptile-database.reptarium.cz/advanced_search?taxon=Anguidae&submit=Search. 22 February 2015.
  22. Biserkov, 2007, p. 88
  23. Biserkov, 2007, p. 89
  24. Gvozdík. Václav. David. Jandzik. Petros. Lymberakis. Daniel. Jablonski. Jirí. Moravec. 2010. Slowworm, Anguis fragilis (Reptilia: Anguidae) as a species complex: Genetic structure reveals deep divergences. Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution. 55. 2. 460–72. 3 October 2015. 10.1016/j.ympev.2010.01.007. 20079858. 2010MolPE..55..460G . live. https://web.archive.org/web/20150802100037/http://www.danieljablonski.com/a/soubory/Gvozdik_etal10-Anguis_phylogeo_taxonomy-w_Suppl.pdf. 2 August 2015.
  25. Biserkov, 2007, p. 90
  26. Web site: Gekkonidae. The Reptile Database. 25 March 2015. live. https://web.archive.org/web/20140809152647/http://reptile-database.reptarium.cz/advanced_search?taxon=Gekkonidae. 9 August 2014.
  27. Biserkov, 2007, p. 83
  28. Web site: New data on the distribution of the Bulgarian Bent-toed Gecko (Mediodactylus danilewskii Strauch, 1887) in Shumen town (NE Bulgaria). 29 September 2023.
  29. Book: Cogger, H.G. . Zweifel, R.G.. Bauer, Aaron M.. 1998. Encyclopedia of Reptiles and Amphibians. Academic Press. San Diego. 163–165. 978-0-12-178560-4.
  30. Web site: Lacertidae. The Reptile Database. 18 June 2015. live. https://web.archive.org/web/20150928030015/http://reptile-database.reptarium.cz/advanced_search?taxon=Lacertidae&submit=Search. 28 September 2015.
  31. Biserkov, 2007, p. 91
  32. Biserkov, 2007, p. 93
  33. Biserkov, 2007, p. 95
  34. Biserkov, 2007, p. 96
  35. Biserkov, 2007, p. 97
  36. Biserkov, 2007, p. 99
  37. Biserkov, 2007, p. 101
  38. Biserkov, 2007, p. 102
  39. Biserkov, 2007, p. 103
  40. Biserkov, 2007, p. 86
  41. Web site: Scincidae. The Reptile Database. 18 June 2015.
  42. Biserkov, 2007, p. 87
  43. Web site: Boidae. The Reptile Database. 18 June 2015.
  44. Biserkov, 2007, p. 110
  45. Biserkov, 2007, p. 111
  46. Book: Cogger, H.G. . Zweifel, R.G.. Bauer, Aaron M.. 1998. Encyclopedia of Reptiles and Amphibians. Academic Press. San Diego. 188–195. 978-0-12-178560-4.
  47. Web site: Colubridae. The Reptile Database. 18 June 2015.
  48. Biserkov, 2007, p. 112
  49. Biserkov, 2007, p. 124
  50. Biserkov, 2007, p. 115
  51. Biserkov, 2007, p. 121
  52. Biserkov, 2007, p. 122
  53. Biserkov, 2007, p. 127
  54. Biserkov, 2007, p. 125
  55. Biserkov, 2007, p. 126
  56. Biserkov, 2007, p. 117
  57. Biserkov, 2007, p. 116
  58. Biserkov, 2007, p. 128
  59. Biserkov, 2007, p. 119
  60. Biserkov, 2007, p. 120
  61. Web site: Typhlopidae. The Reptile Database. 18 June 2015. live. https://web.archive.org/web/20150721151319/http://reptile-database.reptarium.cz/advanced_search?taxon=Typhlopidae&submit=Search. 21 July 2015.
  62. Biserkov, 2007, p. 109
  63. Biserkov, 2007, p. 130
  64. Biserkov, 2007, p. 131
  65. Biserkov, 2007, p. 135
  66. Biserkov, 2007, p. 133
  67. Biserkov, 2007, p. 134
  68. Web site: New record of Vipera ursinii (Bonaparte, 1835) in Bulgaria. 29 September 2023.