Italian slow worm
| Italian slow worm | ||||||||||||
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An Italian slow worm ( Anguis veronensis ) |
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| Scientific name | ||||||||||||
| Anguis veronensis | ||||||||||||
| Pollini , 1818 |
The Italian slow worm ( Anguis veronensis ) is a species of reptile from the sneak family and lives in Italy and the neighboring areas.
features
The total length is up to 48 cm, females become slightly larger than males. The head-torso length averages 21 cm for the females and 17 cm for the males. Outwardly, the species is very similar to the western slow worm , but the tail is relatively longer. The mean number of under-tail scales (subcaudal scales) is around 150, slightly higher than that of the western slow-worm. The maximum value is 164. The head of Anguis veronensis is somewhat more robust than that of Anguis fragilis .
distribution
The distribution area includes mainland Italy and the border near south-east France . In Italy it is absent in the south of Calabria , in most of Puglia and in parts of Basilica . In France she only lives in Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur . Whether the species occurs in southern Switzerland has not yet been conclusively clarified. The location density in the distribution area decreases from north to south, in northern and central Italy it is more common than in the south. In northeastern Italy and in neighboring Slovenia , hybrids between the Italian slowworm and the western slowworm have been detected.
habitat
From sea level to 2300 m above sea level in the province of Trentino . A wide range of habitat types is populated, e. B. pine forests on the coasts, lowland forests, deciduous forests, chestnut forests, subalpine coniferous forests, but also open biotopes such as meadows, pastures, gardens and fallow areas. Transitions between wooded and open habitats are preferred. There must also be a certain amount of soil moisture. In southern Italy the edges of oak and beech forests and occasionally even dry sand dunes with Mediterranean maquis are inhabited.
Way of life
Active individuals can be found all year round, but mostly from late March to late October. Outside of this time the species is only found sporadically. In Mediterranean Italy, the species is predominantly crepuscular and nocturnal, while in the north it is more likely to be observed during the day. Mating takes place in the spring, with the females usually only reproducing every other year. After a gestation of 11–13 weeks, 4–26 young are born from June to September, sometimes not until October. The species is very long-lived and is said to be able to live for over 40 years.
Danger
The IUCN lists the species in Italy as not endangered ( least concern ). The Italian slow worm is a common species in the north of the area, but rare in central and especially southern Italy.
Taxonomy
The Italian slow worm first described as Anguis veronensis by Pollini in 1818 was described again by Risso in 1826 as Anguis cinereus and Anguis bicolor , without realizing that it was a species already described in Italy. However, their species rank was not recognized for a long time due to the lack of sufficient morphological distinguishing features to the western slow worm ( Anguis fragilis ).
The species of the slow worm ( Anguis ) form a species complex that includes several externally hardly distinguishable species within the range. Therefore, for a long time they were united under the name Anguis fragilis . Although there have been some attempts to isolate species from this complex, the external distinguishing features remained uncertain and could also be attributed to intra-specific variability . In 1990, the spread in the Peloponnese was Peloponnese Slow Worm ( Anguis cephallonica ) rebuilt as a separate species. Analysis of the mitochondrial genome has now shown that its closest relative is the Italian slowworm ( Anguis veronensis ), which was only re-established as a species in 2013.
Individual evidence
- ↑ Dieter Glandt: The amphibians and reptiles of Europe: All kinds in portrait. 2nd, updated and expanded edition. Quelle & Meyer, Wiebelsheim 2015, ISBN 978-3-494-01581-1 , pp. 329-330.
- ↑ Anguis veronensis in the Red List of Endangered Species of the IUCN Italy 2013. Posted by: Franco Andreone, Claudia Corti, Francesco Ficetola, Edoardo Razzetti, Antonio Romano, Roberto Sindaco. Retrieved August 16, 2020.
- ↑ Tomasz Strzała, Renata Grochowalska, Bartłomiej Najbar, Angelica Crottini, Barbara Kosowska & Daniel Jablonski: Complete mitochondrial genome of the Italian slow-worm Anguis veronensis Pollini, 1818, and its comparison with mitogenomes of other Anguis species. Mitochondrial DNA Part B, Resources 2, pp. 71-72, 2017, doi : 10.1080 / 23802359.2017.1280705
- ↑ Václav Gvoždík, Norbert Benkovský, Angelica Crottini, Adriana Bellatie, Jiří Moravec, Antonio Romano, Roberto Sacchi, David Jandzik: An ancient lineage of slow worms, genusAnguis (Squamata: Anguidae), survived in the Italian Peninsu Slowworm, Anguis fragilis (Reptinsu Slowworm, Anguis : Anguidae) as a species complex: genetic structure reveals deep divergences. Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution, 69, 3, pp. 1077-1092, December 2013, doi : 10.1016 / j.ympev.2013.05.004
literature
- Dieter Glandt: The amphibians and reptiles of Europe: All kinds in portrait. 2nd, updated and expanded edition. Quelle & Meyer, Wiebelsheim 2015, ISBN 978-3-494-01581-1 , pp. 329-330.
Web links
- Anguis veronensis in The Reptile Database . Edited by: P. Uetz, P. Freed & J. Hošek, 1995–2020. Retrieved August 16, 2020.
- http://www.iucn.it/scheda.php?id=982024538 The Italian slow worm in the Red List of Italy.