Peloponnese slow worm
| Peloponnese slow worm | ||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Peloponnese slow worm ( Anguis cephallonica ) |
||||||||||||
| Systematics | ||||||||||||
|
||||||||||||
| Scientific name | ||||||||||||
| Anguis cephallonica | ||||||||||||
| Werner , 1894 |
The Peloponnese Slow Worm ( anguis cephallonica ) is a crawl -type in the genus anguis .
features
The Peloponnese slow worm is very similar to the slow worm ( Anguis fragilis ), but is slimmer than it. The total length is up to 50 cm, including the tail. The clear distinguishing feature is the course of the dark brown lateral line starting from the neck at the border between the back and the flank, which is not straight, but jagged upwards in places. The prongs usually point backwards.
Occurrence
The species occurs on the Peloponnese and on the islands of Zakynthos and Kefalonia (from which the scientific name is derived) and possibly also on Ithaca . It can be found from 0 to 1100 meters above sea level . Their habitat includes semi-shady areas near bodies of water at the edges of forests, in bushy terrain, in (especially overgrown) gardens, in olive groves and at the edges of villages. It is common in the south of the Peloponnese.
Way of life
The way of life of the species has so far only been insufficiently investigated, but seems to correspond largely to that of the slow worm. It lives in different habitats with moist soil. Peloponnese blind crawls are largely crepuscular and nocturnal. The diet consists of insects, arachnids, woodlice, worms, snails and other small animals. Similar to the lizards, the sneak is able to shed its tail when in danger. This grows stubby over time, but never reaches the previous length.
Taxonomy
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 grouped 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 Peloponnese slow worm ( Anguis cephallonica ) was re-established as a separate species. In 2010, molecular biological studies also revealed the species status for the Greek ( Anguis graeca ) and for the Eastern slow worm ( Anguis colchica ). In 2013 the Italian slow worm was added.
Individual evidence
- ↑ H. Grillitsch, A. Cabela: On the systematic status of the blindworms (Squamata: Anguidae) of the Peloponnese and the southern Ionian islands (Greece). In: Herpetozoa. Volume 2, No. 3/4, 1990, pp. 131-153 ( PDF ).
- ↑ 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. In: Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution. Volume 69, No. 3, 2013, pp. 1077-1092, doi: 10.1016 / j.ympev.2013.05.004 .
supporting documents
- Dieter Glandt : Pocket dictionary of amphibians and reptiles in Europe. All types from the Canary Islands to the Urals. Quelle & Meyer, Wiebelsheim 2010, ISBN 978-3-494-01470-8 , pp. 319, 320.
- Benny Trapp: Amphibians and reptiles of mainland Greece. NTV, Münster 2007, ISBN 3-86659-022-9 , pp. 140-141.