Dolichophis caspius (Gmelin, 1789)

Oskyrko, Oleksandra & Jablonski, Daniel, 2021, The first comprehensive data on the distribution of reptiles within the Southern Bug eco-corridor, Ukraine, Herpetozoa 34, pp. 97-114 : 97

Dolichophis caspius (Gmelin, 1789)

Number of records.

171 (18% of the data).

Number of grid cells.

54 (18.3% of the entire grid; Table 1 ; Figs 6 , 9D ).

Comments.

This is the most common snake with a high number of observations per grid cell (Table 1 ). This species is known throughout the Mykolaiv Oblast ( Dotsenko and Radchenko 2005; Tarashchuk 2007; Bilyakov and Tarashchyuk 2008; Nekrasova 2013; Sillero et al. 2014; Marushchak et al. 2018; Redinov 2018; Mykytynets et al. 2019; Nekrasova et al. 2019; Voblenko et al. 2019). We found multiple individuals within the Southern Bug eco-corridor in the steppe zone and a single one near the village of Snihurivka. Most records were from Buzk’s Gard National Nature Park (Fig. 10D ). The known distribution for this species shows a broad occurrence throughout the oblast, albeit with significant gaps, most likely due to lack of sampling. We found this species more often than other snakes in this oblast.

Figures

Figure 6. Distribution of (species) within the Mykolaiv Oblast (Ukraine), based on localities (left; white circles - literature and public database data, yellow circles - authors' data) and 10 km UTM grid (right; yellow squares - species recorded).

Figure 9. Representative pictures of species of herpetofauna: A. Natrix natrix, Migia; B. Natrix tessellata, Yuzhnoukrainsk; C. Coronella austriaca, Mykolaiv; D. Dolichophis caspius, juvenile, Mykolaiv; E. Elaphe sauromates, valley of the Inhul River; F. Zamenis longissimus, Migia. Photographs by S. Lehkyy (A, B), V. Strenada (C, D, E, F).

Figure 10. Representative habitats for the herpetofauna in the Mykolaiv Oblast: A. habitat of Coronella austriaca near the village of Zaichevsk; B. habitat of Zamenis longissimus near the village of Grushivka; C. habitat of Podarcis tauricus near the village of Trykhaty; D. Buzk's Gard National Nature Park. Photographs by V. Strenada (A), O. Oskyrko (B, C, D).