Discovery of the Black-headed Ground Snake Rhynchocalamus melanocephalus (Jan, 1862) in Cyprus (Reptilia: Colubridae). Issue 2 (2nd April 2020)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Tamar, Karin; Wiedl, Hans Jörg; Maza, Erez; Jablonski, Daniel; Meiri, Shai
• Is Part Of: Zoology in the Middle East. Volume 66:Issue 2(2020)
• Page Start: 118
• Page End: 123
• Publication Date: 2020-04-02
• Subjects: Distribution -- range extension -- mitochondrial DNA sequences -- Middle East; Zoology -- Middle East -- Periodicals; 591.95605
• DOI: 10.1080/09397140.2020.1757914
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 0939-7140

Abstract

Abstract : We identified two snakes from Paphos district in south-western Cyprus as belonging to the secretive genus Rhynchocalamus . They represent the first record of these snakes in Cyprus. Morphological features and mitochondrial 16S DNA sequences suggest that these specimens belong to R. melanocephalus, a species widely distributed in the Eastern Mediterranean region. The genetic similarity to a specimen from northern Israel may imply either a human-mediated dispersal or a natural colonization. These observations thus raise the number of snake species known to occur in Cyprus to 12.