Switzerland, june 2009

[Grégoire Meier]

Three days of herping in Swiss french with a friend:

Lacerta vivipara


Salamandra atra, female


Bufo bufo, female


Coronella austriaca


Vipera berus, female




Vipera berus, female


Vipera aspis atra, male.


Vipera aspis atra, male


Vipera aspis atra, male


Vipera aspis atra, female gravid


Vipera aspis atra, female


Vipera aspis atra, male

[Mario Schweiger]

Thanks for this very nice collection of french Switzerland herps!
I love the red/black Bufo bufo. Although a very common species, this coloration is quite uncommon - at least here in Austria.
Also the striped - in the anterior part of the body - Vipera aspis "atra" is very nice.

Mario

[Ilian Velikov]

Wow,great photos! Thanks a lot for sharing! I've seen many people posting melanistic V.berus....Are they relatively common and are genes the only reason for that colouration? I mean are there any other factors (such as habitat,etc.) that have something to do with the black color?

[Mario Schweiger]

I know many populations here in Austria of Vipera berus.
But I didn´t find any correlation of habitat, altitude or something else to the coloration.
In fact, in the highest situated populations I know, there are no black specimens. On the other hand, I know populations, more than 50% of the individuals are black between 800 and about 1000 meters altitude.
In a population - lowland, bog; 460 meters altitude - close to my house, 80% of Vipers (all females) are black.

Mario

[Ilian Velikov]

Interesting! So,you think that might have something to do with alttitude?

[Mario Schweiger]

No!

I think it depends on the genepool only!

Temperatures are dropping by 1°C each 100 meters altitude.
So, if there is a temperature of 30°C in 500 meters, in 1´500 meters altitude the temperature will be about 20°C.
In many papers and books it is written, Vipera berus will be black in the mountains, to get more insolation and reach their prefered body temperature quicker than grey/brown ones.
But as written, in my known uppermost populations there are no black berus.

Mario

[Ilian Velikov]

I understand !Sounds logic to me that it's the genepool!...But how do you think that genes were spread all over Europe from the place where they have originated (they must have started from somewhere)?

[Mario Schweiger]

Hard to say, and I just have this idea.

The genes for black coloration are originally in all berus populations.
In some, these genes got lost (bottleneck effect).
That´s the only explanation I have.
As far as I know, there is no publication on this topic.

Mario

[Francesco Tri]

Hello Greg,
specimen in the eleven pic is fantastic!!!

[Vlad Cioflec]

Great post!

The 7th pic with that black adder made my day. Is it `in situ` ? Sure looks like it to me.