Trip report - Montenegro 2009

[Peter Oefinger]

Ok - do think it's a synonym for D. mosorensis?

[Hannes Hill]

Yes, I think so.

[Hannes Hill]

One of our aim was to find D. caspius. We looked several times around Sktuari Lake and at Island of Ada, but we saw only one specimen west of Podgorica. Last time when I was in MR ,I found one on the north coast of S. lake (See also: http://www.herpetofauna.at/gallery/mont ... ro_13.html).
I would like to know from you - dear visistor - where have you found D. caspius in Crna Gora?

[Miqe Erikzen]

Hi Hannes..

Me and a friend saw 1 D.O.R D. caspiun when we was leaving Ada in May this year.

Great pictures, by the way!

I think that we met a couple of you guys in Wirpazar, by the way..

[Hannes Hill]

Hehe - I remember as well, when we met in Virpazar.
Have you been "successful" on Durmitor Moutain?

[Miqe Erikzen]

Hehe - I remember as well, when we met in Virpazar.
Have you been "successful" on Durmitor Moutain?

Nice that you remember!

Just 30 minutes after we met, we observed a P. najadum just 30 meters from where we was standing when we talked.

Well, yeah.. Found 5 or 6 V. b. bosniensis, many L. agilis and lots of D. mosorensis and some other animals.

I will post a tripreport later..

[Nikola Rahmé]

Hi Hannes,
Nice report with stunning results! My only question is why did you write Malpolon mmonspessulanus fuscus under the picture of Malpolon? In this area lives only the Malpolon m. insignitus (or Malpolon insignitus). M. m. fuscus occurs in the Eastern Mediterranean region.
Nikola

[Mario Schweiger]

I think, there´s still a lot of confusion in Malpolon!
Some accept the splitting of insignitus as a own species, others not.

But, if you accept it, this would be the "actual" concept.

Malpolon monspessulanus: (south)western Europe. Western most Italy (west Liguria), southern France, Iberian peninsula, (north)western Morocco.
Malpolon i. insignitus: east Morocco (both species meet - for example - in the Ouarzazate area (south of the high Atlas mountain range). From there eastwards along the mediterranean countries, Levante, SW-Turkey, Balkan peninsula.
Malpolon i. fuscus: easternmost areas of the distribution of Malpolon insignitus.
To separate these two species in the "wild":
(Adult) males of M. monspessulanus have this dark (black) saddle on the back, and all M. monsp. have 19 rows of Dorsalia. M. insignitus has 17 rows of Dorsalia.

Mario