Search results for "Coronella"
showing 9 items of 9 documents
Amphibians and reptiles as palaeonvironmental proxies during the Late Pleistocene (MIS3): The case of Stratigraphic Unit V of El Salt, Alcoi, Spain
2021
The locality of El Salt (Alcoi, Spain) is a key site for understanding the extirpation of Neanderthals in the eastern part of Iberia. In this paper, we analyse an assemblage of amphibians and reptiles from Stratigraphic Unit V (45.2 ± 3.4 ka to 44.7 ± 3.4 ka), which corresponds to one of the last regional records of Neanderthals, to improve knowledge of the palaeoecology and palaeoclimate of this event. The assemblage comprises three anurans (Pelodytes sp., Alytes obstetricans, and Epidalea calamita), two lizards (Lacertidae indet. and Chalcides bedriagai), and five snakes (Colubridae indet., Coronella sp., Coronella sp./Zamenis sp., Natrix maura, and Vipera latastei). Palaeoclimatic recons…
Habitat ecology of the smooth snake Coronella austriaca and its reptilian prey in the degraded bog with implications for artificial refuge surveys
2016
AbstractDiet preferences of the smooth snake (Coronella austriaca) being still controversial, we studied the overlap between its habitat and that of its potential reptilian prey species using the artificial refuge (ATR) method. The discriminant function analysis revealed that part of the smooth snake’s habitat niche is unused by one of its prey species – Zootoca vivipara. The smooth snake was recorded more often in places with high density of individuals of another lizard species – Anguis fragilis. Occasional data on snake diets supported the assumption that the latter species is a very important food item for the smooth snake in the study area. Our study estimated the minimum number of tim…
Evaluating the potential for evolutionary mismatch in Batesian mimics: A case study in the endangered smooth snake (Coronella austriaca)
2018
Many harmless organisms gain a survival advantage by mimicking venomous species. This is the case of the endangered smooth snake (Coronella austriaca), which mimics venomous vipers. Although this may protect the smooth snake against most of its natural predators, it may render them at greater risk of mortality from humans, who are more inclined to kill species, such as vipers, that they consider dangerous. This may cause an evolutionary mismatch, whereby humans may counteract the natural advantage of mimicry. We explore this possibility of evaluating the willingness of humans to kill smooth snakes versus the adder (Vipera berus), as well as their ability to discern them in the Åland Islands…
Coronella austriaca (Smooth snake) and Zamenis longissimus (Aesculapian Snake) Defensive Behavior
2021
We report for the first time caudal vibrating defensive behavior in Coronella austriaca e Zamenis longissimus
Ophiophagy in Coronella austriaca: first case of predation on Hierophis viridiflavus and first direct observations of predation on Vipera aspis
2020
We describe some cases of ophiophagy behaviour in Coronella austriaca
Small vertebrates from a Holocene gravelly deposit at El Salt (Alcoi, Alicante)
2021
The small-vertebrates’ assemblage recovered comes from Units I to IV from El Salt site (Alcoi, Spain). The sample is composed by nearly 310 remains, and includes one toad (Epidalea calamita), two lizards (Lacertidae indet. and Chalcides cf. bedriagai), two snakes (Coronella cf. girondica and cf. Coronella sp.), two insectivores (Crocidura sp. and Sorex sp.), one lagomorph (Oryctolagus cuniculus) and seven rodent taxa (Arvicola sapidus, Microtus sp., M. arvalis, M. cabrerae, M. duodecimcostatus, Apodemus sylvaticus, and Eliomys quercinus). All the species described in the present work are consistent with a Late Pleistocene-Holocene chronology. The presence of M. cabrerae (absent in the Middl…
Biogeography of the smooth snake (Coronella austriaca): origin and conservation of the northernmost population
2014
Understanding historical range expansions and population demography can be crucial for the conservation and management of endangered species. In doing so, valuable information can be obtained regarding, for example, the identification of isolated populations, associations to particular habitats and distribution range shifts. As poikilotherms, snakes are vulnerable to environmental changes that can greatly shape their distribution ranges. Here we used mitochondrial data to elucidate the origin of the smooth snake population in Aland island, which is the northernmost location where the species is found. In Aland, we used mitochondrial and microsatellite data to fine-map its spatial genetic st…
Preliminary genetic characterisation of Southern Smooth Snake Coronella girondica (Serpentes, Colubridae) populations in Italy, with some considerati…
2022
The Southern smooth snake, Coronella girondica, is a small-sized colubrid found in Northwest Africa and Southwest Europe. Mitochondrial DNA-based studies showed that the species can be split into five clades: two from Northwest Africa (one Moroccan and one Tunisian-Algerian) and three from Europe (one in the south-west of the Iberian Peninsula, one in the south-east of Spain and one in the rest of the European range). With regards to Italy, to date, only two samples have been analysed both from the Province of Pisa, Tuscany, pointing at that fact that genetic characterisation of Italian populations is still lacking. Accordingly, we have increased the sampling coverage with 19 new samples fr…