Konrad Mebert | Universidade Estadual de Santa Cruz (original) (raw)

Papers by Konrad Mebert

Research paper thumbnail of Hybridization Between the Watersnakes Nerodia sipedon and Nerodia fasciata, in the Carolinas: A Morphological and Molecular Approach

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Research paper thumbnail of Effects of Rehabilitation of the Polluted River System Mur in Styria, Austria, and Construction of Hydroelectric Power Plants on Fish Fauna and Distribution of the Dice Snake

With an increasing industrialization of the region and poor sanitation in the 1960s and 1970s the... more With an increasing industrialization of the region and poor sanitation in the 1960s and 1970s the river Mur was excessively polluted and de facto biologically dead. Numerous waterbound species like the dice snake were largely extinct in the investigation area and survived only in tributaries and water bodies close to the Mur. Through a massive effort to rehabilitate the ecosystem "Mur" since 1985, its water quality had improved significantly. Since then, both the dice snake as well as its potential prey, various fish species, re-populated the area. In addition, several projects of nature-orientated hydraulic engineering were implemented. The dice snake still continues to expand in this area. An exception to this development can be observed at water reservoirs of hydroelectric power plants. While downstream of the weir plants, there are often dense populations of dice snakes, this species is missing in the water reservoir area immediately upstream of the respective weirs possibly due to the paucity of the habitat, inlcuding little structured banks, high sedimentation of fine sand and a low stock of fish.

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Research paper thumbnail of A New Species of Snail-Eating Snake, Dipsas Cope, 1860 (Serpentes: Colubridae: Dipsadinae), from the Atlantic Forest of Brazil

South American Journal of Herpetology, Aug 7, 2020

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Research paper thumbnail of Geographic variation of morphological characters in the Dice snake (Natrix tessellata)

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Research paper thumbnail of Erythrism in the Eastern Grass Snake, Natrix natrix (Linnaeus, 1758)

Herpetozoa

We describe the unusual case of erythrism in the Eastern Grass Snake, Natrix natrix. This colour ... more We describe the unusual case of erythrism in the Eastern Grass Snake, Natrix natrix. This colour morph is very rare and has not been reported in the literature before. Despite having observed thousands of N. natrix in the field, we personally detected this morph in only three individuals originating from Slovakia, Romania, and mainland Greece, while photos of a fourth individual from a Greek island were provided to us. In addition, a recent study with a large data set from citizen scientists was unable to produce a single reddish Eastern Grass Snake. Such colouration is likewise uncommon in the western members of Grass Snakes (N. helvetica, N. astreptophora), with two examples provided herein. Because the potential biological importance of erythristic colouration is unclear, we encourage other field herpetologists and naturalists to publish their observations of reddish Grass Snakes in the printed literature.

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Research paper thumbnail of Living in a mosaic of Brazilian Atlantic Forest and plantations: spatial ecology of five bushmaster Lachesis muta (Viperidae Crotalinae)

Ethology Ecology & Evolution

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Research paper thumbnail of Figure 8 In Two New Fringe-Limbed Frogs Of The Genus Ecnomiohyla (Anura: Hylidae) From Panama

FIGURE 8. Holotype of Ecnomiohyla veraguensis in preservation. A) dorsal view; B) ventral view; C... more FIGURE 8. Holotype of Ecnomiohyla veraguensis in preservation. A) dorsal view; B) ventral view; C) head in profile; D) head dorsally; E) right hand dorsally; F) right hand ventrally; G) right foot dorsally; H) right foot ventrally. Scale bars= 10 mm.

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Research paper thumbnail of Figure 5 In Two New Fringe-Limbed Frogs Of The Genus Ecnomiohyla (Anura: Hylidae) From Panama

FIGURE 5. Habitat of Ecnomiohyla bailarina A) understory area where holotype was caught; B-C) for... more FIGURE 5. Habitat of Ecnomiohyla bailarina A) understory area where holotype was caught; B-C) forest structure from an open area; D) canopy forest; E) Cerro Bailarín, view from a ridge to 900 m a.s.l.; F) understory at Cerro Bailarín.

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Research paper thumbnail of FIGURE 10 in A new species of Dactyloa from eastern Panama, with comments on other Dactyloa species present in the region

FIGURE 10. Hemipenis of the Paratype (SMF 97269) of Dactyloa maia sp. nov. A) Sulcate view; B) as... more FIGURE 10. Hemipenis of the Paratype (SMF 97269) of Dactyloa maia sp. nov. A) Sulcate view; B) asulcate view; C) lateral view.

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Research paper thumbnail of Status of Montivipera bulgardaghica (Werner, 1898) (Reptilia: Viperidae) in the Syrian Coastal Mountains

Zoology in the Middle East, 2021

A herpetological survey in the Syrian coastal region revealed more than 25 specimens of mountain ... more A herpetological survey in the Syrian coastal region revealed more than 25 specimens of mountain vipers, genus Montivipera. Environmentally surprising are new records below 6QQ m elevation on both sides (west and east) of the Syrian coastal mountain range. Morphological characters of size and colour pattern corroborate previous genetic results that relate Syrian coastal mountain vipers closer to M. bulgardaghica from southern Turkey than to M. bornmuelleri from the mountains of adjacent Lebanon and Mt. Hermon. The new records not only confirm the historic and only known location near Slanfah, but also extend the distribution considerably, approaching current borders with Turkey in the north and Lebanon in the south. The new records are discussed in respect to morphology, habitat with climate associations, and conservation.

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Research paper thumbnail of Citizen science and online data: Opportunities and challenges for snake ecology and action against snakebite

Toxicon: X, 2021

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Research paper thumbnail of Dendrelaphis formosus

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Research paper thumbnail of The Silk roads: phylogeography of Central Asian dice snakes (Serpentes: Natricidae) shaped by rivers in deserts and mountain valleys

Current Zoology

Influenced by rapid changes in climate and landscape features since the Miocene, widely distribut... more Influenced by rapid changes in climate and landscape features since the Miocene, widely distributed species provide suitable models to study the environmental impact on their evolution and current genetic diversity. The dice snake Natrix tessellata, widely distributed in the Western Palearctic is one such species. We aimed to resolve a detailed phylogeography of N. tessellata with a focus on the Central Asian clade with 4 and the Anatolia clade with 3 mitochondrial lineages, trace their origin, and correlate the environmental changes that affected their distribution through time. The expected time of divergence of both clades began at 3.7 Mya in the Pliocene, reaching lineage differentiation approximately 1 million years later. The genetic diversity in both clades is rich, suggesting different ancestral areas, glacial refugia, demographic changes, and colonization routes. The Caspian lineage is the most widespread lineage in Central Asia, distributed around the Caspian Sea and reach...

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Research paper thumbnail of A new population and subspecies of the critically endangered Anatolian meadow viper Vipera anatolica Eiselt and Baran, 1970 in eastern Antalya province. Supplementary materials

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Research paper thumbnail of Conflicting relationships of <i>Vipera walser</i> inferred from nuclear genes sequences and mitochondrial DNA

Journal of Zoological Systematics and Evolutionary Research, Oct 23, 2021

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Research paper thumbnail of A new population and subspecies of the critically endangered Anatolian meadow viper Vipera anatolica Eiselt and Baran, 1970 in eastern Antalya province

Amphibia-reptilia, 2017

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Research paper thumbnail of The dynamics of coexistence: habitat sharing versus segregation patterns among three sympatric montane vipers

Biological Journal of The Linnean Society, Jun 26, 2015

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Research paper thumbnail of Cytotoxic potential of Wagner's Viper, Montivipera wagneri, venom

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Research paper thumbnail of New Distributional Data on Vipera (Berus) Barani from Western and Northeastern Anatolia

Herpetology Notes, Dec 20, 2015

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Research paper thumbnail of The rediscovery of Natrix tessellata on Cyprus

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Research paper thumbnail of Hybridization Between the Watersnakes Nerodia sipedon and Nerodia fasciata, in the Carolinas: A Morphological and Molecular Approach

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Research paper thumbnail of Effects of Rehabilitation of the Polluted River System Mur in Styria, Austria, and Construction of Hydroelectric Power Plants on Fish Fauna and Distribution of the Dice Snake

With an increasing industrialization of the region and poor sanitation in the 1960s and 1970s the... more With an increasing industrialization of the region and poor sanitation in the 1960s and 1970s the river Mur was excessively polluted and de facto biologically dead. Numerous waterbound species like the dice snake were largely extinct in the investigation area and survived only in tributaries and water bodies close to the Mur. Through a massive effort to rehabilitate the ecosystem "Mur" since 1985, its water quality had improved significantly. Since then, both the dice snake as well as its potential prey, various fish species, re-populated the area. In addition, several projects of nature-orientated hydraulic engineering were implemented. The dice snake still continues to expand in this area. An exception to this development can be observed at water reservoirs of hydroelectric power plants. While downstream of the weir plants, there are often dense populations of dice snakes, this species is missing in the water reservoir area immediately upstream of the respective weirs possibly due to the paucity of the habitat, inlcuding little structured banks, high sedimentation of fine sand and a low stock of fish.

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Research paper thumbnail of A New Species of Snail-Eating Snake, Dipsas Cope, 1860 (Serpentes: Colubridae: Dipsadinae), from the Atlantic Forest of Brazil

South American Journal of Herpetology, Aug 7, 2020

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Research paper thumbnail of Geographic variation of morphological characters in the Dice snake (Natrix tessellata)

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Research paper thumbnail of Erythrism in the Eastern Grass Snake, Natrix natrix (Linnaeus, 1758)

Herpetozoa

We describe the unusual case of erythrism in the Eastern Grass Snake, Natrix natrix. This colour ... more We describe the unusual case of erythrism in the Eastern Grass Snake, Natrix natrix. This colour morph is very rare and has not been reported in the literature before. Despite having observed thousands of N. natrix in the field, we personally detected this morph in only three individuals originating from Slovakia, Romania, and mainland Greece, while photos of a fourth individual from a Greek island were provided to us. In addition, a recent study with a large data set from citizen scientists was unable to produce a single reddish Eastern Grass Snake. Such colouration is likewise uncommon in the western members of Grass Snakes (N. helvetica, N. astreptophora), with two examples provided herein. Because the potential biological importance of erythristic colouration is unclear, we encourage other field herpetologists and naturalists to publish their observations of reddish Grass Snakes in the printed literature.

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Research paper thumbnail of Living in a mosaic of Brazilian Atlantic Forest and plantations: spatial ecology of five bushmaster Lachesis muta (Viperidae Crotalinae)

Ethology Ecology & Evolution

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Research paper thumbnail of Figure 8 In Two New Fringe-Limbed Frogs Of The Genus Ecnomiohyla (Anura: Hylidae) From Panama

FIGURE 8. Holotype of Ecnomiohyla veraguensis in preservation. A) dorsal view; B) ventral view; C... more FIGURE 8. Holotype of Ecnomiohyla veraguensis in preservation. A) dorsal view; B) ventral view; C) head in profile; D) head dorsally; E) right hand dorsally; F) right hand ventrally; G) right foot dorsally; H) right foot ventrally. Scale bars= 10 mm.

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Research paper thumbnail of Figure 5 In Two New Fringe-Limbed Frogs Of The Genus Ecnomiohyla (Anura: Hylidae) From Panama

FIGURE 5. Habitat of Ecnomiohyla bailarina A) understory area where holotype was caught; B-C) for... more FIGURE 5. Habitat of Ecnomiohyla bailarina A) understory area where holotype was caught; B-C) forest structure from an open area; D) canopy forest; E) Cerro Bailarín, view from a ridge to 900 m a.s.l.; F) understory at Cerro Bailarín.

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Research paper thumbnail of FIGURE 10 in A new species of Dactyloa from eastern Panama, with comments on other Dactyloa species present in the region

FIGURE 10. Hemipenis of the Paratype (SMF 97269) of Dactyloa maia sp. nov. A) Sulcate view; B) as... more FIGURE 10. Hemipenis of the Paratype (SMF 97269) of Dactyloa maia sp. nov. A) Sulcate view; B) asulcate view; C) lateral view.

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Research paper thumbnail of Status of Montivipera bulgardaghica (Werner, 1898) (Reptilia: Viperidae) in the Syrian Coastal Mountains

Zoology in the Middle East, 2021

A herpetological survey in the Syrian coastal region revealed more than 25 specimens of mountain ... more A herpetological survey in the Syrian coastal region revealed more than 25 specimens of mountain vipers, genus Montivipera. Environmentally surprising are new records below 6QQ m elevation on both sides (west and east) of the Syrian coastal mountain range. Morphological characters of size and colour pattern corroborate previous genetic results that relate Syrian coastal mountain vipers closer to M. bulgardaghica from southern Turkey than to M. bornmuelleri from the mountains of adjacent Lebanon and Mt. Hermon. The new records not only confirm the historic and only known location near Slanfah, but also extend the distribution considerably, approaching current borders with Turkey in the north and Lebanon in the south. The new records are discussed in respect to morphology, habitat with climate associations, and conservation.

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Research paper thumbnail of Citizen science and online data: Opportunities and challenges for snake ecology and action against snakebite

Toxicon: X, 2021

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Research paper thumbnail of Dendrelaphis formosus

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Research paper thumbnail of The Silk roads: phylogeography of Central Asian dice snakes (Serpentes: Natricidae) shaped by rivers in deserts and mountain valleys

Current Zoology

Influenced by rapid changes in climate and landscape features since the Miocene, widely distribut... more Influenced by rapid changes in climate and landscape features since the Miocene, widely distributed species provide suitable models to study the environmental impact on their evolution and current genetic diversity. The dice snake Natrix tessellata, widely distributed in the Western Palearctic is one such species. We aimed to resolve a detailed phylogeography of N. tessellata with a focus on the Central Asian clade with 4 and the Anatolia clade with 3 mitochondrial lineages, trace their origin, and correlate the environmental changes that affected their distribution through time. The expected time of divergence of both clades began at 3.7 Mya in the Pliocene, reaching lineage differentiation approximately 1 million years later. The genetic diversity in both clades is rich, suggesting different ancestral areas, glacial refugia, demographic changes, and colonization routes. The Caspian lineage is the most widespread lineage in Central Asia, distributed around the Caspian Sea and reach...

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Research paper thumbnail of A new population and subspecies of the critically endangered Anatolian meadow viper Vipera anatolica Eiselt and Baran, 1970 in eastern Antalya province. Supplementary materials

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Research paper thumbnail of Conflicting relationships of <i>Vipera walser</i> inferred from nuclear genes sequences and mitochondrial DNA

Journal of Zoological Systematics and Evolutionary Research, Oct 23, 2021

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Research paper thumbnail of A new population and subspecies of the critically endangered Anatolian meadow viper Vipera anatolica Eiselt and Baran, 1970 in eastern Antalya province

Amphibia-reptilia, 2017

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Research paper thumbnail of The dynamics of coexistence: habitat sharing versus segregation patterns among three sympatric montane vipers

Biological Journal of The Linnean Society, Jun 26, 2015

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Research paper thumbnail of Cytotoxic potential of Wagner's Viper, Montivipera wagneri, venom

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Research paper thumbnail of New Distributional Data on Vipera (Berus) Barani from Western and Northeastern Anatolia

Herpetology Notes, Dec 20, 2015

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Research paper thumbnail of The rediscovery of Natrix tessellata on Cyprus

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Research paper thumbnail of How They Live - Sharks by Ruppert Matthews

cover photo by Doug Perrine

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Research paper thumbnail of Agalychnis lemur (BOULENGER 1882)

elaphe 4, 2011

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Research paper thumbnail of Dendrelaphis formosus - Species on Cover

Herpetotropicos 9(1), 2013

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Research paper thumbnail of Book Review: The Dice Snake, Natrix tesselata: Biology, Distribution and Conservation of a Palaearctic Species

Occasionally we are sent a book which seems sufficiently important, and likely to be of interest ... more Occasionally we are sent a book which seems sufficiently important, and likely to be of interest to a wide variety of
Bulletin readers, that we consider it appropriate to ask more than one person to review it, so that a wider range of views from the herpetological spectrum is represented. This volume is one of them.

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Research paper thumbnail of Book Review: The Dice Snake, Natrix tessellata: Biology, Distribution and Conservation of a Palaearctic Species. Konrad Mebert (éd.). 2011. Mertensiella

Dans l’introduction, l’éditeur de ce volume, l’herpétologue suisse Konrad Mebert, expose la labor... more Dans l’introduction, l’éditeur de ce volume, l’herpétologue suisse Konrad Mebert, expose la laborieuse genèse de son exploit éditorial totalisant plus de 4 000 heures de travail réparties sur quatre années. Il propose à présent un produit final d’excellente qualité.

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Research paper thumbnail of Book Review: (2011): The Dice Snake, Natrix tessellata: Biology, Distribution and Conservation of a Palaearctic Species

This book gives an excellent overview of what is and has been investigated within this species al... more This book gives an excellent overview of what is and has been investigated within this species along a significant part of its huge range.

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Research paper thumbnail of Massive Hybridization and Species Concepts, Insights from Watersnakes

Konrad Mebert, 2010

Reproductive isolation is a precondition for two closely related taxa to reproduce successfully a... more Reproductive isolation is a precondition for two closely related taxa to reproduce successfully as separate entities and is the pillar of the Biological Species Concept. Hybridization and introgression are two biological processes imlying incomplete speciation and are perceived as marginal in vertrebrates with internal fertiliziation via penile insertion (mammals, squamate reptiles). The study presented herein details a multi-faceted approach, using molecular and morphological characters of two mostly parapatric wastersnake species to analyze the dynamics of an massive organismal and genetic exchange within their contact zone, correlating it to different types of ecotonal transitions, exhibiting distinct habitat preferences and physiological tolerances between both taxa. Nontheless, fixed nuclear genetic markers and the distinct environmental correlates reveal that the two taxa are independent entities and qualify as species under both the Phylogenetic and the Evolutionary Species Concept, whereas hybrid superiority is limited to the interspecific ecotones. This book contributes relevant information that addresses some of the persistent problems of species concepts and applies an integrated approach on a fascinating aspect of evolution.

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Research paper thumbnail of The Dice Snake, Natrix tessellata: Biology, Distribution and Conservation of a Palaearctic Species

Mertensiella 18, DGHT, Germany, Sep 2011

The dice snake is an evolutionary very successful snake, one of the few snake species that coloni... more The dice snake is an evolutionary very successful snake, one of the few snake species that colonized three continents, ranging from Switzerland and Germany in central Europe to Egypt in Africa, and as far east as Xinjiang province in China. It has
conquered a huge variety of habitats, from oases in deserts of Jordan, Syria and Iran, to marine habitats in the Mediterranean and Black Sea, from below sea level in the Caspian Sea to mountainous valleys as high as 2800 m, and from remote sites
in the steppes of central Asia to thriving populations in busy cities such as Prague and Bucharest. Yet, the knowledge of this piscivorous and very prolific semi-aquatic snake is relatively marginal. This volume of the Mertensiella series represents
the status quo of knowledge about the biology, distribution, and conservation of this versatile snake species by compiling a total of 57 articles and one DVD, involving more than 122 co-/authors, with contributions from more than 22 countries, while
touching 14 additional countries in summary articles. The compendium is lavishly pictured to give you a good impression of the diversity of habitats and snakes from many countries.

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Research paper thumbnail of Investigation about Morphology and Taxonomy of the Dice Snake Natrix tessellata (Laurenti) 1768 from Switzerland and the Southern Alps

MS Thesis, Univ. Zürich, Switzerland, 1993

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Research paper thumbnail of Color polymorphism and population genetic in the asp viper: is local selection stronger than gene-flow?

The asp viper (Vipera aspis) is a very polymorphic species, with ground color varying from light ... more The asp viper (Vipera aspis) is a very polymorphic species, with ground color varying from light grey, dark gray to reddish brown. The subspecies exhibit different dorsal patterns which could be rhomboid (in V. a. hugyi), with thin to large dark blotches (in V. a. aspis and V. a. francisciredi) or with a zigzag band (in V. a. zinnikeri) similar to the one displayed by the adder (Vipera berus). Melanistic individuals are frequently found in the Alps, representing locally more than 50% of the population. In addition, previous studies demonstrated that the dorsal pattern is substantially affected by abiotic factors, such as temperature or humidity (Golay, 2005).

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Research paper thumbnail of IUCN-Red List of Threatended Species - should we overhaul the assessment of vipers from northeastern Turkey?

4th Biology of Vipers conference

a round table presentation: The current IUCN-Red List assessments of vipers from northeastern Tur... more a round table presentation: The current IUCN-Red List assessments of vipers from northeastern Turkey goes
back to a meeting in 2009. A brief glimpse of their contents regarding range, habitat, ecology and threats reveal a substantial discrepancy to the current state of knowledge of viper species distribution and threat assessements.

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Research paper thumbnail of L’herpetofaune de al Cuvette Centrale en R.D. Congo

Biodiversity of the Congo Basin_Congress

La région ici dénommée « Cuvette Centrale » est la partie centrale du Bassin du Congo. D’une supe... more La région ici dénommée « Cuvette Centrale » est la partie centrale du Bassin du Congo. D’une superficie de 700.000km2, et couverte par la forêt tropicale humide toujours verte sous un climat typiquement équatorial, elle renferme une riche diversité herpétologique. Elle renferme 134 et 236 espèces d’amphibiens et de reptiles respectivement.

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Research paper thumbnail of Assessing the Diversity of Congolese Snakes with DNA Barcoding

Biodiversity of the Congo Basin_Congress

Since 2010, we conducted several field trips in lowland (Congo Basin) and mid-altitude (Upemba an... more Since 2010, we conducted several field trips in lowland (Congo Basin) and mid-altitude (Upemba and Kundelungu National Parks) regions of the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

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Research paper thumbnail of Knowledge-gaps and Novelty in the Amphibian Diversity of the Democratic Republic of Congo

Biodiversity of the Congo Basin_Congress

The Democratic Republic of the Congo harbours the world’s second largest tropical rainforest and ... more The Democratic Republic of the Congo harbours the world’s second largest tropical rainforest and an impressive variety of other habitats from inundated swamp forest and lowland savannah-shrubland mosaic to miombo woodland, gallery forest, highland plains and moorland.

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Research paper thumbnail of Reptiles and amphibians as bushmeat in the DR Congo

Biodiversity of the Congo Basin_Congress

DiverseCentralAfricanecosystemresourcesareheavilyharvested.Bushmeatisoneoftheidentifiedsignifican... more DiverseCentralAfricanecosystemresourcesareheavilyharvested.Bushmeatisoneoftheidentifiedsignificantthreatstothewildlifebesidehabitatloss.Recently,manystudiesinCentralandWestAfricancountrieshavebeenfocusingonthisproblem.However,reptilesandamphibiansareusuallyconsideredonlymarginally,ifever.Here,weattempttosummarizeknowledgeonthereptileandamphibianfaunaharvestedforbushmeat,oralternativelyfortraditionalmedicineandritualorornamentalpurposesintheDRCongo.Wecollectedinformationfromvillagersandretailersduringnumerousfieldandmarketsurveysinvariouspartsofthecountry.

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Research paper thumbnail of Ecological aspects on position and width of hybrid zones between Nerodia sipedon and N. fasciata in the Carolinas

Nerodia fasciata and N. sipedon segregate ecologically and form hybrid zones along ecotones of w... more Nerodia fasciata and N. sipedon segregate ecologically and form hybrid zones along ecotones of water current (related to topography), salinity, and temperature in North Carolina, USA. For example, at the Alligator River National Wildlife Refuge, pure N. fasciata genotypes could not be found at salinities > 0.5 ppt, whereas N. sipedon with low genetic fasciata influence (10%) were usually collected at salinities > 1.0 ppt and other N. sipedon with less fasciata influence were collected at salinities > 4.0 ppt. Farther north the hybrid zone coincides with an isotherm of annual average temperature between 15 to 15.5oC that parallels an east-west line approximately 10-20 km south of the border with Virginia. N. fasciata occupies the range of increased temperatures south of the isotherm. To the west in central North Carolina, the hybrid zone follows the Fall Line (Zone) which represents the topographic transition between the hilly Piedmont and the flat Coastal Plain. The range of N. sipedon west of this contact zone is associated with increased amounts of lotic water systems, whereas N. fasciata occupies only lentic habitats below the Fall Zone, corroborating similar observations in the southern and the Mississippi River Valley contact zones. Correspondingly, N. sipedon also expands deeper into the coastal and alluvial plains along larger rivers. Variation in the width of these ecotones relates to the variable width of hybrid zones, a pattern that corresponds to the geographic-selection model.

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Research paper thumbnail of Morphological differences between the water snakes Nerodia sipedon and N. fasciata in the Carolinas: a look at their contact zone

A few traditionally applied characters of color pattern that putatively distinguish between the t... more A few traditionally applied characters of color pattern that putatively distinguish between the two water snakes Nerodia sipedon and N. fasciata were compared with an additional set of morphological characters to evaluate interspecific differences and to study their applicability to describe the hybrid zone in the Carolinas, USA. Many of the morphological characters exhibited significant interspecific differences, but only the number of dorsally complete crossbands (CBa) yielded diagnostic quality. Higher values in several scalation characters are found in N. sipedon compared to N. fascitata, in females compared to males in both species, as well as in northerly populations within each species. Respective characters include postocular scales, ventral scales, and dorsal scale rows (or farther posterior positions of scale row reductions). N. sipedon has larger cephalic proportions, whereas N. fasciata evolved larger eyes and an edgier head (canthus rostralis). Character variation in color pattern is large, but N. fasciata tends more to rectangular ventral markings, a pronounced postocular stripe, and melanism than N. sipedon, thus corroborating earlier studies. Possible relationship of morphological species differences with environmental factors will be briefly discussed. Discriminant function analyses of morphological characters were successful in separating both taxa with little overlap between them. Canonical scores show the intermediacy for many specimens from the contact zone, but are unsuitable to describe the degree of hybridization for individual specimens. Although a genetic analysis byAFLP (Mebert 2008, 2010) revealed that all intermediately patterned specimens were of mixed interspecific origin, the often used morphological characters are not suitable to reveal the scope of interspecific introgression, as most specimens from the contact zone classified as pure species exhibited actually a mixed genotype.

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Research paper thumbnail of Die Würfelnatter: Reptil des Jahres 2009

content by Sigrid Lenz, Konrad Mebert, Axel Kwet, Johannes Hill. Dietmar Trobisch, Miha Krofel, R... more content by Sigrid Lenz, Konrad Mebert, Axel Kwet, Johannes Hill. Dietmar Trobisch, Miha Krofel, Richard Podloucky

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Research paper thumbnail of Die Würfelnatter

Reptilia Poster 2009

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Research paper thumbnail of Field survey protocol for monitoring the status of the Dice Snake (Natrix tessellata) - in Hungarian

The Dice Snake (Natrix tessellata) is is a semi-aquatic snake, widely distributed along wetlands ... more The Dice Snake (Natrix tessellata) is is a semi-aquatic snake, widely distributed along wetlands in Hungary (see Herpetological Atlas of Hungary in Puky et al. 2005). The Dice Snake inhabits a great variation of lentic to lotic wetlands and functions as a relevant element of healthy ecosystems (Mebert 2011). It is a top predator on fish and an excellent food source for large birds, such as egrets, heron, storks and gulls. However, as this species was considered as common by most of the stakeholders due to its increased detectability along shore structures commonly frequented by people (beach, rip-rap, ponds), no recent monitoring of this species have been conducted in Hungary. Unfortunately, this information is patchy (few sites only) and subjective, based mostly on anecdotal accounts, which ultimately prevents the proper evaluation to detect trends in population sizes or distribution within the country.
The natural habitat of the Dice Snake is in gradual decline due to the deterioration of water courses, including the construction of dikes, dredging, reclamation, corrections of riverbeds, and other modifications of the hydrology regimes. Consequently, the Dice Snake is classified as protected species in Hungary with a theoretical conservation value of 25 000 HUF.
In April 2011, the Amphibian and Reptile Conservation Group of MME BirdLife Hungary published a website for online mapping of amphibians and reptiles in Hungary (herpterkep.mme.hu), accumulating 335 Dice Snake records until the end of 2015, showing a nearly country-wide distribution along water bodies. However, many ‘white patches’ remain, lacking any vouchers or sightings of Dice Snakes. In August 2013, thanks to project "Sustainable Nature Conservation On Hungarian Natura 2000 sites" (SH/4/8) funded via Swiss Contribution to the EU, Konrad Mebert was invited for a short-term monitoring and discussion on appropriate field methods for Dice Snakes in Hungary, that resulted in an advisory report (Mebert & Halpern 2013). Similar monitoring protocols have successfully been conducted in countries like Austria or Switzerland (e.g., Duda et al. 2007; Conelli et al. 2011).
The aim of this study is to assess the distribution of N. tessellata in Hungary and evaluate whether this species is in decline nationally and/or locally. The data collected can be used to elaborate a specific action plan, either nationally or regionally, proposing measures of protection and priorities of wetland habitat conservation.

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