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    Action Plan for the Conservation of Endemic Anatolian Meadow Viper, Vipera anatolica Eiselt & Baran, 1970 in Southwestern Anatolia
    (İstanbul University-Cerrahpaşa, 2021) Tok, Cemal Varol; Afşar, Murat; Yakın, Batuhan Yaman; Çiçek, Kerim
    The Anatolian viper, Vipera anatolica Eiselt & Baran, 1970, is the rarest, critically endangered, and endemic species in the western Taurus Mountains, Antalya, Turkey. Here, we evaluated the current status, potential threats, and recommended necessary conservation measures for Anatolian meadow viper. We created some activities during the 5-year species conservation action plan implemented by the General Directorate of Nature Conservation and National Parks. We conducted 70-days extensive fieldworks between May and October 2016-2017 for determining the distribution, habitat characteristics, phenology, and population status of the species in the province of Antalya. We also interviewed locals and surveyed potential threats of Anatolian meadow viper. We detected only 10 specimens in the territory of the Ciglikara cedar forest reserve at altitudes between 1800 and 2300 m and only two specimens in the territory of Geyik Mountains at altitudes between 1600 and 1900 m. We determined the potential threats like habitat loss and degradation, quarry (especially for senliki subspecies), global climate change, illegal collecting, and willingly or accidentally killing of vipers. Major precautions to protect the species were determined as: (1) to establish protected habitat patches in the species' known distribution and to prohibit entrance and grazing activities, (2) to create alternative new habitats for reintroduction, (3) to plan long-term monitoring survey to obtain data on its ecology and population trends, (4) to start a captive breeding program, (5) to educate and raise awareness among locals to prevent illegal collecting, willingly or/and accidentally killing of specimens for the sustainability of Anatolian meadow viper.
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    It takes two to tango - Phylogeography, taxonomy and hybridization in grass snakes and dice snakes (Serpentes: Natricidae: Natrix natrix, N. tessellata)
    (Senckenbergische Naturforschende Gesellschaft, 2021) Asztalos, Marika; Ayaz, Dinçer; Bayrakçı, Yusuf; Afşar, Murat; Tok, Cemal Varol; Kindler, Carolin; Jablonski, Daniel; Fritz, Uwe
    Using two mitochondrial DNA fragments and 13 microsatellite loci, we examined the phylogeographic structure and taxonomy of two codistributed snake species (Natrix natrix, N. tessellata) in their eastern distribution area, with a focus on Turkey. We found evidence for frequent interspecific hybridization, previously thought to be extremely rare, and for backcrosses. This underscores that closely related sympatric species should be studied together because otherwise the signal of hybridization will be missed. Furthermore, the phylogeographic patterns of the two species show many parallels, suggestive of a shared biogeographic history. In general, the phylogeographies follow the paradigm of southern richness to northern purity, but the dice snake has some additional lineages in the south and east in regions where grass snakes do not occur. For both species, the Balkan Peninsula and the Caucasus region served as glacial refugia, with several mitochondrial lineages occurring in close proximity. Our results show that the mitochondrial divergences in both species match nuclear genomic differentiation. Yet, in the former glacial refugia of grass snakes there are fewer nuclear clusters than mitochondrial lineages, suggesting that Holocene range expansions transformed the glacial hotspots in melting pots where only the mitochondrial lineages persisted, bearing witness of former diversity. On the other hand, the deep mitochondrial divergences in N. tessellata across its entire range indicate that more than one species could be involved, even though lacking microsatellite data outside of Turkey prevent firm conclusions. On the contrary, our microsatellite and mitochondrial data corroborate that N. megalocephala is invalid and not differentiated from sympatric populations of N. natrix. For Cypriot grass snakes, our analyses yielded conflicting results. A critical assessment of the available evidence suggests that N. natrix is a genetically impoverished recent invader on Cyprus and taxonomically not distinct from a subspecies also occurring in western Anatolia and the southern Balkans. Based on combined mitochondrial and nuclear genomic evidence we propose that for grass snakes the following subspecies should be recognized in our study region: (1) Natrix natrix vulgaris Laurenti, 1768, southeastern Central Europe and northern Balkans; (2) Natrix natrix moreotica (Bedriaga, 1882), southern Balkans, western Anatolia, and Cyprus; and (3) Natrix natrix scutata (Pallas, 1771), eastern Anatolia, Caucasus region, Iran, northeastern distribution range (from eastern Poland and Finland to Kazakhstan and the Lake Baikal region). Thus, Natrix natrix cypriaca (Hecht, 1930) becomes a junior synonym of N. n. moreotica and Natrix natrix persa (Pallas, 1814) becomes a junior synonym of N. n. scutata. Due to insufficient material, we could not resolve the status of Natrix natrix syriaca (Hecht, 1930) from the Gulf of İskenderun, southeastern Turkey.
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    On the occurrence of the Pond Slider Turtle Trachemys scripta (Thunberg in Schoepff, 1792) from southwestern Türkiye
    (Department of Environmental Sciences, Arak University, 2024) Yakın, Batuhan Yaman; Çiçek, Kerim; Bayrakçı, Yusuf; Günay, Ulvi Kerem; Afşar, Murat; Ayaz, Dincer; Tok, Cemal Varol
    Trachemys scripta is included among the 100 most invasive species worldwide. Since the first report on the presence of pond slider turtles from natural habitats in Türkiye, the distribution of this invasive species comprises almost thirty provinces. However, it spread to much wider sites than the regions determined until today. Besides, there is a lack of knowledge on which subspecies exist in the invaded habitats. Within this study, we presented the presence of two subspecies of the invasive alien slider turtle for the first time from the Reşadiye, Datça, Muğla, Türkiye. We also suggest certain precautions should be taken against slider turtles to contribute to preventing their invasion of our biodiversity.