Distribution of three Vipera species in the Republic of Serbia

Abstract

In the most recent comprehensive distribution of vipers in the western and central Balkans, 210 precise records (146 UTM cells) for all three species of vipers (Vipera ammodytes, V. berus, and V. ursinii) were presented for Serbia. During the past eight years, extensive field investigations within the ongoing conservation projects in our country (e.g. Ecological Networks and Natura 2000), significantly increased the number of faunistic records, which urged the need for publishing the updated distribution of all three species of vipers in Serbia. We collected a total of 770 records of vipers in Serbia, of which literature data constitute 49.4% (n = 380) and unpublished field data made as much as 50.6% (n = 390) of the records. As expected, V. ammodytes was the best-represented species, accounting for 614 records (79.8%), followed by V. berus with 145 records (18.8%), and V. ursinii with 11 records (1.4%). Results of the present study showed that in our country there are three areas crucially important for the diversity of vipers, with all three species present: Koritnik Mt. and Žljeb Mt. in Metohija, as well as Mokra Gora Mt. in south-western Serbia. We also found 25 10×10 km UTM squares with sympatry of two species of vipers. The designation of areas of special importance for vipers (e.g. Mokra Gora Mt., Dukat Mt., Besna kobila Mt., Kamena Gora Mt.) should be one of the priority actions for improvement of their conservation statuses in our country.

Literaturni podaci o distribuci roda Vipera na području zapadnog i centralnog dela Balkanskog poluostrva, pokazuju da je u Srbiji zabeleženo 210 nalaza (146 UTM polja) za sve tri vrste ovog roda (Vipera ammodytes, V. berus i V. ursinii). Tokom poslednjih osam godina, intenzivna faunistička istraživanja u okviru nacionalnih konzervacionih projekata (npr. Ekološke mreže i Natura 2000), doprinela su značajnom povećanju broja podataka o distribuciji ove tri vrste, čime se ukazala potreba za objavljivanjem novih faunističkih podataka. U ovom radu, ukupno je sakupljeno 770 podataka o rasprostranjenju predstavnika roda Vipera u Srbiji, od čega literaturni podaci čine 49.4% (n = 380), a novi faunistički podaci predstavljaju 50.6% (n = 390). Očekivano, najveći broj podataka se odnosi na vrstu V. ammodytes (614 - 79.8%), dok je mnogo manje podataka za vrste V. berus (145 - 18.8%) i V. ursinii (11 - 1.4%). Rezultati ovog rada su pokazali da na teritoriji Republike Srbije postoje tri područja od najvećeg značaja za diverzitet roda Vipera, na kojima su prisutne sve tri vrste: planine Koritnik i Žljeb u Metohiji, kao i planina Mokra gora u jugozapadnoj Srbiji. Takođe, zabeleženo je ukupno 25 UTM 10×10 km kvadrata u kojima po dve vrste roda Vipera žive u simpatriji. Proglašenje zaštićenih područja od posebnog značaja za otrovnice (npr. Mokra gora, Dukat, Besna kobila, Kamena gora), trebalo bi da bude prioritet za poboljšanje konzervacionog statusa vrsta roda Vipera u našoj zemlji.