By Stamatis KalogiannisAlthough July and August are undoubtedly the worst months for herping in Greece, visiting mountainous streams and forests can still give some nice results. With friend Spiros, we organized a 1-week herping trip in north Euboea, a part of the island which has not received enough attention by herpetologists. For those who are not familiar with Greece, Euboea is the second largest island of the country and can be divided in 3 parts - north, central and south. The north part of Euboea is covered by Aleppo pine forests, maquis, cultivated land and oak forests in the mountains. In addition, streams surrounded by riparian vegetation are rather common. Unfortunately, we chose the worst time there could possibly be for herping as one of the most intense heatwaves Greece met in 2021 was on its way during these days. Searching very early in the morning and during the night was inevitable, and choosing the most cool and shady habitats seemed to be the only options.
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| Map of Euboea with prospected area highlighted in green |
DAY 1
After only having about 4 hours of sleep, we decided to meet at around 11 am and head to a well known stream located 25 km from our town. Spiros had already observed one of my target species for this trip there; the Dice snake (Natrix tessellata). Other species we hoped for at that location were Yellow-bellied toads (Bombina variegata) and Greek stream frogs (Rana graeca).
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Mountainous stream surrounded by pine forests and riparian vegetation
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| Male Erhard's wall lizard (Podarcis erhardii ssp. livadiaca) |
Balkan frogs (Pelophylax kurtmuelleri), Balkan terrapin (Mauremys rivulata), newly metamorphosed Common toads (Bufo bufo), Erhard's wall lizards (Podarcis erhardii ssp. livadiaca) and a Dice snake (Natrix tessellata) shed skin were the first things to be found. Moving further down the stream we lost 3 Dice snakes and found a few Greek stream frogs (Rana graeca). An adult green lizard (Lacerta sp.) found in a woodland clearing puzzled us, as both Lacerta viridis and Lacerta trilineata occur in Euboea, with the first one exhibiting a rarely seen morphotype called "guentherpetersi" on the island. Individuals of this morphotype resemble L. trilineata and are rather large. Nevertheless, our specimen turned out to be a weird Balkan green lizard (Lacerta trilineata) with large temporal scales but a very pointy snout which is typical for the species. At last, we finally managed to catch two dice snakes that gave us a number of pictures, although they were very active and were difficult to pose for photos. By the time we had reached the car we had already found two of our target species, with zero Yellow-bellied toads found.
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| First Greek stream frog (Rana graeca) found |
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| Spiros and Rana graeca |
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| Balkan green lizard (Lacerta trilineata) |
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| Habitat of Natrix tessellata, Rana graeca, Bufo bufo, Pelophylax kurtmuelleri and Podarcis erhardii livadiaca |
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| Common toad (Bufo bufo) metamorph |
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| One of 5 Dice snakes (Natrix tessellata) found |
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| Dice snake (Natrix tessellata) |
DAY 2
On the second day our goal was to get to the top of Telethrio mountain, one of the highest peaks in north Euboea with an altitude of 970 m. The mountain is covered by oak forests and is only accessible by 4x4 vehicles due to the very bad condition of the dirt roads that lead to the top. Although we didn't have a specific target, we were hoping for some mountainous species with a very enigmatic distribution on Euboea, such as the European green lizard (Lacerta viridis) and the Smooth snake (Coronella austriaca). To our surprise, the top of Telethrio had suffered from a lot of degradation caused by logging and grazing by sheep and wild boars. We only observed Erhard's wall lizards (Podarcis erhardii ssp. livadiaca).
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| Dirt road crossing the oak forests of Telethrio Mt |
After the Telethrio-failure, we decided to visit a couple of streams close to Istiaia town. We didn't find anything other than Balkan frogs (Pelophylax kurtmuelleri) and Erhard's wall lizards (Podarcis erhardii ssp. livadiaca) at our first stop, so we put all of our hopes into the second stream which was located inside a forested area. Three alive grass snakes (Natrix natrix) and one shed skin were found, along with three Balkan green lizards (Lacerta trilineata), numerous Balkan frogs, a few newly metamorphosed Greek stream frogs (Rana graeca) and the two native land tortoise species of Euboea; Hermann's tortoise (Testudo hermanni) and a large Marginated tortoise (Testudo marginata).
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Stream in north Euboea. Habitat of dozens of Balkan frogs (Pelophylax kurtmuelleri) and Erhard's wall lizards (Podarcis erhardii livadiaca).
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| Large Marginated tortoise (Testudo marginata) |
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| Hermann's tortoise (Testudo hermanni) |
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| Juvenile Grass snake (Natrix natrix) |
DAY 3
We knew we hadn't finished with Telethrio yet, so on day 3 we headed to another direction of the mountain to check some marshes surrounded by oak forests. The habitat was perfect for another target species of this trip, the Agile frog (Rana dalmatina), a species which I had seen in Northern Greece only about 2 weeks earlier but wasn't able to get satisfying shots. The wetlands were also densely covered by reeds, providing the perfect shelter for European tree frogs (Hyla arborea). Indeed, just as I was talking to Spiros on the radio after splitting up, I noticed hundreds of tiny tree frogs sleeping on the reeds. These frogs are usually inactive during the day and can be seen sleeping on plants with their feet under their body - a wonderful sight! The habitat was also thriving with hundreds of Balkan frogs (Pelophylax kurtmuelleri). After an extensive tree frog photoshoot, we split up again to check the oak forests. Hermann's tortoises (Testudo hermanni), Erhard's wall lizards (Podarcis erhardii ssp. livadiaca), Snake-eyed skinks (Ablepharus kitaibelii) and a single Balkan green lizard (Lacerta trilineata) were found. On our way down the mountain we roadcruised a juvenile Montpelier snake (Malpolon insignitus) which we lost after an 1-minute chase in the forest.
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| European tree frog (Hyla arborea) habitat |
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| European tree frog (Hyla arborea) in sleeping position |
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| European tree frogs (Hyla arborea) |
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| European tree frog (Hyla arborea) |
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| Hermann's tortoise (Testudo hermanni) |
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| Oak forest habitat on Telethrio |
We then visited some lagoons close to Istiaia town where we found a small population of Balkan terrapins (Mauremys rivulata) and some interesting avifauna. Spiros also spotted a grass snake (Natrix natrix) from a distance.
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| Balkan terrapin (Mauremys rivulata) |
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| Balkan terrapin (Mauremys rivulata) |
DAY 4
This time we thought of giving night herping a try. We visited a lagoon to look for amphibians but it turned out to be a very bad habitat with a lot of rubbish, bad smell, dead animals and brackish water. After a lot of roadcruising and one roadkilled Caspian Whip snake (Dolichophis caspius) on our way we made a stop at a stream we visited on the second day and found Balkan frogs (Pelophylax kurtmuelleri), a European tree frog (Hyla arborea) and a large female common toad (Bufo bufo). Not a very productive night.
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| European tree frog (Hyla arborea) |
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| Balkan frog (Pelophylax kurtmuelleri) |
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| Common toad (Bufo bufo) |
DAY 5
Final day of herping on Euboea. Due to the very high temperatures, we are once again heading to the mountains. First stop was an open grassland located between pine forests near Kokkinomilia village. Although it looked like a perfect habitat for snakes, we only found Herman's tortoises (Testudo hermanni) and a ton of crickets, grasshoppers, butterflies and a group of Eleonora's falcons. Another hour was wasted in Pappades village for a coffee, where Balkan green lizard (Lacerta trilineata) was seen. Afterwards we checked a few streams and found several Greek stream frogs (Rana graeca), Balkan frogs (Pelophylax kurtmuelleri), metamorphs of Common toad (Bufo bufo), Erhard's wall lizards (Podarcis erhardii ssp. livadiaca), Balkan green lizards (Lacerta trilineata), grass snake (Natrix natrix), dice snakes (Natrix tessellata) and roadcruised a pair of Herman's tortoises (Testudo hermanni). Finally, a stop at Loutra Aidipsou for a much-needed souvlaki was a great choice!
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| Hermann's tortoise (Testudo hermanni) |
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| Old burn marks on a Hermann's tortoise |
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| Testudo hermanni in its habitat |
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| Chapman's blue (Polyommatus thersites) |
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| Eleonora's falcon |
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Fields bordering pine forests near Kokkinomilia village, habitat of Testudo hermanni
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| Hermann's tortoise (Testudo hermanni) |
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| Juvenile Grass snake (Natrix natrix) |
DAY 6 - Lichadonisia
Small, uninhabited islands in the Aegean sea have always been great examples of reptile evolution. They are typically inhabited by wall lizards, geckoes and, in some occasions, snakes, along with rodents and birds. This is also the case in the Lichadonisia archipelago, a small island complex of volcanic origin located between north Euboea and central mainland Greece. The islands are covered by phrygana and old olive groves and are easily accesible by boat by both the mainland and Euboea and despite the fact that they have been abandoned for decades, they are still thriving with human presence. They are part of the Natura 2000 system and an important area for the mediterranean monk seal. When it comes to herpetofauna, Lichadonisia (or Lichades) are only home to 2 reptile species. While herping in Euboea, Spiros came up with the idea of visiting this island archipelago to find out what might be living on these tiny islets. Unfortunately, we discovered that the herpetofauna of the archipelago had already been studied and published (see Pafilis et al. 2020) a year ago, so no new discoveries were expected from us. After a little hesitation, we set out to find the two reptile species present on Lichadonisia; the Kotschy's gecko (Mediodactylus kotschyi) and the Balkan whip snake (Hierophis gemonensis). While you don't expect to find much on a small, dry islet during July, it was still a good opportunity to visit the famous Lichadonisia and look for any evidence of reptiles. After an 1-hour drive from Istiaia to Kavos, we took a boat to Monolia islet, the largest island of the archipelago. After a short boat tour around the archipelago, we set foot on the rocks next to the popular beach of the island. The old ruins at the south part of Monolia looked like the perfect location to begin our search and to our luck, they are accesible by a small path from the beach.
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| Ruins on Monolia islet |
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| The archipelago is inhabited by a small population of Mediterranean monk seals (Monachus monachus) |
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| Spiros looking for Hierophis |
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| View from the inside of an old building; Kokkinonisi islet and the mountains of Central Greece |
Surprisingly, Mediodactylus kotschyi turned out to be rather common on the island. We found about 20 individuals under rocks & rubbish as well as on stonewalls and trees, with the latter example having an interesting story behind it; according to the recent study by Pafilis et al, the geckoes of Monolia have adapted to living high up on trees in order to relieve pressure by predators such as snakes, cats and rats, all found on Monolia. Indeed, we counted a large number of specimens on trees but what was more interesting is the fact that they were active during the hottest part of the day with almost 40 degrees celsius!
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| Mediodactylus kotschyi habitat |
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| Flipsite for Mediodactylus kotschyi |
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| Kotschy's gecko (Mediodactylus kotschyi) found inside an old building |
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| Olive grove on Monolia, habitat of Hierophis gemonensis |
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| A shed skin was the only evidence of the Balkan whip snake (Hierophis gemonensis) we found |
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| Kotschy's gecko (Mediodactylus kotschyi) |
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| Landscape |
As expected, the list of species found during this trip is rather small due to the bad season and very high temperatures, so I'm hoping to be back soon!
Species seen:
Greek frog (Rana graeca)
Balkan frog (Pelophylax kurtmuelleri)
European tree frog (Hyla arborea)
Common toad (Bufo bufo)
Erhard's wall lizard (Podarcis e. livadiaca)
Balkan green lizard (Lacerta trilineata)
Snake-eyed skink (Ablepharus kitaibelii)
Kotschy's gecko (Mediodactylus kotschyi)
Balkan whip snake (Hierophis gemonensis) (shed)
Dice snake (Natrix tessellata)
Grass snake (Natrix natrix)
Montpelier snake (Malpolon insignitus)
Caspian whip snake (Dolichophis caspius) (DOR)
Herman's tortoise (Testudo hermanni)
Marginated tortoise (Testudo marginata)
Balkan terrapin (Mauremys rivulata)
