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| Adult (C) Stamatis Kalogiannis |
The humble and seemingly ubiquitous snake-eyed skink may be
very small, but it is far from insignificant. The smallest lizard in Greece, it
is very widespread throughout the mainland (Thrace to South Peloponnese) and
many islands, and it oftentimes seems to be the most abundant reptile in a
specific area. Due to its extreme population density and diminutive size, this
skink is often unjustly overlooked by herpers, which is most unfortunate. Since
it is often so common and easy to observe, it can provide great opportunities
for researching its activity patterns and other habits, which are fairly
unconventional. The genus name is derived from Greek «αβλέφαρος»; prefix α- expressing negation or absence, and “βλέφαρο”, meaning eyelid, which
highlights the skink’s lack of eyelids, which are replaced by eye caps, similar
to those of snakes. The specific name honors renowned biologist Pál Kitaibel. Ablepharus
kitaibelii is a species complex, and a series of recent phylogenetic
studies have split it into several species, two of which only can be found in
Greece, (Ablepharus kitaibelii & A. anatolicus, the latter ranging only in
Kastellorizo) while the others occur in parts of Turkey and the Middle East.
Description
Weight-wise the smallest lizard in Greece, with a weight of less than 2gr. TL up to 13cm; SVL; 8cm. Very slender and shiny, with short and partly atrophic limbs mainly used for climbing. Moves in a very swift way through fallen leaves and grass, often giving the impression of a small snake. Dorsal coloration bronze or brown, with flanks darker than the rest of the body. Ventral side light or darker brown/grey, usually lighter near the throat. Juveniles with a shorter, yellow or red tail; the latter usually in ssp. fabichi. As suggested by the genus name, the species lacks eyelids.
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| Basking adult (C) Plato Stefanopoulos |
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| Adult (C) Charis Kouelis |
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| Adult (C) Plato Stefanopoulos |
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| Adult (C) Stamatis Kalogiannis |
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Adult (C) Stamatis Kalogiannis
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| Adult (C) Charis Kouelis |
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| Adult (C) Stamatis Kalogiannis |
Biology
Snake-eyed skinks overwinter underground, though in most of Greece, they are more or less active throughout the winter, and only brumate for very short intervals to avoid freezing temperatures. Due to their diminutive size (which helps them achieve sufficiently warm body temperatures very fast) as well as their general cold tolerance, Ablepharus may be seen basking in temperatures as low as 6-7 degrees Celsius, given that the weather is sunny, and we have even found them while snow was still on the ground in their microhabitat. When inhabiting drier habitats, or if the summer is very dry in general, the skinks will aestivate to avoid dehydration. Snake-eyed skinks are diurnal, though, they may limit activity to the dusk/dawn hours in the summer to avoid extreme heat. Mating occurs very early in the year, and not much is known about the courting ritual. It is very likely that males engage in combat. Males will also bite females during copulation, which often result in injury. Sexual maturity of males is attained at sizes as small as 39mm from snout to vent. Each year, females lay a single clutch of up to 5 eggs (usually 4) from as early as June to as late as September, and the egg-laying process is carried out over several days. In Greece, the highest densities of freshly hatched juveniles seem to occur in July. Ablepharus are highly active, though they conceal themselves well, as they make very little sound when moving, and they are also excellently camouflaged, with the darker sides and lighter dorsal area making them resemble a leaf or blade of grass that casts a shadow on the ground. They are ground-dwelling and can most often be observed “swimming” in leaf litter or grass, but they can also be observed basking on top of rocks, the bases of trees or fallen leaves, the latter behavior occurring chiefly in cold conditions. Their prey consists of small arthropods (for example ants, springtails, beetles, spiders, pseudoscorpions), as well as other tiny invertebrates such as snails. Due to their very low requirements in terms of both prey and habitat size, Ablepharus are often found in isolated and very small habitats such as urban parks and gardens.
Habitat
Rather a generalist. Inhabits most types of mediterranean habitats, including both humid and dry spots; gardens, urban parks, maquis, phrygana, grasslands, wet meadows, olive groves, pine forests, oak forests and wetland edges. Generally associated with rich substrate cover such as leaf litter, pine needles and grass. Up to 1,800m asl.
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| Open shrubland – habitat of Ablepharus kitaibelii |
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| Bushy grassland – habitat of Ablepharus kitaibelii |
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| Traditional olive grove with maquis – habitat of Ablepharus kitaibelii |
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| Maquis and pine forest bordering grassland – habitat of Ablepharus kitaibelii |
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| Urban grove – habitat of Ablepharus kitaibelii |
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| Urban park edge – habitat of Ablepharus kitaibelii |
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| Pine forest – habitat of Ablepharus kitaibelii |
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| Subalpine meadow – habitat of Ablepharus kitaibelii |
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| Olive grove – habitat of Ablepharus kitaibelii |
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| Submontane oak forest – habitat of Ablepharus kitaibelii |
Distributon
Found throughout all of mainland Greece and most of the Ionian and Aegean regions, including the majority of the Cyclades (e.g. Tinos, Andros, Syros, Naxos, Paros, Antiparos, Serifos, Milos, Amorgos), the Eastern Aegean islands (Lesvos, Chios, Samos, Ikaria), the Dodecanese (Rhodes, Kos, Leros, Karpathos, Kasos, Symi, Chalki) and the Sporades (Skiathos, Skopelos, Alonissos). Also on Euboea, Kythera, Antikythera, Salamina, Aigina, Poros, Spetses, Corfu, Kefallonia, Lefkada, Ithaca and Zakynthos. Absent from all of Crete, but present on the small Makronisi islet near Agios Nikolaos.
- Ablepharus kitaibelii fabichi occurs on Karpathos, Kasos, Armathia and Makronisi.
- On Kastellorizo, the genus is represented by Ablepharus anatolicus.
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Distribution of Ablepharus kitaibelii in Greece
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