The slender racer, Orientocoluber spinalis, is a monotypic species found in northeast Asia. We collected 67 O. spinalis samples from the Republic of Korea (hereafter, South Korea) and 7 from China and Mongolia and investigated their genetic diversity and population structure. In South Korea, O. spinalis populations were mainly found on Oeyeondo, Uido, and Udo islands and Woraksan Mountain and showed low genetic diversity in the analysis of concatenated mitochondrial sequences of the cytochrome b (Cytb) and NADH dehydrogenase subunit 4 (ND4) genes. Orientocoluber spinalis populations in South Korea showed low differentiation and likely diverged recently. Orientocoluber spinalis may have colonized the Korean Peninsula from China and Mongolia, but this route is not confirmed due to the lack of samples from the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea and middle eastern China. Considering its extreme rarity, low population density, and low genetic diversity, O. spinalis should be designated an endangered species in South Korea, as it is in Russia, Mongolia, and Kazakhstan.
Background: Radio-telemetry is a useful method to investigate the spatial ecology of species in the wild, by tracking the signal of a transmitter attached to an individual. The method of attaching a transmitter to a snake is representatively divided into surgical implantation, and external attachment, which latter is often used in small snake species. Results: In this study, we evaluated and compared the utility of two external attachment methods, the nylon thread method and the tape method, applied to a small grassland snake species of approximately 50 cm snout-vent length, the Slender racer (Orientocoluber spinalis), on an island in the Republic of Korea. The nylon thread method and the tape method were applied to four and five individuals, and radio-tracked for an average of eight and eleven days, respectively. The nylon thread method caused individual injury and disturbed their movement, while using the tape method, the transmitter package sometimes dropped off, but no injury or movement problems occurred. Conclusions: Considering that poor understanding of how to attach the transmitter makes it difficult to investigate the spatial ecology of small snake species, the tape method, evaluated in this study, could be applied to attach a transmitter and to study spatial ecology of such snakes.
Conservation assessments are essential for preserving biodiversity. However, many reptile species have not been evaluated owing to data deficiencies. The Slender racer (Orientocoluber spinalis) is threatened in four out of six inhabiting countries. However, despite its apparent rarity and data deficiency, the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) has classified it as a Least Concern. In this study, we combined field surveys, habitat analysis, and ecological niche models (ENMs) to identify the critical habitat characteristics of O. spinalis, evaluate its distribution status in the Republic of Korea, and register it as a nationally endangered species. Across the country, we found a few small populations on the mainland but large populations on the islands. Orientocoluber spinalis is mainly found in low-altitude ecotone habitats between grasslands and forests. Based on previous genetic and climatic studies, we propose designating it as an endangered species to conserve this species in protected areas such as national parks, and its non-isolated mainland populations can be preserved as source populations.
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