Amphibian and reptile fauna of Smederevo Municipality: Recapitulation of 75 years of research

Abstract

In this paper, we present the recapitulation of the research of amphibian and reptile fauna in the Smederevo municipality. For Serbia, three amphibian species were for the first time detected in Smederevo - (Triturus dobrogicus, Pelobates balcanicus and Pelophylax lessonae). In the literature, occurrence of Vipera berus was also mentioned. Since Smederevo is an important industrial centre, many amphibian and reptile habitats were lost due to urbanization, degradation and pollution, and surface waters were especially affected. Habitat degradation probably led to the local extinction of population of the Adder. Still, increased field effort and inclusion of citizen science led to the first discoveries of Pelobates fuscus and Coronella austriaca in Smederevo, and re-confirmation of the historical entries of Salamandra salamandra and Triturus dobrogicus. The remaining species were mapped to a greater extent, and some species which were previously known from only a few records (Lissotriton vulgaris, Emys orbicularis and Zamenis longissimus) are now mapped in much wider area. The presence of human introduced reptile species such as Trachemys scripta ssp., Mediodactylus kotschyi and Pogona vitticeps is also recorded, with Kotschyi's gecko probably being naturalized. Future research should focus on re-confirmation of the remaining historical records (Pelobates balcanicus) and identifying more habitats of the rare and vulnerable species and protecting them.