Swimming in the Sahara: A new locality record and range extension of Natrix maura (Linnaeus, 1758) (Squamata, Colubridae), from central Algeria

Occurrence Observation
最新版本 published by Museu de Ciències Naturals de Barcelona on 11月 19, 2024 Museu de Ciències Naturals de Barcelona

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說明

Natrix maura, commonly known as the viperine snake, is a widespread and common semi-aquatic species in the western Mediterranean region. This study reports a new locality record of N. maura from central Algeria, significantly extending the species’ known range. Additionally, we provide an updated distribution map of N. maura in Algeria, compiled from a comprehensive dataset of occurrence records. Our findings emphasize the need for extensive herpetofaunal surveys in the country’s underexplored regions.

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如何引用

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Bouam, I., Chedad, A., Sadine, S. E., 2024. Swimming in the Sahara: a new locality record and range extension of Natrix maura (Linnaeus, 1758) (Squamata, Colubridae) from central Algeria. Museu de Ciències Naturals. Occurrence/dataset: https://doi.org/10.15470/fe3689

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GBIF 註冊

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關鍵字

Occurrences; Herpetofauna; Viperine snake; Bilineata; North Africa; Wallacean shortfall; Observation

聯絡資訊

I Bouam
  • 元數據提供者
  • 出處
  • 連絡人
University of Batna
05078 Batna
Fesdis
DZ
A. Chedad
  • 元數據提供者
  • 出處
  • 連絡人
Ouargla University
Ouargla
DZ
S. E. Sadine
  • 元數據提供者
  • 出處
  • 連絡人
Université de Ghardaïa
47000 Ghardaïa
DZ
Montse Ferrer
  • 使用者
Arxius de Miscel·lània Zoològica, Museu de Ciències Naturals de Barcelona
08003 Barcelona
Barcelona
ES

地理涵蓋範圍

Field observations were conducted at Sebkhet El Melah wetland (30° 28' 06" N, 2° 55' 35" E; 370 m a.s.l.; fig. 1A), El Menia Province (formerly El Goléa), central Algeria. This shallow, saline lake covers about 8 km² and is bordered by sand dunes and rocky hills. It receives water from surrounding palm grove drainage, El Menia city domestic wastewater, and rainfall (Hacěne et al., 2004; Alioua et al., 2016). Designated as a Ramsar Site (https://rsis.ramsar.org/ris/1429), Sebkhet El Melah is a critical habitat for Saharan biodiversity, particularly waterbirds (Bouzid et al., 2009, 2019, 2023; Chedad et al., 2021). Based on data from the WorldClim database with a resolution of ~1 km² (Fick and Hijmans, 2017), the site falls within the inferior Saharan bioclimatic zone, characterized by temperate winters and a mean annual precipitation of 30 mm.

界定座標範圍 緯度南界 經度西界 [30.12, 0.07], 緯度北界 經度東界 [36.93, 8.49]

分類群涵蓋範圍

無相關描述

Phylum Chordata
Class Reptilia
Order Squamata
Family Colubridae
Genus Natrix
Species Natrix maura

計畫資料

Algeria ranks among the most species-rich countries in the Mediterranean Basin and North Africa in terms of terrestrial reptiles, with 101 documented species (Rouag et al., 2024). However, knowledge of the distribution of many reptile taxa remains incomplete due to a scarcity of comprehensive herpetofaunal inventories across many parts of the country (Beddek, 2017; Beddek et al., 2018). Much of the available distributional data relies on historical sources, primarily museum specimens and 19th and early 20th-century literature (e.g., Gervais, 1836; Guichenot, 1850; Strauch, 1862; Lallemant, 1867; Boulenger, 1891; Olivier, 1894; Doumergue, 1901), which often suffer from spatial inaccuracies. This knowledge gap, referred to as the “Wallacean shortfall”, is particularly pronounced in the Algerian Sahara, due in part to the inaccessibility of remote regions, resulting in many reptilian taxa having poorly defined and documented range maps (Bouam et al., 2022; Chedad et al., 2024). Although the past decade has witne sed a resurgence of scientific interest in Algeria’s reptile fauna, resulting in the discovery of previously unreported taxa and significant range extensions for known species across diverse taxonomic groups, including Testudinidae (Boulaouad et al., 2023), Gekkonidae (Mouane et al., 2021), Scincidae (Rouag et al., 2016), Agamidae (Saoudi et al., 2017; El Bouhissi et al., 2022), Lamprophiidae (Bakhouche and Escoriza, 2017; Bakhouche et al., 2019; Böhme et al., 2019), and Viperidae (Bouam et al., 2019). Natrix Laurenti, 1768 is a Palearctic genus of colubrid snakes, currently comprising five recognized species (Uetz et al., 2023). Among these, the semiaquatic Natrix maura (Linnaeus, 1758) exhibits a West Mediterranean chorotype. It is widespread across the Maghreb and Western Europe, extending from the Iberian Peninsula to northwestern Italy, including France and southwestern Switzerland (Mateo Miras et al., 2009). N. maura occurs at elevations ranging from sea level up to 2600 m asl and is commonly encountered in various freshwater habitats, but also tolerates waters with relatively high salt concentrations (Fuentes and Escoriza, 2015; Geniez, 2015). It predominantly preys on fish and amphibians (Rugiero et al., 2000; Santos et al., 2000). This species is a small to medium-sized snake, typically measuring 40–80 cm in total length, though some individuals reach up to 95 cm (Geniez, 2015; Trape, 2023). Notably, this colubrid species exhibits remarkable Batesian mimicry, both morphologically and behaviourally, of European vipers of the genus Vipera (Santos et al., 2018), hence its common name, the viperine snake.

計畫名稱 Swimming in the Sahara: A new locality record and range extension of Natrix maura (Linnaeus, 1758) (Squamata, Colubridae), from central Algeria
研究區域描述 Field observations were conducted at Sebkhet El Melah wetland (30° 28' 06" N, 2° 55' 35" E; 370 m a.s.l.; fig. 1A), El Menia Province (formerly El Goléa), central Algeria. This shallow, saline lake covers about 8 km² and is bordered by sand dunes and rocky hills. It receives water from surrounding palm grove drainage, El Menia city domestic wastewater, and rainfall (Hacěne et al., 2004; Alioua et al., 2016). Designated as a Ramsar Site (https://rsis.ramsar.org/ris/1429), Sebkhet El Melah is a critical habitat for Saharan biodiversity, particularly waterbirds (Bouzid et al., 2009, 2019, 2023; Chedad et al., 2021). Based on data from the WorldClim database with a resolution of ~1 km² (Fick and Hijmans, 2017), the site falls within the inferior Saharan bioclimatic zone, characterized by temperate winters and a mean annual precipitation of 30 mm.
研究設計描述 To comprehensively update N. maura distribution in Algeria, we conducted a thorough literature review and searched online museum and institutional collections for occurrence records. Additionally, occurrence data were obtained from the Global Biodiversity Information Facility (GBIF, 2024) and iNaturalist (https://inaturalist.org). Following Chowdhury et al. (2024), data were also sourced from Facebook (https://facebook.com), specifically from the group named “world of wildlife in Algeria - عالم الحياة البرية في الجزائر” (https://www.facebook.com/groups/1641684429224291/). The species identification of data obtained from both iNaturalist and Facebook was double-checked and confirmed by the authors. To ensure data accuracy, all records included precise locality description and/or GPS coordinates with a minimum precision of two decimal degrees, while excluding records with coordinates referring to the centroids of large geographic areas. Duplicate records from the same locality were merged into single entries. The final dataset comprised 139 unique presence locations (annex 1) visualized using ArcGIS v. 10.8.

參與計畫的人員:

取樣方法

To comprehensively update N. maura distribution in Algeria, we conducted a thorough literature review and searched online museum and institutional collections for occurrence records.

研究範圍 Field observations were conducted at Sebkhet El Melah wetland (30° 28' 06" N, 2° 55' 35" E; 370 m a.s.l.; fig. 1A), El Menia Province (formerly El Goléa), central Algeria. This shallow, saline lake covers about 8 km² and is bordered by sand dunes and rocky hills. It receives water from surrounding palm grove drainage, El Menia city domestic wastewater, and rainfall (Hacěne et al., 2004; Alioua et al., 2016). Designated as a Ramsar Site (https://rsis.ramsar.org/ris/1429), Sebkhet El Melah is a critical habitat for Saharan biodiversity, particularly waterbirds (Bouzid et al., 2009, 2019, 2023; Chedad et al., 2021). Based on data from the WorldClim database with a resolution of ~1 km² (Fick and Hijmans, 2017), the site falls within the inferior Saharan bioclimatic zone, characterized by temperate winters and a mean annual precipitation of 30 mm.
品質控管 Additionally, occurrence data were obtained from the Global Biodiversity Information Facility (GBIF, 2024) and iNaturalist (https://inaturalist.org). Following Chowdhury et al. (2024), data were also sourced from Facebook (https://facebook.com), specifically from the group named “world of wildlife in Algeria (https://www.facebook.com/groups/1641684429224291/).

方法步驟描述:

  1. The species identification of data obtained from both iNaturalist and Facebook was double-checked and confirmed by the authors. To ensure data accuracy, all records included precise locality description and/or GPS coordinates with a minimum precision of two decimal degrees, while excluding records with coordinates referring to the centroids of large geographic areas. Duplicate records from the same locality were merged into single entries. The final dataset comprised 139 unique presence locations (annex 1) visualized using ArcGIS v. 10.8.

引用文獻

  1. Bouam, I., Chedad, A., Sadine, S. E., 2024. Swimming in the Sahara: a new locality record and range extension of Natrix maura (Linnaeus, 1758) (Squamata, Colubridae) from central Algeria. Arxius de Miscel·lània Zoològica, 22: 129-142. DOI: https://doi.org/10.32800/amz.2024.22.0129. https://doi.org/10.32800/amz.2024.22.0129

額外的詮釋資料

Introduction Algeria ranks among the most species-rich countries in the Mediterranean Basin and North Africa in terms of terrestrial reptiles, with 101 documented species (Rouag et al., 2024). However, knowledge of the distribution of many reptile taxa remains incomplete due to a scarcity of comprehensive herpetofaunal inventories across many parts of the country (Beddek, 2017; Beddek et al., 2018). Much of the available distributional data relies on historical sources, primarily museum specimens and 19th and early 20th-century literature (e.g., Gervais, 1836; Guichenot, 1850; Strauch, 1862; Lallemant, 1867; Boulenger, 1891; Olivier, 1894; Doumergue, 1901), which often suffer from spatial inaccuracies. This knowledge gap, referred to as the “Wallacean shortfall”, is particularly pronounced in the Algerian Sahara, due in part to the inaccessibility of remote regions, resulting in many reptilian taxa having poorly defined and documented range maps (Bouam et al., 2022; Chedad et al., 2024). Although the past decade has witnessed a resurgence of scientific interest in Algeria’s reptile fauna, resulting in the discovery of previously unreported taxa and significant range extensions for known species across diverse taxonomic groups, including Testudinidae (Boulaouad et al., 2023), Gekkonidae (Mouane et al., 2021), Scincidae (Rouag et al., 2016), Agamidae (Saoudi et al., 2017; El Bouhissi et al., 2022), Lamprophiidae (Bakhouche and Escoriza, 2017; Bakhouche et al., 2019; Böhme et al., 2019), and Viperidae (Bouam et al., 2019). Natrix Laurenti, 1768 is a Palearctic genus of colubrid snakes, currently comprising five recognized species (Uetz et al., 2023). Among these, the semiaquatic Natrix maura (Linnaeus, 1758) exhibits a West Mediterranean chorotype. It is widespread across the Maghreb and Western Europe, extending from the Iberian Peninsula to northwestern Italy, including France and southwestern Switzerland (Mateo Miras et al., 2009). N. maura occurs at elevations ranging from sea level up to 2600 m asl and is commonly encountered in various freshwater habitats, but also tolerates waters with relatively high salt concentrations (Fuentes and Escoriza, 2015; Geniez, 2015). It predominantly preys on fish and amphibians (Rugiero et al., 2000; Santos et al., 2000). This species is a small to medium-sized snake, typically measuring 40–80 cm in total length, though some individuals reach up to 95 cm (Geniez, 2015; Trape, 2023). Notably, this colubrid species exhibits remarkable Batesian mimicry, both morphologically and behaviourally, of European vipers of the genus Vipera (Santos et al., 2018), hence its common name, the viperine snake.
目的 We present a new locality record for N. maura in Algeria, significantly expanding its known geographic distribution. Additionally, to gain a more comprehensive understanding of N. maura distribution within the country, we compiled occurrence data from various sources and provide an updated distribution map for Algeria.
替代的識別碼 6de0687a-c1e9-47e6-97ae-a1d15fe71c4f
https://ipt.gbif.es/resource?r=viperine_snake_algeria