The herpetofauna of Despotiko Island (Cyclades, Greece)

By

Poole, Jennifer Rose
Smith, Joshua
Hesselberg, Thomas
Pafilis, Panayiotis

Type

Article

Date of Publication

2025-4-3

Original Publication

Herpetozoa

Volume

38

Pages

71--75

Subjects

Aegean Islands , archaeological sites , Eryx jaculus , Greece , Lacerta citrovittata , Reptiles

Contributed by

Pensoft Publishers

Language

English

Published by

Sofia, Bulgaria Pensoft Publishers

Identifiers

DOI: https://doi.org/10.3897/herpetozoa.38.e152516

 

Abstract

The Aegean Islands are a known hotspot for herpetofauna and have been extensively studied in this area. However, there are still numerous islands that lack this research. This includes the uninhabited islet of Despotiko found in the Paros Archipelago, Cyclades. It is known for its importance in archaeology, which, in turn, attracts tourism. However, there is not yet a complete understanding of the presence of herpetofauna there, with the last published records written in 1977. In an effort to address this, a combination of past ad-hoc sightings and visual surveys was carried out during the summer of 2024. These yielded two new records of reptile species, Eryx jaculus and Lacerta citrovittata. Furthermore, the enclosed archaeological site had greater reptile diversity and richness than outside the site. This highlights the potential importance of the archaeological site as a key reptile habitat. Our findings help to improve our understanding of reptilian diversity in the archipelago, providing avenues for further research into the potential interactions between archaeological sites and reptile diversity.