Notes on the reproduction of theTranscaucasian Nose

BIHAREAN BIOLOGIST
Univeristy of Oradea, Faculty of Sciences, Department of Biology
Univeristatii str. No.1, Oradea – 410087, Romania
Publisher: University of Oradea Publishing House
url: http://biozoojournals.ro/bihbiol/index.html
Contact e-mail: bihbiol@gmail.com
BIHAREAN BIOLOGIST
(International journal of biology)
ACCEPTED PAPER
- Online until proofing -
Authors: Mert KARIŞ; Bayram GÖÇMEN
Title: Notes on the reproduction of theTranscaucasian Nose-horned Viper, Vipera
ammodytes transcaucasiana Boulenger, 1913 (Ophidia: Viperidae) from the Işık
Mountain (Çankırı, Turkey)
Journal: Biharean Biologist
Article number: e162302
Status: awaiting proofing
How to cite:
Kariş M., Göçmen B. (in press): Notes on the reproduction of theTranscaucasian
Nose-horned Viper, Vipera ammodytes transcaucasiana Boulenger, 1913 (Ophidia:
Viperidae) from the Işık Mountain (Çankırı, Turkey). Biharean Biologist (online
first): e162302
Date published: <2016-01-10>
Citation as online first paper: Biharean Biologist (on-first): e162302
1 Notes on the reproduction of theTranscaucasian Nose-horned Viper,
2 Vipera ammodytes transcaucasiana Boulenger, 1913
3 (Ophidia: Viperidae) from the Işık Mountain (Çankırı, Turkey).
4 Mert KARIŞ* and Bayram GÖÇMEN
6 7 8 9 10 Ege University, Faculty of Science, Department of Biology, Zoology Section, 35100
Bornova, Izmir, Turkey.
*Corresponding Author: Mert KARIŞ, E-mail: mert.karis@hotmail.com
Tel: +90 (232) 311 17 95, Fax: +90 (232) 388 10 36
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5 Citation as online first paper: Biharean Biologist (on-first): e162302
Abstract. We report on the reproduction of the Transcaucasian Nose-horned Viper, Vipera
2 ammodytes transcaucasiana, from a northern locality of Işık Mountain (near Yoncalı village,
3 Çerkeş, Çankırı province) in Turkey. During our fieldwork on 15 June 2015, we found a
4 female in gestation period and brought it to the laboratory for our venom-milking studies. It
5 was kept in a terrarium until it died on 17 November 2015. The specimen (snout to vent
6 length= 533 mm, tail length= 62 mm) was dissected after the preservation procedure and the
7 eight embryos found in it were measured: mean Length= 23.74 mm, mean Width= 13.78 mm,
8 mean Weight= 1.87 g.
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1 10 Key Words: Transcaucasian Nose-horned Viper, Vipera ammodytes transcaucasiana,
11 reproduction, embryo, litter size, Turkey.
12 Running Title: Reproduction of Vipera ammodytes transcaucasiana.
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True vipers (subfamily: Viperinae) are distributed in Europe, Asia, and Africa and
2 include generally ovoviviparous species (Mallow et al. 2003, Budak & Göçmen 2014). Vipera
3 ammodytes transcaucasiana was described by Boulenger (1913) on the basis of specimens
4 from Georgia and it too is an ovoviviparous member of the Viperinae (Stidworthy 1974). It
5 has a wide distribution range mainly along the Black Sea coast of Turkey, in some cases more
6 inland Anatolia (Sindaco et al. 2000, Budak & Göçmen 2014, Göçmen et al. 2014, 2015).
7 Vipera ammodytes transcaucasiana is listed as near threatened ver 3.1 in the IUCN Red List
8 and the major threats to this viper species are given as over-collecting for the illegal
9 international pet trade and converting of the rocky habitats for agricultural development
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1 (Tuniyev et al. 2009).
Characteristic habitats of the Transcaucasian Nose-horned Viper are situated in the
12 zones of xerophytic forests and rocky areas. The species prefer rocky slopes overgrown with
13 Quercus sp., Pinus brutia and Corylus sp. The specimens are mostly noted on forest edges,
14 screes and rock outcrops in river valleys (Başoğlu & Baran 1980, Tuniyev et al. 2009, Budak
15 & Göçmen 2014). The activity period of the species depends on the altitude but generally
16 starts from late March-early April until the end of the October-early November. The Mating
17 season is a bit different from the one that generally occurs in April or May (Başoğlu & Baran
18 1980, Biella 1983, Mallow et al. 2003, Strugariu 2006).
19 In June 2015, during a herpetological field trip to central and north Anatolia, we
collected an embryo-carrying female Transcaucasian Nose-horned Viper, Vipera ammodytes
21 transcaucasiana in the northern part of Işık Mountain, near Yoncalı Village, Çerkeş, Çankırı
22 province (Figure 1). We brought the specimen to the laboratory and kept it in a terrarium
23 (60x40x40 cm, LxWxH) until it died on 17 November 2015. The specimen [snout to vent
24 length= 533 mm, tail length= 62 mm] was dissected after the preservation procedure. We
25 found eight embryos in the specimen. The average weight of the embryos was 1.87 g (range=
26 1.75-2.03 g), length 23.74 mm (range= 19.55-26.02 mm), width 13.78 mm (range= 12.61-
27 14.74 mm), respectively (Table 1). Also a general view of the embryos was photographed and
28 numbered (Figure 2) as in Table 1.
Ethical permission (Ege University Animal Experiments Ethics Committee, 2010#43)
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20 30 as well as special permission (2011#7110) for field studies from the Republic of Turkey,
31 Ministry of Forestry and Water Affairs were received.
32 Holzberger (1980) indicated that for Vipera ammodytes, seven young were born, ranged
33 20-23 cm in total length weighed from 7-10 g in captive breeding. It fits with our data as we
34 found eight embryos. However, in another study, they observed that four young were born
Citation as online first paper: Biharean Biologist (on-first): e162302
1 and they were approximately 20 cm in total length and weighed between 6-8 g in captivity
2 (Gulden 1988). This study had fewer numbers of embryos than in our findings. Actually, as a
3 common knowledge Vipera ammodytes may give birth one to twenty young specimens
4 ranging 14-24 cm in total length and birth weight is about 6-8 g are reported (Başoğlu &
5 Baran 1980, Kudryatsev et al. 1993, Mallow et al. 2003, Strugariu 2006).
In conclusion, our results confirmed previous data on reproduction of Vipera
7 ammodytes and Vipera ammodytes transcaucasiana. However, most of the available data
8 were obtained from captive specimens in captive breeding. We immediately need to obtain
9 data on the ecology of Vipera ammodytes transcaucasiana in the wild and about their natural
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6 habitats to protect the near threatened species from future possible threats.
Acknowledgements. This work was partly supported by the Scientific and Technical Research
13 Council of Turkey (TÜBİTAK) under Grant 114Z946. Many thanks to Ms. Beylam Atik for
14 her support in terms of proofreading. Also, we would like to express our gratitude to Prof. Dr.
15 Yehudah L. Werner (Jerusalem) for his review earlier version of the manuscript.
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References
1 2 Başoğlu, M., Baran, İ. (1980): Türkiye Sürüngenleri: Kısım II. Yılanlar [The Reptiles of
3 Turkey: Part II. The Snakes (Taxonomy and distribution, Key for identification)]. Ege
4 Üniversitesi Fen Fakültesi Kitaplar Serisi No. 81, Bornova-İzmir.
6 7 8 9 10 Biella, H.-J. (1983): Die Sandotter. Die Neue Brehm-Bücherei. A Ziemsen Verlag,
Wittenberg Lutherstadt, 84 pp.
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5 Boulenger, G.A. (1913): On the geographical races of Vipera ammodytes. Annals and
Magazin of Natural History, series 8 (11): 283-287
Budak, A., Göçmen, B. (2014): Herpetoloji (Herpetology). 3. Baskı (3rd edition). Ege
Üniversitesi Fen Fakültesi Kitaplar Serisi No. 194, Bornova-İzmir.
11 Göçmen, B., Mebert, K., İğci, N., Akman, B., Yıldız, M.Z., Oğuz, M.A., Altın, Ç. (2014):
12 New locality records for four rare species of vipers (Reptilia: Viperidae) in Turkey.
13 Zoology in the Middle East 60 (4): 306-313.
14 Göçmen, B., Mulder, J., Karış, M., Mebert, K. (2015): New locality records of Vipera
15 ammodytes transcaucasiana Boulenger, 1913 in Turkey. South-Western Journal of
17 18 19 20 21 Gulden, J. (1988): Hibernation and breeding of V. ammodytes ammodytes. Litt Serpent 8: 168172.
Holzberger, H. (1980): Erganzende zur Haltung und Zucht von Vipera ammodytes.
Herpetofauna 2: 32 (summerized in Litt Serpent 3: 37-38, 1983).
Kudryavtsev, S.V., Mamet, S.V., Proutkina, M. (1993): Keeping and breeding in captivity
snakes of Russia and adjacent countries. The Snake 25: 121-130.
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16 23 24 25 26 Mallow, D., Ludwig, D., Nilson, G. (2003): True Vipers: Natural History and Toxinology of
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Sindaco, R., Venchi, A., Carpento, G.M., Bologna, M.A. (2000): The reptiles of Anatolia: A
checklist and zoogeographical analysis. Biogeographia 21: 441-554.
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2 3 4 5 6 Group, 160 pp.
Strugariu, A. (2006): The European Horn-nosed Viper: General info & Captive care notes.
<www.venomousreptiles.org> Accessed: 20 November 2015.
Tuniyev, B., Nilson, G., Kaska, Y., Avcı, A., Agasyan, A., Orlov, N., Tuniyev, S. (2009):
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7 Stidworthy, J. (1974): Snakes of the World. Grosset & Dunlap Inc. Penguin Publishing
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1 of
Threatened
Species.
Citation as online first paper: Biharean Biologist (on-first): e162302
Tables and Figures
1 Table 1. Length, width (in mm) and weight (in gram) of the embryos.
3 Figure 1. General aspect of embryo-carrying female specimen from northern part of Işık
4 Mountain, near Yoncalı Village, Çerkeş, Çankırı province.
5 Figure 2. General aspect of the embryos. They are numbered as in Table 1.
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Table 1. Length, width (in mm) and weight (in gram) of the embryos.
1 Numbers / Characters Length (mm) Width (mm) Weight (g)
14.74
1.89
Embryo no. 2
25.94
15.02
2.03
Embryo no. 3
25.64
13.12
1.82
Embryo no. 4
25.82
13.31
1.96
Embryo no. 5
24.97
12.61
1.84
Embryo no. 6
22.24
14.07
1.75
Embryo no. 7
19.55
13.52
1.76
Embryo no. 8
19.78
13.88
1.91
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26.02
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2 Embryo no. 1
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Citation as online first paper: Biharean Biologist (on-first): e162302
1 2 Figure 1. General aspect of embryo-carrying female specimen from northern part of Işık
3 Mountain, near Yoncalı Village, Çerkeş, Çankırı province.
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4 5 Figure 2. General view of the embryos. They numbered as in Table 1.
6 9