Herping at the edge of Europe. April 2019

For most countries, the edges, the corners, the islands and the borders are likely to offer herping opportunities that are absent in the middle. For the borders and edges of Greece, we can be sure that they offer some real adrenaline rushes still. Some spectacular discoveries of new species for the country were made in the last years. Kastelorizo is such a place of discovery.

Kastelorizo is a tiny inhabited island 130 km east of Rhodos, about one third of the distance from Rhodos to Cyprus. It is only 2 km distance from the Turkish coast and this means that many an Asian species are found there. For Greece and Europe, East Aegean is already exotic, with most not species found in the rest of the country. Until relatively recently, herpetological field guides did not include East Aegean islands in their pages. But here we are now, modern filed guides being quickly outdated by genetic studies finding new species everywhere.

Kastelorizo is a perfect place for vacation too

As soon as I got my feet on the ground, I started searching. I had three main goals, because that was my third time on the island and I had already found most species. I wanted to make photos of the Lycian Salamanders mating, I wanted to find the newly described Anatolian Limbless Skink (among others by my friend Panayiotis Kornilios), and to photograph Budak's Rock Lizard, recently discovered by friends Ilias Strachinis, Konstantinos Kalaentzis and Christos Kazilas.

The Anatolian Limbless Skink Ophiomorus kardesi. For many years it was consider the same as the Peloponnesian Ophiomorus punctatissimus

Flipping rocks revealed more fossorial species and some salamanders of course

Xerotyphlops vermicularis was common at some spots. The species was also found on Rhodos

Blanus strauchi was also common, both on Kastelorizo and on Rhodos

After the first afternoon it was time for the first night out. On Kastelorizo you can find really large scorpions over 10 cm in length: Protoiurus kraepelini

Protoiurus kraepelini, an impressive beast over 10 cm in length

Lyciasalamandra luschani everywhere at night, but no amplexus

The newly split Mediodactylus danilewskii

Next day was the day for the trip to the rocky islet just off Kastelorizo, were Anatololacerta budaki was found. The weather was perfect, the sea very calm, no heat, no cold, just a perfect day.

That is Psomi, the islet indicated here, the only place in Europe where Anatololacerta budaki is found. The next islets belong to Turkey, which is the mainland at the distance. On the main island (Kastelorizo), Anatololacerta pelasgiana is found, recently transferred from Rhodos

Anatololacerta budaki. A really small population survives on the tiny rocky island Psomi. I was impressed by the hardiness of these small lizards

Before mid-day I was back on the main island for some more herping. Looking for basking reptiles this time. At a promising site looking to the east, many lizards and a snake were found just by walking slowly.

Heremites auratus basking on its rock. These lizards are often found under rocks, but they can be seen basking as well, or moving like Lacertids on the rock face- not so efficiently.

Stellagama (Laudakia) stellio. A number of these exotic lizards were basking on a small patch with rocks

A rare observation, Platyceps najadum photographed in situ, feeling the sun.

Ablepharus budaki, an Asian species, found also on Kastelorizo.

Searching for as long as I could, I didn't manage to find another snake species, the one I wanted to find again was a melanistic Eirenis modestus.

Baby melanistic Eirenis modestus, the first ever found on Kastelorizo, from another trip on 2015. Unfortunately I didn't find another one this time

The third night, after much searching, I got lucky. I found a pair of mating salamanders at last

Lyciasalamandra luschani in amplexus

After these three wonderful days, with all goals reached, I returned to Rhodos where some more things were found

Anatololacerta pelasgiana just about everywhere

Chalcides occelatus is quite common

Platyceps najadum in the evening

Ophisops elegans from a site outside Rhodos

Unfortunately no Hemorrhois nummifer was found, as was the fact for the last 4 times that I searched on Rhodos. Next time I will choose another East Aegean island for this.