New findings of Kotschyi’s gecko, Mediodactylus kotschyi (Steindachner, 1870) in Serbia, with a particular focus on recently detected populations in Niš and Sremska Mitrovica

Aleksandar Urošević, Marko Maričić, Tijana Vučić, Vladimir Žikić, Saša S Stanković, Mirko Šević, Marko Anđelković

Abstract


Kotschyi’s gecko (Mediodactylus kotschyi) is native to the eastern Mediterranean basin but well known as a successful colonizer. The most probable way of its spreading is cargo and passenger traffic. In Serbia, M. kotschyi is assumed native only in Prizren. Anthropogenic introductions were confirmed in Belgrade, Novi Sad, Pančevo and Smederevo. This study aimed to summarize data of M. kotschy findings with reference to recently confirmed population in Niš and newly recorded population in Sremska Mitrovica. These two populations are well-established with multiple pieces of evidence of reproduction. Pholidosis data was collected for several individuals to confirm their specific status. New and previously recorded introduced populations of Kotchy’s gecko in Serbia belong to M. kotschyi bibroni subspecies based on morphology. The introduction was most likely related to railways and further spread in urban zones is expected. Introduced populations do not threaten native ecosystems as these populations are highly localized in urban habitats.  


Keywords


anthropogenic introduction; colonizing species; distribution; M. kotschyi bibroni

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References


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