Vol. 21 No. 1 (2026)
Articles

Human-mediated dispersals in the Aegean region: the case of Anatololacerta pelasgiana on Chalki Island (Greece: Dodecanese)

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  • Elias Tzoras,
  • Daniel Jablonski
Elias Tzoras
Patras 264 42, Achaia, Greece
Daniel Jablonski
Department of Zoology, Comenius University in Bratislava, Ilkovičova 6, Mlynská dolina, 842 15, Bratislava, Slovakia
DOI: https://doi.org/10.36253/a_h-19819

Published 2026-03-23

Keywords

  • Lacertidae,
  • Aegean Islands,
  • lizard translocation

How to Cite

Tzoras, E., & Jablonski, D. (2026). Human-mediated dispersals in the Aegean region: the case of Anatololacerta pelasgiana on Chalki Island (Greece: Dodecanese). Acta Herpetologica, 21(1), 125–130. https://doi.org/10.36253/a_h-19819

Copyright (c) 2026 Elias Tzoras, Daniel Jablonski

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This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.

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Abstract

We report the first confirmed occurrence of Anatololacerta pelasgiana on Chalki Island (Dodecanese, Greece). The species was detected exclusively in and around the main settlement and port, within an area of ~0.9 km², suggesting an established population likely originating from a recent human-mediated introduction. To infer source affinity, we sequenced the mitochondrial cytochrome b gene from two individuals and compared these sequences with published ones from Aegean and adjacent Anatolian populations. Based on the analysed length of the cytochrome b fragment, the Chalki specimens share a widespread haplotype known from Rhodes, Kastellorizo, and Athens (Greece), as well as from southwestern Turkey. These results suggest repeated, transport-mediated introductions likely from nearby Rhodes as a recurrent driver of secondary colonization in the southeastern Aegean and underscore local trade links as pathways for small-island translocations, potentially relevant to other reptiles in the region.

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