An annotated checklist of the herpetofauna of Krka National Park, Croatia

Abstract

Krka National Park in Šibenik-Knin, central Croatia, supports a unique assemblage of herpetofauna owing to its location in the transitional zone between the continental and Mediterranean biomes. We undertook eight seasons of targeted and incidental recording of amphibians and reptiles, as well as a review of available records of herpetofauna from the park and its surrounds. Through a robust verification process, we combined these data sets with current taxonomy to produce an updated, annotated checklist of the herpetofauna of Krka National Park, bringing the current species list to 38 (four of which have uncertain presence). This comprises 11 amphibian species representing seven families and 11 genera, and 27 reptile species representing eight families and 22 genera (including four non-native turtles). We exclude four non-native turtles isolated to a single, non-breeding, controlled population, and a single amphibian species as a likely misidentification. The assemblage includes four species of conservation concern. This updated assessment will serve as a useful tool for monitoring the conservation status of these taxa as climate change, anthropogenic activities, and the presence of invasive, non-native species inevitably affect changes in the distributional range of native species.