The herpetofauna of Karçal Mountains

Thanks to its position, Turkey includes different geographical, geological and zoogeographic regions within it. Located on the northeast corner of Turkey, Artvin province has very different characteristics due to its unique structure and location. The Karçal Mountains, which are located within the borders of this province, are a mountain range that hosts many ecosystems. In this study, it was tried to determine the species of amphibians and reptiles living in the Karçal Mountains which have high endemism rate. Based on the results of surveys conducted between August 2014 and July 2015, body measurements and ratios, color-pattern and folidosis characters of the collected samples were examined and information about the biological and ecological characteristics of the identified species was also provided. As a result of the study, totally 18 species which of 7 amphibians (Mertensiella caucasica, Ommatotriton ophryticus, Pelophylax ridibundus, Bufo verrucosissimus, Rana macrocnemis, Hyla orientalis, Pelodytes caucasicus) and 11 reptiles (Darevskia derjugini, Darevskia parvula, Darevskia parvula, Darevskia clarkorum, Anguis fragilis, Natrix natrix, Natrix tessellata , Eirenis modestus, Coronella austriaca, Zamenis longissumus, Vipera kaznakovi) were recorded. The herpetological information obtained from this study provided the necessary data for possible future conservation biology studies. In addition, the richness of amphibian and reptile species has revealed the importance of the Karçal Mountains as an herpetological area.