Re: Chick list of Amphibians & reptiles in Israel

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: Hi. I don't know very much about this, (I am interested in Israeli herps myself, but have found little), but this I : do know. There are currently six known species of amphibians and over 100 reptiles in Israel. The amphibians are the Fire Salamander, the Banded Newt : the Mediterranean Treefrog, the Syrian Spadefoot, the Green Toad, and the Levant Marsh frog. Originally, the Levant frog was considered the Marsh frog (Rana ridibunda), but is now classed as its own species. The Marsh frog is probably : a complex of many different cryptic species and I heard something about the frogs in Israel possibly representing TWO different species that look similar. I can't verify this, but I heard rumors that the frogs in Lake Kinneret may be a separate species from Rana levante. : There was another frog, the Isreal Painted frog, (Discosglossus nigriventer)but it is almost definitely extinct (I keep hoping a relic population turns up though!). In Biblical days, when Israel was wetter, greener, and had larger rivers connecting biomes in the Mideast to southern Europe, : there may have been more species of amphibians in Israel. As far as reptiles, there are over 100 species. Lizards are represented by : geckoes, skinks, agamids, monitors, glass lizards (anguids)and lacertilians (typical Old World lizards). Snakes are also diverse, with colubrids (typical "harmless" snakes), sand boas, vipers, cobras, and maybe blind snakes being represented. Turtles are the Caspian terrapin, the Nile softshell, : and several species of sea turtle found in the Med and Red Seas. The Nile crocodile lived in Israel in biblical days. Hope this is some help! : : Hi. : : Iam very interested to know about the Mediterranean region Herpetological fauna : : I would like to know more about Israeli Herp fauna : : Does anyone know what kind of species there : : Thank-you : : Imad

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