Portugal 2019

Date: 31.1. – 4.2. 2019

Team: Tomáš Dino Holer, Vojtěch Víta (Zoo Praha)

Vojta and I went through the classic winter depression, when the heart of the herpetologist longs for spring and the animals to emerge from their wintering places. So we agreed that we would make the wait more pleasant with a trip to the south of Europe, where there are already suitable conditions for observing amphibians and perhaps even some species of reptiles. The choice fell on Portugal, where neither of us traveled yet, the weather looked promising and, moreover, this part of Europe promises many endemic species and subspecies of herpetofauna. To this was added the relatively advantageous price of flights. We agreed on the date quite clearly and we only had a week before departure. We ordered a car from Goldcar rental (which was a fatal mistake, more later) and so we started intensively looking for places that would be worth visiting. The goal was to find 2-3 subspecies of fire salamander. The first and most widespread subspecies is Salamandra salamandra gallaica, inhabiting most of Portugal. Salamandra salamandra crespoi occurs in a much smaller area in the southwest. Some publications still mention the possible marginal occurrence of S.s. morenica along the southeastern border with Spain. Using the iNaturalist database, scientific publications and Google maps, we selected 4 locations. Monchique, a city in the south of Portugal, is a typical locality of S.s.crespoi and due to the weather this locality was chosen for the first day. We chose the second location only using google maps, where we seemed to be a suitable environment for the occurrence of S.s. morenica. Then we planned the northernmost locality near the town of Lousã, where we expected S.s. gallaica and hoped to find a salamander – Chioglossa lusitanica. One day we kept free if we failed at some of the locations.

31.1.2019

Due to the early morning departure, Vojta and I met at my home in the evening, as I live strategically close to the airport. To save money, we packed our belongings into one checked bag and had our hand baggage loaded with photo equipment. In addition to rainwear, of course, I also packed a newt net with a folding handle. We arrived at the airport, where we enjoyed coffee and breakfast and forgot about the time. After passing the inspection, they already called us to the gate. Fortunately, the plane did not fly away and we were in the air after a while. Of course, economic flights to Lisbon were not direct and included a stopover in Brussels. The trip with Brussels Airlines was quite pleasant, although we didn’t even get water for free. When we landed in Brussels, a cricket suddenly came out of Vojta´s cloths. The breeder will not deny in him. We arrived on time in the Portuguese capital on time and after picking up our luggage we headed for the rental shops. An unpleasant surprise awaited us here in the form of previously unmentioned fees. In the end, renting a car cost us several times more than was presented when booking it at Economycarrentals.com. In addition to all sorts of fees, a deposit for a full tank and a highway, we were forced to pay insurance for 130 euros, because we did not have an “astronomical” refundable credit card deposit of 1600 euros. Annoyed (to put it politely) that we were “plucked” like this, we set off in a rented Kia Ceed, unfortunately white, to the south to Monchique. The journey through the degraded Portuguese landscape with fragments of nature went well. The motorways limited to 120 km/h were almost empty. As soon as we got off the highway and approached our destination, the landscape began to look more promising. When I noticed a nice pond by the road, Vojta did not hesitate and stopped the car at the curb. We set out with enthusiasm to explore the surroundings of the lake. During this very fast stop, we found several young Perez’s frogs (Pelophylax perezi) and, to my delight, Lissotriton maltzani newts. This species of newt inhabits the southwestern part of Portugal. It is a cryptic species that was previously considered only a form of Iberian newt (Lissotriton boscai), from which it was separated on the basis of morphology and was later confirmed by genetic analysis. It is now considered a separate species, but is often overlooked in the current literature.

The sun was supposed to set around half past five, so we didn’t have much time left. However, we wanted to arrive at the selected location behind the lights, so we got back in the car and continued on our way. It didn’t take long for the hilly landscape of the Serra de Monchique to appear. To our dismay, it was partially damaged by a large fire and largely overgrown with non-native eucalyptus. Here and there a more pleasant valley overgrown with mostly cork oak. According to GPS, we arrived at a selected location, which was fenced, so we continued higher into the mountains. When we reached the top, the weather changed rapidly from a sunny day to fog, cold rain and wind. It was almost dark, and we turned and headed back the same way we came to one of the cork valleys we had passed. Here the weather was more moderate. I admit that the place that Vojta chose didn’t seem like much to me at first glance, because there was no water source. However, I trusted Vojta’s inner meaning, and right after parking the car, we set out to explore the surroundings. It didn’t take long and I discovered an entrance to an old shaft on a hill. At first I was greeted by a bat that had just flown out, and when I shone a headlight inside, two large shiny eyes of a salamander female looked at me. So we returned to the car to change and collect photo equipment full of enthusiasm that we were relatively easy to meet the first goal of the expedition, which was the Monchique fire salamander (Salamandra salamandra crespoi). During a longer search, we found about 8 more salamanders, including two juveniles, and we got soaked by rain. We spent the rainy and windy night in the car and in the morning we set off again with the cameras to take a picture of a couple of salamanders. A nice surprise awaited us in the shaft. Heavy night rain filled the still dry underground space with water yesterday, and the female gave birth to a large number of larvae in the newly formed lake.

After taking pictures of the animals and the surrounding area, we set off again. We stopped in Monchique for breakfast and shopping at the local store Super Intermarché, which we highly recommend. In each of these chains of shops you will find a wide range of goods (Vojta also got a raincoat) and in addition you will have a good breakfast, such as fresh cakes and desserts and excellent coffee.

We stopped again at the same lake as yesterday. We liked the surroundings and that’s why we decided to explore it a little more, which paid off later. At the demolished building, I found a young wall gecko (Tarentola mauritanica) and Vojta a short distance away, a male Mediterranean toad (Bufo spinosus). I took pictures for a while while Vojta was looking for cork tubes. I was about to leave, but I didn’t give up, and I tipped a suspicious stone on a crumbling wall. Beneath it was a snake, which at first I thought was a Southern smooth snake, but then Vojta and I agreed that it would be more like a False smooth snake (Macroprotodon brevis). The find motivated Vojta to intensify his search of the dilapidated building, and in a moment he discovered another snake, which was the aforementioned Southern smooth snake (Coronella girondica). These two types of snakes are very similar in color and body structure, and they were also very young, so hard to identify. However, when we compared the color and shape of the head, it was clear that they were two different species.

We were disturbed by the frequent rain showers and the constant change of light conditions. In addition, we were pressed for time and we needed to go to another location. So we got in the car and continued east, where we hoped to find another subspecies of salamander. After a quite pleasant journey, we arrived at a place selected using Google maps and set out to herping into a grassy valley.

The classic lifting of stones has begun. One of the first discoveries was a baby of the Algerian psammodromus (Psammodromus algirus) and a very special endemic species of reptile (Blanus mariae), belonging to a group called Amphisbaenians. While I was photographing it, Vojta discovered a beautiful Portuguese newt (Triturus pygmaeus) under a stone. In the next valley we found a group of Spanish riobbed newts (Pleurodeles waltl) in a small lake. We also found several individuals under the stones, which confirms our belief that these newts are definitely not purely aquatic, as some breeders and especially aquarists mistakenly think of them. Nearby, we also found, in Czech Republic a rare toad, but widespread on the Iberian Peninsula, the Natterjack toad (Epidalea calamita).

After successful herping, we decided to go a little lower into the valley through which a small river flowed. The environment of the grassy valley did not seem suitable for salamanders. However, we did not succeed down in the valley. We tried in vain to locate vocalizing male Iberian toads (Alytes cisternasii), but they were well hidden. We went to an overgrown valley with the desire to find salamanders. We proceeded slowly and slowly through the densely overgrown terrain, crawling over the wire fence several times until we finally returned to the car without success and tired. We decided to return to the grassy valley above the river and try our luck there. We parked in the same place and met again in the valley. It gave us a lot of effort to break through to the thickly overgrown bushes, but there was great hope. Apart from a few ribbed newts, the stream was full of fire salamander larvae. So we decided to continue through the challenging terrain of the overgrown valley. We had several hours to break through with bushes armed with thorns and interwoven with tendrils of annoying blackberries. We already wanted to give it up and return to the car (without GPS we wouldn’t know which way to go for a long time) and so we climbed from the stream along the animal trail, where a female salamander was waiting for us and one other a little further on. Deserved reward after tiring terrain. In addition, according to morphological features, these were salamanders belonging to the subspecies S. s. morenica, the occurrence of which was only assumed in Portugal on the part of the eastern border with Spain.

After returning to the car, we celebrated the final success with a bottle of local red wine and went to sleep in a small car. During the day the temperatures were quite nice, around 15 ° C, but at night and in the morning they dropped to zero.

The next day we got up quite early, as we had the longest drive north to the mountains around the town of Lousã. In addition, there is no direct highway, and we also wanted to save something, so we set off on the district roads. After breakfast, we only briefly crossed the valley with one new find – Iberian newt (Lissotriton boscai). As soon as we left the quite nice valley of a small river, the sharply agricultural landscape of the olive groves and large fields began to show. On the way, of course, we stopped at Intermarché for coffee and a cake. After all, we had to drive on the highway part of the way, so we just looked desperately at every electronic board showing how much euro we had just left in the toll gate.

The location we chose near Lousã using various publications, Google maps and street view was the most beautiful place we have seen in Portugal. It was an old forest with a cascading stream. Remains of various wells and shafts appeared here and there in the forest. Now they consisted only of stone walls. I chose the location with the intention of observing the golden-striped salamander here. Surprisingly, it took us quite a long time, and we almost lost hope before we discovered the first fire salamander larva. It was completely dark and we headed up the steep terrain of the creek valley with the headlights. The terrain was so demanding that we managed to climb barely a hundred meters, where we then came across a rock gorge and a few meters high waterfall, which we did not dare to cross in the unknown terrain at night. So we decided to explore the available part of the valley more intensively. After a few minutes of returning down, we came across the first fire salamander (Salamandra salamandra), this time of the subspecies gallaica. A little further on, Vojta found an adult male marbled newt (Triturus marmoratus), which we certainly did not expect in a dense forest with a cold stream. I was still intensively searching for the golden-striped salamander, and during this time we discovered another species of frog – the Iberian frog (Rana iberica). After a long time, I heard Vojta’s shout: “I have chioglossa!”. So I hurried to where he was calling from. However, the salamander was too fast and we could not get him out of its hideout. Disappointed, we returned to the car and tried another location, but we also failed.

When I returned, I decided to give it another chance and go looking again. I changed my tactics and now searched the stone walls with the dim light of the headlight intensely and slowly. Every time something as small as two pinheads shone in the flashlight, I sharpened, but mostly it was just dew or a spider. I first discovered a young salamander (Salamandra salamandra gallaica) and one Iberian frog (Rana iberica). In the end, however, luck smiled on me when I actually noticed the eyes of a tiny golden-striped salamander (Chioglossa lusitanica) in a crack between the stones. He had nowhere to run and we had the opportunity to take a picture of him.

After a cold night and breakfast at the local Intermarché, we set out on our last journey back to Lisbon. On the way we made several short stops and on the side of a sunny valley we managed to find an adult male Western montpellier snake (Malpolon monspessulanus). This snake has posterior venomous teeth, but its venom is not very significant. A little further on, we found several Iberian toads (Alytes cisternasii) under the rocks.

It was late afternoon and we were forced to continue on our way to Lisbon. We didn’t have a selected location here, and after a moment of searching in Google maps, we drove into a forest near Sintra. We parked near a concrete well full of salamander larvae, as well as puddles all around. However, due to the cold, dry and windy weather, the adult salamanders were not active. In the end, we managed to find only two females hiding in the wall by the well.

The next morning we drove to the nearest car wash to wash the four days of herpetology from our white car and empty out our mobile bedroom and dining room in one. Only the way back to the airport followed. The return of the car went smoothly and without complications (even without surcharges) and after a while we were sitting on the plane. The plane in Brussels was about an hour late, which we used to discuss the photos. Overall, the trip was a success and we can only recommend winter Portugal!

On behalf of Herpetology.cz,

Tomáš Dino Holer

Species list:

Amphibians – 12 taxa

Fire salamander (Salamandra salamandra crespoi)

Fire salamander (Salamandra salamandra gallaica)

Fire salamander (Salamandra salamandra morenica)

Golden-stripped salamander (Chioglossa lusitanica)

Southern Iberian Newt (Lissotriton maltzani)

Iberian newt (Lissotriton boscai)

Pygmy newt (Triturus pygmaeus)

Marbled newt (Triturus marmoratus)

Spanish ribbed newt (Pleurodeles waltl)

Spiny toad (Bufo spinosus)

Natterjack toad (Epidalea calamita)

Iberian Midwife toad (Alytes cisternasii)

Perez´s frog (Pelophylax perezi)

Iberian stream frog (Rana iberica)

Reptiles – 6 taxa

Worm lizard (Blanus mariae)

Algiran psammodromus (Psammodromus algirus)

Wall gecko (Tarentola mauritanica)

Southern smooth snake (Coronella girondica)

False smooth snake (Macroprotodon brevis)

Western montpelier snake (Malpolon monspessulanus)

Together: 18

Spent nights: 4

Distance driven: 1200 Km

Galerie Portugalsko 2019: