Update on the herpetofauna of Syros (Cyclades, Greece) and current land-use and climate change threats

Abstract

The current knowledge on the herpetofauna of Syros is updated, whereby no publications on it have been made since 1975. I provide the results from a field trip in 2024 that focused on the hygrophilous species. The Balkan Water Frog and the Balkan Terrapin, mentioned for Syros in the 19th century, meanwhile have become extinct. The Green Toad is threatened with extinction, the status of the Grass Snake is unclear. The Green Toad has benefited previously from anthropogenic spawning grounds in the form of open cisterns, which have fallen into disuse and thus are no longer available to the amphibians. The ongoing climate change in the Aegean region is reflected in drier winters, which dry out water bodies. The situation for the wetlands and their fauna and flora on Syros is alarming.