Elevational diversity of reptiles on two Dinaric mountains

Elevational pattern in reptilian species richness and species turnover was studied on two Dinaric mountains along the eastern Adriatic coast: northern Mt. Velebit and Mt. Biokovo. Both mountains had similar numbers of species (20 and 22, respectively) and showed a gradual decline in species richness with increasing elevation. Lizard species richness was less dependent on elevation than that of snakes. Pattern of species turnover among 200 m elevational intervals peaked at high elevations in Mt. Velebit and at mid-elevations in Mt. Biokovo. Two elevational zones (0-400 m and 1400-1600 m) contained 100% of a local species pool in Mt. Velebit and 91% in Mt. Biokovo. Effective conservation of reptilian species richness in the Dinaric Alps should thus focus on extreme altitudinal zones.