Open AccessCitizen Science Assisted Monitoring Provides New Data Concerning the Distribution of the Bulgarian Bent-toed Gecko, Mediodactylus danilewskii (Gekkonidae, Squamata), in North-East Bulgaria
Author(s) -
Teodora Koynova,
Pavlina Marinova,
N. Nikolov,
M. Kaschieva,
C. Chernikov,
V. Velkova,
Nikolay Natchev
Publication year - 2021
Publication title -
zoodiversity
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
eISSN - 2707-7268
pISSN - 2707-725X
DOI - 10.15407/zoo2021.05.381
Subject(s) - gekkonidae , gecko , squamata , range (aeronautics) , geography , ecology , distribution (mathematics) , species distribution , biology , zoology , habitat , engineering , mathematical analysis , mathematics , aerospace engineering
The Bulgarian Bent-toed Gecko (Mediodactylus danilewskii Strauch, 1887) is one of the two species of geckos inhabiting the territory of Bulgaria. In the recent years, new information on its distribution was published and big amount of data were collected. We organized an information platform for sharing data on the biology and live-range of M. danilewskii in inland North-East Bulgaria. This gecko is a highly synanthropic species which is often observed by citizens. Here we report on four new observation spots and also confirm the presence of the species from recently published localities. All data were recorded by volunteers, hence we discuss on the methods for documentation of the specimens and the critical role of the citizen science to assess the range of distribution of the species.