Genetic affiliation and origin of the European Cat Snake, Telescopus fallax (Fleischmann, 1831), in the Maltese archipelago

The snake fauna of the Mediterranean islands has been shaped by multiple processes, including both natural and human-mediated dispersal. Various past human cultures and recent changes in trade and transportation have played a crucial role in the expansion of some species into insular environments. The snakes present on the Maltese archipelago are particularly emblematic of this complex mix of dispersal events. The European Cat Snake, Telescopus fallax (Fleischmann, 1831), forms a species complex widespread from the Balkans to the Middle East and across many eastern Mediterranean islands, regarded in most of the literature as introduced on the Maltese archipelago. Here we genetically investigated the Maltese populations of T. fallax using the mitochondrial marker Cytochrome b, with the aim of properly identifying their genetic affiliation and tracing their possible origin. The eight sequences obtained from the populations of Malta and Gozo shared the same mitochondrial haplotype and clustered together with the Balkan clade of T. fallax, thereby supporting their affiliation to the currently recognized nominotypical subspecies. The haplotype of the Maltese Cat Snake is identical to that of populations from the western Peloponnese and the island of Skyros (Sporades, Greece). The lack of variability found between the studied populations and some from southern Greece supports the hypothesis that this snake was introduced during historical times. The succession of many small Hellenic communities on the Maltese archipelago over the last few millennia suggests a possible Greek-mediated introduction; however, precisely because of the repeated presence of these influences over time, it is difficult to pinpoint the exact timing of introduction.