Acta Musei Moraviae

Middle Pleistocene herpetofauna of Mladeč Caves (Moravia, Czech Republic) and its palaeoecological significance

Herpetological assemblage of Mladeč 2 site (Mladeč Caves: Moravia, Czech Republic) is a typical example of distinctively interglacial assemblage of the last warm stage of the Holsteinian complex. Altogether 12 taxa have been reported from Mladeč 2 site: Triturus cf. cristatus, Triturus vulgaris, Rana temporaria, Bufo bufo, Anguis fragilis, Elaphe longissima, Elaphe sp., Coronella cf. austriaca, Natrix natrix, Natrix cf. tessellata, Natrix sp. a Vipera berus. Herpetological assemblage of Mladeč 2 site indicates woody-steppe environment with pond biotopes and active streams in their proximity. Temperatures were generally higher than presentday temperatures. Although high mean annual temperatures were typical for the last stage of the Holsteinian complex, no Mediterranean herpetological species have been reported from this site. The absence of extant representatives of the Mediterranean herpetofauna in Central Europe (north of the Pannonian Lowland) is apparent as early as at the beginning of the Cromerian complex.