Blue oxycephala

[Gerald Ochsenhofer]

Hi,

a bit a strange question - has anyone an idea, if it's possible to find oxycephala (in south - croatia) in mating-colors already in two weeks?
For me it seems a bit early, but this would be one goal for this year and i maybe can go there at this time..

Gerald

[Berislav Horvatic]

Well, on our joint field trip to Dalmatia in spring 2006. we found oxies on April the 15th,
you should remember that. But what do you call "mating colours"? Are you sure that blue
colours have anything to do with mating?

[Mario Schweiger]

Of course!
During mating season they really get blue, not this blue(green) or petrol you may see during the rest of the year!

Last year in Montenegro, the breeding season at Skadarsko Jezero was starting last week in April. Only a few males have changed to bright colors.
Mario

[Gerald Ochsenhofer]

@ Berislav - thx for reminding me, i mixed it up, because we've been to croatia twice that year.

So it seems that the chances are quite low :-/
This was what they looked like i think in the first or second week of Mai 2009, so this complies well with your sightings, Mario.
http://www.herpetofauna.at/gallery/Mont ... _8743.html

But another thing which just came into my mind - aren't the southern populations, like in Monetenegro, innately brighter colored than the northern croatian ones? I think i remember something about differences between northern and southern oxycephala, but unfortunately very blurry..