AN ambitious atlas promoting the importance of coldblooded wildlife in Swindon and Wiltshire has been published.

The Wiltshire & Swindon Biological Records Centre (WSBRC), and the Wiltshire Amphibian & Reptile Group, used more than 10,000 records compiled over a period of 20 years to outline the distribution of amphibians and reptiles living in the county.

It is hoped this document, made possible through a coordinated volunteering and consultancy effort, will stimulate further surveys and result in the discovery of new breeding sites and species across the county.

Gareth Harris, of the WSBRC, said: "Wiltshire offers diverse habitats for each of the common and widespread species in the UK, ranging from the ponds of the clay vales for great crested newt, the wetlands of the Cotswold Water Park for toad and grass snake, the ephemeral ponds of the Salisbury Plain chalk plateau for common toad and great crested newt, and the chalk hilltops for common lizard.”

Wiltshire supports the four species of native common and widespread reptiles found in the UK; slow worm, common lizard, grass snake and adder, as well as all five species of native amphibian; common frog, common toad, smooth newt, palmate newt and great crested newt. At least three non-native species have been recorded including American bullfrog, Alpine newt and red-eared terrapin.

Gareth said it was crucial for locals to understand the importance of habitats closer to home, emphasising that protection is not merely a matter for reserves: "Gardens will be important to home these creatures. We are duty-bound to look after them. Adders are not understood in the area, so we hope to stimulate interest."

Gemma Harding of Wiltshire Amphibian & Reptile Group said: “The atlas represents the first document in the county to promote our amphibians and reptiles and the importance of the habitats that they need.

"We hope to promote wildlife-friendly gardening and landscape-scale habitat management.”

Titled Herpetofauna of Wiltshire, the atlas has been made available as a free download from www.wsbrc.org.uk/herpetofaunaofwiltshire