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Review of the herpetofauna of Attica, mainland Greece Herpetozoa (IF 0.643) Pub Date : 2021-01-11 Ioannis Annousis; Grigoris Kapsalas; Panayiotis Pafilis
Although the insular distribution of the rich herpetofauna of Greece has been studied more extensively, the mainland one is still underexplored. The region of Attica in central Greece represents one of these “black spots” in the mainland. Thus, in 2019 we surveyed for the first time the herpetofauna of Attica in a systematic way. We collected 794 field records of 31 species (4 amphibians, 27 reptiles);
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A case of color aberration in a fire salamander (Salamandra salamandra) larva Herpetozoa (IF 0.643) Pub Date : 2020-12-21 Sabina Elena Vlad; Dan Cogălniceanu; Raluca Ioana Băncilă; Florina Stănescu
Color aberrations in salamanders are caused by defective chromatophores or by disrupted synthesis of the pigments, and have been previously reported in Europe. In this paper we report the first case of leucism in a fire salamander larva from a cave-dwelling population in Romania. The leucistic larva was larger and heavier compared to the other larvae from the same breeding habitat.
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First record of Rhacophorus verrucopus Huang, 1983 from Myanmar Herpetozoa (IF 0.643) Pub Date : 2020-12-01 Shuo Liu; Ye Htet Lwin; Ruichang Quan; Song Li
We report the first country record of Rhacophorus verrucopus Huang, 1983 from Myanmar, based on one specimen collected from Htamanthi Wildlife Sanctuary, Sagaing Division. Morphologically, the specimen shows good agreement with the original description of R. verrucopus and phylogenetically, it is clustered with the specimen of R. verrucopus from Medog, Tibet, China with strong support. This is also
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Distribution and conservation status of the herpetofauna of Dugi Otok Island, Croatia Herpetozoa (IF 0.643) Pub Date : 2020-11-13 Bruno Schmidt; Daria Kranželić; Đurđica Majetić; Boris Lauš; Ana Štih; Toni Koren
The first overview of the amphibians and reptiles of Dugi Otok Island, Northern Dalmatia, is presented, based on the published data and new records collected during the last twenty years. A total of 15 species are present on the island, of which only one was not recorded on our surveys. In comparison to other islands of Northern Dalmatia, Dugi Otok is the second most diverse island in terms of herpetofauna
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First record of Zhangixalus franki Ninh, Nguyen, Orlov, Nguyen & Ziegler, 2020 (Anura, Rhacophoridae) from China Herpetozoa (IF 0.643) Pub Date : 2020-11-02 Shuo Liu; Hong Hui; Dingqi Rao
We record Zhangixalus franki Li, Jiang, Ren & Jiang, 2019 for the first time from China based on two specimens collected from Laoshan Nature Reserve, Yunnan Province. Morphologically, the newly collected specimens from China mostly agree with the type series from Vietnam. Phylogenetically, these individuals were placed in a clade with Z. franki from Vietnam based on DNA sequences of the mitochondrial
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Signals of decline of flagship species Ambystoma altamirani Dugès, 1895 (Caudata, Ambystomatidae) in a Mexican natural protected area Herpetozoa (IF 0.643) Pub Date : 2020-10-23 Jesica Gabriela Guerrero de la Paz; Norman Mercado-Silva; Raúl E. Alcalá; Luis Zambrano
Mexico is home to 18 species of salamanders in the family Ambystomidae. Endangered Ambystoma altamirani Dugès, 1895 is a flagship species for the Lagos de Zempoala National Park (LZNP) in central Mexico, a protected area subject to numerous anthropogenic threats. Ambystoma altamirani populations in the Park have been little studied. In 2016–2017, we surveyed four streams where populations of the species
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The eastern boundary of the geographic range of the Pallas’ spadefoot Pelobates vespertinus (Anura, Amphibia) is limited by overwintering temperatures Herpetozoa (IF 0.643) Pub Date : 2020-10-19 Nina Bulakhova; Arcady Alfimov; Daniil Berman
We studied the relationship between the geographic distribution of the Pallas’ spadefoot (Pelobates vespertinus) and the soil temperature regime at the eastern boundary of this species’ range (south-western West Siberia and northwest Kazakhstan). This species overwinters underground, burrowing down to 1.5 m or deeper and has poor frost tolerance – it is unable to withstand temperatures below 0 °C,
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Crepuscular and nocturnal activity of the Nose-horned viper, Vipera ammodytes (Linnaeus, 1758) is more common than previously reported Herpetozoa (IF 0.643) Pub Date : 2020-10-30 Angel Dyugmedzhiev; Kostadin Andonov; Georgi Popgeorgiev; Borislav Naumov; Yurii V. Kornilev
Different snake species may be active at various times of the day. In Europe, most snake species are predominantly diurnal, but about a third are partially or principally crepuscular and/or nocturnal. Here, we report the first instance of multiple in situ observations of the crepuscular and nocturnal activity of V. ammodytes in Bulgaria. Overall, usually as a result of general herpetological surveys
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Eviscerated alive: Novel and macabre feeding strategy in Oligodon fasciolatus (Günther, 1864) eating organs of Duttaphrynus melanostictus (Schneider, 1799) in Thailand Herpetozoa (IF 0.643) Pub Date : 2020-09-11 Henrik Bringsøe; Maneerat Suthanthangjai; Winai Suthanthangjai; Kanjana Nimnuam
A hitherto unknown feeding mode among snakes is described for the colubrid snake Oligodon fasciolatus in Northeast Thailand. Three cases of O. fasciolatus using enlarged posterior maxillary teeth to cut open the abdomen of a live poisonous toad Duttaphrynus melanostictus and eat its organs are described. The snakes and toads fought vigorously, and the toads secreted toxic white liquid on the dorsum
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The first record of the genus Microgecko Nikolskii, 1907 for Iraq Herpetozoa (IF 0.643) Pub Date : 2020-09-11 Daniel Jablonski; Michal Benovics; Jiří Vorel; Sarbaz Ibrahim Mohammed; Saman R. Afrasiab
The genus Microgecko Nikolskii, 1907 (Gekkonidae) currently includes eight species distributed from western Iran to north-western India and Pakistan. During field research in Iraq, we found a population of the genus near to the Darbandikhan Lake in the north-eastern part of the country. Because members of the genus are characterized by a higher level of morphological and genetic diversity, we investigated
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Orientation and navigation in Bufo bufo: a quest for repeatability of arena experiments Herpetozoa (IF 0.643) Pub Date : 2020-08-14 Markus Pail; Lukas Landler; Günter Gollmann
Research on navigation in animals is hampered by conflicting results and failed replications. In order to assess the generality of previous results, male Bufo bufo were collected during their breeding migration and translocated to two testing sites, 2.4 and 2.9 km away, respectively, from their breeding pond in the north of Vienna (Austria). There each toad was tested twice for orientation responses
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Aspidoscelis costatus costatus (Squamata, Teiidae): high elevation clutch production for a population of whiptail lizards Herpetozoa (IF 0.643) Pub Date : 2020-07-31 Gisela Granados-González; Carlos Pérez-Almazán; Aldo Gómez-Benitez; James Martin Walker; Oswaldo Hernández-Gallegos
Clutch size and number of clutches per reproductive cycle are important life history traits that can be influenced by anatomical, physiological, evolutionary, and ecological factors. This report on the clutch size and number of clutches of an endemic Mexican whiptail lizard, Aspidoscelis costatus costatus (Cope, 1878), is based on a study of population at an unusually high elevation for a member of
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First record of the invasive gecko, Lepidodactylus lugubris Duméril & Bibron, 1836 in mainland Chile (Squamata, Gekkonidae) Herpetozoa (IF 0.643) Pub Date : 2020-07-15 Felix A. Urra; Alejandro Zúñiga; Alejandro Bruno Miranda-Calle; Nel Melero
In Chile, the presence of Mourning Gecko, Lepidodactylus lugubris Duméril & Bibron, 1836 has been recognized for Easter Island (Rapa Nui) from late 19th century. Here, we report the first observation of a juvenile specimen of L. lugubris in an urban zone of Santiago, Región Metropolitana, mainland Chile, representing the southernmost non-insular record in America for this invasive species. Moreover
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New record of a Dalmatolacerta oxycephala (Duméril & Bibron, 1839) population in the northern part of Montenegro Herpetozoa (IF 0.643) Pub Date : 2020-06-24 Jelka Crnobrnja-Isailović; Jelena Ćorović; Nada Ćosić
Two previously known northernmost localities of Sharp-snouted rock lizard in Montenegro were the entrance of the Komarnica Canyon (Nevidio), and the middle part of the Tara River Canyon (village Tepca). It was presumed that Komarnica and Piva canyons were once corridors for the spreading of this species from the Eastern Adriatic sub-Mediterranean area to the Tara River Canyon in the north. However
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First study of sea turtle strandings in Algeria (western Mediterranean) and associated threats: 2016–2017 Herpetozoa (IF 0.643) Pub Date : 2020-05-28 Alae Eddine Belmahi; Youcef Belmahi; Mouloud Benabdi; Amaria Latefa Bouziani; Samira Ait Darna; Yahia Bouslah; Mohamed Bendoula; Mohamed Bouderbala
Between December 2015 and December 2017 a total of 63 sea turtles were recorded as being stranded along the Algerian coast. The loggerhead sea turtle Caretta caretta was the most commonly stranded species (n = 44) (69.8%), followed by the leatherback Dermochelys coriacea (n = 18) (28.6%) and the green turtle Chelonia mydas (n = 1). There was a slight dominance of the adult size class for stranded loggerhead
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Variation in species richness, composition and herpetological community structure across a tropical habitat gradient of Palawan Island, Philippines Herpetozoa (IF 0.643) Pub Date : 2020-05-22 Christian E. Supsup; Augusto A. Asis; Uldarico V. Carestia Jr; Arvin C. Diesmos; Neil Aldrin D. Mallari; Rafe M. Brown
Information on species richness and community structure is invaluable for guiding conservation and management of biodiversity, but is rarely available in the megadiverse biodiversity conservation hotspot of Philippines – particularly for amphibians and reptiles. This study provides the first report and characterisation of amphibians and reptile communities across primary habitat types of the Victoria-Anepahan
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The possible origin of the common wall lizard, Podarcis muralis (Laurenti, 1768) in Ukraine Herpetozoa (IF 0.643) Pub Date : 2020-05-22 Oleksandra Oskyrko; Hanna Laakkonen; Iolanda Silva-Rocha; Daniel Jablonski; Oleksiy Marushchak; Tobias Uller; Miguel A. Carretero
The phylogenetic relationships and possible origin of a putative non-native population of Podarcis muralis in Ukraine were assessed based on sequences of the mitochondrial gene cytochrome b. Phylogenetic analysis showed that the Ukrainian lizards belong to two distinct mitochondrial lineages (haplogroups), both occurring within the Central Balkan clade, which includes most of central and south-eastern
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Dead snakes and their stories: morphological anomalies, asymmetries and scars of road killed Dolichophis caspius (Serpentes, Colubridae) from Romania Herpetozoa (IF 0.643) Pub Date : 2020-05-14 George-Adelin Ile; Alexandra-Roxana-Maria Maier; Achim-Mircea Cadar; Severus-Daniel Covaciu-Marcov; Sára Ferenți
We analysed several morphological characters of 84 road-killed D. caspius individuals from different areas of southern Romania. Most presented asymmetries in the total number of temporal scales, the temporal row and the periocular and labial scales. Almost a quarter of snakes had scars, located especially on the head and tail; many individuals had multiple injuries. The lowest rate of individuals with
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A case study on illegal reptile poaching from Balochistan, Pakistan Herpetozoa (IF 0.643) Pub Date : 2020-05-13 Rafaqat Masroor; Muhammad Khisroon; Daniel Jablonski
The southwestern part of the Balochistan Province is a faunal extension of the Iranian Plateau in Pakistan, harboring more than one-third of Pakistan’s known amphibian and reptile species. We carried out field visits in five districts of southwestern Balochistan during 2013–2017 to investigate the scale and hotspots of reptile poaching. We encountered 73 illegal collectors possessing 5,369 live reptiles
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An assessment of vouchered records and field observations of the rare anguid, Dopasia buettikoferi (Lidth de Jeude, 1905) in Borneo Herpetozoa (IF 0.643) Pub Date : 2020-05-07 Daniel Jablonski; Martina Lawson; Andy J. Boyce; Christian Molls; Indraneil Das
We report recent observations, two new locality records and an updated overview of the distribution of Dopasia buettikoferi (Lidth de Jeude, 1905) from Borneo, as well as photographic documentation of this species showing colouration and patterns in living individuals and the holotype. This note represents the first complete compilation of distributional knowledge of this rarely-encountered member
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Observations on the oviposition of Blythia reticulata (Blyth, 1854) with new distributional records from Mizoram State, NE India Herpetozoa (IF 0.643) Pub Date : 2020-05-07 Lal Biakzuala; Hmar Tlawmte Lalremsanga; Hrahsel Laltlanchhuaha; Binoy Kumar Barman
The poorly known semi-fossorial snake Blythia reticulata is a small, oviparous, worm-eating species found in northeastern India and neighboring countries. Here we report on multiple new distribution localities that extend the known geographic range of the species. In addition, we provide new information on the reproductive biology of the species based on egg-laying behavior data from a captive gravid
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Skeletochronology, age at maturity and cause of mortality of loggerhead sea turtles Caretta caretta stranded along the beaches of Campania (south-western Italy, western Mediterranean Sea) Herpetozoa (IF 0.643) Pub Date : 2020-04-15 Fabio Maria Guarino; Fabio Di Nocera; Francesco Pollaro; Giorgio Galiero; Doriana Iaccarino; Domenico Iovino; Marcello Mezzasalma; Agnese Petraccioli; Gaetano Odierna; Nicola Maio
Information on demographic and life-history traits of endangered vertebrate species, such as sea turtles, is crucial for planning management and conservation actions. We applied skeletochronology of phalanges to estimate the age of loggerhead turtles, Caretta caretta, found dead stranded along the beaches of Campania (western Mediterranean) from 2013 to 2017. To obtain maturity data, we examined gonads
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Where do you come from, stranger? A scientific-historical digression with discussion on nomenclature and taxonomy of Testudo graeca Linnaeus, 1758 Herpetozoa (IF 0.643) Pub Date : 2020-04-09 Mario Schweiger; Richard Gemel
It is shown that the location data for the terra typica restricta of Testudo graeca and for the terra typica designata for Testudo graeca are based on an incorrectly assigned location. In fact, the original place corresponds to Santa Cruz, known today as Agadir (Morocco) and not the old Spanish fortress of Santa Cruz near Oran in Algeria. Accordingly, populations of Testudo graeca from the Agadir environment
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Genetic evidence for occurrence of Macrovipera razii (Squamata, Viperidae) in the central Zagros region, Iran Herpetozoa (IF 0.643) Pub Date : 2020-04-09 Hamzeh Oraie
This study presents the first molecular evidence of Macrovipera razii from central Zagros, more than 300 km north-west of its prior records in southern Iran. Molecular analyses based on mitochondrial cytochrome b sequences identified the individuals from central Zagros as a lineage of M. razii. Specimens from the new localities are separated by a genetic distance of 1.46% from the known populations
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The role of temporal call structure in species recognition of male Allobates talamancae (Cope, 1875): (Anura: Dendrobatidae). Herpetozoa (IF 0.643) Pub Date : 2017-02-28 Dennis Kollarits,Christian Wappl,Max Ringler
Acoustic species recognition in anurans depends on spectral and temporal characteristics of the advertisement call. The recognition space of a species is shaped by the likelihood of heterospecific acoustic interference. The dendrobatid frogs Allobates talamancae (Cope, 1875) and Silverstoneia flotator (Dunn, 1931) occur syntopically in south-west Costa Rica. A previous study showed that these two species
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