Herpetology

Although fossils of Trionychidae are found as far back as the Early Cretaceous, their evolutionary history, including the origin of the crown clade, is poorly understood. Here, we use a microCT scan of the skull of ‘Trionyx’ kyrgyzensis from the late Early Cretaceous (Albian) of Kyrgyzstan as the basis for a thorough redescription of the cranial morphology of this species. New information includes the pattern of cranial circulation, which is comparable to all extant trionychids. A unique combination of cranial and postcranial characters of ‘Trionyx’ kyrgyzensis allows us to establish for it a new genus Petrochelys gen. nov. The data regarding Petrochelys kyrgyzensis are incorporated into a phylogenetic analysis. When Petrochelys kyrgyzensis is analysed without including additional, extinct taxa, it is placed in a highly derived position within the extant Nilssonia. However, the addition of five Cretaceous–Palaeogene taxa breaks up hypothesized long branches and results in more basal positions for Petrochelys kyrgyzensis within recovered trees. All results support the hypothesis that Petrochelys kyrgyzensis is a crown trionychid and a member of Trionychinae. Our findings highlight the importance of including multiple extinct taxa in phylogenetic analyses prior to using any of those taxa as calibration points in divergence dating estimates. http://zoobank.org/urn:lsid:zoobank.org:pub:592B98BF-87DF-48A8-8AA2-543AAD21FC95

... WG Dyer, GA Feldhamer, and JA Holman for constructive criticism of this manuscript. ... Sympatry in Abronia (Squamata: Anguidae) and the Problem of Mario del Toro Aviles' Specimens A. TOWNSEND PETERSON AND ADRIAN NIETO-MONTES DE OCA,1 Natural History ...

Dolichophis jugularis (L., 1758) is a common snake species in Cyprus. Previous studies reported that, D. jugularis mainly prey on rodents, snakes and lizard species. Our recent field studies, supported by photos of D. jugularis feeding is consistent with the results of previous studies. As a new species in the diet of D. jugularis we recorded Carduelis carduelis.

: The present study attempts to make an inventory of anuran species (Frog and Toad) from Jamnagar city and vicinity areas, Gujarat, India. A preliminary survey was conducted during August to October 2015 with respect to systematics, species composition, diversity indices and conservation status. Total 25 visits were undertaken for field survey by Visual encounter methods (VES) using Line transect and various sizes plotting at random exploring in all the possible microhabitats. All the sampling taxa were identified by various literatures through photographs under Photoshop and close observation during field survey. The results reveal total 14 Anuran species belong to 03 families and 07 genera. Familial population in member of family Dicroglossidae (05 genus and 11 species) represents first position among Bufonidae and Microhylidae. The most abundant species was Skipper Frog (Euphlyctis cyanophlyctis) and conservation status reports One Data-deficient species Short Webbed frog (Minervarya brevipalmata), One endangered species Nilgiri Frog (Minervarya nilagirica) and twelve Least concern as per IUCN red list; two species of Schedule-IV under WPA-1972 category and Only one species Indian bull frog (Hoplobatrachus tigerinus) recorded under CITES. Diversity indices and species richness shows that anurans species were significant in Dicroglossidae (Simpson diversity 1-D = 0.58; Shannon diversity –H’= 1.36 and Margalef’s species richness (d)= 1.87); whereas  members of Bufonidae  were evenly distributed (evenness - e^H/S= 1.0) during study period. This is the first accounts of such studies in this areas and proposed work is aimed to monitoring and conserving biodiversity in urban ecosystem.

Our storybooks are full of lizards, but we usually call them something else—dragons, serpents, dinosaurs or monsters. These stories vastly increase their size, bestow wings upon them, make them exhale flame, and endow them with magical powers. Lizards stimulate the human imagination unlike most other animals, despite generally being small, soundless, and hidden from sight in burrows, treetops, and crevices. They can blend into a vast range of environments, from rocky coasts to deserts to rain forests. Their fluid motion can make us think of water, while their curvilinear form suggests vegetation. Their stillness suggests death, while their sudden arousal is like resurrection. This delightful book gives lizards their due, demonstrating how the story of lizards is interwoven with the history of human imagination. Boria Sax considers the lizard as a sensual being—a symbol, a myth, a product of evolution and an aesthetic form. He describes the diversity of lizards and traces the representation of the reptile in cultures including those of pre-conquest Australia, the Quiché Maya, Mughal India, and central Africa. Illustrated throughout with beguiling images, Lizard is a unique and often surprising introduction to a popular but little-understood reptile.

Dengue is a viral disease caused by Aedes mosquitoes (Diptera: Culicidae) and cause serious illness in people community living in tropics. It is able to cause bundles of symptoms and may cause bleeding internally leading to death of the patient. Currently there is no immunization against dengue disorder but the most broadly utilized techniques for control of mosquitoes are usage of insecticides and biological control. Present study has been designed to observe and compare the consumption of dengue mosquito larvae by two anuran species, Common Skittering Frog (Euphlyctis cyanophlyctis) and Southeast Asian Toad (Duttaphrynus melanostictus) tadpoles inhabiting Rawalpindi and Islamabad. The tadpoles and dengue larvae were collected from ponds and pools using dip nets. Six trails were carried with anuran species of common skittering frog and Southeast Asian toad. Each trail was replicated thrice. The Kruskal-Wallis test present that the total number of consumed dengue larvae among various trials between two species (Common Skittering Frog and Southeast Asian Toad) did not differ-significantly (P=0.26) and (P=0.08), while the Wilcoxon test showed that the number of consumed dengue larvae by tadpoles of the two anuran species was P=0.08 which also did not differ significantly. Therefore it was concluded that the Southeast Asian toad is better in the consumption of dengue mosquito larvae as compared to common skittering frog.

This study provides a genetic characterisation of two skink species, Trachylepis striata (Peters 1844) and Trachylepis wahlbergii (Peters 1869), by means of karyology and analysis of the 422-bp sequences of the 16S rRNA mitochondrial gene. The two species have an identical karyotype, 2n= 32, NF= 64; no interspecific differences were found in the relative length of the chromosomes and their centromeric index. However, the karyotype of T. striata is very different from the one previously described for the same species.

From the northern Negev Desert of Israel three new localities for land tortoises are reported: Be'er Mash'abim, the Mash'abim Sands Nature Reserve for Testudo kleinmanni and T. graeca; approximately 2 km south of Lahav (southwest of Eshkolot) for T. graeca and approximately 6 km northeast of Nizzana for T. kleinmanni. Be'er Mash'abim is the first sympatric occurrence of T. kleinmanni and any other tortoise species. Further Israeli localities for T. kleinmanni are discussed.

Popradské rašelinisko is a part of the Poprad Basin, which is subdivision of the Sub-Tatra Basin. Occurrence of batracho- and herpetofauna there was carried in the interval of years 2002–2013. The research of this locality was based on irregular visits from June to September. During this research they were identified 5 species of amphibians and 5 species of reptiles. The most common species was Bufo bufo from amphibians and Natrix natrix (Linnaeus, 1758) and Vipera berus from reptiles. All of these species were confirmed during each season. Our findings also confirm some of the older data from this region that means all observed species of amphibians and Lacerta agilis, Zootoca vivipara, Natrix natrix and Vipera berus among reptiles. Absence of some species, such as Salamandra salamandra or Anguis colchica is remarkable. From the mapping point of the view is very interesting the first record of Natrix tessellata in the Poprad Basin. We discuss also aspects of the vulnerability of the amphibians and reptiles with regard to observed locality.

It was analyzed the effectiveness of one method of individual and unique marking, alternative to the application of microchip, on 17 specimens of Testudo hermanni through DataDotDNA technology. This technology has proven to be an effective system of marking of Testudo spp., answering the need for unambiguous identification of individuals. Further advantages are the easy application and reading, the long-term resistance as well as the difficulties of possible fraudulent tampering.

We present a list of amphibian species from the protected area Barra de la Laguna de Rocha (BLR), Uruguay. Fifteen monthly three-day field trips were conducted between September 2011 and March 2013. During each field trip, active searches of individuals and auditive samplings were performed at seven selected sites. We recorded 19 species of amphibians belonging to five families: Bufonidae (4 especies), Hylidae (5), Leptodactylidae (7), Microhylidae (1) and Odontophrynidae (2). Comparing these data with historical records (obtained from cientific collections and literature), eight species represented new records for the study site. The species richness in the area represents 39.6% of the total richness recorded for Uruguay. We highlight the presence of Melanophryniscus montevidensis (Philippi, 1902), a Critically Endangered (CR) species at national level, and globally Vulnerable (V). Information on BLR's amphibian species composition could help in the implementation of the management plan for this conservation unit, as well as to stimulate future studies in the area.

Habitat fragmentation accompanies habitat loss, and drives additional biodiversity change; but few global biodiversity models explicitly analyse the effects of both fragmentation and loss. Here we propose and test the hypothesis that, as fragment area increases, species density (the number of species in a standardised plot) will scale with an exponent given by the difference between the exponents of the species-area relationships for islands (z ~ 0.25) and in contiguous habitat (z ~ 0.15), and test whether scaling varies between land uses. We also investigate the scaling of overall abundance and rarefaction-based richness, as some mechanisms make different predictions about how fragment area should affect them. The relevant data from the taxonomically and geographically broad PREDICTS database were used to model the three diversity measures, testing their scaling with fragment area and whether the scaling exponent varied among land uses (primary forest, secondary forest, plantation forest, cropland and pasture). In addition, the consistency of the response of species density to fragment area was tested across three well represented taxa (Magnoliopsida, Hymenoptera and 'herptiles'). Species density and total abundance showed area-scaling exponents of 0.07 and 0.16, respectively, and these exponents did not vary significantly among land uses; rarefaction-based richness by contrast did not increase consistently with area. These results suggest that the area-scaling of species density is driven by the area-scaling of total abundance, with additive edge effects (species moving into the small fragments from the surroundings) opposing-but not fully overcoming-the effect of fragment area on overall density of individuals. The interaction between fragment area and higher taxon (plants, vertebrates and invertebrates), which remained in the rarefied richness model, indicates that mechanisms may vary among groups.

A biologia reprodutiva de serpentes compreende diversos tópicos como modos reprodutivos, ciclos reprodutivos, fecundidade (tamanho da ninhada, tamanho dos filhotes, massa relativa da ninhada e frequência reprodutiva), idade e tamanho na maturidade, dimorfismo sexual, sistemas de acasalamento e comportamentos reprodutivos como corte e cuidado parental. Assim, estudos sobre reprodução são essenciais para a compreensão da biologia de qualquer es-pécie. Além disso, dados sobre a biologia reprodutiva são importantes para a definição de estratégias de conservação para espécies ameaçadas de extinção. Apesar disso, serpentes da região neotropical eram até pouco tempo relativamente pouco estudadas com relação à reprodução. No entanto, esse cenário mudou consideravelmente ao longo das duas últimas décadas. Diversos estudos, principalmente no Brasil, têm produzido uma quantidade substancial de informação, aumentando assim significativamente nosso conhecimento sobre a reprodução de serpentes ne...

The anatomy of the New Zealand tuatara has been examined extensively by anatomists and palaeontologists because it represents the only living member of the Rhynchocephalia, a group of reptiles that were successful during the time of the dinosaurs. The tuatara is also of interest because of its specialized teeth and a forward chewing stroke that it uses to rip food apart. However, despite several detailed descriptions of the skull, there has been little work on how the individual bones of the skull fit together. Here we provide the first joint by joint ...