2005. Volume 12. No. 2. Contents

RADIONUCLIDE CONCENTRATIONS IN REPTILES ON SOME POLLUTED TERRITORIES OF RUSSIA

D. Copplestone, A. O. Koulikov, and D. V. Semenov

Results of radionuclide analysis in common reptiles species collected on two radioactive contaminated territories in Russia are presented. It is shown that they adequately accumulate radioactive pollutants including trace ones and so could be effectively used for biomonitoring objectives.

Keywords: Common lizard, Lacerta vivipara, radionuclide accumulation, biomonitoring.

FEEDING HABITS OF Rana ridibunda PALLAS 1771 (ANURA, RANIDAE) DURING WINTER AT THERMAL SOURCES FROM BIHOR COUNTY (ROMANIA)

Severus Daniel Covaciu-Marcov, Ioan Ghira, Diana Cupsa, and István Sas

Our study refers for the first time to the knowledge of the trophic spectrum of some Rana ridibunda populations, active during winter in three thermal habitats from western Romania. The populations feed all winter, but as weather gets colder, one could notice a pronounced decrease in the number of prey taxa consumed and in the average number of consumed preys, along with an increase in the number of empty stomachs, and of stomachs containing only vegetals. Most of the preys identified belong to terrestrial taxa, but aquatic taxa become majoritary during months with temperatures below zero. However, terrestrial prey (Araneide, Formicide), are not completely absent during December and January, indicating that they are also active during winter in the close vicinity of thermal waters.

Keywords: trophic spectrum, winter, thermal habitats, Rana ridibunda.

Anolis carolinensis: A TEMPERATE ANOLE THAT IS A POTENTIALLY CONTINUOUS BREEDER

Lori A. Frear and Harold Heatwole

The green anole, Anolis carolinensis, is the only temperate member of a genus of about 300 tropical species. It exhibits seasonality in its reproductive behavior and physiology, while most of its congeners are continuous breeders. Males kept under stimulatory conditions of temperature and photoperiod had significantly larger testes and levels of sperm production during the traditionally non-reproductive season than did those living under natural ambient conditions. Thus, green anoles are potentially continuous breeders but in nature are cyclic because of constraints imposed by the periodicity of their temperate environment.

Keywords: anoles, reproduction, cycles, spermatogenesis, Anolis carolinensis.

ON THE NEW RECORD OF RARE SEA SNAKE Chitulia inornata GRAY, 1849 (SERPENTES: HYDROPHIIDAE) FROM AUSTRALIA

V. E. Kharin and V. P. Czeblukov

Description of the rare sea snake Chitulia inornata Gray, 1849 in Australian waters (Arafura Sea) is given.

Keywords: Serpentes, Hydrophiidae, Chitulia inornata, Aturia ornata, description, Australia.

ON THE STATUS OF Boiga ocellata KROON, 1973, WITH THE DESIGNATION OF A NEOTYPE FOR Boiga siamensis NOOTPAND, 1971 (SERPENTES, COLUBRIDAE)

Olivier S. G. Pauwels, Patrick David, Lawan Chanhome, Gernot Vogel, Tanya Chan-ard, and Nikolai L. Orlov

The nominal species Boiga ocellata Kroon, 1973 is shown to be a junior synonym of Boiga siamensis Nootpand, 1971, an overlooked taxon, which has priority. The low number of citations of Boiga ocellata in the literature falls within the recommendations of the International Code of Zoological Nomenclature to not threaten the Principle of Stability. The types of Boiga siamensis being lost, we designate the holotype of Boiga ocellata as neotype of Boiga siamensis.

Keywords: Reptilia, Colubridae, Boiga ocellata, Boiga siamensis, synonymy, neotype, Thailand.

BONE GROWTH MARKS IN TROPICAL WALL LIZARD, Hemidactylus brooki

Katti Pancharatna and Suresh M. Kumbar

Cross sections of paraffin embedded femurs of various body sized Hemidactylus brooki exhibited 0 – 4 growth marks consisting of lines of arrested growth (LAGs) and growth rings. Femurs of recently hatched lizards showed no such marks. Back calculation indicated that the growth of endosteal layer has not eroded any periosteal LAGs therefore, this lizard may live for a maximum of 4 years in the natural population.

Keywords: Reptilia, Hemidactylus brooki, growth marks, age, skeletochronology.

FIRST RECORD OF Natrix megalocephala ORLOV AND TUNIYEV, 1986 (REPTILIA: OPHIDIA: COLUBRIDAE) FROM TURKEY

Çetin Ilgaz, Ibrahim Baran, and Yusuf Kumlutas

Natrix megalocephala Orlov and Tuniyev, 1986 is recorded from Turkey for the first time. A female specimen was found as a dead from Çamlýhemþin (Rize) on July 8, 2003. Regarding pholidosis, morphological, color and pattern characteristics, our specimen has no significant differences to the typical form Natrix megalocephala.

Keywords: Natrix megalocephala, Çamlýhemþin, first record, distribution.

SKULL DEVELOPMENT IN NORMAL, TH-EXPOSED, AND GOITROGEN-TREATED AXOLOTLS, Ambystoma mexicanum

Sergei V. Smirnov and Anna B. Vassilieva

Normal development of the Ambystoma mexicanum skull was compared with those in axolotls reared at different TH concentrations and in the TH-deficiency. Cranial bones show different TH-dependence. The latter is at best low (if ever) in the early-appearing bones; it somewhat increases in later ones and becomes strong in the nasal and septomaxilla, the last dermal bones to arise. Bones appearing after this peak TH-dependency revert back to be TH-independent. Similar ontogenetic dynamics of TH-dependency is displayed by metamorphosing urodeles. Axolotls retain this typical pattern though their plasma TH level and TH profile differ from those in metamorphosing salamanders. However, if compared with metamorphosing congenerics, changes in the thyroid activity (manifested as changes in TH level and profile) cause changes in the timing and sequence of cranial ossification. To be normally developed, dermal bones associated with nasal capsule require the presence of the underlying cartilage. Their underdevelopment in axolotl results from the underdevelopment of the TH-dependent nasal capsule rather than immediately from TH-deficiency. Our observations favor the assumption that urodele evolution is accompanied by the progressive increase of TH-mediation in the skull ontogeny. Also, they favor that formation of the vomeropalatine in TH-induced axolotls is artifact of TH-induction rather than a feature of their normal development.

Keywords: thyroid hormone, thiuorea, skull, ontogeny, axolotl, urodele.

ANALYSIS OF GEOGRAPHIC VARIATION WITHIN POPULATIONS OF Neurergus microspilotus AND BETWEEN N. kaiseri AND N. microspilotus (CAUDATA: SALAMANDRIDAE)

Nasrullah Rastegar-Pouyani, Mozafar Sharifi, and Somayeh Assadian Narenji

The genus Neurergus encompasses three species in Iran as follows: N. kaiseri, N. microspilotus, and N. crocatus. So far, no comprehensive taxonomic study on the species and different populations of this genus has been carried out. In present study an analysis of geographic variation in four allopatric populations of N. microspilotus has been presented based on preserved museum materials from western edges of the Iranian Plateau in Kermanshah Province. Using principal component analysis for data on 20 external characteristics the first and second components (PC1 and PC2) showed 37.38 and 15.58% of the total variance respectively. This result indicates that different populations of N. microspilotus from various areas of the range have acquired a certain degree of divergence. A comparison based on the principle component as well as discriminant function analyses for 20 important characters pertaining to morphology and body stature in N. microspilotus and N. kaiseri (from southern Zagros Mountains, Lorestan Province) also shows that they are conveniently distinguishable from each other at the specific level. A short account on historical biogeography of the genus Neurergus is provided.

Keywords: Salamandridae, Neurergus, Geographic variation, Zagros Mountains, Multivariate analysis.

A NEW SPECIES OF Philautus FROM VIETNAM (ANURA: RHACOPHORIDAE)

Nikolai L. Orlov and Ho Thu Cuc

Based on the results of own field work (in Vietnam) as well as on the data from the literature and additional museum collections we estimated 48 species (5 genera), belonging to the family Rhacophoridae, occur in Vietnam (Appendix). This estimate is derived from those species that have been examined by ourselves as well as taking into account the current understanding of rhacophorid taxonomy and records (Bain and Nguyen, 2004; Bourret, 1937, 1939, 1942; Frost, 2004; Inger et al, 1999; Matsui and Orlov, 2003; Nguen and Ho, 1996; Ohler et al., 2000; Orlov, 1997; Orlov and Ho, 2000a, 2000b; Orlov et al., 2001, 2002, 2004; Smith, 1924; Ziegler, 2002; Ziegler and Köhler, 2001; Ziegler et al., 2004). In 2003 – 2005 we found a number of records of rhacophorids in provinces Kon Tum, Thua Thien-Hue, Quang Tri, and Quang Binh and in particular the new species of the genus Philautus.

Keywords: Amphibia, Anura, Rhacophoridae, Philautus, new species, Truong Son Mountains, Vietnam.

A NEW SPECIES OF THE Agama agama GROUP (SQUAMATA: AGAMIDAE) FROM WESTERN KENYA, EAST AFRICA, WITH COMMENTS ON Agama lionotus BOULENGER, 1896

Wolfgang Böhme, Philipp Wagner, Patrick Malonza, Stefan Lötters, and Jörn Köhler

We describe a new species of Agama from westernmost Kenya. It is a member of the Agama agama species group characterized by small size (males up to 89 mm snout-vent length and 245 mm total length) and a unique male breeding coloration: flame- to scarlet-red head, neck and forelimbs, jet- or velvetly-black body, hindlimbs and tail root, and again a scarlet-red tail the terminal third of which is again black. Morphologically, the new species is similar to A. planiceps from southwestern Africa but has a much less depressed body. It also resembles typical A. agama from West and Central Africa, but is much smaller, less stoutly built and differently colored. It is strikingly different from the two parapatric species of the Agama agama group, viz. A. caudospinosa and A. mwanzae, and differs also considerably from the sympatric representatives of the Agama agama complex itself: from the geographically neighboring A. a. elgonis and A. a. lionotus. We provide evidence that the latter taxon deserves full species rank and that the other East African subspecies of A. agama (i.e., elgonis, dodomae, usambarae, ufipae) should be subordinated under a full species Agama lionotus.

Keywords: Reptilia: Squamata: Agamidae: Agama finchi sp.n.; A. agama species group; A. agama (subspecies) complex; East Africa: Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania; taxonomy.

SHORT COMMUNICATIONS

TESTING THE USE OF VISUAL CUES OF A MONOCULAR PREDATOR, THE VEILED CHAMELEON (Chamaeleo calyptratus) DURING PREY SELECTION

Benjamin W. Lindsey and Jinzhong Fu

Keywords: Chameleons, Chamaeleo, visual cues, prey selection.

THE NEW RECORD OF SPINY-TAILED THIN-TOED GECKO Mediodactylus spinicauda (STRAUCH, 1887), (REPTILIA, GEKKONIDAE) IN EAST IRAN

Roman A. Nazarov

Keywords: spiny-tailed thin-toed gecko, Mediodactylus spinicauda; Gekkonidae; East Iran

FIRST RECORD OF Elachistodon westermanni REINHARDT, 1863 (SERPENTES, COLUBRIDAE, COLUBRINAE) FROM MAHARASHTRA STATE, INDIA

Ashok Captain, Frank Tillack, Andreas Gumprecht, and Parag Dandge

Keywords: Serpentes, Colubridae, Colubrinae, Elachistodon westermanni, new record, Maharashtra, India.

BOOK REVIEW

HANBUCH DER REPTILIEN UND AMPHIBIEN EUROPAS. Band 4/IIB. Schwanzlurche (Urodela). IIB. Salamandridae. III. Triturus. 2. Salamandra. 2004. Hrsg. Burkhard Thiesmeier und K. Grossenbacher, unter Mitarbeit von Michael Franzen, Jan J. van Gelder, K. Grossenbacher, Gaston-Denis Guex, Thomas Mutz, Martin Schlüpmann, Joseph F. Schmidtler, Sebastian Steinfartz, and Burkhard Thiesmeier. Wiebelsheim: Aula-Verlag, 392 p. (pp. 757 – 1149) + 4 color plates, hardbound + dust cover

Sergius L. Kuzmin