New Data on the Distribution of Eastern Spadefoot, Pelobates syriacus Boettger, 1889, and Common Spadefoot, Pelobates fuscus, Laurenti, 1768, in Dagestan (The North Caucasus)

Lyudmila F. Mazanaeva and Azim D. Askenderov

As a result of our study the new data on distribution of P. fuscus and P. syriacus in lowland of northern and southern Dagestan (Terek-Kuma rivers and Terek-Sulak rivers lowlands, Caspian Sea lowland) and in foothills were obtained. All reliable data on their distribution in Dagestan, including new localities, are presented on the map.

Keywords: Pelobates, Pelobates syriacus, Pelobates fuscus, distribution, habitats, Dagestan, North Caucasus.

Rana humeralis — A New Record from Assam and Arunachal Pradesh, India, with Notes on Its Morphometry and Natural History

B. Hussain, J. Gogoi, N. K. Choudhury, B. K. Baruah, D. K. Sharma, J. Kalita, and S. Sengupta

A study on the distribution of Rana humeralis was carried out in Assam and Arunachal Pradesh. Morphometric analysis shows minor differences with the type of species described by Boulenger. Study also reveals the occurrence in lentic habitat. The species is well adapted to the flood prone habitats of Assam.

Keywords: Rana humeralis, Assam, Arunachal Pradesh, natural history, distribution.

Microhabitat Characteristics for Reptiles Lacerta agilis, Zootoca vivipara, Anguis fragilis, Natrix natrix, and Vipera berus in LATVIA

Andris Ceirans

Vegetation characteristics for reptile microhabitats were described in circular plots using modified Braun–Blanquet method. The total number of all plots was 280, and they covered the whole territory of Latvia. Microhabitat use among reptile species was examined using Discriminant Function Analysis. The first dicriminant function indicated gradient from mesic to xeric sites, and the second — from disturbed sites to intact dry pine forest sites. Group centroids showed good separation among species. Lacerta agilis preferred xeric sites, and, at the other end of the gradient, both snake species preferred mesic sites with tall herb layer and shrubs. Anguis fragilis often was associated with relatively intact pine forest, while other reptiles — with mainly disturbed sites with grass cover. Important vegetation characteristics for reptile microhabitats are given in an appendix.

Keywords: reptiles, microhabitats, vegetation, Latvia.

Comparative Morphology of Trunk and Sacral Vertebrae of Tailed Amphibians of Russia and Adjacent Countries

Vyacheslav Yu. Ratnikov and Spartak N. Litvinchuk

Trunk and sacral vertebrae of three species of the family Hynobiidae (Onychodactylus fischeri, Ranodon sibiricus, and Salamandrella keyserlingii) and nine species of the family Salamandridae (Lissotriton montandoni, Lissotriton vulgaris, Mertensiella caucasica, Mesotriton alpestris, Ommatotriton ophryticus, Salamandra salamandra, Triturus cristatus, Triturus dobrogicus, and Triturus karelinii) were studied. Analysis of individual variation of vertebrae of these species along the axial column and systematic descriptions of these species are given. Our comparative analysis revealed that all species studied have peculiarities which allow diagnosing them. Geographic variation in height of neurapophysis was found in Triturus karelinii. Specimens of the species from the Crimea and the Balkans have low neurapophyses, and newts from eastern Georgia and Dagestan are characterized by high ones.

Keywords: Salamandridae, Hynobiidae, trunk vertebrae, sacrum.

A Study of Predation by the Brown Anole (Norops sagrei) on Spiders in Chiayi County, Taiwan

Gerrut Norval, I-Min Tso, and Shao-Chang Huang

502 brown anoles (Norops sagrei) were collected for stomach content analysis from an area surrounding a plant nursery (23°25′51′′ N 120°28′30′′ E) in Santzepu, Sheishan District, Chiayi County, as part of an ongoing study on this invasive trunk-ground lizard species. All the collected lizards were killed with ether and dissected. The stomachs of 166 lizards contained spiders, which were removed for identification to establish a basis upon which future studies on spider predation by N. sagrei in Taiwan can be based. These spiders comprised of 298 individuals from 13 families. Unlike in other studies, in which it was found that this lizard species preyed mainly on web spiders, the majority of the spiders in this study are ground-living species. The results from this study are thus also an indication that this exotic invasive lizard species is most likely very terrestrial in this locality.

Keywords: ambush hunter, active foraging, competition, invasive species, Anolis sagrei.

Distribution and Natural History of the Ecuadorian Snake Dipsas andiana (Boulenger, 1896) (Colubridae: Dipsadinae) with Considerations on Its Conservation Status

Diego F. Cisneros-Heredia

The distribution and natural history of Dipsas andiana (Boulenger, 1986), a little-known snake endemic to Ecuador, are revised, and new records are presented that extend its geographical and altitudinal range. A conservation status assessment indicates that D. andiana would classify for the IUCN category "Near Threatened (NT)." The ecological distribution of the species is apparently related with seasonal forests of the West Ecuadorian zone, a recently recognized biogeographic area between the very humid Choco and the dry Tumbesian zone.

Keywords: Reptilia, Serpentes, Dipsas andiana, Ecuador, distribution, natural history, conservation.

Extended Parental Care in the Siamese Crocodile (Crocodylus siamensis)

Nikhil Whitaker

Keywords: Crocodylus siamensis, extended parental care, Madras Crocodile Bank.

New Locality Records Extended the Distribution of Telescopus nigriceps (Ahl, 1924), Black Headed Cat Snake, in Southeastern Anatolia, Turkey

Çetin Ilgaz, Aziz Avci, Yusuf Kumlutas, Ibrahim Baran, and Adem Özdemir

Two Telescopus nigriceps (Ahl, 1924) specimens were found Sanliurfa and Kilis, except the known locality (Ceylanpinar-Sanliurfa) in Southern Anatolia. Moreover, the distribution range of the species was extended with additional two new localities and the known northernmost range of the species was determined as Sanliurfa in the Middle East. Regarding pholidosis characters, morphometric measurements and color-pattern features, Sanliurfa and Kilis specimens show a similarity with Ceylanpinar-Sanliurfa, Syrian, and Jordan specimens.

Keywords: Telescopus nigriceps, new locality, distribution, morphology Sanliurfa, Kilis, Turkey.

Two New Species of Cascade Ranids of Amolops Genus (Amphibia: Anura: Ranidae) from Lai Chau Province (Northwest Vietnam)

Nikolai L. Orlov and Ho Thu Cuc

Two new species of cascade frog of genus Amolops are described on the base of the morphological study of the material collected in northwest Vietnam. Comparison with cascade frogs of Amolops and Huia genera is given. These species differ from all their congeners in a combination of morphological characters. The big species, A. splendissimus sp. nov. has SVL of adults up to 96.78 mm; body wide, dorsoventrally very compressed; head large, very broad and flat; round tympanum very small and slightly visible; supratympanic fold is weekly developed; disks on fingers and toes greatly enlarged; feet fully webbed; gular pouches and pectoral spines absent; vomerine teeth strongly developed, on two oblique ridges; choanas trapezium-shaped; dorsal and ventral skin absolutely smooth; dorsum of body black-brown, chaotically mottled by small bright-yellow spots of irregular shape which do not form transversal bands on the external surface of forelimbs and hindlimbs.

Second, small species Amolops minutus sp. nov. is characterized by a combination of the following characters: SVL of adults up to 50.22 mm; body relatively narrow and dorsoventrally compressed; head very flat, snout hardly point, almost rounded in dorsal view both in males and females; tympanum well developed; supratympanic and dorsolateral fold weekly developed; disks on fingers and toes enlarged; paired gular pouches well developed; pectoral spines absent; vomerine teeth strongly developed, on two oblique ridges; dorsal and ventral skin smooth. There are sparse granular-like tubercles along the flanks below dorsolateral fold; glandular ridge under the tarsus present; dorsum of body marble-brown with green speckles, flanks green with sparse brown speckles.

Keywords: Anura, Ranidae, cascade frogs, Amolops, Huia, new species, Northwest Vietnam, Lai Chau Province.

Stenodactylus khobarensis (Haas, 1957): an Addition to the Iranian Herpetofauna (Reptilia: Squamata: Gekkonidae)

Seyyed Mohammad Hashem Dakhteh, Haji Gholi Kami, and Steven C. Anderson

Stenodactylus khobarensis (Haas, 1957) is recorded for the first time within Iranian territory from Qeshm Island in the Persian Gulf. Its distribution and biogeographical implications are discussed. A key to the genus Stenodactylus in Iran is provided.

Keywords: Stenodactylus khobarensis, Gekkonidae, Iran, Qeshm Island, distribution, key.

Ranching as a Method of Conservation of the Wild Population of Horsfield´s Tortoise, Agrionemys horsfieldii

E. V. Bykova, V. G. Sorochinsky, A. V. Golenkevich, E. A. Peregontsev, I. N. Sorochinskaya, and G. Ya. Sorochinsky

Since 1997, associates of Zoocomplex (Tashkent, Uzbekistan) implemented studies on hatching the Horsfield´s tortoise on farms at commercial levels. The technology of collection and incubation of eggs, and the ranching of young tortoises, was mastered. Several methods were applied to obtain eggs from tortoises constantly kept in captivity, those temporarily kept in the nursery, and incubated eggs collected in the wild (R). According to CITES, R (ranching) is a method based on the collection of eggs, incubation and artificial hatching. Totally, 20,000 eggs were obtained. Some eggs from various ranges were measured and weighed. Differences in sizes and weight of eggs collected from areas with different natural conditions were recorded. Egg length varied from 36.1 to 56.5 mm. The survival rate of eggs constituted 75%. a positive correlation between body sizes of hatched tortoises with egg sizes was recorded. The size of hatched tortoises reached 25.2 to 48.6 mm; the weight was about 20 g. During seven months of rearing, 5% of hatched tortoises died (against 70 – 90% in the wild). Of 15,000 hatched tortoises, recorded were 29 twin pairs, of which 13 pairs were normal and 16 pairs were asymmetrical twins; four terato-twin abnormalities with varying levels of terato-duplication were recorded.

Keywords: Agrionemys horsfieldii, tortoise, ranching, hatching, egg, oviposition.

Review of the Book: N. S. Lebedkina, An Early Landmark in Evolutionary Developmental Biology

Rainer R. Schoch