Studies on African Agama. II. Resurrection of Agama agama kaimosae Loveridge, 1935 (Squamata: Agamidae) from Synonymy and Its Elevation to Species Rank | |  |
Philipp Wagner, Alexander Burmann, and Wolfgang Böhme |
In the course of recent taxonomic studies of the genus Agama we revised East African taxa of the Agama agama group. In this paper, we resurrect A. agama kaimosae Loveridge, 1935 from synonymy of Agama caudospinosa and elevate it to full species rank. Studies of the morphology, color pattern and genetic distance indicate that Agama kaimosae is most closely related to A. mwanzae and to A. caudospinosa. It is clearly distinct and genetic distant to A. planiceps and the A. lionotus and A. agama complexes. New distribution records and the first photograph of a living male of A. kaimosae are provided. |
Keywords: Squamata: Agamidae: Agama kaimosae, Agama caudospinosa, Agama mwanzae; East Africa, Kenya, Tanzania; taxonomy, resurrection. |
Amphibians Breed in the Baltic Sea | | |
Konstantin D. Milto |
This report reviews cases of amphibian breeding in waters of the Baltic Sea in vicinities of St. Petersburg, Russia. |
Keywords: amphibian breeding; Baltic Sea; Rana ridibunda; St. Petersburg. |
Changes in Recapture Rate of a Rare Salamander in an Isolated Metapopulation Studied for 25 Years | | |
M. R. Warburg |
The rare salamander, Salamandra infraimmaculata, was studied for 25 years (1974–1999) during the breeding season near the breeding ponds on Mt. Carmel. In the first few years no salamanders were recaptured, later on the number of salamanders recaptured increased but in later years there seems to have been a decline. Although, this could be a phase in normal population cyclic oscillations it could also indicate a decline in this population numbers. The interpretation of the speciesī status is dependent on the capture-recapture rates as well as on the duration of the study. These subjects are reviewed and discussed in this paper. |
Keywords: Salamandra; Amphibia; Urodela; recapture rate; long-term study. |
A New Species of Common Toads from the Talysh Mountains, South-Eastern Caucasus: Genome Size, Allozyme, and Morphological Evidences | | |
Spartak N. Litvinchuk, Leo J. Borkin, Dmitry V. Skorinov, and Jury M. Rosanov |
The genome size, protein (24 loci) and morphological variation in three currently recognized species of the Bufo bufo group was studied. Among common toads of the Caucasian Isthmus, two distinct groups were revealed. The main territory of the Caucasian region, including the Great Caucasian Range and the Caucasus Minor, is inhabited by the Caucasian toad, B. verrucosissimus, whereas the Talysh Mountains, geographically isolated in the south-east of the region, harbor another toad. Genetic distances between these forms were higher (D = 0.411) than that between B. verrucosissimus and European B. b. bufo (D = 0.138). Based on genome size and allozyme data, we recognized the Talysh toad as a new distinct species, Bufo eichwaldi, sp. nov. The time of origin of the species estimated on the basis of molecular data, roughly corresponds to relict character of the Hyrcanian forest of the Talysh region (the late Miocene). West Palearctic species (B. bufo, B. verrucosissimus, B. eichwaldi, sp. nov.) form joint cluster which is separated from another phylogenetic lineage with the Far Eastern B. gargarizans. Taxonomic status of B. verrucosissimus and B. b. spinosus is discussed. The Caucasian toad was treated tentatively as an allopatric species in respect to B. b. bufo of boreal Europe. Common toads of Anatolian Turkey previously recognized as B. b. spinosus were assigned to B. verrucosissimus. The Balkan common toads seems to be a distinct taxon which is the sister lineage of the B. verrucosissimus cluster. Toads from Apennine Peninsula were allocated to distinct subspecies B. b. palmarum. North African (Tunisian) B. b. spinosus was separated as a distinct phyletic lineage forming with B. eichwaldi, sp. nov., the sister group of other West Palearctic common toads. Further resolution of the taxonomic position of that and some other members of the Bufo bufo group needs careful examination of samples from Mediterranean area, including the type locality of B. b. spinosus. |
Keywords: genome size, nuclear DNA content, allozymes, the Caucasus, taxonomy, Bufo bufo, Bufo bufo spinosus, Bufo eichwaldi, sp. nov., Bufo verrucosissimus, Bufo gargarizans. |
The Skin Development in the Pallasī Coluber, Elaphe dione (Pallas, 1773) (Serpentes, Colubridae) | | |
Tatjana N. Dujsebayeva |
The development of the integument of the Pallasī Coluber, Elaphe dione from egg-laying to hatching has been studied using light microscopy. The general pattern of development resembles that of other squamates, although some peculiarities and differences were noted. The symmetrical scale anlagen first appear when epidermis is bilayered. The dermal cells condense at the tops of symmetrical and primary asymmetrical body scale anlagen and blood capillaries penetrate the scale bases. Through out development, all aspects of epidermal and dermal histogenesis, and scale morphogenesis over the head are much advanced over than those of the body, but these differences disappear by hatching. |
Keywords: Serpentes; Elaphe dione; integument; development; histology. |
Intraspecific Variation of the Sand Lizard (Lacerta agilis) from the Western Caucasus and Description of a New Subspecies Lacerta agilis mzymtensis ssp. nov. (Reptilia: Sauria) | | |
Sako B. Tuniyev and Boris S. Tuniyev |
Intraspecific variation of sand lizard in the Western Caucasus is discussed with description of a new high-mountain subspecies Lacerta agilis mzymtensis ssp. nov. from upper basing of Mzymta River (vicinity of Sochi, Russia). |
Keywords: Sauria, Lacerta agilis mzymtensis ssp. nov., West Caucasus, Russia. |
Description of a New Species and New Records of Rhacophorus Genus (Amphibia: Anura: Rhacophoridae) with the Review of Amphibians and Reptiles Diversity of Ghu Yang Sin National Park (Dac Lac Province, Vietnam) | | |
Nikolai L. Orlov, Nguyen Ngoc Sang, and Ho Thu Cuc |
A new species of rhacophorid frog of the genus Rhacophorus Kuhl et van Hasselt, 1822 is described on the basis of the morphological study of the material collected in central Vietnam (Krong Bong and Lak Districts, Chu Yang Sin National Park). List of Vietnamese species of Rhacophorus and identification keys for these species are provided. List of species of amphibians and reptiles recorded in Chu Yang Sin National Park is presented for the first time. |
Keywords: Rhacophoridae; Rhacophorus; new species; central Vietnam; Dac Lac Province; Chu Yang Sin National Park. |
