African Journal of Herpetology最新文献_第10页

On the taxonomic status of two enigmatic southern African fossorial skinks, Scelotes bicolor and S. schebeni 南非两种神秘化石石龙子的分类地位:双色石龙子和沙贝石龙子

IF 1.5 4区生物学

African Journal of Herpetology Pub Date : 2016-01-02 DOI: 10.1080/21564574.2016.1138149

A. Bauer

引用次数: 2

Clutch, egg and hatchling characteristics in the Souss Valley tortoises, Testudo graeca soussensis Pieh, 2001 (Testudines: Testudinidae) from an arid steppe-land of west-central Morocco 2001年摩洛哥中西部干旱草原上苏斯谷地龟的卵、蛋和孵化特征(龟甲目:龟甲科

IF 1.5 4区生物学

African Journal of Herpetology Pub Date : 2016-01-02 DOI: 10.1080/21564574.2015.1136701

Nawal Hichami, M. Znari, M. Naimi, Salwa Namous

{"title":"Clutch, egg and hatchling characteristics in the Souss Valley tortoises, Testudo graeca soussensis Pieh, 2001 (Testudines: Testudinidae) from an arid steppe-land of west-central Morocco","authors":"Nawal Hichami, M. Znari, M. Naimi, Salwa Namous","doi":"10.1080/21564574.2015.1136701","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1080/21564574.2015.1136701","url":null,"abstract":"Abstract Clutch, egg and hatchling characteristics in the Souss Valley tortoises Testudo graeca soussensis (Testudinidae) from an arid steppe area of west-central Morocco were investigated in semi captivity in spring–early summer 2011. Mating activity occurs twice in the year, mainly in early spring and for a short period in mid-autumn. The egg laying period lasts from late May to early July. The mean clutch size, based on the first clutches, is 3.44±1.33 eggs per clutch (range: 1–5 eggs); the eggs are elongated in shape. The mean relative egg mass and relative clutch mass are 1.70±0.28% and 4.06±1.32%, respectively. No egg variable was significantly correlated with the female body size (carapace length and body weight). The mean incubation duration of artificially incubated eggs (at 31°C) is 70±5.7 days. The body mass at hatching is 12.8±0.6 g. The carapace is sub-circular and more domed than that of adults. The obtained data are compared to those reported for other populations and subspecies of T. graeca across its distribution range. The present study would, hopefully, help to assess the potential for tortoise captive breeding in the eco-climatic conditions of Marrakech, west-central Morocco, for the reinforcement of local declining populations.","PeriodicalId":49247,"journal":{"name":"African Journal of Herpetology","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":1.5,"publicationDate":"2016-01-02","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://sci-hub-pdf.com/10.1080/21564574.2015.1136701","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"60105761","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

引用次数: 9

Vestigial appendicular skeletons in the African and Malagasy skink species Feylinia grandisquamis, Melanoseps ater, Grandidierina lineata and Voeltzkowia mira 非洲和马达加斯加飞龙种的退化附属骨，Melanoseps ater, granddierina lineata和Voeltzkowia mira

IF 1.5 4区生物学

African Journal of Herpetology Pub Date : 2016-01-02 DOI: 10.1080/21564574.2015.1133722

R. M. Liniewski, S. Stanley, J. B. Andrade, P. Senter

引用次数: 3

Factors determining the occurrence of Pleurodeles poireti (Caudata: Salamandridae) on Edough Peninsula, northeastern Algeria 阿尔及利亚东北部埃多夫半岛上蝾螈(尾纲:蝾螈科)发生的决定因素

IF 1.5 4区生物学

African Journal of Herpetology Pub Date : 2016-01-02 DOI: 10.1080/21564574.2016.1167783

Jihène Ben Hassine, D. Escoriza, Badis Bakhouche

{"title":"Factors determining the occurrence of Pleurodeles poireti (Caudata: Salamandridae) on Edough Peninsula, northeastern Algeria","authors":"Jihène Ben Hassine, D. Escoriza, Badis Bakhouche","doi":"10.1080/21564574.2016.1167783","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1080/21564574.2016.1167783","url":null,"abstract":"Abstract Pleurodeles poireti is one of the lesser-known amphibians in the Mediterranean region. This species is strictly endemic to the Edough Peninsula in northeastern Algeria. Here we investigated the factors that determine the presence of P. poireti, by affecting its selection of both aquatic and terrestrial habitats. Aquatic habitats were characterised according to their morphology and the physicochemical parameters of the water. We also examined the topographical and substrate features, plant cover and climatic conditions at the occurrence sites. Our surveys indicated that P. poireti is widely-distributed on the Edough Peninsula. Pleurodeles poireti predominantly breeds in moderate to large water bodies densely covered with emergent vegetation. The water parameters are less influential in its selection of breeding sites, except dissolved oxygen and turbidity, which are usually high at the occupied sites. At the broad spatial scale, P. poireti is positively associated with lowlands in cultivated landscapes. However, the species has a relatively broad niche in the region, and also occurs in cork oak forests. The species tolerates some level of human alteration of the landscape, but some populations close to villages could disappear in response to the combined effects of habitat destruction and the presence of alien fish.","PeriodicalId":49247,"journal":{"name":"African Journal of Herpetology","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":1.5,"publicationDate":"2016-01-02","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://sci-hub-pdf.com/10.1080/21564574.2016.1167783","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"60106185","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

引用次数: 7

Sexual dimorphism in morphological traits and scaling relationships in two populations of Gallotia stehlini (Fam. Lacertidae: Squamata) from Gran Canaria 两居群形态特征的两性二态性及尺度关系。产自大加那利岛的裂口虫科;鳞片虫

IF 1.5 4区生物学

African Journal of Herpetology Pub Date : 2016-01-02 DOI: 10.1080/21564574.2015.1130755

Cristina Rivero Suárez, M. Rodríguez-Domínguez, M. Molina-Borja

{"title":"Sexual dimorphism in morphological traits and scaling relationships in two populations of Gallotia stehlini (Fam. Lacertidae: Squamata) from Gran Canaria","authors":"Cristina Rivero Suárez, M. Rodríguez-Domínguez, M. Molina-Borja","doi":"10.1080/21564574.2015.1130755","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1080/21564574.2015.1130755","url":null,"abstract":"Abstract Lizards of the genus Gallotia, endemic to the Canary Islands, show morphological and colouration varieties that are related to within island variation in orographic and climatic characteristics. This study examines sexual size dimorphism (SSD) within and between population variation in morphological traits, and scaling relationships in G. sthelini from a southwestern locality (Tasartico) and from another (Gáldar) in the northwest of Gran Canaria. Both sites differ in climate and vegetation traits, and we hypothesised that SSD should be manifested by males having relatively larger body traits than females and that hind limb lengths should be relatively larger in individuals from the more open habitat. Results showed that one-third of the largest lizards from both populations did not differ significantly either in snout-to-vent length (SVL) nor in trunk length (TRL), but overall males had significantly larger SVL and TRL than females. Multivariate analysis showed that head width (HW) and hind limb length (HLL) were significantly larger in individuals from Tasartico than in those of Gáldar. Hind limb length was the trait that contributed most to differentiate between populations and head parameters between males and females. In both populations head and body traits scaled to TRL, head width (HW) and head depth (HD) of males having a positive allometry, and fore limb length (FLL) and hind limb length (HLL) a negative one. In relation to head length (HL), females had significantly larger TRL and smaller head depths than males; lizards from Gáldar had significantly larger trunk length (TRL), but smaller HW and HLL than those of Tasartico. We outline the multiple factors that could affect the evolution of morphometric traits of each sex, taking into account the ecological features of the two zones.","PeriodicalId":49247,"journal":{"name":"African Journal of Herpetology","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":1.5,"publicationDate":"2016-01-02","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://sci-hub-pdf.com/10.1080/21564574.2015.1130755","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"60105811","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

引用次数: 6

Wide variation in carapacial scute patterns in a natural population of speckled tortoises, Homopus signatus 斑点象自然种群甲壳鳞甲形态的广泛变异

IF 1.5 4区生物学

African Journal of Herpetology Pub Date : 2016-01-02 DOI: 10.1080/21564574.2016.1146168

V. Loehr

{"title":"Wide variation in carapacial scute patterns in a natural population of speckled tortoises, Homopus signatus","authors":"V. Loehr","doi":"10.1080/21564574.2016.1146168","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1080/21564574.2016.1146168","url":null,"abstract":"Abstract The arrangement of scutes on the carapaces of extant chelonians is very similar among species, but intraspecific deviations from typical scute patterns are common. Because intraspecific variation may relate to inbreeding depression, unfavourable egg incubation conditions and the presence of environmental pollutants, investigations of carapacial scute patterns in natural populations can enhance insight into the ecologies and survival challenges of chelonians. A population of the tortoise Homopus signatus, inhabiting an arid range with substantial annual rainfall variation, was sampled to record carapacial scute patterns. The typical pattern of H. signatus consisted of five vertebral scutes, four pairs of costal scutes, a cervical and a supracaudal scute, and 12 pairs of marginal scutes. Although it was expected that size classes (i.e. representing tortoises born in different years) and sexes would have different percentages deviations from the typical scute pattern as a result of different egg incubation conditions, percentages were similar among size classes and sexes. A high percentage of 44% (25% if counts of the relatively variable marginal scutes were excluded) of all tortoises had deviant carapacial scute patterns. Since the study population was situated in a relatively pristine area and supernumerary carapacial scutes appear related to egg incubation conditions in other chelonians, the wide variation in carapacial scute patterns in wild H. signatus may be the result of frequently challenging incubation conditions in the species’ harsh environment.","PeriodicalId":49247,"journal":{"name":"African Journal of Herpetology","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":1.5,"publicationDate":"2016-01-02","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://sci-hub-pdf.com/10.1080/21564574.2016.1146168","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"60106529","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

引用次数: 8

Influence of riparian habitats on the distribution of rainforest chameleons in Parc National de Ranomafana, Madagascar 马达加斯加拉诺马法纳国家公园河岸生境对雨林变色龙分布的影响

IF 1.5 4区生物学

African Journal of Herpetology Pub Date : 2015-07-03 DOI: 10.1080/21564574.2015.1121930

Jeanneney Rabearivony, L. Brady, R. Jenkins, R. Griffiths, A. P. Raselimanana, Michel Bisoa, Rasoamampionona N. Raminosoa

引用次数: 2

Annual variation of ovarian structures of Boulengerula taitana (Loveridge 1935), a Kenyan caecilian 肯尼亚盲肠虫(Loveridge 1935)卵巢结构的年变化

IF 1.5 4区生物学

African Journal of Herpetology Pub Date : 2015-07-03 DOI: 10.1080/21564574.2015.1103787

Michel Raquet, G. Measey, J. Exbrayat

{"title":"Annual variation of ovarian structures of Boulengerula taitana (Loveridge 1935), a Kenyan caecilian","authors":"Michel Raquet, G. Measey, J. Exbrayat","doi":"10.1080/21564574.2015.1103787","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1080/21564574.2015.1103787","url":null,"abstract":"Abstract The Kenyan caecilian, Boulengerula taitanus inhabits a climate characterised by two distinct dry and wet seasons, and a single thermal minimum in June. It is oviparous with direct development and a remarkable dermatophagous maternal care, but the female reproductive cycle until now remains unknown. The purpose of this work was to complete the knowledge about the reproductive modes of this species, using anatomical and histological studies of the ovaries. Quantitative variations of follicle categories showed a continuous folliculogenesis. Yet, young corpora lutea were only detected between November and February during the short rain season and the short dry season, indicating ovulation occurred during these four months during the thermal maximum. Oestrogen and progesterone detection allowed determination of three reproductive periods during the year: preparation in September and October, ovulation from November until February and quiescence from March until August. So, the female reproductive cycle of B. taitanus appears to be annual and synchronised with testicular evolution. Because the ovulation was observed following the second peak of follicle production (beginning of June), temperature is supposed to be the main regulating factor of reproductive pattern in this caecilian.","PeriodicalId":49247,"journal":{"name":"African Journal of Herpetology","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":1.5,"publicationDate":"2015-07-03","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://sci-hub-pdf.com/10.1080/21564574.2015.1103787","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"60106036","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

引用次数: 5

Sexual size dimorphism in a Tunisian population of Bosk's fringe-toed lizards Acanthodactylus boskianus asper 博斯克缘趾蜥突尼西亚种群性别大小的二态性

IF 1.5 4区生物学

African Journal of Herpetology Pub Date : 2015-07-03 DOI: 10.1080/21564574.2015.1103786

I. Nasri, A. Hammouda, F. Hamza, S. Selmi

{"title":"Sexual size dimorphism in a Tunisian population of Bosk's fringe-toed lizards Acanthodactylus boskianus asper","authors":"I. Nasri, A. Hammouda, F. Hamza, S. Selmi","doi":"10.1080/21564574.2015.1103786","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1080/21564574.2015.1103786","url":null,"abstract":"Abstract Investigating how patterns of sexual size dimorphism vary among local populations may be useful for understanding size evolution in lizards. We investigated patterns of sexual size dimorphism in a Tunisian population of Bosk's fringe-toed lizards Acanthodactylus boskianus asper, in relation to a Middle-eastern population of the same subspecies. Our results showed an overall male-biased size dimorphism, consistent with general sexual size dimorphism trends in lacertids, and provide support for both the fecundity advantage hypothesis and the intra-sexual selection hypothesis. Indeed, for similarly-sized heads, females had longer trunks than males, and for similarly-sized trunks, males showed larger heads than females. Using the discriminant function approach, we investigated whether the power of discrimination between sexes varied when morphometric measures were expressed relative to head length vs. trunk length. We found that the two methods agreed in the classification of individuals as males or females, although the discrimination power was slightly higher when data were expressed relative to head length. Our results also showed that when using trunk length-adjusted data the power of discriminating the sexes was higher when the analysis was restricted to the largest individuals, which gives support to the idea that for morphological investigations small subsamples of the largest individuals should be used. Overall, the results of our work support the conclusions of a recent study on sexual size dimorphism in a Middle-eastern population of the same subspecies, suggesting that patterns of sexual size dimorphism are geographically stable in this widely distributed subspecies.","PeriodicalId":49247,"journal":{"name":"African Journal of Herpetology","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":1.5,"publicationDate":"2015-07-03","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://sci-hub-pdf.com/10.1080/21564574.2015.1103786","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"60105989","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

引用次数: 4

Two new species of long-fingered frogs of the genus Cardioglossa (Anura: Arthroleptidae) from Central African rainforests 中非热带雨林长指蛙属二新种(无尾目:节肢蛙科)

IF 1.5 4区生物学

African Journal of Herpetology Pub Date : 2015-07-03 DOI: 10.1080/21564574.2015.1052102

Mareike Hirschfeld, D. Blackburn, M. Burger, E. Greenbaum, Ange-Ghislain Zassi-Boulou, Mark‐Oliver Rödel

{"title":"Two new species of long-fingered frogs of the genus Cardioglossa (Anura: Arthroleptidae) from Central African rainforests","authors":"Mareike Hirschfeld, D. Blackburn, M. Burger, E. Greenbaum, Ange-Ghislain Zassi-Boulou, Mark‐Oliver Rödel","doi":"10.1080/21564574.2015.1052102","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1080/21564574.2015.1052102","url":null,"abstract":"Abstract We describe two new frog species of Cardioglossa (Family Arthroleptidae) from Central Africa. The new species are found in the rainforests of western-central Democratic Republic of the Congo and the Republic of the Congo near the Gabonese border, respectively. We demonstrate that these species are morphologically and genetically distinct from each other and all other species of Cardioglossa. Both new species lack the dorsal hour-glass pattern present in many species of the genus, but they can be distinguished from each other and related species by distinctive colour patterns on their lateral surfaces and extremities. Both new species most closely resemble C. gratiosa, which occurs in the Atlantic coastal forests extending from Cameroon through Gabon. The new species can be differentiated from C. gratiosa by the absence of black transverse bars on all limbs or by distinctive lateral colouration. Analysis of mitochondrial ribosomal 16S DNA sequences reveals low to moderate levels (1.9–7.5%) of divergence between these new species and closely related species of Cardioglossa. The floodplains of the Congo and Ubangi Rivers may be important geographic barriers for many of these species. The occurrence of these two new lowland species in the Congo Basin reveals that the distribution and diversity of Cardioglossa in this region was underestimated. In addition, we elevate C. nigromaculata inornata to species-level status, based in part on newly available colour photographs from 1950 of specimens from the only known locality.","PeriodicalId":49247,"journal":{"name":"African Journal of Herpetology","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":1.5,"publicationDate":"2015-07-03","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://sci-hub-pdf.com/10.1080/21564574.2015.1052102","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"60105941","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

引用次数: 5