Herpetological Journal最新文献

{"title":"How reliable is the habitat suitability index as a predictor\u0000of great crested newt presence or absence?","authors":"Andrew S. Buxton, Hannah Tracey, Nick C. Downs","doi":"10.33256/31.2.111117","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.33256/31.2.111117","url":null,"abstract":"The application of a habitat suitability index (HSI) assessment to predict the use of ponds by great crested newts (Triturus cristatus) is commonly used in association with distribution and monitoring projects. Such projects are often used to inform development and planning decision making. However, this type of assessment is frequently misused, and mis interpreted. We used a large, commercially collected environmental DNA (eDNA) survey for great crested newt pond occupancy (489 ponds) to; (1) assess whether it is appropriate to use low HSI scores to rule out occupancy, (2) discuss the use of high HSI scores to identify ponds of high importance for the species and, (3) explore the eDNA detection method. We conclude that there is no evidence to support ruling out pond occupancy based on low HSI scores. However, the conventional view that ponds with HSI scores above 0.7 are of high importance to great crested newts is somewhat supported by the data. Both eDNA and direct observational survey methodologies suffer from sampling error and these need to be acknowledged in the analysis of large data sets.","PeriodicalId":56131,"journal":{"name":"Herpetological Journal","volume":"31 1","pages":"111-117"},"PeriodicalIF":1.0,"publicationDate":"2021-01-27","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"45896467","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}

{"title":"Taxonomic status of the Guyanese endemic caecilian Caecilia pressula Taylor, 1968 (Amphibia: Gymnophiona: Caeciliidae)","authors":"M. Wilkinson","doi":"10.33256/HJ30.4.227229","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.33256/HJ30.4.227229","url":null,"abstract":"C to many other herpetological taxa, caecilian taxonomy can be challenging. Lack of limbs, and of well-developed eyes and tails limits the number of taxonomic characters, and the relative rarity of many caecilian species in scientific collections limits understanding of variation. Consequently, species limits are sometimes poorly understood. Taxonomic uncertainty is a major reason given for the data deficient conservation status of many caecilian species in the IUCN red list. The caecilian species Caecilia pressula Taylor, 1968 is one of 13 species of the Neotropical Caecilia Linnaeus, 1758 described by Taylor (1968) in his revision of caecilian taxonomy. The description of C. pressula was based on seven specimens in the collections of the American Museum of Natural History (AMNH 4947049076) that were collected from the Marudi Mountains of Guyana by R. Snedigar in 1938 during the TerryHolden Expedition (htt ps://siarchives.si.edu/collections/ auth_exp_fbr_eace0098). A single adult male, AMNH A-49475, was designated the holotype and six much smaller and no doubt much younger specimens were designated as paratypes. These specimens were previously considered by Dunn (1942) and Parker & Dunn (1964) to be specimens of the type species of its https://doi.org/10.33256/hj30.4.227229","PeriodicalId":56131,"journal":{"name":"Herpetological Journal","volume":"1 1","pages":"227-229"},"PeriodicalIF":1.0,"publicationDate":"2020-10-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"42195797","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}

{"title":"Contributions to Lycodon zawi, a little-known colubrid snake (Reptilia: Serpentes: Colubridae)","authors":"L. Biakzuala, Vanlal Hrima, Michael Vanlalchhuana, Andrew Vanlallawma, M. Vabeiryureilai, Lal Muansanga, Sarathbabu Subbarayan, N. S. Kumar, H. Lalremsanga","doi":"10.33256/HJ30.4.234237","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.33256/HJ30.4.234237","url":null,"abstract":"Since the original description of Lycodon zawi almost two decades ago from Myanmar and Northeast India, little is known on the systematics, distributional range as well as the natural history of the species. Hence, this paper attempts to contribute updated information to enhance the genetic data, morphology, distributional records, and natural history on its feeding and the hitherto unknown breeding habit of this species from Mizoram State, Northeast India.","PeriodicalId":56131,"journal":{"name":"Herpetological Journal","volume":"30 1","pages":"234-237"},"PeriodicalIF":1.0,"publicationDate":"2020-10-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"48274366","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}

{"title":"Changes in plasma oestradiol, testosterone an progesterone concentrations during an annual reproductive cycle in wild Aldabra giant tortoises (Aldabrachelys gigantea)","authors":"M. Kummrow, Rich Baxter, G. Mastromonaco, N. Bunbury, M. Clauss, D. Hansen, J. Hatt","doi":"10.33256/HJ30.4.197201","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.33256/HJ30.4.197201","url":null,"abstract":"E human colonisation of the Indian Ocean Islands led to the extinction of one of two lineages of endemic giant tortoises, Cylindraspsis, and the almost complete elimination of the other lineage, Aldabrachelys, by the end of the 19th century due to excessive harvesting and translocation (Gerlach et al., 2013; Hansen et al., 2010). Today, only one species, the Aldabra giant tortoise (Aldabrachelys gigantea), survives. In the 1970s, conservation efforts including population monitoring and research programs were initiated, resulting in a significant increase of the single remaining population on the Aldabra Atoll and introductions of populations outside the historic range (Bourn et al., 1999). Recent introductions of captive-bred A. gigantea to new island habitats, such as Ile aux Aigrettes and Round Island in Mauritius, have not only served the conservation of the species, but also the restoration of ecosystem function, especially in regard to plant seed dispersal (Falcón & Hansen, 2018; Falcon et al., 2018; Hansen et al., 2010). However, natural density-related population regulatory mechanisms, late onset of reproductive age, and the extremely restricted range render A. gigantea population dynamics vulnerable to external impacts, be they human or natural in origin (Bourn, 1977; Gerlach et al., 2013; Haverkamp et al., 2017). The species is currently listed as Vulnerable on the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species (IUCN, 2018), but an overall population decline of 40-65 % over the next 100 years is projected due to severe negative impacts of sea-level rise, which will render the species Endangered by IUCN criteria (Gerlach et al., 2013). Captive propagation is an important tool for inand ex-situ species conservation. However, breeding success outside the Aldabra tortoises’ native island habitats has been very limited. Of the 159 zoological institutions registered as holding Aldabra tortoises, only one institution (Tulsa Zoo, USA) has been producing and changes in plasma oestradiol, testosterone and progesterone concentrations during an annual reproductive cycle in wild Aldabra giant tortoises (Aldabrachelys gigantea)","PeriodicalId":56131,"journal":{"name":"Herpetological Journal","volume":"30 1","pages":"197-201"},"PeriodicalIF":1.0,"publicationDate":"2020-10-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"42387848","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}

{"title":"Micro-geographic variation in burrow use of Agassiz’s desert tortoises in the Sonoran Desert of California","authors":"K. Cummings, J. Lovich, Shellie R. Puffer, Terence R. Arundel, Kathleen D. Brundige","doi":"10.33256/HJ30.4.177188","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.33256/HJ30.4.177188","url":null,"abstract":"Little has been published regarding the burrowing habits of Agassiz’s desert tortoises (Gopherus agassizii) in the Sonoran Desert of California. We monitored the interactions of tortoises with their burrows, and other tortoises, via radio-telemetry at two nearby sites between the Cottonwood and Orocopia Mountains, from 2015-2018. We examined how annual cycles of drought and non-drought years, behaviourally affected how tortoises use their burrows (i.e., burrow fidelity, cohabitation, and location), including the timing of the tortoise brumation period. Burrow locations were strongly dependent on local geology and topography, with a tendency to orientate in conformance with the general aspect of the landscape. The timing of brumation was similar to records for G. agassizii throughout their range (with a few exceptions). There was no difference in the estimated number of burrows used per 30 days between the active seasons (2017 and 2018) at the Orocopia site, despite the occurrence of drought in 2018.","PeriodicalId":56131,"journal":{"name":"Herpetological Journal","volume":"30 1","pages":"177-188"},"PeriodicalIF":1.0,"publicationDate":"2020-10-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"46324001","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}

{"title":"New insights about ovarian pigmentation in Anura","authors":"J. Goldberg, C. Oliveira, L. Franco‐Belussi","doi":"10.33256/HJ30.4.222226","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.33256/HJ30.4.222226","url":null,"abstract":"Amphibians have pigmented cells in organs beyond just skin. Their functions involve free radical neutralisation, early innate response, and a relationship with environmental temperature and UV light. In gonads, pigment containing-cells seem to be restricted mainly to the testes and related to sperm production. However, we report for the first time ovarian melanisation in Pseudis minuta and its ontogenetic changes in larval and\u0000postmetamorphic stages. Melanin containing-cells on the ovarian surface initially appear at early premetamorphic stages whereas in the cortex they occur later. In consecutive stages, melanin containing-cells were more evident among oocytes but without a clear pattern, being located randomly within the germinal epithelium or in the stroma. Although their function is unclear, a relationship with the fast acquisition of sexual maturity must be\u0000further explored.","PeriodicalId":56131,"journal":{"name":"Herpetological Journal","volume":"30 1","pages":"222-226"},"PeriodicalIF":1.0,"publicationDate":"2020-10-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"43540958","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}

{"title":"Molecular phylogeny and taxonomic evaluation of the genus Asaccus Dixon and Anderson, 1973 (Reptilia: Phyllodactylidae) in Iran","authors":"A. Fattahi, N. Rastegar-Pouyani, E. Rastegar-Pouyani, Rasoul Karamiani, S. S. H. Yousefkhani, B. Fathinia","doi":"10.33256/HJ30.4.207214","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.33256/HJ30.4.207214","url":null,"abstract":"The Iranian species of the phyllodactylid geckos of the genus Asaccus are found only in the valleys of the Zagros Mountains, a region which represents an important area of endemism in western Iran. Recently, many relict species have been described from the central and southern parts of the Zagros Mountains, which were previously known as A. elisae. The recent descriptions of species within this complex suggest that diversity within the genus may be higher than expected and that its taxonomy and systematics should be revised. In the present study, phylogenetic relationships within the genus Asaccus were evaluated using two mitochondrial and one nuclear gene. Genetically, the genus shows high levels of variability. The molecular phylogeny of the genus suggests the presence of three main clades along the Zagros Mountains with the southern population (from the Hormozgan province) and one clade (A. sp8 and A. sp9) being sister taxon to A. montanus from UAE. The remaining samples are separated into two reciprocally monophyletic groups: the northern (Kurdistan, Kermanshah and Ilam provinces) and the central (Lorestan, Khuzestan, Kohgilouye-Bouyer Ahmad and Fars provinces) Zagros groups. The results of the present study suggest that populations attributed to A. elisae in Iran correspond to distinct lineages with high genetic distances. In brief, our results suggest that the genus needs a major taxonomical revision The Arabian origin of the genus has not been confirmed, because two populations from Zagros were located within the A. montanus, A. gallagheri and A. platyrhynchus clade. Further morphological analyses are needed to systematically define each genetic lineage as a new taxon.","PeriodicalId":56131,"journal":{"name":"Herpetological Journal","volume":"30 1","pages":"207-214"},"PeriodicalIF":1.0,"publicationDate":"2020-10-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"48463294","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}

{"title":"Mitochondrial DNA analysis reveals extremely low genetic diversity in a managed population of the Critically Endangered Gharial (Gavialis gangeticus, Gmelin, 1789)","authors":"S. Sharma, S. Katdare, Zenab Zaidi, Mirza Ghazanfar Ullah Ghazi, S. Gupta, Syed Aniul Hussain","doi":"10.33256/HJ30.4.202206","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.33256/HJ30.4.202206","url":null,"abstract":"T genetic diversity of small populations is low due to various factors such as severe population declines, the founder effect and genetic bottlenecks (Banks et al., 2013). Such populations tend to lose variability rapidly as a consequence of various biotic and abiotic factors through genetic drift (Ellegren & Galtier, 2016). Drifts, regardless of any balancing force, can bring sudden and drastic changes in the allele frequency (Liao & Reed, 2009). The magnitude of such events are greater in a small population with little or no gene flow. Increased homozygosity and an increase in the frequency of recessive deleterious alleles, known as inbreeding, are immediate effects of reduced variability (Frankham et al., 1999). Long periods of isolation and inbreeding eventually lead to the decreased evolutionary adaptive potential of individuals and populations (Allendorf, 2010; Frankham et al., 1999; Galov et al., 2011; Lande et al., 1987; Liao & Reed, 2009). A decline in adaptive potential may drastically increase the extinction risk of a species locally or globally. Hence, monitoring the level of genetic variation is important for planning conservation strategies for wild and managed populations. Species living in freshwater ecosystems are the most threatened due to natural (increasing surface temperature, non-uniform rainfall pattern) and anthropogenic (pollution, incidental capture, disturbance) factors. The gharial Gavialis gangeticus Gmelin (1789) is a Critically Endangered (Lang et al., 2019) freshwater crocodilian species endemic to the northern part of the Indian subcontinent (Hussain, 1999; Lang et al., 2019). The unique long-slender snout of the gharial, an adaptation for catching fish, makes it more vulnerable to accidental mortality in fishing nets (Berkovitz & Shellis, 2016; Hasan & Alam, 2016). Habitat destruction, poaching and accidental mortality in fishing gear brought the species to near-extinction. Between the 19th century and the mid-20th century, the population declined by an estimated 85 % (Hussain, 2009; Whitaker et al., 1974). Many gharial populations were extirpated in the early 1970s. By 1979, the largest known population was the one in the Chambal River, in which there were 107 individuals (all size classes) (Whitaker & Daniel, 1980). Mitochondrial DNA analysis reveals extremely low genetic diversity in a managed population of the Critically Endangered Gharial (Gavialis gangeticus, Gmelin, 1789)","PeriodicalId":56131,"journal":{"name":"Herpetological Journal","volume":"30 1","pages":"202-206"},"PeriodicalIF":1.0,"publicationDate":"2020-10-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"48634011","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}

{"title":"Revisiting the generic position and acoustic diagnosis of Odontophrynus salvatori (Anura: Odontophrynidae)","authors":"F. M. Magalhães, Reuber A. Brandão, A. A. Garda, Sarah Mângia","doi":"10.33256/HJ30.4.189196","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.33256/HJ30.4.189196","url":null,"abstract":"Herein we evaluate the phylogenetic position, and revisit the generic allocation of Odontophrynus salvatori, which has for long been considered controversial because it exhibits intermediate morphological features between Odontophrynus and Proceratophrys. By assessing a fragment of the 16S mitochondrial gene from topotypical specimens, we confirm that O.\u0000salvatori is a member of the genus Proceratophrys and sister to P. moratoi, also forming a clade with P. concavitympanum and P. ararype. Therefore, we formally transfer O. salvatori to the genus Proceratophrys [Proceratophrys salvatori (Caramaschi 1996) comb. nov.]. Additionally, the calls of Proceratophrys salvatori and P. moratoi, formally compared for the first time, are shown to exhibit similar structures: they both emit single multi-pulsed notes that differ mainly in pulse repetition rate and dominant frequency. Finally, we summarise occurrence records for P. salvatori and P. moratoi and provide a new record of P. moratoi in Mato Grosso State, extending its distribution about 490 km to the north-west.","PeriodicalId":56131,"journal":{"name":"Herpetological Journal","volume":"30 1","pages":"189-196"},"PeriodicalIF":1.0,"publicationDate":"2020-10-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"43655980","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}

{"title":"Evidence of the peptide identity of the epidermal alarm cue in tadpoles of the toad Rhinella arenarum","authors":"M. Raices, L. Jungblut, A. Pozzi","doi":"10.33256/HJ30.4.230233","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.33256/HJ30.4.230233","url":null,"abstract":"Chemical cues associated with predation attempts allow prey to trigger defensive behaviours. Accordingly, tadpoles of several species of anurans display strong behavioural responses to chemical cues of injured conspecifics. As part of the antipredator response, tadpoles show rapid and sustained inhibition of activity when exposed to chemical cues of predation. Although the ability to respond to cues of conspecifics has been confirmed in a wide variety of anuran species, studies about the tissue source and the chemical aspects of the molecules involved are scarce and contradictory. In the present work, we analysed the chemical characteristics, tissue source and release mechanism of the chemical alarm cue in Rhinella arenarum tadpoles. Our results support the hypothesis that a peptide of epidermal origin in mediates amphibian tadpole communication.","PeriodicalId":56131,"journal":{"name":"Herpetological Journal","volume":"30 1","pages":"230-233"},"PeriodicalIF":1.0,"publicationDate":"2020-10-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"45291341","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}