查看更多>>摘要：Anuran advertisement calls play a role in attracting potential mates and can vary among individuals and populations. Here we describe the advertisement call of a non-native population of Eleutherodactylus johnstonei in S?o Paulo, Brazil and compare our data with other non-native populations in other countries. The advertisement calls of E. johnstonei show two-tonal frequency-modulated notes differing in spectral and temporal patterns. The first note is shorter and has lower frequencies than the second note. Our comparisons indicate that, except for the Montserrat population, the calls of the Brazilian population of E. johnstonei are similar to the other populations in terms of the call and note duration. Concerning spectral parameters, except for Bucaramanga (Colombia) and Caracas (Venezuela) populations, the dominant frequency of the first note is lower in the Brazilian population than in other localities. The advertisement call variations of E. johnstonei seem unrelated to morphological differentiation or the length of time since the population was introduced, but may reflect local female preferences or adaptation to environmental factors.
查看更多>>摘要：The Jamaican iguana, Cyclura collei, is one of the world's rarest iguanas. It is restricted to the dry forest of the Hellshire Hills, where the availability of suitable soil for nesting limits population growth. Once a year, Jamaican iguanas move from the surrounding forest to two main nesting sites, the Upper Nesting Site (UNS) and the Lower Nesting Site (LNS), to excavate nests and deposit their eggs. There is little information on the soil condition at these two sites. Due to population growth, resulting from intensive conservation efforts, the availability of nesting sites is now limited. Consequently, qualitative and quantitative information is needed to improve existing sites and inform the creation of additional nesting sites. Here we investigate soil depth, nest openness, soil compaction and other soil characteristics at the Jamaican iguana's two main nesting sites and, from our observation, make recommendations for creating and/or improving nesting sites.
查看更多>>摘要：The smooth snake Coronella austriaca Laurenti, 1768, is distributed widely over the European mainland occurring as far south as Sicily and Greece and as far north as Sweden and Norway where it reaches 60° N (Artsobservasjoner, undated; Artportalen, undated). This is a slender snake with a total adult length of 70-90 cm that in Norway feeds mainly on slowworms Anguis fragilis and shrew species Sorex spp. The female is ovoviviparous, bearing live young mostly in August or September. The reproductive ecology of the smooth snake is poorly understood since mating and parturition have rarely been documented. Here we present the first records of smooth snake mating activity in both spring and autumn in Norway, and report how parturition date varies with summer temperature.
查看更多>>摘要：Due to environmental constraints, winter aggregations of squamates otherwise considered solitary are becoming increasingly common worldwide (Gardner et al., 2015). Community aggregations in lizards are little known and probably underestimated (Gardner et al., 2015) although certain European species are known to aggregate for hibernation, for example Agama stellio (Loumbourdis, 1983), Chalcides chalcides (Capula et al., 2003), Anguis fragilis (Karch, 2022), and Zootoca vivipara (Hodges & Seabrook, 2022).
查看更多>>摘要：Under natural settings, a variety of snake species are occasional scavengers, especially piscivorous snakes and pit vipers (DeVault & Krochmal, 2002). In the case of the Montpellier snake Malpolon monspessulanus the species has been observed both eating bait intended for other animals and roadkill (Valverde, 1974; Ventura, 2012). Several researchers have taken advantage of the propensity of wild snakes to accept carrion (e.g. mammals, fish) offered by humans to address a variety of ecological questions (Sazima & Strüssmann, 1990; Marques & Sazima, 1997; Wasko & Sasa, 2012; Glaudas & Alexander, 2017). Further investigation of the foraging response of wild snakes to carrion offered by researchers is of interest because it has the potential to improve animal welfare, for example to place electronic devices without the need for force-feeding (Shine, 1987). It could also be used to supplement the food intake of wild snakes, thereby promoting reproduction and recruitment in fragile populations (Taylor et al., 2005). Weitzmann & Pretus (2018) made an unsuccessful (prey not consumed despite snake interest) attempt at food supplementation with the Montpellier snake and this led us to undertake a feeding test in 2021 in Bédarrides, Vaucluse district, France, with two large free-ranging male Montpellier snakes both in the range of 1.7-1.8 m long and 1.5 to 1.6 kg body mass.
查看更多>>摘要：The smooth newt (Lissotriton vulgaris) is a widespread amphibian species found throughout western Europe, and is the most common newt species encountered in the British Isles (Speybroeck et al., 2016). Smooth newts can grow up to 11 cm long and can be found inhabiting a variety of aquatic and terrestrial habitats. The great crested newt (Triturus cristatus) is found throughout northern Europe, and is the largest newt species found in Britain, measuring up to 16 cm long (Beebee & Griffiths, 2000; Speybroeck et al., 2016). Most individuals of both species leave aquatic habitats in June, and the adults then return to water in February for the breeding season (Beebee & Griffiths, 2000). It is during this post-breeding dispersal that newts are most likely to be encountered in terrestrial habitats.
查看更多>>摘要：The genus Telmatobius Wiegmann, 1834 (Anura: Telmatobiidae) includes 63 species of aquatic and semiaquatic frogs associated with high Andean ecosystems and distributed from Ecuador to Chile and Argentina (Frost, 2021). The high-altitude distribution and the aquatic habits of Telmatobius are its most distinctive characteristics and pose a series of physiological challenges for the genus (Lavilla & De la Riva, 2005; Barrionuevo, 2017). Telmatobius frogs were used by the Inca culture as symbols to propitiate rainfall and fertility (Elías et al., 2019; Otero et al., 2020), possibly due to frogs' conspicuous reproductive biology (Wells, 2007). Despite this, there is little information about the reproduction of these Andean water frogs. The genus appears to have low fecundity (Barrionuevo & Mangione, 2006), with clutch size varying from 80 eggs (Pisanó, 1955) to about 500 eggs per clutch for Telmatobius culeus and Telmatobius laticeps (Pérez, 1998; Barrionuevo & Mangione, 2006). Some earlier evidence suggests that male game togenesis in T. laticeps and Telmatobius pisanoi occurs twice yearly (Montero & Pisanó, 1990) but is continuous and asynchronous in females of Telmatobius arequipensis (reviewed Lavilla & Barrionuevo, 2005). T. culeus probably reproduces continuously as amplexus was recorded mainly during winter months and females with mature ovules were recorded in the summer (Pérez, 1998). Telmatobius jelskii probably also reproduces throughout the year as eggs, breeding adults, and cohorts of tadpoles at several developmental stages have been observed in both wet and dry seasons (Catenazzi et al., 2013).
TOMáS M. RODRíGUEZ-CABRERAALEJANDRO HERNáNDEZ GóMEZJAVIER TORRES
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查看更多>>摘要：The occurrence of identical (monozygotic) or non-identical (dizygotic) twins in snakes is a rare phenomenon, reported in less than 1 % of more than 3,970 currently recognised species (Smith, 1999; Wallach, 2018; Uetz et al., 2022). Even rarer are twins in viviparous snakes, being recorded in only seven species belonging to seven families: Boa constrictor (Boidae), Coronella austriaca (Colubridae), Diadophis punctatus (Dipsadidae), Erpeton tentaculatum (Homalopsidae), Pseudechis colletti (Elapidae), Thamnophis sirtalis (Natricidae) and Vipera berus (Viperidae) (for reviews see Smith, 1999; Wallach, 2018). Smith (1999) reported the only known twins in the family Boidae (B. constrictor), accounting for one case in approximately 600 litters obtained in captivity by that author, evidencing its very low frequency. Herein we report the first case of twins, suspected to be non-identical, in the Cuban boa (Chilabothrus angulifer), which represents also the second case of twinning in the family Boidae and the eighth species of viviparous snake in which this phenomenon has been recorded.
BRUNO STEFANIS S.P. DE OLIVEIRACAIO RODRIGO MOURA SANTOSLUCIANA SANTOS MEDEIROSMARíA FERNANDA DE LA FUENTE...
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查看更多>>摘要：Since 2009, the NGO Biota (Instituto Biota de Conserva??o) has developed several activities focused on the management, research and conservation of marine animals along the coast of Alagoas (Brazil). This has included a periodic beach monitoring programme to record sea turtle egg laying, hatchling emergence, and stranded marine animals (turtles, mammals and birds). In addition, Biota involves local communities in this monitoring where they can participate by sending records and information of stranded animals (including photos for species identification and animal state, GPS of locations, date and hour, etc.).
查看更多>>摘要：Dead amphibians are prone to rapid desiccation and mummification, which may hamper opportunistic specimen collection of rarely encountered species, for example from roadkill or escaped captive animals. Many identification characters require observation of normal tissues and mummified remains may, therefore, be difficult to identify based on morphology. A protocol for rehydrating mummified human tissues, restoring them to the point where fingerprints can be successfully obtained, using an isotonic salt solution combined with Comfort fabric softener, has been developed for human tissues (Turner & Holtom, 1981). I trialled this easily recreated approach to a desiccated amphibian specimen, to trial the extension of this method to amphibians.
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