Special Issue "Herperofauna of Eurasia"

A special issue of Diversity (ISSN 1424-2818). This special issue belongs to the section "Biodiversity Conservation".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 31 December 2023 | Viewed by 947

Special Issue Editor

Zoological Institute, Russian Academy of Sciences, 199034 St. Petersburg, Russia
Interests: reptiles; phylogeny; genomics; phylogeography; taxonomy; Squamata; mt and nuclear genes; conservation of amphibians and reptiles of North Eurasia

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Globally amphibians and reptiles are amongst the least studied groups. In the last couple of decades, the knowledge of diversity and conservation of herpetofauna has increased substantially, as many young scientists have been showing interest in these groups; however, there are still many gaps to fill. In addition to being the least studied groups, they are also among the most threatened, as they are facing multiple conservation challenges such as habitat loss, climate change, invasive species, disease, and pet trade.

Eurasia is the largest continental area on earth, it extends through all climatic zones of the Northern Hemisphere, and it is geologically, biologically, and culturally complex and diverse. This Special Issue will focus on the diversity of reptiles and amphibians in Eurasia, the threats they face, and conservation actions necessary for the protection of endangered species and their habitats.

Prof. Dr. Natalia B. Ananjeva
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

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Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2600 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • reptile
  • amphibia
  • conservation
  • diversity
  • Europe
  • Asia
  • threats
  • endangered species

Published Papers (2 papers)

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Research

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Article
Karyotypes of 10 Anuran Species from the Qinghai–Tibetan Plateau
Diversity 2023, 15(9), 947; https://doi.org/10.3390/d15090947 - 22 Aug 2023
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Abstract
The Qinghai–Tibet Plateau (QTP) is the highest and largest mountain plateau in the world, which has become a focus area of amphibian biodiversity research and conservation, depending on its large number of endemic and threatened species. Among the 58 families of Anura, only [...] Read more.
The Qinghai–Tibet Plateau (QTP) is the highest and largest mountain plateau in the world, which has become a focus area of amphibian biodiversity research and conservation, depending on its large number of endemic and threatened species. Among the 58 families of Anura, only a few species of four families (Megophryidae, Bufonidae, Dicroglossidae, Ranidae) are distributed in QTP. Revealing the genetic diversity of these species is crucial for research on their environmental adaptability and biodiversity conservation. Chromosome rearrangements are a critical source of genetic variation, which is recognized as a driver of speciation, providing the genetic material for differentiation and environmental adaptation of amphibians. Here, we identified the karyotypes of 10 species of the above families from the QTP. The karyotypes of these species were obtained from new sites that were not previously reported. Among them, the karyotypes of D. himalayanus and tetraploid B. zamdaensis were reported for the first time. In particular, the ploidy of B. zamdaensis from Zanda, China, was found to be distinctly different from the ploidy from Spiti River, India. This indicates that they have presented species differentiation and supports the multiple and complicated polyploidization events in the Bufotes toads. Furthermore, the different locations of the secondary constriction between the Weixi and Zhongdian populations of O. xiangchengensis support that there is a karyotypic variation between the two subspecies (O. xiangchengensis xiangchengensis vs. O. xiangchengensis deqinicus). A series of chromosomal variations may have facilitated the rapid evolution of amphibians in the QTP, and our study will provide support for further research on amphibian genetic diversity and biodiversity conservation. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Herperofauna of Eurasia)
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Review

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Review
A Review of Ixodid Ticks (Acari: Ixodidae) Associated with Lacerta spp. (Reptilia: Lacertidae) from the Caucasus and Adjacent Territory
Diversity 2023, 15(9), 1026; https://doi.org/10.3390/d15091026 - 21 Sep 2023
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Abstract
Based on a literature review, as well as on our own data, 14 ixodid tick species belonging to 5 genera were registered for the lizard hosts of the genus Lacerta (L. agilis, L. media, and L. strigata) in the [...] Read more.
Based on a literature review, as well as on our own data, 14 ixodid tick species belonging to 5 genera were registered for the lizard hosts of the genus Lacerta (L. agilis, L. media, and L. strigata) in the Caucasus and the adjacent territories: Haemaphysalis sulcata, Haem. punctata, Haem. parva, Haem. caucasica, Haem. concinna, Haem. inermis, Ixodes ricinus, I. redikorzevi, Dermacentor marginatus, D. reticulatus, Hyalomma marginatum, Rhipicephalus bursa, Rh. rossicum, and Rh. turanicum. Tick species Haem. caucasica were recorded from Armenia for the first time. Our findings of Haem. punctata represent the first record of this species for Chechnya, Ingushetia (Russia), Armenia, and Azerbaijan. Most of the parasite species are associated with L. agilis (13) and L. strigata (12); L. media is a host of 6 tick species. Data on the infestation of Lacerta spp. by four tick species from our material (I. ricinus, Haem. punctata, Haem. caucasica, and Hyal. marginatum) are presented in the article. In addition, our article contains information on the range of infections associated with the above tick species. Castor bean tick I. ricinus (236 specimens), the most represented species in our collection, parasitizes all available terrestrial vertebrates including humans and can be vector of many various pathogens, so our study provides significant epidemiological information. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Herperofauna of Eurasia)
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