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Diversity
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Herpetofauna of Eurasia
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Herpetofauna of Eurasia

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

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (25 April 2024) | Viewed by 10541

Special Issue Editor

Prof. Dr. Natalia B. Ananjeva

E-Mail Website
Guest 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

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Keywords

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

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Published Papers (5 papers)

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Research

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15 pages, 5509 KiB  
Article
A New Record of Bufo gargarizans Complex (Bufonidae, Anura) from Truong Son Mounts, Ha Tinh and Ha Giang Provinces, Vietnam Based on Molecular Evidence with a Description of a New Species
by Nikolai L. Orlov, Natalia B. Ananjeva, Oleg A. Ermakov, Svetlana A. Lukonina, Hoa Thi Ninh and Tao Thien Nguyen
Diversity 2024, 16(7), 361; https://doi.org/10.3390/d16070361 - 24 Jun 2024
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1777
Abstract
Based on a combination of molecular and morphological data, we herein report a new species within the bufonid Bufo gargarizans species complex. This is a widespread species complex with distribution from eastern Russia and the Korean Peninsula to China and the Ryukyu Islands [...] Read more.
Based on a combination of molecular and morphological data, we herein report a new species within the bufonid Bufo gargarizans species complex. This is a widespread species complex with distribution from eastern Russia and the Korean Peninsula to China and the Ryukyu Islands of Japan. Records of this species have been documented in the Guangxi and Yunnan Provinces near the border with Vietnam and, for the first time from Vietnam, in Ha Giang Province. The new record of Bufo cf. gargarizans from Vietnam is from Ha Tinh Province. This species has never been reported from Vietnam so far south, about 550 km south from the previously known locality in Ha Giang Province. The female specimen was found in the Ha Tinh Province, Vu Quang National Park of central Vietnam and two specimens (male and female) were found Ha Giang Province. They are clearly distinguished from B. gargarizans and all the mentioned species by a specific color pattern on the belly and creamy-yellowish throat with large, bright red speckles. Genetic divergences of three Vietnam specimens from Ha Giang and Ha Tinh Provinces in the ND2 gene sequences between the B. sp. nov. and all other congeners ranged from 4.3% (with B. andrewsi) to 7.0% (with B. stejnegeri). We give a description of the morphological characters and coloration of the new record and provide an expanded diagnosis. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Herpetofauna of Eurasia)
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13 pages, 3442 KiB  
Article
Application of Univariate Diversity Metrics to the Study of the Population Ecology of the Lizard Lacerta bilineata in an Ecotonal Habitat
by Roger Meek and Luca Luiselli
Diversity 2024, 16(3), 169; https://doi.org/10.3390/d16030169 - 7 Mar 2024
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 1678
Abstract
The expansion of human activities across natural environments is now well known. This includes agricultural activities that effectively render many former natural environments sterile habitats for animals. Very often, what remains of the natural habitat are hedgerows that serve as habitat or pathways [...] Read more.
The expansion of human activities across natural environments is now well known. This includes agricultural activities that effectively render many former natural environments sterile habitats for animals. Very often, what remains of the natural habitat are hedgerows that serve as habitat or pathways for movement between habitats for many species, including reptiles. In this study, we describe population changes in the western green lizard, Lacerta bilineata, in a hedgerow system in western France. The results are derived from a univariate diversity analysis of photographic data to identify individual lizards over a 4-year study period. Lizards were sighted from March April to October early November but there was a midsummer gap in sightings during July–August. The annual presence of individual lizards was low, both between and within years, but based on the diversity analysis, the overall stability of the population was high. Female numbers varied and were highest in 2020, but juveniles were highest in 2023; the numbers of males present each year were approximately the same. Individual lizards that were present before the midsummer gap were mostly absent after the midsummer gap and were replaced by new individuals. Incidences of autotomy were low in males and juveniles and were not recorded in females. In general, the results suggest that the lizards move through hedgerow systems but remain in a specific section for reproduction from March to July. Through this study, we also highlight the importance of univariate diversity formulas to obtain robust results in investigations of the demographic aspects of animal populations that are easy to monitor. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Herpetofauna of Eurasia)
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17 pages, 3157 KiB  
Article
Detection of Glacial Refugia and Post-Glacial Colonization Routes of Morphologically Cryptic Marsh Frog Species (Anura: Ranidae: Pelophylax) Using Environmental Niche Modeling
by Spartak N. Litvinchuk, Dmitriy V. Skorinov, Alexander Yu. Ivanov and Oleg A. Ermakov
Diversity 2024, 16(2), 94; https://doi.org/10.3390/d16020094 - 1 Feb 2024
Cited by 6 | Viewed by 2402
Abstract
Studying the distribution of morphologically cryptic animal species is always a very difficult task. Because most marsh frog species (the Pelophylax ridibundus complex) are cryptic, we used molecular markers to identify them. Three marsh frog species (P. ridibundus, P. kurtmuelleri and [...] Read more.
Studying the distribution of morphologically cryptic animal species is always a very difficult task. Because most marsh frog species (the Pelophylax ridibundus complex) are cryptic, we used molecular markers to identify them. Three marsh frog species (P. ridibundus, P. kurtmuelleri and P. cf. bedriagae) inhabit the northern part of Western Palearctic. We created a database of localities and built models of their modern distribution. These models showed that the most suitable habitats are on the north of the Mediterranean region for P. cf. bedriagae, temperate Europe for P. ridibundus, and the Balkan coastal areas for P. kurtmuelleri. The projection of the modern ecological niches under the late-Quaternary climatic conditions showed that the range of P. kurtmuelleri remained largely unchanged during the period, whereas the ranges of P. cf. bedriagae and especially P. ridibundus changed greatly over time. During the Last Glacial Maximum, the presumed range of P. cf. bedriagae covered a relatively large area in the north of the Mediterranean region and the south of European Russia. Glacial refugia of P. ridibundus were apparently located in the northern Balkans, the northern coast of the Black and Azov seas, and possibly in Western Europe. The northward long-distance post-glacial dispersal of P. ridibundus occurred from refugia in the northeastern Balkans and the Black-Azov seas region. Since the Late Pleistocene, suitable habitats for P. cf. bedriagae in southern Russia began to decline, but local habitats for P. ridibundus become more suitable. Therefore, a mosaic of populations consisting of these both species and their hybrids has now been found here. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Herpetofauna of Eurasia)
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14 pages, 3144 KiB  
Article
Karyotypes of 10 Anuran Species from the Qinghai–Tibetan Plateau
by Qiheng Chen, Shengchao Shi, Ningning Lu, Cheng Shen and Jianping Jiang
Diversity 2023, 15(9), 947; https://doi.org/10.3390/d15090947 - 22 Aug 2023
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1317
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 Herpetofauna of Eurasia)
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Review

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19 pages, 3189 KiB  
Review
A Review of Ixodid Ticks (Acari: Ixodidae) Associated with Lacerta spp. (Reptilia: Lacertidae) from the Caucasus and Adjacent Territory
by Maria V. Orlova, Igor V. Doronin, Marina A. Doronina and Nikolay V. Anisimov
Diversity 2023, 15(9), 1026; https://doi.org/10.3390/d15091026 - 21 Sep 2023
Cited by 4 | Viewed by 2334
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 Herpetofauna of Eurasia)
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