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Diversity
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Ecology, Systematics and Biodiversity of Reptiles
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Ecology, Systematics and Biodiversity of Reptiles

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

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (15 August 2023) | Viewed by 9973

Special Issue Editors

Prof. Dr. Geraldo Jorge Barbosa De Moura

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Laboratory of Herpetological and Paleoherpetological Studies, Area of Zoology, Department of Biology, Federal Rural University of Pernambuco, Recife 52171900, Brazil
Interests: zoology; ecology and paleontology of amphibians and reptiles; herpetology
Dr. Leonardo Pessoa Cabus Oitaven

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Laboratory of Herpetological and Paleoherpetological Studies, Area of Zoology, Department of Biology, Federal Rural University of Pernambuco, Recife 52171900, Brazil
Interests: biology of amphibians and reptiles; herpetology

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

In recent decades, there have been great advancements in our knowledge about the diversity, conservation and natural history of reptiles, mainly due to the increase in the number of researchers, sampling in new ecoregions and the intensification of taxonomic and molecular studies. Despite the reduction in the disparity between different regions of the planet, there are still large taxonomic, geographic and thematic gaps in knowledge about these animals, especially in the pantropical range of continents, where the greatest biodiversity is found, but also in the most distant regions and inhospitable areas of the globe, which, despite having low biodiversity, potentially have much to discover.

This Special Issue will provide an opportunity to highlight new research regarding the state of knowledge of the world's reptiles and the importance of conserving this group for the balance of ecosystem and planetary services from different perspectives from autoecology to unique health. We invite researchers and postgraduate students to submit their manuscripts that focus on taxonomic, ecological, conservationist, economic and natural history aspects with the aim of forming a platform to further boost progress within this still little-known group in many regions of the planet.

Prof. Dr. Geraldo Jorge Barbosa De Moura
Dr. Leonardo Pessoa Cabus Oitaven
Guest Editors

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.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Diversity is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

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

  • herpetology
  • paleoherpetology
  • systematics and taxonomy
  • phylogeny
  • species compositions
  • species description
  • ecology
  • behavior
  • reptile–man relationship
  • snakes
  • lizards
  • reptiles
  • crocodiles
  • Sauropsida
  • turtles
  • Lepidosauria
  • Sphenodontidae
  • Amphisbaena
  • Archosauria

Published Papers (6 papers)

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Research

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14 pages, 2183 KiB  
Article
Distribution and Conservation Status of European Pond Turtles Emys orbicularis (L., 1758) in Algeria
by Nourhane Gherbi, Manel Tiar-Saadi, Abdennour Boucheker, Pavel Široký, Chahinez Mezghiche, Khalil Draidi, Zihad Bouslama and Ghoulem Tiar
Diversity 2023, 15(9), 993; https://doi.org/10.3390/d15090993 - 5 Sep 2023
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1254
Abstract
The Maghreb population of Emys orbicularis extends over a narrow strip of northern Morocco, Algeria, and Tunisia. Our understanding of the presence of this turtle in Algeria, in contrast to Morocco and Tunisia, is quite limited and frequently rests on a few small-scale [...] Read more.
The Maghreb population of Emys orbicularis extends over a narrow strip of northern Morocco, Algeria, and Tunisia. Our understanding of the presence of this turtle in Algeria, in contrast to Morocco and Tunisia, is quite limited and frequently rests on a few small-scale studies or even reports from a century ago. The present study provides the first complete data on the distribution and level of threat of this species in Algeria. A field survey was carried out based on the data obtained from scattered local reports and available studies that suggested the presence of the species in Algerian wetlands. Data on climatic and habitat preferences, the geographic elevation of inhabited localities, and their conservation status were collected. A total of 45 wetlands were inhabited by E. orbicularis, of which 40 were part of a well-interconnected eastern metapopulation, joined by an extensive hydrographic network. In some places, the species has persisted for over 130 years in the same wetland complex. However, the five remaining populations living in central North Algeria are fragmented, highly isolated, and therefore more threatened. With a few exceptions, turtles inhabit lowlands below 100 m above sea level. Detected sub-populations inhabit mostly stagnant waters (60%), sometimes dams and lakes (24%), and sporadically also slow-moving water bodies (16%). Altogether, the Algerian distribution of E. orbicularis extends to a total area of 2900 km2, a 40 km wide strip with a length of 490 km west of the Tunisian border. Although restricted to this narrow strip, the persistence of numerous populations in Algeria, especially in Numidia, testifies to their relatively better conservation status. In order to ensure the sustainability of these efforts, follow-up and monitoring activities should be suggested, with special attention paid to highly isolated populations to maintain their long-term viability. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Ecology, Systematics and Biodiversity of Reptiles)
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13 pages, 1790 KiB  
Article
Factors Influencing Activity and Detection of Species in a Cross Timbers Snake Assemblage
by Clint King and Jesse M. Meik
Diversity 2023, 15(9), 952; https://doi.org/10.3390/d15090952 - 24 Aug 2023
Viewed by 1013
Abstract
The Cross Timbers of North America is an ecotone between the eastern deciduous forests and central grasslands and exhibits a diverse composite snake fauna. Over a 3-yr period, we performed repeated nocturnal road surveys of snakes across three transects in Wise County, Texas, [...] Read more.
The Cross Timbers of North America is an ecotone between the eastern deciduous forests and central grasslands and exhibits a diverse composite snake fauna. Over a 3-yr period, we performed repeated nocturnal road surveys of snakes across three transects in Wise County, Texas, and evaluated species composition, relative abundances, vehicular mortality, detection probability, and the influence of environmental variables on snake activity. Sixteen taxa and 406 observations were recorded over 250 surveys, and the three most frequently encountered species had detection probabilities of approximately 0.20: Pantherophis obsoletus, Agkistrodon laticinctus, and Nerodia rhombifer. Only the two species of Agkistrodon present at our study area showed significant differences in count frequencies across the three transects. Covariate effects on overall snake activity were subtle, with barometric pressure, ordinal date, and ambient temperature better explaining variation in combined snake counts than humidity, wind speed, or lunar phase. Furthermore, peak snake activity corresponded closely to the timing of peak warm-season precipitation in the study area, suggesting that snake activity coincides with rainfall periodicity in the Cross Timbers region. However, results of site-occupancy models indicated that covariate effects were different across species, and that several common species did not show clear responses to any of the survey covariates. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Ecology, Systematics and Biodiversity of Reptiles)
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12 pages, 3444 KiB  
Communication
Genetic Diversity and Population Structure of the Slender Racer (Orientocoluber spinalis) in South Korea
by Hojun Jeong, Il-Kook Park, Jongsun Kim, Jaejin Park, Sang-Cheol Lee and Daesik Park
Diversity 2023, 15(4), 543; https://doi.org/10.3390/d15040543 - 9 Apr 2023
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1526
Abstract
The slender racer, Orientocoluber spinalis, is a monotypic species found in northeast Asia. We collected 67 O. spinalis samples from the Republic of Korea (hereafter, South Korea) and 7 from China and Mongolia and investigated their genetic diversity and population structure. In [...] Read more.
The slender racer, Orientocoluber spinalis, is a monotypic species found in northeast Asia. We collected 67 O. spinalis samples from the Republic of Korea (hereafter, South Korea) and 7 from China and Mongolia and investigated their genetic diversity and population structure. In South Korea, O. spinalis populations were mainly found on Oeyeondo, Uido, and Udo islands and Woraksan Mountain and showed low genetic diversity in the analysis of concatenated mitochondrial sequences of the cytochrome b (Cytb) and NADH dehydrogenase subunit 4 (ND4) genes. Orientocoluber spinalis populations in South Korea showed low differentiation and likely diverged recently. Orientocoluber spinalis may have colonized the Korean Peninsula from China and Mongolia, but this route is not confirmed due to the lack of samples from the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea and middle eastern China. Considering its extreme rarity, low population density, and low genetic diversity, O. spinalis should be designated an endangered species in South Korea, as it is in Russia, Mongolia, and Kazakhstan. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Ecology, Systematics and Biodiversity of Reptiles)
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15 pages, 2741 KiB  
Article
Herpetofaunal Diversity in a Dahomey Gap Savannah of Togo (West Africa): Effects of Seasons on the Populations of Amphibians and Reptiles
by Gabriel Hoinsoudé Segniagbeto, Jeanne Kafui Dekawole, Guillaume Koffivi Ketoh, Daniele Dendi and Luca Luiselli
Diversity 2022, 14(11), 964; https://doi.org/10.3390/d14110964 - 10 Nov 2022
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1781
Abstract
The Dahomey Gap is a human-derived savannah zone, interspersed by patches of moist tropical forest, that separates the forest zone into two blocks, the Upper Guinean and the Lower Guinean forests. Community ecology aspects of amphibians and reptiles are still relatively unexplored in [...] Read more.
The Dahomey Gap is a human-derived savannah zone, interspersed by patches of moist tropical forest, that separates the forest zone into two blocks, the Upper Guinean and the Lower Guinean forests. Community ecology aspects of amphibians and reptiles are still relatively unexplored in this ecological zone of West Africa. Here, the overall species richness and the variation of the diversity metrics (dominance, evenness) of a whole herpetofaunal community in Togo was studied, with emphasis on the effects of the seasons (wet and dry) on the population structure. Overall, we observed 998 amphibian individuals from 27 species: 148 individuals belonging to 11 species during the dry season and 849 individuals belonging to 25 species during the wet season. For reptiles, we observed 517 individuals belonging to 44 species: 323 individuals belonging to 41 species during the dry season and 194 individuals belonging to 28 species during the wet season. The analyses on the diversity metrics showed opposite patterns between amphibians and reptiles in each season. Indeed, the dry season rank–abundance curve was systematically higher in reptiles than in amphibians for each rank of abundance, while the opposite pattern occurred in the wet season rank–abundance curve. Singletons and doubletons were much more numerous in the reptiles. Concerning the diversity indices, the Dominance index was significantly higher in amphibians during the dry season than in all other pairwise comparisons, whereas the Shannon’s index was significantly lower in dry season amphibians and significantly higher in wet season reptiles. Evenness index was significantly lower in reptiles than in amphibians and the mean number of individuals was significantly higher in amphibians by wet season compared to dry season amphibians or reptiles during both seasons. The ecological implications of these data are discussed. Most species were of minor conservation concern. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Ecology, Systematics and Biodiversity of Reptiles)
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Review

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151 pages, 24856 KiB  
Review
The Herpetofauna of the Insular Systems of Mexico
by Víctor Hugo González-Sánchez, Jerry D. Johnson, Oscar Frausto-Martínez, Luis M. Mejía Ortíz, Alberto Pereira-Corona, María del Pilar Blanco-Parra, Pierre Charruau and Carlos Alberto Níño-Torres
Diversity 2023, 15(8), 921; https://doi.org/10.3390/d15080921 - 10 Aug 2023
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 2361
Abstract
The herpetofauna of the insular systems of Mexico is composed of 226 species, of which 14 are anurans, two are salamanders, and 210 are reptiles, comprised of two crocodilians, 195 squamates, and 13 turtles. Although the surface of the Mexican islands is only [...] Read more.
The herpetofauna of the insular systems of Mexico is composed of 226 species, of which 14 are anurans, two are salamanders, and 210 are reptiles, comprised of two crocodilians, 195 squamates, and 13 turtles. Although the surface of the Mexican islands is only 0.26% of the Mexican territorial extension, these 226 species constitute 16.1% of Mexico’s documented herpetofauna of 1405 species. We classified the Mexican islands into five physiographic regions: the islands of Pacific Baja California; the islands of the Gulf of California; the islands of the Tropical Pacific; the islands of the Gulf of Mexico; and the islands of the Mexican Caribbean. The highest species richness among these regions is in the Gulf of California, with 108 species, and the lowest richness is 40 for the islands of the Pacific Baja California and 46 for those of the Gulf of Mexico. We identified introduced species, risk of wildfires, climate change, and urban/tourist development as the main environmental threats impinging on these species. In addition, we assessed the conservation status of the native species by comparing the SEMARNAT (NOM-059), IUCN Red List, and the Environmental Vulnerability Score (EVS) systems. The comparison of these systems showed that the NOM-059 and the IUCN systems seriously underestimate the degree of threat for insular endemics, being particularly concerning for those insular species that are known only from their respective type localities. The EVS system proved to be practical and indicated that 94 species have a high vulnerability status, 62 a medium status, and 56 a low status. The Relative Herpetofaunal Priority system, which contrasts the number of endemic and threatened species among different physiographic areas, indicates that the regions with the highest priority are the Islands of the Gulf of California, followed by the islands of the Tropical Pacific. Finally, we discussed the completeness of the Mexican Natural Protected Areas on the insular systems of the country; the result is outstanding since Mexico is already close to achieving the goal of having all their islands under some degree of federal protection. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Ecology, Systematics and Biodiversity of Reptiles)
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Other

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6 pages, 13526 KiB  
Interesting Images
Quid Pro Quo: A Documented Case of Cannibalism in the Red-Bellied Black Snake Pseudechis porphyriacus in Lamington (Queensland, Australia)
by Tim Lüddecke
Diversity 2023, 15(5), 610; https://doi.org/10.3390/d15050610 - 29 Apr 2023
Viewed by 1230
Abstract
The red-bellied black snake (Pseudechis porphyriacus) is a member of the Elapidae family and is distributed on the east coast of Australia. The species is known to feed on a variety of ectothermic prey, including frogs and lizards. It is also [...] Read more.
The red-bellied black snake (Pseudechis porphyriacus) is a member of the Elapidae family and is distributed on the east coast of Australia. The species is known to feed on a variety of ectothermic prey, including frogs and lizards. It is also known to be ophiophagous (snake-feeding), and stomach-content analyses suggest that P. porphyriacus also exhibits cannibalistic behavior, yet this extreme case of ophiophagy has rarely been documented. Here, a case of cannibalism in P. porphyriacus, which was observed in Lamington (Queensland, Australia), has been photographically documented and is described. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Ecology, Systematics and Biodiversity of Reptiles)
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