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Keywords = Ophidia

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11 pages, 2454 KiB  
Article
From the Woods to the Great Steppe: The Phylogenetic Affinities and New Distribution Records of the Smooth Snake Coronella austriaca in Kazakhstan
by Evgeniy Simonov, Andrey Bakiev, Anastasia Klenina, Oleg Ermakov and Kazhmurat Akhmedenov
Diversity 2025, 17(5), 348; https://doi.org/10.3390/d17050348 - 15 May 2025
Viewed by 686
Abstract
The smooth snake (Coronella austriaca) has a wide but fragmented distribution across the Western Palearctic, with limited records in Kazakhstan. This study aims to provide an updated distribution map and to explore the phylogenetic affinities of C. austriaca in Kazakhstan. The [...] Read more.
The smooth snake (Coronella austriaca) has a wide but fragmented distribution across the Western Palearctic, with limited records in Kazakhstan. This study aims to provide an updated distribution map and to explore the phylogenetic affinities of C. austriaca in Kazakhstan. The species had not been documented for over 60 years until its recent rediscovery in the region. Field surveys conducted between 2019 and 2024 in the West Kazakhstan and Aktobe regions have yielded novel records, including the southernmost observation in the Mugodzhar mountain range. Mitochondrial DNA analysis confirmed that the Kazakh populations belong to the Eastern lineage, sharing haplotypes with specimens from the northwestern Caucasus and Crimea. Habitat assessment revealed that the species’ distribution is restricted to open habitats of petrophytic and calciphyte steppe communities on chalks and rocky steppes. Of particular interest is that 70% of the observed individuals exhibited patternless coloration, suggesting the potential for regional morphological variation. These findings offer the first evidence for the phylogenetic affiliation of the smooth snake in Kazakhstan and reflect its rarity in the country, highlighting the need for local conservation efforts, including habitat protection and population monitoring. Full article
(This article belongs to the Section Biodiversity Conservation)
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19 pages, 14147 KiB  
Article
Nationwide Screening Unveils Endemic Ophidiomyces ophidiicola Presence in Northern Italy, Mainly Affecting Dice Snakes: Evidence from Contemporary and Historical Snake Samples
by Matteo Riccardo Di Nicola, Kevin P. Mulder, Elin Verbrugghe, Federico Storniolo, Naomi Terriere, Luca Colla, Roberto Sacchi, Giacomo Vanzo, Giovanni Zanfei, Daniele Marini, Frank Pasmans and An Martel
J. Fungi 2025, 11(2), 118; https://doi.org/10.3390/jof11020118 - 5 Feb 2025
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1426
Abstract
Ophidiomycosis, caused by the keratinophilic fungus Ophidiomyces ophidiicola (Oo), is an emerging threat to snake populations, yet its epidemiology in Europe remains underexplored. We investigated the distribution of Oo across free-ranging snake populations in Italy, integrating both recent field samples and historical museum [...] Read more.
Ophidiomycosis, caused by the keratinophilic fungus Ophidiomyces ophidiicola (Oo), is an emerging threat to snake populations, yet its epidemiology in Europe remains underexplored. We investigated the distribution of Oo across free-ranging snake populations in Italy, integrating both recent field samples and historical museum specimens. Our survey involved 423 snakes representing 17 species from 17 regions, with Oo detected in 32 snakes from five different species. Additional molecular detection for Parananniziopsis spp. on a subset of 13 Oo-negative samples from snakes that exhibited clinical signs yielded negative results. Acknowledging the non-standardised sampling and the limited sample size, our findings highlight Oo’s persistent and widespread presence across diverse ecological zones, particularly affecting semi-aquatic species like Natrix tessellata. While Oo Clade I was primarily found in museum specimens, indicating a historical presence, Clade II prevailed in recent samples. This highlights a complex epidemiological landscape where different clades may influence the current disease dynamics. Our results underscore the importance of continuous surveillance and highlight the need for standardised sampling to better understand snake fungal disease ecology and epidemiology in Italy. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Fungal Diseases in Animals, 3rd Edition)
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21 pages, 3458 KiB  
Article
The Review of the Autotomy of Agamid Lizards with Considerations about the Types of Autotomy and Regeneration
by Natalia Borisovna Ananjeva, Dmitry Anatolyevich Gordeev and Dmitry Vyacheslavovich Korost
J. Dev. Biol. 2021, 9(3), 32; https://doi.org/10.3390/jdb9030032 - 16 Aug 2021
Cited by 7 | Viewed by 5922
Abstract
We present a review of the data on the intervertebral autotomy and regeneration of agamid lizards based on an analysis of information obtained over a 35-year period after the publication of thorough reviews (Arnold, 1984, 1988 and Bellairs, Bryant, 1985). It is supplemented [...] Read more.
We present a review of the data on the intervertebral autotomy and regeneration of agamid lizards based on an analysis of information obtained over a 35-year period after the publication of thorough reviews (Arnold, 1984, 1988 and Bellairs, Bryant, 1985). It is supplemented by our own studies of 869 specimens of agamid lizards (Sauria, Agamidae) stored in the herpetological collections of the Zoological Institute of the Russian Academy of Sciences (St. Petersburg, Russia) and the Zoological Museum of the Moscow State University (Moscow, Russia), represented by 31 species of 16 genera. The manifestations of the ability for autotomy and regeneration in phylogenetic lineages within the family—Leiolepidinae, Amphibolurinae, Agaminae, Draconinae—are considered. A comparative morphological analysis of the structure of the caudal vertebrae was carried out using the Computer Microtomography Methods (micro-CT) in the following ecomorphological types of agama: (1) with developed abilities to caudal autotomy and regeneration, (2) with the ability to caudal autotomy but without regeneration and (3) without the ability to autotomy. The phenomenon of intervertebral autotomy (urotomy) in snakes is considered too. Possible ways of evolution of the ability to caudal autotomy as a defense strategy against predators are discussed in the phylogenetic context. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Lizards As Reptilian Models To Analyze Organ Regeneration in Amniotes)
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