The Herpetological Journal

pp.3

Authors: Gaetano Odierna , Gennaro Aprea, Teresa Capriglione And Miklós Puky

pp.113-128

Authors: Massimo Delfino

Abstract: The herpetofauna from the Middle Pleistocene cave deposit of Valdemino (Borgio Verezzi, Liguria, north-western Italy) is represented by the following taxa: Triturus sp., Speleomantes sp., Pelodytes punctatus, Bufo bufo, Hyla gr. H. arborea, Rana dalmatina, Testudo hermanni, Tarentola cf. T. mauritanica, Anguis fragilis, Lacert a gr. L. viridis, Lacertidae indet., Coronella cf. C. austriaca, Elaphe sp., Hierophis viridiflavus, Malpolon monspessulanus, Colubrines indet., Natrix natrix and Vipera aspis. The most striking characteristic of the Valdemino assemblage is it's modernity: all the identified taxa are members of the modern herpetofauna of western Liguria, including Pelodytes and Malpolon (identified for the first time in the Italian fossi I record), that nowadays differentiate the western Ligurian herpetofauna from that of all the neighbouring Italian regions. The modernity of the herpetofauna sharply contrasts with the associated mammal fauna that still hosts, among others, Barbary ape, elephant, rhinoceros, leopard and sabre-toothed tiger. The assemblage testifies that the Ligurian herpetofauna was already established in the Middle Pleistocene and that it is not the result of post Wiirmian dispersal, although cyclical immigrations (from Iberian or French refugia) during warm stages, followed by extinctions during the cold ones, cannot be ruled out.

Keywords: amphibians, Malpolon, Pelodytes, reptiles, Speleomantes

pp.129-135

Authors: S. V. Krishnamurthy And S. A. Hussain

Abstract: Amphibian communities of Kudremukh National Park in the Western Ghats, India, were examined in relation to a wide range of habitat changes associated with an active iron ore mine. Twenty-six species of amphibian were recorded, comprising 23 anurans (four families) and three apodans (two families). Based on the changes in the quality of habitat, there were considerable differences in the pattern of amphibian distribution at different locations in the National Park. Undisturbed sites yielded 96% of species recorded in the area, while the disturbed sites yielded not more than 5 0%. Amphibian species richness, with litter-dwelling and semi-aquatic forms predominating, was related to the richness of plant species. Changes in amphibian species richness and distribution were reflected in three assemblages of decreasing richness, in undisturbed, partially disturbed and heavily disturbed sites.

Keywords: amphibian diversity, habitat quality, species composition

pp.137-141

Authors: J. W. Arntzen And J. Alexandrino

Abstract: We modelled the distribution of two genetically differentiated forms of the Golden-striped salamander, Chioglossa lusitanica, in Portugal with the help of a geographical information system. Models were derived with and without the assumption that the contact zone between the forms would be associated with the Mondego river valley and with and without the statistical Bonferroni correction. The model fit was high and ranged from kappa = 0.81-0.99. The southern form appears to live under harsher (but still tolerated) environmental conditions than the northern form (low precipitation, low air humidity, low summer temperatures, a high number of frost months, low NOVI vegetation index) and can be viewed as a mountain form. This is in line with the observation that the southern form has shorter extremities than the northern one.

Keywords: amphibian distribution, GIS, Portugal, Urodela

pp.143-147

Authors: Bojan Lazar, Paolo Casale, Nikola Tvrtković , Valter Kožul, Pero Tutman, And Nikša Glavić

Abstract: We collated and reviewed data on the green turtle in the Adriatic Sea from our own records museum collections, and published literature. Results show overlap of records and cases of misidentification of large loggerheads as green turtles. Currently there have been twelve green turtles recorded in the Adriatic Sea. The majority of records refer to juveniles with a carapace length of 28-40 cm, recovered in the southern Adriatic. It is possible that this region contains pelagic habitats for the green turtle. It is therefore important to educate fishermen along the southern Adriatic coasts to identify and report recoveries of this endangered species.

Keywords: by-catch, chelonian, marine habitats, Mediterranean

pp.149-152

Authors: Toshiaki Hirai

pp.153-155

Authors: Rogério L. Teixeira, Da Vor Vrcibradic And Jose A. P. Schineider