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1. Das Geruchsvermögen ist bei den Eidechsen (L. viridis, L. agilis, L. muralis) gut ausgebildet. Sämtliche Beute wird gerochen 2. Die Nase spielt eine bei weitem größere Rolle als das Jabobsonsche Organ. Dieses tritt, übereinstimmend mit den Befunden Kahmanns, nur akzessorisch in Funktion zum unmittelbaren Prüfen vor oder in dem Munde. 3. Der Beutegruch wird durch die Nase aus ca. 8 bis 10 cm Entfernung sichtbar wahrgenommen (durch die gesteigerte Brustatmung, die als „Pumpen“ bezeichnet wurde, erkenntlich) und löst Suchbewegungen aus. 4. Dieser allein ist bei Ausfall des optischen Sinnes befähigt, Zubeißen und Freßakt, selbst bei ungeeigneten Objekten, auszulösen. Es ist höchstwahrscheinlich, daß ein Geruchsscheme den Tieren angeboren ist. 5. Eidechsen lassen sich entgegen diesem angeborenen Geruchsscheme auf fremden Geruch positiv dressieren, wie Versuche mit stark süßlich duftenden Öl aufzeigten. Es gelang, andressierte Eidechsen nach Steinen usw., die mit Dressurduft markiert waren, beißen zu lassen, selbst als die Tiere im Besitz ihres optischen Sinnes waren. 6. Es hat den Anschein, als würden die Lacerten zirka eine Woche zur Bildung neuer Assoziationen benötigen, sobald sie täglich andressiert werden. Diese Zeitspanne wurde ungefähr bei den von mir durchgeführten Geruchs- und Geschmacksdressuren, sowie auch bei den Gehördresuren von Berger (1924) als Lernzeit benötigt. 7. Die Eidechsen konnten durch Vergällung einer bestimmten Beute mit Kochsalz dazu gebracht werden, bei gleichzeitiger Ausschaltung des optischen Sinnes diese Beute zu meiden, nahmen jedoch andere Nahrungsobjekte an. Durch Engerstellung der Verschiedenheit der Beutetiere konnte gezeigt werden, daß die Echsen in der Lage sind, selbst feinste Qualitätsunterschiede des Geruches zu registrieren. Sie vermochten Grillen von Locustiden, und weiters Locustiden untereinander geruchlich zu unterscheiden, auch wenn diese lebend und unvergällt angeboten wurden. 8. Auf dieses Vermögen dürfte die Bildung eines erworbenen Nahrungskreises zurückzuführen sein. Für sein Bestehen spricht die Bevorzugung von Lieblingsfutter, sowie die Ablehnung gewisser Beutetiere schon aus relativ großer Entfernung. 9. Freilandbeobachtungen zeigen, daß der Geruch bei Nahrungssuche, in unübersichtlichem Gelände von großer Bedeutung sein dürfte, analog zu den Feststellungen im Laborversuch. 10. Der arteigene Geruch ist bei Lacerta viridis wesentlich am endgültigen Festlegen im Verhalten gegenüber dem Artgenossen als Gegner oder Geschlechtspartner beteiligt. Ein Männchen dieser Art kämpft nicht gegen ein anderes, sobald dieser Reiz in der Reizsumme fehlt. Umgekehrt wird bei Anwesenheit des typischen Geruches gekämpft, auch wenn die optischen Merkzeichen stark verändert erscheinen; daraus wird die Bedeutung dieses Faktors im Reizsummenphänomen beim Paarungsverhalten ersichtlich. Der geschlechts-charakteristische Geruch stammt nicht aus den Schenkelporen, da eine operative Entfernung derselben keinerlei Änderung des Verhaltens bewirkte. 11. Die Nasenhöhle registriert Luftfeuchtigkeit und ermöglicht den Eidechsen das Wasser gerichtet aufzufinden. Die Nase darf daher als Alarm- und Leitsinnesorgan bezeichnet werden. Bei der Auffindung von Wasser kann der optische Sinn zusätzlich in Aktion treten, wobvei auf stark lichtbrechende Stellen angesprochen wird. 12. Bei Ausschaltung des Olfactorius sind die Tiere nicht imstande, Wasser zu finden, außer in optisch günstigen Fällen. 13. Freilandbeobachtungen zeigen, daß die Eidechsen durch Tau und Regenfall ihr Wasserbedürfnis gedeckt finden. Bei großer Trockenheit ziehen sich die Tiere zu einem Trockenschlaf zurück, den sie unterbrechen, sobald genügend Feuchtigkeit vorhanden ist. Die Luftfeuchtigkeit wird von den versteckt liegenden Tieren durch die Nase perzipiert und veranlaßt das Aufsuchen der Feuchtigkeitsquelle. Diese Annahme machen Freilandbeobachtungen auch in der natürlichen Umwelt höchst wahrscheinlich.

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The differentiation of the thyroid primordium of lacertilian species is poorly understood. The present study reports on the ultrastructural analysis of the developing thyroid primordium in the sand lizard (Lacerta agilis) during the early stages of differentiation. The early thyroid primordium of sand lizard embryos was composed of cellular cords that contained single cells with a giant lipid droplet, which were eliminated by specific autophagy (lipophagy). The follicular lumens at the periphery of the primordium differentiated even before the division of the cellular cords. When the single cells within the cords started to die through paraptosis, the adjacent cells started to polarise and junctional complexes began to form around them. After polarisation and clearing up after the formation of the lumens, the cellular cords divided into definitive follicles. The cellular cords in the central part of the primordium started to differentiate later than those at the periphery. The cellular cords divided into presumptive follicles first and only later differentiated into definitive follicles. During this process, a population of centrally located cells was removed through apoptosis to form the lumen. Although the follicular lumen in sand lizard embryos is differentiated by cavitation similar to that in the grass snake, there were very important differences during the early stages of the differentiation of the cellular cords and the formation of the thyroid follicles.

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Algyroides moreoticus, Lacerta agilis, Lacerta graeca, Lacerta oxycephala, Lacerta trilineata, Lacerta viridis, Podarcis melisellensis fiumana, Podarcis muralis albanica, Podarcis peloponnesiaca, Podarcis sicula campestris, Podarcis taurica ionica, Podarcis taurica taurica.

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The present study is a review of the 1976 publication by professor A.D. NIAZI, director of the Natural History Museum of Bagdad, on the Lacertini of Iraq, including additional materials from Irqi collections. Twenty-two individuals of five taxa of this group originating from the territory under study were indentified in Iraqi collections: Lacerta cf. strigata EICHWALD, 1831 which had been removed from the list of Iraqi lacertids by many authors, L. media media LANTZ & CYRÉN, 1920, Timon kurdistanicus (SUCHOW, 1936) and two subspecies of Apathya cappadocica (WERNER, 1902). A key for identification and a map of the records are also presented.

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In this study, 29 reptile and amphibian species were recorded in 25 diff erent localities in the Sultan Mountains. Of these, 5 were anurans, 1 was a tortoise, 1 was a turtle, 11 were lizards, and 11 were snakes. A chorotype classifi cation of the species recorded in the Sultan Mountains is also given.

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Two species of Lacerta genus are found in Northwest of Iran: Lacerta media and Lacerta strigata. Lacerta media has wide distribution range and is an important lizard fauna element in agro- ecosystems and river closed humid areas. The aim of this study was to provide reasons for high population size of this species in agro ecosystems. So, this study was performed in the farming areas in Meshkinshar, Ardabil province of Iran from 2003 to 2006. Based on extensive field research, it has been mainly found that Lacerta media is the most abundant reptile species in mentioned habitats and it just inhabits areas that are much closed to water. Our results also showed, animal is hidden by dense grass vegetation cover especially male that has green color. They use old hallows of mice and other small vertebrates for hiding and egg lying. In spring they are seen on cultivated filed boundaries on stones on sunny days. As specific result, they are found in apple orchards more abundant than other cultivated fields. It seems that permanent food accessibility (insects) and fewer predators are most reasons. Finally, Lacerta media is interesting species to study from a conservational point of view because of its unusual frequency of occurrence as parallel with human activities.

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Aim Diversification and rapid radiation are well documented in lacertid lizards. Niche conservation is frequently observed among related taxa, whereby niches will not change much during speciation events. Here, we investigate the relationship between environmental niche divergence and phylogenetic relatedness in a widespread group of green lizards, the Lacerta trilineata group. Location Eastern Mediterranean, Anatolia and adjacent regions. Methods A dated phylogeny based on three mitochondrial genes was contextualized using species distribution models of all genetically identified lineages in the Lacerta trilineata group. Based on this analysis, ancestral climatic niche occupancy was reconstructed using niche occupancy profiles. Niche divergence among lineages was quantified by computing multivariate niche overlaps. Results All taxa are associated with humid areas, but there is extensive variation in their climatic niche breadths and positions, which accord with the main phylogenetic split in the group. Our results suggest divergent niche evolution within subclades and convergent evolution among clades, which implies only a limited degree of niche conservatism regarding annual variations in temperature and precipitation. In contrast, niche axes – mainly reflecting precipitation patterns of the coldest quarter – show a greater difference among clades than within clades, and therefore a higher degree of niche conservatism. Main conclusions Based on estimated divergence times between taxa and geological events in Anatolia, our results can be explained by fragmentation of the range of a hypothetical ancestral species, resulting in different adaptations of subclades either to humid continental climates or to more Mediterranean climates. Our study highlights deviations from classical niche conservatism theory due to significant niche shifts among sister taxa.

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Diversification and rapid radiation are well documented in lacertid lizards. Niche conservatism is frequently observed among related taxa, whereby ecological niches remain mostly stable during speciation events. Here, we investigate the relationship between environmental niche divergence and phylogenetic relatedness in a widespread group of green lizards, the Lacerta trilineata group. A dated phylogeny based on three mitochondrial genes was contextualized using species distribution models of all genetically identified lineages in the Lacerta trilineata group. Based on this analysis, ancestral climatic niche occupancy was reconstructed using niche occupancy profiles. Niche divergence among lineages was quantified by computing multivariate niche overlaps. All taxa are associated with humid areas, but there is extensive variation in their climatic niche breadths and positions, which accord with the main phylogenetic split in the group. Our results suggest divergent niche evolution within subclades and convergent evolution among clades, which implies only a limited degree of niche conservatism regarding annual variations in temperature and precipitation. In contrast, niche axes – mainly reflecting precipitation patterns of the coldest quarter – show a greater difference among clades than within clades, and therefore a higher degree of niche conservatism. Based on estimated divergence times between taxa and geological events in Anatolia, our results can be explained by fragmentation of the range of a hypothetical ancestral species, resulting in different adaptations of subclades either to humid continental climates or to more Mediterranean climates. Our study highlights deviations from classical niche conservatism theory due to significant niche shifts among sister taxa.

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The oriental green lizards of the Lacerta trilineata group are widely distributed in Greece, Anatolia, the eastern Mediterranean, the southern Caucasus, and the Zagros mountains in Iran. We studied their phylogeography using three mitochondrial markers with comprehensive sampling from most representatives of the group. Their phylogeny and divergence times (implementing fossil-based molecular clock calibrations) were inferred using Bayesian methods, and haplotype networks were reconstructed to assess how genetic diversity and current distributional patterns were shaped. According to our phylogenetic analyses, the group constitutes a well-supported monophylum containing several distinct evolutionary lineages with high haplotype diversity. Vicariance might explain the divergences within most lineages that have accumulated by range restriction and expansion of populations as a result of Quaternary climate oscillations and glacial refugia. However, niche divergence appears to be a major force promoting speciation, and large scale distributional patterns between lineages were shaped earlier by multiple, independent dispersals out of Anatolia during the Pliocene and early Pleistocene. The results of the present study also suggest that the group is in need of a taxonomical revision because the identified lineages and genetic diversity are not congruent with the currently recognized subspecies.

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The oriental green lizards of the Lacerta trilineata group are widely distributed in Greece, Anatolia, the eastern Mediterranean, the southern Caucasus andthe Zagros mountains in Iran. We studied their phylogeography using three mitochondrial markers with comprehensive sampling from most representatives of the group. Their phylogeny and divergence times (implementing fossilbased molecular clock calibrations) were inferred using Bayesian methods, and haplotype networks were reconstructed to assess how genetic might explain the divergences within most lineages that have accumulated by range restriction and expansion of populations due to Quarternary climate oscillations and glacial refugia. However, niche divergence seems to be a major force promoting speciation and large scale distributional patterns between lineages were shaped earlier by multiple, independent dispersals out of Anatolia during the Pliocene and early Pleistocene. Our results also suggest that the group is in need of a taxonomical revision, as identified lineages and genetic diversity are not congruent with the currently recognised subspecies.

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The Northwest of Iran, covering the three provinces of Ardabil, East Azerbaijan and West Azerbaijan, is a special area that, due to its particular geographical and climatic conditions has a rich biodiversity. The present study was conducted with the aim of studying the habitat, substrate type, feeding, conservation and distribution of lizards in this area from 2003 to now. Our results have revealed that there are 20 lizard species belonging to 13 genera and 5 families in this area. Lacertid lizards have the highest species diversity with 12 species. We also found that high ranges of habitats with a different substrate types are inhabited by lizard species. The number of species in pine regions compared with other types of area is considerably greater. The conservation status of lizards is unknown and requires further study.

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Northwestern Iran has unique geographical and climatic conditions that support a rich flora and fauna. In view of the lack of in-depth studies on the lizards of the region, an investigation was started in the northern part of Ardabil Province for an inventory of this component of the fauna and their habitats. Collections were made from October 2003 to June 2005 and 165 specimens were collected and identified. Five families, 12 genera and 15 species are represented, including Agamidae: Laudakia caucasia, Phrynocephalus persicus, Trapelus ruderatus; Lacertidae: Lacerta media media, Lacerta strigata, Lacerta brandtii, Darevskia raddei raddei, Eremias strauchi strauchi, Eremias arguta, Ophisops elegans; Scincidae: Mabuya aurata transcaucasica, Eumeces schneiderii princeps, Abelepharus bivittatus; Anguidae: Pseudopus apodus and Gekkonidae: Cyrtopodion caspium caspium. Comparing this list to the data provided by Anderson (1999), it seems that most of the lizards are being reported for the Province for the first time. The families Gekkonidae and Anguidae are newly recorded, and the gecko Cyrtopodion caspium is first recorded from the west and northwest of Iran. With seven species represented in the area, lacertids have the highest species diversity among the lizard families and need further study. Habitat features also have been given for all species.

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Anhand ihrer Feld- und Literaturstudien identifizierten die Autoren 36 Amphibien- und Reptilienarten, die nachweislich in der turkischen Provinz Bitlis vorkommen, wobei die Fundorte und die an ihnen angetroffenen Habitattypen angegeben werden. die durch Beobachtung festgestellten Hauptgefahrdungsursachen werden benannt. insgesamt kennt man aus dem Untersuchungsgebiet Vorkommen von vier Froschlurch-, zwei Schwanzlurch- und Schildkrötenarten sowie 15 Echsen- und 13 Schlangenarten. Hyla savignyi Audouin, 1827, Heremites vittatus (Olivier, 1804), Timon kurdistanicus (Suchow, 1936) and Eirenis thospitis Schmidtler & Lanza, 1990, stellen Erstnachweise fur die Provinz Bitlis dar.

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The present work provides a list of all amphibians and reptiles recorded from Iraq up to 2014. It includes 115 species (105 species of reptiles and 10 species of amphibians) dating back to 25 families (20 families of reptiles and 5 families of amphibians). Conservation status of each species was mentioned.

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A total number of 70 herpetofaunistic species organised in 3 orders and 18 families were surveyed during a period of two years (2005– 2007) in southern Jordan. The orders are (1) Ophidia has 7 families: Leptotyphlopidae (1 species), Typhlopidae (2 species), Boidae (1 species), Colubdridae (17 species), Atractaspididae (1 species), Elapidae (1 species) and Viperidae (5 species). (2) Sauria has 7 families: Gekkonidae (12 species), Chamaeleonidae (1 species), Agamidae (8 species), Lacertidae (3 species), Sincidae (8 species), Anguidae (1 species), Varanidae (1 species). (3) Testudines has 4 families: Cheloniidae (2 species), Dermochetylidae (1 species), Emydidae (1 species) and Testudinidae (1 species). The species listed were all resident and were mostly found throughout the year. The diversity of terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems in the study area encouraged the occurrence of the species. The results reinforce the necessity of longterm inventory plannings in order to understand the ecology and the dynamics of herpetofaunistic and other wildlife communities in the study area. The over-increasing of human impact on the existing natural resources in the southern Jordan has threatened the ecology diversity of wildlife species, where the populations of some herpetofaunaistic species (especially frog species) and many reptilian species are declining in diversity status and abundance. The author recommend at the end the improving cooperation of different parties to enhance the public awareness and to implement environmental laws and legislation to conserve the sensitive and rare species of herpetofauna components.

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A total of 70 herpetofauna species from 3 Orders and 18 Families were surveyed during a period of two years (2005-2007) in Southern Jordan. The Ophidia included Leptotyphlopidae, Typhlopidae, Boidae, Colubdridae, Atractaspididae, Elapidae and Viperidae. The Sauria included Gekkonidae, Chamaeleonidae, Agamidae, Lacertidae, Sincidae, Anguidae and Varanidae. Testudines included Cheloniidae, Dermochelyidae, Emydidae and Testudinidae. The species listed were all resident and mostly found throughout the year. The diversity of terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems in the study area likely encouraged species presence. The results reinforce the necessity for long-term inventory planning in order to understand the ecology and the dynamics of herpetofauna and other wildlife communities in the study area. The increasing human impact on the existing natural resources in Southern Jordan has threatened the ecology and diversity of wildlife species to such a degree that populations of anurans and many reptiles are declining in diversity, status and abundance. The author recommends improving cooperation of different parties to enhance public awareness and to implement environmental laws and legislation to conserve sensitive and rare species of herpetofauna.

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Oxygen consumption levels and metabolic rate temperature curves of various lizard species from three different climatic regions were examined in relation to ambient temperature. The species used in this research were as follows: Anguis fragilis, Lacerta vivipara, Lacerta agilis (cool temperate species); Blanus cinereus, Podarcis hispanica, Podarcis lilfordi brauni, Podarcis lilfordi lilfordi, Podarcis muralis, Psammodromus algirus, Tarentola mauritanica (warm temperate species); Chalcides ocellatus, Acanthodactylus opheodurus, Acanthodactylus schmidti (desert species). A double chamber volumetric closed system was used to measure the resting oxygen consumption of the lizards. Acute oxygen consumption determinations were made, that is the lizards were not allowed to acclimate to the test temperatures. Interspecific differences in levels of resting oxygen consumption and in the characteristics of the metabolic rate temperature curves were examined in relation to methods of thermoregulation and in relation to the ecology of the respective species. Evidence for `temperature dependent shifts` and `low thermal dependence` was found in the metabolic rate temperature curves of some species. A diminishing Q10 at or below the voluntary body temperatures suggests some degree of metabolic homeostatsis and energy conservation.

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An extensive review on the taxonomic status, occurrence, geographical distribution, and the IUCN conservation status of 122 species/taxa (10 amphibians and 112 reptiles) belonging to 71 genera (8 genera of amphibians and 63 of reptiles) and to 25 families (5 families of amphibians and 20 families of reptiles) was made. As a part of Iraq’s unique biota, the knowledge of the herpetofauna of Iraq is poorly discovered and requires extensive field surveys, further research, and explorations in order to create full frame knowledge of its status and conservation.

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Au 1er décembre 2009, la base de données herpétologiques de la Société des Sciences Naturelles de Tarn-et-Garonne comptait 2506 données géoréférencées. A partir de ces données, le présent article fait état de la répartition des Reptiles et Amphibiens dans le département de Tarn-et-Garonne et sur le secteur de la Forêt de Grésigne.

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The city of Toulouse is engaged in a policy of census, conservation and development of urban biodiversity. In this context, a survey of the fauna and flora has been ordered to the consulting firm Biotope. Nineteen sites, chosen by the City of Toulouse for their potential interest, have been surveyed in 2009. A supplementary site was surveyed in 2011. Also, data was gathered from other organisms involved in biodiversity monitoring. This article presents the results of the data collected in the course of this study, with addition of supplementary data from the authors. This study enabled to enhance the current knowledge on the herpetofauna of the county of Toulouse, with more than 600 field data collected, and the discovery of three new taxa. The number of amphibian and reptile species of Toulouse is respectively twelve and ten.

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This bachelor thesis deals with testing the buccal swab method as a non-invasive toxicological method. Environmental pollution due to anthropogenic influence is increasing, therefore more attention is focused on researching the impact of pollution on organisms and the environment. Recent researches try to encroach on nature as little as possible and degrade it in any way, which gives importance to such methods. They are increasingly used in higher groups of vertebrates (mammals), but at the level of herpetofauna it has not yet been investigated. During the research, 16 lizards (five Lacerta agilis and 11 Podarcis muralis) were caught and their swabs were taken. The samples were processed and the amount of protein was determined. Due to the very low values of the protein concentration, the enzyme activity was not determined. The method proved to be unreliable because small fluctuations in the amount of sample significantly affect the result. In addition, high-quality swabbing of lizards is difficult due to the impossibility of turning the stick in order to take the required amount of sample.

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Im Auftrag des Hessische Dienstleistungszentrums für Landwirtschaft, Gartenbau und Naturschutz (HDLGN) führte die Arbeitsgemeinschaft Amphibien- und Reptilienschutz in Hessen e.V. (AGAR) 2003 eine Erfassung der Zauneidechse (Lacerta agilis) in Hessen durch. Durch Auswertung vorhandener Dokumente und durch eine landesweite Kartierung konnten insgesamt 470 Datensätze zu Zauneidechsensichtungen für den Zeitraum 1998- 2003 erfasst werden. Die Zauneidechse läßt sich im Vergleich zu anderen Reptilienarten verhältnismäßig leicht kartieren. Nicht desto trotz beruhen einige Hinweise auf Zufallsbeobachtungen. Die Auswertung der rezenten Verbreitungsdaten zeigt, dass die Art über fast ganz Hessen verbreitet ist und örtlich sogar relativ häufig angetroffen werden kann. Scheinbare Verbreitungslücken in ansonsten offensichtlich geeigneten Gebieten lassen sich vermutlich durch gezielte Regionalkartierungen schließen. Die Zauneidechse fehlt in Hessen vermutlich lediglich in den bewaldeten Hochlagen von Kellerwald, Rhön, Vogelsberg und Taunus. Die Zauneidechse kann zu den häufigsten Reptilienarten in Hessen gezählt werden. Die Bestandsentwicklung ist aber vermutlich rückläufig, wie dies z. B. auch für Rheinland-Pfalz vermutet wird (HAHN-SIRY 1996). Es wird angeregt, in Hessen zunächst auf der Basis regelmäßiger Präsenz-Absenz-Untersuchungen ein stichprobenartiges Monitoring an ausgewählten Zauneidechsen-Standorten einzuführen. Die Abschätzung von Abnahmetrends müsste über den Verlust gesamter Populationen erfolgen. Jegliche Monitoring-Ansätze sollten eine Komponente zur Bewertung der Habitatentwicklung beinhalten. Methoden und Bewertungsrahmen können provisorisch definiert werden, sollten aber in ihrer endgültigen Form gemeinsam mit anderen Bundesländern erarbeitet werden. Das vorliegende Gutachten enthält einen Steckbrief der Zauneidechse sowie den Entwurf eines Bewertungsrahmens.

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Vorarbeiten über Schädlingsfauna der Kriehtieren (Reptilien) in der Türkei -- Die Kriehtiere leben meistens auf dem Lande. Viele sind Insektenfresser. Zahlreiche Arten nehmen tierische und pflanzliche, oder ausschliesslich pflanzliche Nahrung zu sich. Ihre wirtschaftliche Schäden an Kulturpflanzen sind gelegentlich. Die besonderen Arten von Pflanzenschädlingen, die in der Türkei leben, sind noch nicht genugend untersucht. Darüber findet man heute sehr wenige und nur zerstreute Veröffentlichungen und Beobachtungen in der Hand. In dieser Vorarbeit sind die bisheute bekannten pflanzenschädliche Arten von Kriehtieren bzw. Eidechsen und Schildkröten, in ihren Verbreitungsgebieten und ihre Nährpflanzen zum erstenmale zusammengestellt. Selbstverstândlioh sind darüber weitere und vertiefte Beobachtungen erforderlich. -- Die Arten der Eidechsen: Agama stellio L. (Schleuderschwanz). Verbreitung: Anatolien, Ankara (Ebner 1919, Kerville 1939). Nährpflanzen: Die süssen Früchten wie Feigen, Pfirsiche, Zuckermelonen, und andere Früohte, Salate, Lattichsalate.,- Agama stellio stellio L. Verbreitung: Süd - und west Türkei, Amasya, Nigde, Diyarbakir, Kayseri, Çanakkale (Bodenheimer 1946 und andere). Nährpflanzen: Wie bei Agama stellio L. -- Agama ruderata Oliv. (Ankara, Kerville 1939), Agama ruderata ruderata Oliv. Ankara, Eregli (Konya), Mardin, Nusaybin, Gaziantep und Malatya (Bodenheimer 1946), Eine Probe in Eregli (Konya) wurde vom Verfasser gefunden. Nährpflanzen: Noch nicht festgestellt, vielleicht wie bei Agama stellio L. -- Lacerta viridis Laur. var. major D. und B. (Srnaragdeidechse). Verbreitung: Westanatolien, andere Fundorte sind nicht bekannt. Nährpflanzen: Weintrauben, Feigen, Kirchen und andere süsse Früchten. Note: Noch mehrere Lacerta Arten wurden in der Türkei gefunden, ob sie pflanzliche Nahrung zu sich nehmen oder nicht, ist unklar. -- Die Arten der Schildkröten. Testudo graeca L. (Grichische Schildkröte). Verbreitung: Fast in allen Geblieten der Türkei. Nährpflanzen: Steppenpflanzen, junges Getreide - Baumwolle -Luzerne - Pflanzen, Gemüsen, Weintrauben, Blätter und Juruge Triebe von vielen jungen Pflanzen. -- Emys orbicularis L. (Surnpf-oder Europäische Schildkröte). Verbreuitung: Ankara (Kerville 1939), Manisa, Bursa, Kayseri, Eski¬sehir, Adapazari, Turhal (Bodenheimer 1946 und andere). Nährpflanzen: Wedntrauben, Zucker-und Wassermelonen. - Note: Noch andere Arten der Schâldknöten leben auch in der Türkei, aber ihre Nahrung ist nicht bekannt.

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Over the years, the terminology in regards to the abnormal coloration of reptiles and amphibians hasbecome more complex with not all authors agreeing on the same terms. This, combined with the diversity of chromatic abnormalities, has led to some confusion, particularly between hobbyists and biologists who tend to use different jargon. In this review, we aim to address this issue by explaining how color within the skin of amphibians and reptiles arises, and evaluating which terminology should be used. This information is then used to explore each of the known chromatic abnormalities observed in amphibians and reptiles before summarizing the known cases from the British Isles. Finally, we also present a number of previously unrecorded instances of color abnormalities in the hope that it promotes further examples to be recorded. Given their rarity in nature, color abnormalities are likely to have a significant impact on the fitness of animals displaying them. Despite our efforts to summarize all the available information on color abnormalities in the herpetofauna of the British Isles, there are still gaps in our knowledge. These could be filled through the effort of a national recording scheme aimed at abnormally colored individuals.

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Die landgebundenen Wirbeltiere des festländischen Iberiens (Süßwasserfische, Amphibien, Reptilien mit Ausnahme der Meeresschildkröten, Säugetiere mit Ausnahme der Chiroptera, Pinnipedia und Cetacea) bilden, wie im einzelnen gezeigt wird, in ihrer Gesamtheit eine besondere faunistische Einheit: ungefähr die Hälfte der Formen (Spezies oder Subspezies) ist endemisch; das gilt für 73 % der echten Süßwasserfische, 47 % der Amphibien, 36 % der Reptilien und 53 % der Säugetiere. Die geographische Isolierung durch die Pyrenäen und das Mittelmeer ist gewiß die Hauptursache für die Entwicklung einer so eigenartigen Fauna, aber auch andere Faktoren (die sehr verschiedenen Klimate und Biotope innerhalb Iberiens, der im Vergleich mit anderen Gebieten Europas geringere Einfluß der Vereisungen usw. haben sicher ebenfalls eine sehr wichtige Rolle gespielt. Acanthodactylus erythrurus erythrurus, Algyroides hidalgoi, Algyroides marchi marchi, Algyroides marchi niethammeri, Lacerta agilis agilis, Lacerta hispanica hispanica, Lacerta hispanica bocagei, Lacerta hispanica vaucheri, Lacerta lepida lepida, Lacerta lepida nevadensis, Lacerta monticola monticola, Lacerta monticola cantabrica, Lacerta monticola cyreni, Lacerta schreiberi, Lacerta viridis viridis, Lacerta vivipara, Psammodromus algirus algirus, Psammodromus hispanicus hispanicus, Psammodromus hispanicus edwardsianus.

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Determining the age of any species allows it to be analyzed from the ontogenetic, demographic, and ecological perspectives. In the present study, we tested the hypothesis that the age structure of congener species (Lacerta media and Lacerta viridis) with the same ecological niche may vary in different areas. In this context, we applied skeletochronology method to reveal various demographic parameters, such as age structure, longevity, age at sexual maturity, growth rate, survival rate, adult life expectancy, and the relationship between age and body size in the green lizard, L. viridis, and the medium lizard, L. media. In L. media and L. viridis, the maximum lifespan was 10 and 8 years, respectively. The mean age and body size of females were significantly greater than those of males in L. media. However, in the examined L. viridis population, no appreciable variation in mean age or body size was found to exist between the sexes. It was estimated that the green lizards reach maturity at the age of 2 or 3 years. However, the L. media reached sexual maturity approximately 1 year later than the congener. The body size markedly increased with age in males for both studied populations. However, in females, body size positively increased with age only in L. media. The approach of skeletochronology that we utilized in this study to assess age structure makes it simple to gather a variety of time-dependent ecological data for such ectothermic species.

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Es wurden zwei elektrophoretische Methoden zur genetischen Untersuchung der Smaragdeidechse Lacerta viridis durchgeführt. I. Die Polyacrylamid-Gel Elektrophorese erzielte folgende Ergebnisse. 1. Es trat eine bei allen Individuen homogene Albuminbande mit leichten, nicht spezifizierbaren Schwankungen auf. 2. Vier verschiedene Globulin-Loci ohne Variationen hinsichtlich des Geschlechts oder physiologischer Parameter konnten unterschieden werden. 3. Die Globuline traten in zwei typischen Formationen auf. Diese waren jeweils diagnostisch für Tiere aus Frankreich und Rheinoland-Pfalz, sowie für Tiere aus Brandenburg, Österreich, Ungarn und Euböa. Es konnte ein Ost- und ein Westtypus unterschieden werden. 4. Weder Transferrine noch Postalbumine ließen sich deutlich anfärben oder auswerten. II. Die Celluloseacetat-Gel Elektrophorese der Allozyme der zellulären Blutbedstandteile. 1. Von 37 Enzymen konnten 14 mit insgesamt 17 Loci untersucht werden. 2. Sechs der 17 Loci waren polymorph (35 %(. Diese waren: Acontinase, Peptidase-A, -B1, -B2, -D, 6-Phosphogluconat-Dehydrogenase. 3. Die beiden Allele der Aconitase waren diagnostisch für den West- und den Osttypus. 4, Bei den anderen polymorphen Peptidasen konnten typische Ost-West-Variationen erkannt werden. III. Es wurde eine nummerische Auswertung mit Hilfe von Computerprogrammen durchgeführt. 1. Die ermittelte Heterozygotie lag bei Werten zwischen 0.02 und 0.05. Die Heterozygotie-Werte der untersuchten Populationen mit weniger als 4 Individuen erschienen nicht representativ. 2. Die Heterozygotie der Populationen von Rhein und Brandenburg erreichte nur die Hälfte derjenigen aus Österreich. Dies wurde mit einer genetischen Verarmung durch Isolation und Inzucht gedeutet. 3. Die Berechnung der genetischen Distanzen erfolgte nach NEI (1970). 4. Innerhalb der Osttiere und Westtiere lagen die genetischen Distanzen mit Werten von 0.0 bis 0.04 sehr niedrig. Man kann daraus eine sehr langsame Mutationsgeschwindigkeit ableiten. 5. Bei den genetischen Distanzen ergaben sich zwischen den Populationen des Ost- und des Westtypus der Smaragdeidechsen Werte zwischen 0.354 und 0.38. Diese liegen etwa auf dem Niveau von Distanzen zwischen anderen Lacertiden-Arten. IV. Interpretation der Daten Die Ergebnisse dieser Untersuchung wurden zusammen mit Daten weiterer Arbeiten dahingehend gedeutet, daß es sich bei den Tieren aus dem westlichen Teil des Verbreitungsgebietes und denen aus dem östlichen Areal um zwei Arten handelt. Sie wurden als Lacerta bilineata (DAUDIN 1802) für den Westteil und Lacerta viridis (Laurenti 1768) für den Ostteil bezeichnet. Die vorliegenden Ergebnisse unterstützten die These, daß die Smaragdeidechse postglazial aus zwei verschiedenen Regugialräumen östlich und westlich der Alpen nach Norden vorgedrungen ist. Aufgrund der deutlichen Unterschiede zwischen den beiden deutschen Vorkommen kann anagenommen werden, daß sich die beiden Arten nördlich der Alpen postglazial nicht überschnitten haben. Über kleinräumige Wanderbewegungen kann mit den vorliegenden Daten keine Aussage gemacht werden. Eine Mischzone der Arten südlich der Alpen wird in Kroatien und Slowenien erwartet.

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Electrophoretic investigations of six populations of green lizards from Western, Central, and Southeastern Europe are consistent with results from hybridization experiments and confirm species status for the western green lizard, Lacerta bilineata. NE! distances of 0.16- 0.19 found between L. viridis and L. bilineata are within the range found for other sister species of lacertids. Lizards from the Greek island of Euboea differ slightly from typical viridis morphologically and electrophoretically, which is again consistent with hybridization results. The proven practicability of experimental hybridization provides support for the biological species concept.

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The determination of amphibians and reptiles species, their altitudinal range and biotopes in Les Planes de Son and the Mata de València, was determined by sampling the study area from autumn 2006 to spring of 2007. Compared to other studied Pyrenean areas, the herpetofauna is relatively poor. We only found 5 species of amphibians and 9 of reptiles. Specific samplings discard the presence of two Pyrenean endemics, de newt (Calotriton asper) and the lizard (Iberolacerta bonnali). Interestingly, we found an altitudinal replacement of ocelated lizard (Timon lepidus) by green lizard (Lacerta bilineata) and of Iberian rocky lizard (Podarcis hispanica) by Podarcis muralis. Less forested habitats situated at low altitude are the richest in amphibian and reptile species, in contrast to the highest places inhabited by few species (Rana temporaria, Podarcis muralis and Vipera aspis).

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Geographical variation in scalation traits of the Iberian green lizard Lacerta schreiberi was studied measuring 27 morphometric and pholidotic traits in 533 lizards from 12 populations. The results show a little morphological differentiation between the populations of the mountains of Central System and the Atlantic side of the Iberian peninsula. The reduced width of the occipital plate of Central System lizards appears as the most remarkable difference between this population and the other populations analysed. This differentiation is consistent with the presence of two groups of mitochondria DNA haplotypes in each of these geographic areas. Nevertheless, the differences detected were too insufficient to consider a modification of the taxonomic status of Lacerta schreiberi.

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Morphologic diversity was studied in 129 species of lacertid lizards and their relationship with ecology by means of comparative analysis on seven linear morphometric measurements. Body size is the most important variable determining, a continuum among small bodied species and larger ones independently evolved through the lacertid phylogeny. This variable is strongly and positively correlated with the others masking the patterns of morphologic diversity. Multivariate analysis on size-adjusted variables show a negative covariation among relative tail and limb length. Remarkably, arboreal and semiarboreal species (Takydromus and the Equatorial African clade) appeared two times independently during the evolution of lacertids and are characterized by extremely long tails, and relatively long forelimbs in comparison with hindlimb length. The arboreal and glider lizard Holaspis with their short tail constitute the only exception. Another case of convergence is found by some species dwelling into dense vegetation or grass (Tropidosaura, Lacerta agilis, Takydromus amurensis or Zootoca) which have long tails and short limbs. On the opposite, species living in deserts, steppes or scrublands with scarce vegetation isolated into extended open areas have developed long hindlimbs and short forelimbs to achieve higher speed and maneuverability This is especially the case of Acanthodactylus and Eremias.

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Pleistocene climate oscillations had a dramatic impact on the distribution of temperate ectothermic organisms. These range fluctuations plausibly have left a footprint on the species’ genetic structure which is linked with modelled paleoclimatic conditions, allowing us to infer which environmental factors shaped the evolutionary history of Sand lizards. In this study, we evaluated the patterns of niche diversification of Lacerta agilis in Eurasia, based on mitochondrial DNA analyses and ecological niche models. The lineage of Sand lizards evolved 3.8–1.8 Mya, being the most basal in the east-Caucasian subclade, with eight mitochondrial subclades separated into two groups. These groups represent two independent waves of expansion from the ancestral region constituted by the Caucasus and the adjacent northern plains to the Paleartic. Paleoclimatic models suggested a high instability of the range of this lineage in the last 3 Mya, with niche contractions during the colder glacial periods and expansions following the glacier retreat. This suggested an allopatric diversification process, with subspecies boundaries upon secondary contact maintained by competitive interactions, at least between closely related pairs. The great mountain systems of the Mediterranean Peninsulas constituted stable refugia during the Pliocene–Pleistocene cycles, favouring the evolution of endemic subclades. These montane subclades have higher mitochondrial diversity than those that occur in the plains. However, the Pyrenean endemic L. agilis garzoni is exception possibly due to the occupation of a very small refugium during the recent glacial phases.

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The persistence of populations is based on the optimization of reproductive processes as a means of compensating for the loss of individuals through mortality. One way of reaching this equilibrium is the coadaptation of reproductive traits defining different strategies. I explored these tactics in lacertid lizards by analysing the covariation between, on the one hand, clutch size and frequency, and on the other, egg mass, using independent contrast data from 42 species. In addition, I examined the influence of female and newborn size on these variables. All the traits investigated, with the exception of clutch frequency, are influenced by female body size, reflecting physical constraints on reproductive output. The negative trade-off between clutch size and newborn size on one hand and egg mass on the other is congruent with the partitioning of energetic resources to produce a few large or numerous small descendents. Clutch frequency is unrelated to the other female reproductive traits.

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The reproductive cycle of Lacerta agilis was studied in the Pyrenees at the southwestern boundary of the species range. The activity period is short (about 4.5 months). Males attain sexual maturity at smaller sizes than females and show mixed type spermatogenesis and spring spermiogenesis. Vitellogenesis in females is rapid (45 days for the whole population) with a long period of oviductal retention. Clutches are laid at the beginning of summer. During the reproductive period males mobilise reserves during the mating activities. Females deplete more fat reserves but later in the season than males and they are at their lowest after egg production. In both sexes, energy resources are mobilised from the fat bodies and also from the liver and the proximal part of the tail. Clutch size increases with female size but also depends on other factors. The short activity period does not appear to affect the reproductive cycle of this species. The gonad cycles and clutch traits do not show substantial differences from other European populations, perhaps with the exception of slight variation in the timing of reproductive events and, to a lesser extent, clutch frequency. This evidence strongly suggests that the limited southwestern range of Lacerta agilis is not due to environmental constraints but to very recent colonization.

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Abstract. The thermal relations, diel, and annual activity and microhabitat use of Lacerta agiliswere studied in the Pyrenean isolated range of this species. Although, this heliothermic lizard demonstrated thermoregulatory capability, thermal constraints attributable to the mountain climate were observed. The activity pattern was that typical of cold temperate lizards but the beginning of activity was delayed in comparison with lowland populations. The reproductive cycle determined different activity patterns for males and females. The ontogenetic and seasonal changes in microhabitat use detected suggest influence of body size, reproductive condition in adults, and interference with other individuals in juveniles.

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TERRA TYPICA. South Sweden. DISTRIBUTION. Sand lizard is one of the most widely distributed Eurasian species; its distribution range covers the most part of Europe from western France and north of the Balkan Peninsula to Eastern Siberia, north-western Mongolia and western China in the east (Chinese part of the Mongolian Altai). On the territory of North Eurasia the species occurs from western borders of Moldova, the Ukraine, Belarus, the Baltic States and Russia in the west to the northern area adjacent to Lake Baikal and southern Trans-Baikal area in the east, more or less in parallel with the north border of taiga. It inhabits the Caucasus and Kazakhstan in the south. It is known from Mongolia (Kobdo aimak). In the south-east distribution range covers the eastern Semirechye, north-western Mongolia (Kobdosky aimak) and the western part of Xinjiang-Uyghur Autonomous Region in China. From there it penetrates into Issyk-Kul depression in Kyrgyzstan. Data on the records in piedmonds of Turkestan and Seravshan mountain ranges in eastern Uzbekistan are erroneous Ten subspecific forms are distinguished, the following seven occur in the former Soviet Union. L. a. chersonensis Andrzejowsky, 1832 – Moldova, the right-bank Ukraine, Belarus, the Baltic States, Leningrad region and south of the neighbouring Karelia. In the east, approximately from the left-bank valley of the river Dnieper a narrow area of intergradation with the neighbouring eastern subspecies is noted. L. a. exigua Eichwald, 1831 occupies the whole eastern part of the distribution range up to the Crimean Peninsula and Ciscaucasia in the south. L. a. grusinica Peters, 1960 inhabits the coast of the Black Sea and submontane regions of the Caucasus in the south-west of the Krasnodar Territory, Abkhazia, in the Colchis lowland and Ajaria. L. a. brevicaudata Peters, 1958 occurs in northern and western Armenia, southern Georgia and on the southern slopes of the Great Caucasus range within the North Ossetia. L. a. ioriensis Peters et Muskhelischwili, 1968 occurs on the southern slopes of the Caucasian range: in the valley and ravine of the upper current of the river Iori in Georgia. L. a. boemica Suchow, 1929 inhabits submontane regions of North Ossetia, Ingooshetia, Chechnya and Dagestan. L. a. tauridica Suchow, 1926 inhabits the southern montane Crimea. CONSERVATION STATUS. The species is included into the Red Data Book of Latvia (2003) and Estonia (1998). Its conservation status (category 2) corresponds to the same status of the Bern convention.

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TERRA TYPICA. Tiflis city (=Tbilisi), Georgia. DISTRIBUTION. The most part of the distribution range in North Eurasia is situated in the Caucasus. There it is noted in the Transcaucasia, in eastern and northern Georgia, submontane and montane regions of Azerbaijan and Armenia, as well as in river valleys in interior Dagestan. Besides, it occurs on the coast of the Black Sea of the Krasnodar Territory, Abkhazia and Ajaria. Outside of the Caucasus it is encountered in the eastern Turkey and northwestern Iran. One of the three subspecies, L. m. media Lantz et Cyren, 1920, occurs in the Caucasus. CONSERVATION STATUS. The species is included into the Red Data Book of the Russian Federation (2001): category 3 – a rare species within the limits of Russia with distribution on the extreme northern border of its range. Female (left) and male (right) of Medium Lizard

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TERRA TYPICA. Krasnovodsk, southern Turkmenistan. DISTRIBUTION. L. strigata is widely distributed in North Eurasia. It lives predominantly in the eastern half of the Caucasus, at least up to the latitude of the towns Armavir and Stavropol in the Stavropol Territory in the north-west and the valley of the river Terek and lower reaches of the river Kuma in Dagestan in the north-east. In the eastern Transcaucasia it mainly occurs in the lowland regions of Azerbaijan, Armenia and Georgia, where it is not known to the west of the Suramsky range. Until recently an isolated population existed in the area of the cape Pizunda in Abkhazia. It also occurs in the south-west of Turkmenistan. Outside of the Caucasus it is known from eastern Turkey and northern Iran. CONSERVATION STATUS. On the most part of the distribution range the number of the species is stable.

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TERRA TYPICA. Vienna, Austria. DISTRIBUTION. It is distributed in middle and southern Europe, in the north-western part of Asia Minor, on the most part of Moldova and south-west of the right-bank Ukraine. On the valley of the river Dnieper it nearly reaches Kiev. In its middle current it appears in the left-bank area, where on the valley of the river Vorskla reaches the Poltava city in the region with the same name. Of five described subspecies L. v. viridis Laurenti, 1768 occurs in the Ukraine and in Moldova. CONSERVATION STATUS. On the most part of the distribution range the number of the species is stable.

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We tested intra-population morphological variability and the ontogeny of sexual dimorphism in a sample of 78 individuals of Lacerta agilis (Linnaeus, 1758) from the Bistra Mountain in the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia. The effect of predation was also assessed by examining the animals’ tails. In 43.8% of individuals of all age classes tails were missing or regenerated, which means that lizards are subjected to high predation at this locality. After measuring, marking and photographing, all animals were released into their natural habitat. The set of 17 linear measurements and body mass were taken for each individual, and snout-vent length was taken as a standard descriptor of body size. Among adults, significant sexual dimorphism was recorded in body size, head dimensions and distance between front and hind limbs, while sexual dimorphism was not observed in juveniles. Females had greater body size and distance between front and hind limbs, while males had proportionately larger heads. Static allometric trajectories of adult females and males were assessed, and they diverged only for head and mouth width. Divergence of ontogenetic allometric trajectories was significant for all measurements except the dimensions of the fourth toe on the front and hind limbs. Sexual dimorphism pattern in sand lizards from Bistra Mountain was in concordance with previous studies. Larger adult female body size could be interpreted as a result of sexual selection for fecundity, while larger male heads could result from selection for greater bite force in two ways: intra-sexual selection (between males) in relation to territory defense, and inter- sexual in relation to copulatory bites. Sexual dimorphism was not significant among juveniles: adults apparently attain a different morphology through diverging allometric trajectories during growth. Further studies should include populations of sand lizards from different habitat types to further assess patterns of intra-specific morphological variability.

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To investigate the impact of nuptial coloration (the badge) on male fitness in the Swedish sand lizard (Lacerta agilis), we conducted a manipulation experiment in a natural population. Males in one group had their badges enlarged by being painted as cheaters and were compared to a control group with respect to mate acquisition, body condition and survival. Badge enlargement did not affect survival, but elevated mate acquisition by almost 400%, and body condition in small males. This increase in condition is likely to stem from greater access to female-associated sites with high food availability.

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Acanthodactylus cantoris blanfordi, Acanthodactylus cantoris schmidti, Acanthodactylus fraseri, Acanthodactylus micropholis, Apathya cappadocica urmiana, Eremias arguta, Eremias brevirostris, Eremias fasciata, Eremias grammica, Eremias guttulata, Eremias intermedia, Eremias lineolata, Eremias nigrocellata, Eremias persica, Eremias pleskei, Eremias scripta, Eremias strauchi, Eremias velox velox, Lacerta brandtii, Lacerta chlorogaster, Lacerta princeps princeps, Lacerta princeps kurdistanica, Lacerta saxicola defilippii. Lacerta saxicola raddei, Lacerta strigata, Lacerta trilineata media, Ophisops elegans.

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Acanthodactylus blanfordi, Acanthodactylus boskianus, Acanthodactylus grandis, Acanthodactylus micropholis, Acanthodactylus nilsoni, Acanthodactylus opheodurus, Acanthodactylus schmidti, Eremias acutirostris, Eremias andersoni, Eremias arguta, Eremias fasciata, Eremias grammica, Eremias intermedia, Eremias lalezharica, Eremias lineolata, Eremias nigrocellata, Eremias nigrolateralis, Eremias persica, Eremias pleskei, Eremias scripta, Eremias strauchi strauchi, Eremias strauchi kopetdaghica, Eremias velox velox, Lacerta brandtii, Lacerta cappadocica urmiana, Lacerta chlorogaster, Lacerta defilippii, Lacerta media media, Lacerta mostoufi, Lacerta praticola praticola, Lacerta princeps princeps, Lacerta princeps kurdistanica. Lacerta raddei raddei, Lacerta raddei vanensis, Lacerta steineri, Lacerta strigata, Lacerta valentini valentini, Lacerta zagrosica, Mesalina brevirostris brevirostris, Mesalina brevirostris fieldi, Mesalina watsonana, Ophisops elegans.

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Relatively little is known about the ecology of lizards in Iran. This paper serves as a brief introduction to five representative biotopes and their associated lizard species living syntopically, based largely on my own observations. The selected localities are found in 1) Masjed Soleyman, foothills of the Zagros Mountains, Khuzestan; 2) Kupal dunes, on the Mesopotamian Plain, Khuzestan; 3) Shah ‘Abbas Caravanserai, Dasht-e Kavir, on the Central Plateau; 4) an abandoned village in Sistan, ruined buildings and loose loess substrate; 5) Hyrcanian Forest, northern slopes of lower Alborz Mountains and the Gorgan region. The biotopes are characterized briefly and the concept of syntopy is discussed.

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The author updates the knowledge on the herpetofauna of southern Dobruja according to his own studies within the area, during 1993-1998, when he identified 18 taxa. They represent 37.5% of the total amphibian and reptile species from Romania. Also the author makes some remarks on respective ecosystems and on the urgent protection need of some species.

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Amphibian and reptile species likely to occur in the Simpevarp SKB special area of investigation are listed with comments on their distribution, status, biology and environmental demands. The species are Triturus vulgaris (Smooth newt), T cristatus (Great crested newt), Bufo bufo (Common toad), Rana arvalis (Moor frog), R temporaria (Common frog), Lacerta agilis (Sand lizard), L vivipara (Common lizard), Anguis fragilis (Slow-worm), Coronella austriaca (Smooth snake), Natrix natrix (Grass snake) and Vipera berus (Adder). A short field study was performed mainly to verify the presence of suitable habitats for the species listed. Findings of amphibians and reptiles as well as their potential habitats are noted by geographical codes and additional remarks are given to interesting findings. Altogether 38 findings of five different species of amphibians and reptiles were done in 18 localities. Of special interest is the record of sand lizard, which probably indicate a colony in the vicinity even though this could not be confirmed.

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The Sand lizard Lacerta agilis inhabits a huge area across Eurasia with several subspecies. Nine subspecies are generally approved, L. a. agilis, L. a. argus, L. a. bosnica; L. a. chersonensis, L. a. exigua, L. a. grusinica, L. a. iorinensis, L. a. brevicaudata and L. a. boemica, but several more have been described. The emergence of this large number of subspecies is connected with the phylogeographic history of this species, defined by geographic and climatic processes. A study revealing phylogenetic relationships of this species was already conducted with a broad taxon sampling and coverage. However, the latter study was based solely on the cytochrome b gene and, furthermore, the Balkan Peninsula inhabited by the subspecies L. a. bosnica was underrepresented. This peninsula is a centre of European herpetofaunal endemism with high levels of phenotypic and genotypic variation. Therefore, the inclusion of the subspecies L. a. bosnica is important to clarify the overall view of the phylogenetic relations within the Lacerta agilis subspecies complex and to investigate the level of population differentiation within this highly diverse area. Thus, the aim of the present study was a more thorough analysis of the Balkan Peninsula with a broader taxon sampling. Furthermore, we extended the available datasets by adding the mitochondrial d-loop region and by further samples of different areas of the distribution range apart from the Balkan Peninsula. Our study reveals that the Balkan Peninsula is apparently inhabited by several differentiated lineages, whereby the Central Greek lineage might deserve subspecies status. Furthermore, the distribution area of the two subspecies L. a. agilis and L. a. argus should be revised, as the results of our study raise doubt about the commonly assumed distribution of both subspecies. As the most important outcome our results support that L. a. boemica deserves species status.

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The sand lizard (Lacerta agilis) inhabits a huge area across Eurasia with several subspecies. Nine subspecies are generally approved, L. a. agilis, L. a. argus, L. a. bosnica; L. a. chersonensis, L. a. exigua, L. a. grusinica, L. a. iorinensis, L. a. brevicaudata and L. a. boemica, but several more have been described. The emergence of this large number of subspecies is connected with the phylogeographic history of this species, defined by geographic and climatic processes. Within Germany two subspecies exist according to Bischoff (1988), L. a. argus und L. a. agilis, which are separated based on morphological features. However, the existence of these two subspecies was questioned by Rahmel (1988) and by Elbing et al. (1996). We conducted phylogenetic analyses based on the cytochrome b gene sequences from specimen of L. a. agilis and L. a. argus with samples covering their whole distribution range. These sequences already have been published before by Andres et al. (2014) and Kalyabina-Hauf & Ananjeva (2004). Our study challenges the commonly assumed distribution of L. a. agilis und L. a. argusand their status as distinct subspecies. Therefore their genetic status and distribution range should be thoroughly analysed and revised in future studies.

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Am 07.08.2006 wurden zwei juvenile Lacerta agilis in einer Falkenzuchtvoliere in einem Falkenzuchtbetrieb in Helvesiek, Niedersachsen (TK 25: 2723.3.11; 53° 13’N, 9° 29’O) unter einer reflektierenden Badebrente aus V²A-Stahl gefunden. Unter der Badebrente herrschte eine Temperatur von 23,4°C über dem Boden herrschten 27,35°C und 2 m über dem Boden 26°C. Somit befanden sich die Eidechsen an dem scheinbar kühlsten Punkt der Voliere, was ein Zeichen von höherer Affinität zu niedrigeren Temperaturen von juvenilen Lacerta agilis ist. Die Voliere wird in ihrem Aufbau beschrieben mit ihren Strukturelementen (niedrige Vegetation, Kiesbahn entlang den geschlossenen Wänden aus Buchen- und Koniferenholz. Ebenfalls sind Schattenplätze vorhanden, jedoch herrscht eine hohe Temperatur in Bodengrundnähe aufgrund der Grundvegetation und der umseitig geschlossenen Wände. Das ist der erste Nachweis von Eidechsen in einer Voliere auf dem Betriebsgelände, außerhalb der Volieren gibt es jedoch mehrere (auch adulte) Zauneidechsen. Die beschriebene Voliere könnte ein potentielles Eidechsenhabitat repräsentieren, in Kombination mit einem hohen Insektenaufkommen aufgrund von Futterresten (Fleisch und andere Gewebe) die in der Falkenzucht unvermeidbar sind. Es ist denkbar, dass mehr Eidechsenvorkommen in ähnlichen Tierhaltungseinrichtungen möglich sind, jedoch ist dafür eine Kontaktaufnahme mit den Betreibern unerlässlich, da die Anlagen in der Regel nicht öffentlich sind. Dies könnte helfen, neue oder bisher unbekannte Populationen und Vorkommen von Zauneidechsen oder anderen Reptilienspezies festzustellen.

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Abstract Food habits of the green lizard (Lacerta bilineata) were studied in some Mediterranean sites of the vicinities of Rome (Latium, central Italy), by means both of stomach dissection of individuals found already dead in the field and faeces analysis of living individuals. The taxonomic diet composition of the lizards was accurately described by both methods, thus demonstrating the reliability of faecal pellet analysis as an non-cruel method to study lizard diets. However, by using the faeces analysis technique, it is difficult to measure the exact food intake rate (items / unit of time) as well as the size distribution of prey ingested by lizards. There was a remarkable ontogenetic change in the taxonomic diet composition of green lizards: adults essentially consumed beetles and isopods, whereas juveniles fed mainly upon orthopterans, spiders, and Rhynchota. Cannibalism and predation upon small vertebrates (lizards) were very rare events. It is suggested that (i) age-related differences in microhabitat frequented could explain the dietary differences between young and adult lizards due to different availability of the various prey categories in the various microhabitats, and that (ii) adults and juveniles partition their habitats to reduce intraspecific interference competition.

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Although the insular distribution of the rich herpetofauna of Greece has been studied more extensively, the mainland one is still underexplored. The region of Attica in central Greece represents one of these “black spots” in the mainland. Thus, in 2019 we surveyed for the first time the herpetofauna of Attica in a systematic way. We collected 794 field records of 31 species (4 amphibians, 27 reptiles); Testudo graeca and Trachemys elegans were documented for the first time for Attica.

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Three different lizard species can be found at the great pasture of Hajúbagos. These are the balkan or crimean wall lizard (Podarcis taurica), the sand lizard (Lacerta agilis) and the green lizard (Lacerta viridis). All of them are protected by law in Hungary but while sand lizard and green lizard is common all over the country, the amount of the balkan wall lizard is decreasing. The main cause of this regrettable possession is the habitat degradation and thus habitat loss. Namely balkan wall lizard not only prefers but suffers open sand grasslands and these kinds of habitats are disappearing in Hungary. Due to the fact that the extensive animal grazing lost its importance, open sand pastures started to change, succession can be realized. Thus grass closing constantly what is favourable for sand lizard and green lizard. Furthermore sand lizard and balkan wall lizard share roughly the same foodsource and moreover green lizard could possibly pass into a predator of balkan wall lizard juveniles also. Therefore sand lizard and green lizard became competitors (or predators) of balkan wall lizard and the proportion of the three species compared to each other is changing. My aim is to examine the vegetation change and simultaneously monitor the amount of the mentioned three lizard species. After all I would like to make a well established proposal on the management of protected grasslands.

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New data on the distribution of 10 amphibian and 6 reptile species in the Vladimir Region is given. The list of species contains 198 new records including such rare species as Bombina bombina and Coronella austriaca.

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The last catalogue of the Reptile collection of the Museu Bocage dates back to 1972. The collections were lost in a fire 25 years ago, so it was necessary to analyse the effort of various donors, who offered the Museum a new collection. The evaluation of the sampling effort is important to gather information (on quantity and origin) and the various samples of the species of lacertid lizards present in the Museum and enables an operational and practical visual imaged of that information. The obtained results prove that the study of the sampling effort using ordinary kriging method is robust and accurate on identifying gaps (under or no sampled areas) and a helpful tool to fulfil them. Although beginning to the representative of the Portuguese fauna, the lacertid collection of the Museu Bocage needs major improvements given that it still does not illustrate the actual distribution of lacertid lizards in Portugal. In order to stand for modern standards, when complementing the existing collection we must take into account not only the information provided by the analysis but also conservationist concerns (not killing animals) and the establishment of co-partnerships with congener institutions as well. Nowadays Museums have the duty, more than ever, to keep their collections well housed, cared for and accessible to the scientific community.

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I visited southern France to search for Timon lepidus for the third time in 1998. Sites visited included (among others) Maussane, Lac du Salagou and the surroundings of this lake, St. Rémy-de-Provence, the surrounding hills of Le petit Crau and Avignon. I did not find Timon lepidus this time, but did see Natrix maura, Malpolon monspessulanus, Lacerta bilineata, Podarcis muralis and many Psammodromus hispanicus. There were not very many amphibians visible because of the hot weather.

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The author describes a herpetological vacation in southern France. Reptiles and amphibians were abundant in this region. Areas of interest were: La Petite Crau, La Plaine de Ia Crau, Les Alpilles, Les Rochers de Ia Pene and Le Barrage de Sr. Remy. The author was especially interested in spotting Ocellared Lizards (Timon lepida) bur didn` r succeed in finding them. Nevertheless a lot of other animals were seen, as is shown in the table. Nor mentioned in the table are several Red-eared Sliders (Trachemys scripta elegans), that were seen at Le Barrage de St. Remy. In addition the author visited Le Village de Torrue at Gonfaron (breeding-center for Testudo hermanni and Testudo graeca) and several other pla- ces in the Sr. Remy region.

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The sensory innervation of the pineal organ of adult Lacerta viridis has been investigated. Some specimens of Lacerta muralis lillfordi were also used. In the pineal epithelium, a small number of nerve cell pericarya of a sensory type are present. They lie either solitary or in small clusters close to the basement membrane. The axons originating from the nerve cell bodies, i. e. the pineal sensory nerve fibers, first course in the intraepithelial nerve fiber layer which is only locally present and contains a restricted number of unmyelinated fibers. In Lacerta viridis, the pineal fibers generally leave the epithelium at the proximal part of the organ proper. They then form small bundles which run along the outer surface of the basement membrane in the leptomeningeal connective tissue covering. At the proximal end of the pineal stalk the single bundles assemble constituting the pineal nerve. In Lacerta muralis the fibers leave the pineal epithelium at the proximal end of the stalk running farther down within the epithelium. Many fibers become myelinated after leaving the pineal epithelium. The pineal nerve runs ventralward in the midplane just caudal to the habenular commissure to which no fibers are given off. Continuing their ventralward course between the habenular commissure and the rostral end of the posterior commissure which is traversed by some of them, the pineal fibers reach the dorsal border of the subcommissural organ. Small separate aberrant pineal bundles traverse the posterior commissure at various more caudal levels. Having reached the dorsal border of the subcommissural organ, part of the pineal fibers continue their ventralward course directly running along the lateral sides of this organ to reach the periventricular nerve fiber layer lateral and ventral to it. A restricted number of fibers first turns in a caudal direction running between the base of the posterior commissure and the base of the subcommissural organ before turning ventralward to reach the periventricular layer. Most probably, pineal fibers do neither join the posterior commissural system nor innervate the subcommissural organ. Once having reached the periventricular layer, some pineal fibers curve in a rostral direction while others, before doing so, send a collateral in a caudal direction. Both, the main fibers and the collaterals, contribute to the formation of the periventricular layer. The sites of termination of the pineal fibers could not be ascertained. From the presence of intraepithelial sensory nerve cell bodies and from literature data on the ultrastructure of pineal neurosensory cells it is concluded that the adult pineal organ of Lacerta has a, although rudimentary, (photo)sensory function. The demonstration by our guest-worker Dr. W. B. Quay, of the intraepithelial presence of a tryptamine compound, probably serotonin, points, moreover, to a secretory function of this organ. In adult Lacerta a well-developed parietal nerve connects the parietal eye with the left lateral habenular nucleus. It traverses the habenular commissure.

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A total of 58 (24 MM , 34 VV ) Lacerta viridis specimens, which were collected from Turkish Thrace and the Black Sea region of Anatolia, were evaluated serologically. The analyses support the view that a single race of L. viridis (L. v. meridionalis) inhabits Turkey.

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Im Nordwesten von Leipzig wurden von 2006 bis August 2013 insgesamt 116 Beobachtungsdaten der vier hier gegenwärtig bodenständigen und einer allochthonen Reptilienarten gesammelt und ausgewertet. Dominierende Art ist mit 58 Nachweisen die Zauneidechse, gefolgt von Ringelnatter (40), Waldeidechse (9), Blindschleiche (8) und der eingeschleppten Mauereidechse mit nur einem Nachweis. Einen relativ hohen Anteil an den Nachweisen haben Totfunde, wovon ganz besonders die Ringelnatter betroffen ist, bei der über 50 % der Nachweise Totfunde sind.

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Algyroides fitzingeri, Algyroides marchi, Algyroides moreoticus, Algyroides nigropunctatus, Lacerta agilis, Lacerta lepida, Lacerta princeps, Lacerta schreiberi, Lacerta strigata, Lacerta trilineata, Lacerta viridis, Lacerta andreanszkyi, Lacerta armeniaca, Lacerta bedriagae, Lacerta brandtii, Lacerta cappadocica, Lacerta caucasica, Lacerta chlorogaster, Lacerta cyanura, Lacerta danfordi, Lacerta derjugini, Lacerta dugesii, Lacerta fraasii, Lacerta graeca, Lacerta horvathi, Lacerta jayakari, Lacerta laevis, Lacerta monticola, Lacerta mosorensis, Lacerta oxycephala, Lacerta parva, Lacerta perspicillata, Lacerta praticola, Lacerta rudis, Lacerta saxicola, Lacerta vivipara, Gallotia atlantica, Gallotia galloti, Gallotia simonyi, Podarcis erhardii, Podarcis filfolensis, Podarcis hispanica, Podarcis lilfordi, Podarcis melisellensis, Podarcis milensis, Podarcis muralis, Podarcis peloponnesiaca, Podarcis pityusensis, Podarcis sicula, Podarcis taurica, Podarcis tiliguerta, Podarcis wagleriana, Psammodromus algirus, Psammodromus blanci, Psammodromus hispanicus, Psammodromus microdactylus.

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The ability to shed (autotomize) all or part of the tail, usually in response to predator attack, and often to subsequently regenerate it is widespread in lizards and amphisbaenians and also occurs in a few snakes and in the tuatara. Most species possess a sophisticated intravertebral autotomy mechanism which seems to be primitive in the Squamata. This appears to have been independently lost in members of many groups, but some agamids and snakes have regained the ability to shed their tails by a simpler intervertebral means and a -number of agamids have also redeveloped tail regeneration as well. Breakable tails are used to evade capture in two main ways: by enabling reptiles to break away from predators that have grasped them by the tail and by providing a distraction which deflects the attention of the attacker away from the vulnerable head and body. It is argued that loss of caudal autotomy has occurred when the costs of tail shedding outweigh its benefits. Likely costs include the expense of regrowing the tail and the loss of a variety of possible tail functions that may cause partial incapacitation, at least until the tail regenerates. Benefits of autotomy are liable to be low if predation is rare, if the animal is able to protect itself effectively in other ways, if it is too slow to evade further pursuit after the tail is shed, or if the tail is small or unpalatable and consequently not likely to distract a predator. Benefit variation may well be greater than cost variation and therefore more important in initiating the loss of autotomy mechanisms. Many taxa that do not shed the tail appear to conform to the above interpretation, but in some cases, such as the Platynota, Agamidae and Chamaeleonidae, lack of intravertebral autotomy may reflect the history of these groups rather than being a direct result of present ecological pressures. The distribution of intervertebral autotomy in the Agamidae suggests that it may have evolved only in rather special circumstances where tail fragility is advantageous even in the absence of the ability to regenerate. Restriction ot autotomy planes to the tail-base, so that the whole organ is lost, a condition found in a number of relatively slow-moving geckoes, is interpreted as a means of ensuring that enough of the tail is shed to distract a predator from further pursuit. The stimulus necessary to induce autotomy can vary rapidly in individual lizards and at least some of these changes probably maximize the effectiveness of the tail-shedding mechanism. Differences in the readiness with which all or part of the tail is shed exist between species and are likely to reflect the balance of costs and benefits in particular cases. Variations in incidence of broken tails between species and populations may be due to such differences in fragility but many other factors may play a part, including the age structure of samples, incidence of unsuccessful attacks by predators and ability to evade predators after autotomy. There is a clear tendency for climbing lizards, especially those living on rock surfaces, to have higher incidences of broken tails than ground-dwelling species, perhaps because the tail is usually less important in locomotion in the first group. Many lizards possess conspicuously coloured tails and tail movements that seem likely to help distract attention from the head and body. Conspicuous tail colouring is more frequent and often better developed in young animals, which tend to be more vulnerable than adults, and in active species from open habitats where crypsis may not always be very effective. Conspicuous tails usually have contrasting light and dark areas in nocturnal forms but are often a single bright colour in diurnal ones, probably reflecting the visual capacities of their respective predators. The predominance of blue tails in day-active species may be because this colour is striking close to but not very arresting at a distance, so it may not attract predators from far away while still drawing their attention at close quarters.

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The structure of copulatory organs is used very widely in systematics, both for differentiating species and for working out relationships. Differences between taxa may arise from a variety of sources, including non-homology, differences in other parts of the animal, direct selection on copulatory organs, development of physical isolating mechanisms and pleiotropic events. Physical isolating mechanisms seem likely to account for the abrupt differences, involving size, asymmetry and simplifications, that are useful in distinguishing very similar lacertid species. Although these differences usually seem to arise at the end of a speciation event they can simultaneously be the initiating mechanism in a second one. Copulatory organs appear to have high inherent stability, probably resulting from frequent location in strongly homoeostatic environments, single function, insensitivity to niche shift and inertia due to the need to conform to the genitalia of the opposite sex. This stability may be overridden at times by direct selection on the organs themselves or pleiotropic events. Such changes tend to be retained because efficiency in copulation depends not on any absolute genital architecture but on close conformity of the organs. It is the combination of relative stability and tangible input of varied change, which tends to be retained, that so often makes these structures good indicators of relationship.

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Twenty-four species of lacertid lizards were examined at 31 sites in western Yogoslavia, Greece and Iberia. Comparative observations were made on over 4500 individual lizards, noting such features as times of activitiy, hunting methods, diet, micro- and macrohabitat, refuges used and body temperature. These data are used as a basis for assessing resource partition in related sympatric species, for find out whether different systematic groups have characteristic types of niche, and for comparing cumminity structures in the peninsulas of southern Europa. Acanthodactylus erythrurus, Algyroides marchi, Algyroides moreoticus, Algyroides nigropunctatus, Lacerta agilis, Lacerta graeca, Lacerta horvathi, Lacerta lepida, Lacerta monticola, Lacerta oxycephala, Lacerta mosorensis, Lacerta schreiberi, Lacerta trilineata, Lacerta viridis, Lacerta vivipara, Podarcis bocagei, Podarcis erhardii, Podarcis hispanica, Podarcis melisellensis, Podarcis milensis, Podarcis muralis, Podarcis peloponnesiaca, Podarcis sicula, Podarcis taurica, Psammodromus algirus, Psammodromus hispanicus.

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Relationships of lacertid lizards were assessed on the basis of 84 primary and 112 binary characters drawn mainly from morphology, including features of the skeleton, external anatomy, various internal soft part systems and two aspects of behaviour. Among features not previously used, or not fully investigated before, are structure of the septomaxilla and nasal passages, arranged of the xiphisternal cartilages, mite pockets, kidney position, ulnar nerve arragement, thoracic fascia, aspects of the hemipenis and its associated muscles, female genitalia and jaw muscles. On the basis of parsimony analysis and compatibilty treatment of this character set, the Lacertidae fall into two main portions: A paraphyletic Palaearctic and Oriental group of primitive forms, from which is derived a holophyletic assemblage of Ethiopian and advanced Saharan and Eurasian taxa. The former group ist not fully resolvable, but Psammodromus and Gallotia appear to be sister groups and are probably related to Lacerta parva and L. fraasi and then L. brandtii, Podarcis appears to be related successively to L. andreanszkyi, the sister species L. dugesii and L. perspicillata, and perhaps L. danfordi and L. laevis. This assemblage may be related to archaeolacertas and Algyroides. The separation of Lacerta lepida, L. pater and L. princeps from the agilis group, based on chemical evidence, is weakly contradicted by morphology. Takydromus may be most closely related to L. vivipara, and L. jayakari and L. cyanura constitute the most likely sister group of the Ethiopian and advanced Saharo-Eurasian assemblage. Taxe in the Ethiopian and advanced SaharoEuroasian assemblage form a long essentially pectinate tree with relatively change between the side branches, except for a strong disjunction separating the more primitive from the more advanced taxa. Most of the former fall on two main branches, with ´Lacerta` australis and ´L.` rupicola possibly basal to them. 1. the Equatorial forest group containing Gastropholis, Bedriagaia, ´Lacerta` echinata, Adolfus, ´Lacerta` jacksoni and Holaspis. The first three of these constitute a holophyletic group and the same is probably true of the remainder. 2. Tropidosaura, Poromera and Nucras, the latter being the sister group of the more advanced forms. These include successively the Ethiopian Philochortus, Latastia, Ichnotropis and Heliobolus, Pseuderemias, Meroles and Aporosaura, and Pedioplanis, and then the Saharo-Eurasian Eremias, Acanthodactylus, Mesalina and Ophisops-Cabrita. It seems probable that the ancestors of modern Lacertidae arose in western Eurasia, where the family is known since the Palaeocene and is still represented there largely by quite primitive forms (89 species and seven nominal genera). The family later invaded Africa, perhaps first in the early or middle Miocene. Relatively primitive lacertids spread widely in largely mesic situations in the Ethiopian region, radiating to some extent (six present genera and 16 species) and producing Nucras and the related series of advaned groups (eight genera and 54 species) whoich show increasing adaptation to xeric environments. These genera tend to have heir most primitive species in the northeast and north of the Ethiopian region. The most advaned gave rise to the Saharo-Eurasian clade, now made up to Eremias, Acanthodactylus, Mesalina and Ophisops-Cabrita. This invaded the arid areas of North Africa and Eurasia, where it is presently represented by 70 species. Many morphological changes in increasingly advanced lacertids may be functionally related to the problems of survival in arid, hot, open environments. Considerable ecological parallelism exists in lacertids, with members of separate stocks occupying similar niches in different geographical areas. Morphological adaptations associated with these niches contribute significantly to the high levels of character homoplasy found in the family. There is also some correlation between the degree of niche differentiation in various groups and the quality of the phylogenies that can be produced from their physical characters. A number of morphological parallels exist between advaned lacertids and New World macroteiids. In the skull at least, advaned lacertids show a complex mixture of paedomorphosis and acceleration. Nomenclatorial changes are as follows: Cabrita is synonymised with Ophisops, necessitating a new name, Ophisops nictans, for Cabrita jerdonii. Aporosaura is synonymised with Meroles, Platyplacopus with Takydromus, and Bedriagaia with Gastropholis. ´Lacerta` (or Centromastyx) echinata is also transferred to the latter genus and Lacerta jacksoni to Adolfus. ´Lacerta` australis and ´L.` rupicola are put in a new genus, Australolacerta. It is recommended that Lacerta dugesii and L. perspicillata should not be placed in the otherwise very uniform genus Podarcis. Although clearly paraphyletic, Lacerta s. lat. Should be retained at least for the present and, if necessary putative relationships within it indicated by informal groups or subgenera.

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Abstract The Equatorial African group of lacertids comprises nine species which share a number of derived features and appear to constitute a holophyletic assemblage. Revision of the group using morphological characters analyzed by parsimony and compatibility methods results in the following taxonomic changes: Lacerta jacksoni = Adolfus jacksoni, Lacerta echinata = Gastropholis echinata, Bedriagaia tropidopholis = Gastropholis tropidopholis, Bedriagaia moreavi = Gastropholis prasina, the latter species being validated and removed from the synonymy of Gastropholis vittata. Adolfus jacksoni has most features in common with the hypothetical ancestor of the group, while Holaspis guentheri and the species of Gastropholis are the most derived forms. Geographical variation in Adolfus alleni is described and what is known of the ecology of the Equatorial group summarized. Most are forest dwellers with the majority of the more primitive forms living on tree boles and among litter and timber on the forest floor (Adolfus jacksoni, A. africanus, A. vauereselli). Another, Holaspis guentheri, is confined to tree boles but glides between them, while the species of Gastropholis appear to be climbers in flimsy vegetation and Adolfus alleni is ground-dwelling above the tree line. Many of the morphological features characterizing these lizards appear to be functionally related to their particular habitats.

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Estimates of phylogeny may allow historical events to be reconstructed even without a fossil record. The reliability of such interpretations depends not only on the robustness of the phylogeny but also on its topology. Changes in individual features can be traced and general histories of groups developed and compared with each other. Results are ofter surprising, for Instance the sophisticated tail shedding mechanism of lizards turns out to be a primitive feature that has been lost many times. Similarly, ecological analogues may have developed their common characaters in quite different orders. Phylogenies also provide a way of recognizing constraints and the effects of history on present ecological and behavioural patterns. When using anatomical characters the quality of the apparent phylogenies produced may be related to ecological history: expansion of a group along an ecological continuum into increasingly demanding niches ina small geographical area tends to produce a robust phylogeny (for instance in Meroles), while this is often not so for widely distributed groups that occupy a more modest range of niches (such as Pedioplanis and Podarcis). Non-morphological data may not show this tendency, but can have their own problems. Lacertids can be referred to clade with many successive branches in Africa and the Saharo-Eurasian arid zones and a less resolved probably paraphyletic complex of more primitive forms in the Mediterranean and wider Palaearctic areas. The African-Eurasian clade shows a general trend towards ground-dwelling and increasingly arid habitats but is ecologically variied. These animals are important to the study of Mediterranean forms because they provide eco-morphological parallels to them (for instance to Algyroides, Psammodromus and the archaeolacertas) and help form a basis for testing hypotheses about function. Although it is possible to recognise a number of distinct clades among the Mediterranean and Eurasian forms, relationships within and between these are often much less well substantiated. If results are available in time, current work on mitochondrial DNA sequencing will be discussed.

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Differences in surface structure (ober- hautchen) of body scales of lacertid lizards involve cell size, shape and surface profile, presence or absence of fine pitting, form of cell margins, and the occurrence of longitudinal ridges and pustular projections. Phylogenetic information indicates that the primitive pattern involved narrow strap-shaped cells, with low posteriorly overlapping edges and relatively smooth surfaces. Deviations from this condition produce a more sculptured surface and have developed many times, although subsequent overt reversals are uncommon. Like variations in scale shape, different patterns of dorsal body microornamentation appear to confer different and conflicting performance advantages. The primitive pattern may reduce friction during locomotion and also enhances dirt shedding, especially in ground-dwelling forms from moist habitats. However, this smooth microornamentation generates shine that may compromise cryptic coloration, especially when scales are large. Many derived features show correlation with such large scales and appear to suppress shine. They occur most frequently in forms from dry habitats or forms that climb in vegetation away from the ground, situations where dirt adhesion is less of a problem. Microornamentation differences involving other parts of the body and other squamate groups tend to corroborate this functional interpretation. Microornamentation features can develop on lineages in different orders and appear to act additively in reducing shine. In some cases different combinations may be optimal solutions in particular environments, but lineage effects, such as limited reversibility and different developmental proclivities, may also be important in their genesis. The fine pits often found on cell surfaces are unconnected with shine reduction, as they are smaller than the wavelengths of most visible light.

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DNA sequence indicates the Lacertidae contain two subfamilies, Gallotiinae and Lacertinae, the latter comprising two monophyletic tribes, the Eremiadini of Africa and arid southwest and central Asia, and the Lacertini of Europe, northwest Africa and southwest and east Asia. Relationships within the 108 species of Lacertini are explored using mtDNA (291 bp cytochrome b; 329 bp 12S rRNA for 59 nominal species, and reanalysis of the data of Harris et al. 1998, and Fu 2000). The morphology of the tribe is reviewed and 64 of its characters (equivalent to 83 binary ones) also used to assess relationships. The Lacertini are assigned to 19 monophyletic units of 1 to 27 species, recognised here as the following genera (contents are indicated in brackets): Algyroides, Anatololacerta gen. nov. (L. danfordi group), Apathya (L. cappadocica group), Archaeolacerta (L. bedriagae), Dalmatolacerta gen. nov. (L. oxycephala), Darevskia (L. saxicola group), Dinarolacerta gen. nov. (L. mosorensis), Hellenolacerta gen. nov. (L. graeca), Iberolacerta (L. monticola group), Iranolacerta gen. nov. (L. brandtii and L. zagrosica), Lacerta s. str. (sand and green lizards, L. agilis group), Parvilacerta gen. nov. (L. parva and L. fraasii), Phoenicolacerta gen. nov. (L. laevis group), Podarcis (wall lizards), Scelarcis (L. perspicillata), Takydromus (Asian grass lizards), Teira (L. dugesii), Timon (ocellated lizards, L. lepida group) and Zootoca (L. vivipara). Both mtDNA and morphology indicate that Lacerta and Timon are sister taxa, and DNA suggests further possible relationships among genera (Fig. 1, p. 6). Neither DNA nor morphology indicates that the archaeolacertas (sometimes formalised as Archaeolacerta sens. lat.) form a clade. Instead, they are representatives of an ecomorph associated with living on rock exposures and using the narrow crevices that these contain. The Lacertidae probably arose in the European area, with the Gallotiinae later reaching Northwest Africa and the Canary Islands, and the ancestor of the Eremiadini invading Africa in the mid-Miocene. The Lacertini spread through much of their present European range and diversified, perhaps largely by repeated vicariance, around 12–16 My ago, producing the ancestors of the present mainly small-bodied genera, which then underwent often modest speciation. Three units spread more widely: the Lacerta-Timon clade of large-bodied lizards probably dispersed earliest, followed by Algyroides and then Podarcis. Overall, European Lacertidae show a pattern of repeated spread, often accompanied by restriction of previous groups. Expansion of Lacertini may have displaced earlier lacertid lineages from all or much of Europe; while spread of Podarcis may have restricted many other genera of Lacertini. The earlier expansion of the Lacerta-Timon clade probably did not have this effect, as difference in adult body size restricted competitive interaction with other forms. Several invasions of more distant areas also occurred: of East Asia by Takydromus over 10 My ago, and more recently of northwest Africa by Podarcis, Scelarcis and Timon, and Madeira by Teira. Relationships within the Eremiadini estimated from both mtDNA, and nDNA differ considerably from those based on morphology. They indicate relatively mesic forms may have diversified widely across Africa and given rise to at least three independent invasions of arid habitats. MtDNA also indicates that Lacerta andreanskyi belongs in the Eremiadini and may occupy a basal position there. It is assigned to a further new genus, Atlantolacerta gen. nov.

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Background: Aim of the study was to identify the conditions under which spatial-environmental models can be used for the improved understanding of species distributions, under the explicit criterion of model predictive performance. I constructed distribution models for 17 amphibian and 21 reptile species in Portugal from atlas data and 13 selected ecological variables with stepwise logistic regression and a geographic information system. Models constructed for Portugal were extrapolated over Spain and tested against range maps and atlas data. Results: Descriptive model precision ranged from `fair` to `very good` for 12 species showing a range border inside Portugal (`edge species`, kappa (k) 0.35–0.89, average 0.57) and was at best `moderate` for 26 species with a countrywide Portuguese distribution (`non-edge species`, k = 0.03– 0.54, average 0.29). The accuracy of the prediction for Spain was significantly related to the precision of the descriptive model for the group of edge species and not for the countrywide species. In the latter group data were consistently better captured with the single variable searcheffort than by the panel of environmental data. Conclusion: Atlas data in presence-absence format are often inadequate to model the distribution of species if the considered area does not include part of the range border. Conversely, distribution models for edge-species, especially those displaying high precision, may help in the correct identification of parameters underlying the species range and assist with the informed choice of conservation measures.

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Archaeolacerta s. l., in the currently utilized sense results to be a polyphyletic taxon, composed of three monophyletic and phylogenetically well differentiated taxa: a)-Archaeolacerta (s. str.) Mertens, 1921, which includes three species: A. bedriagae, A. oxycephala, and A. mosorensis, distributed by the northern part of the Central Mediterranean (Corsica, Sardinia, and west Balcanic Peninsula). His most related genera seem to be Teira (his adelphotaxon in our study), Apathya, and Omanosaura. b)-Iberolacerta gen. nov., with two subgenera: Iberolacerta s. str. and Pyrenesaura subgen. nov. includes six species: I. monticola, I. cyreni, I. bonnali, I. aranica, I. aurelioi, and I. horvathi. They are distributed by the mountains of Western Europe (Iberian Peninsula, Pyrenees, Central and Eastern Alps and the north of the Dinaric Chains). His adelphotaxon are the Caucasian and Near East species of Darevskia gen. nov. c)-The third taxa is Darevskia gen. nov., which includes the species of the `L.` saxicola complex besides `L.` derjugini, `L.` praticola, and `L.` chlorogaster. They are distributed by Eastern Europe, Caucasus, and Near East. Other clear relationships among some taxa of the Eurasian Radiation [= `Eurasische linie` from (Mayer and Benyr, 1994)] have been found: Algyroides seems to be the sister group of the species considered of uncertain phylogenetic relationships belonging to the `L.` danfordi-laevis group and of Podarcis. `L.` brandtii seems to be a very primitive species within the Eurasian Radiation. Omanosaura and Apathya appear as sister taxa. `L.` graeca occupies a very basal position in the sister group of Podarcis and relatives (see above). `L.` andreanskyi is the sister species of the Darevskia nov. and Iberolacerta nov. clade. The assimilation of `L.` andreanskyi to Teira is very problematic. Also the `L.` parva group seems to be related to Timon. Some groups of species like `L.` brandtii, `L.` parva-fraasii and `L.` danfordi-laevis probably merit generic rank, but it is necessary a more deep study before to take a decision.

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A survey on the geogtraphical variation of scalation in the Sand lizard was done by means of both univariate (ANOVA) and multivariate (Canonical discriminant Analysis and cluster of the Mahalanobis distances among centroids). Our results show the existence of two clearly separated groups, in concordance with previous authors. Lacerta agilis garzoni is enough differentiated to by considered a valid subspecies. Lacerta agilis argus is a mere synonym of Lacerta agilis agilis. Lacerta agilis chersonensis despite their overall similarity in pattern and coloration to the so-called Balcanic group belongs to the Caucasic one. Data on the currently known habitat and chorology of Lacerta agilis garzoni are given.

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The most ancient report of Lacerta agilis in Pyrenees is given. The reference to its presence in Montlouis corresponds to the book about the nature of the Pyrenees written by Eugen Trutat in 1894, twenty two years before Boulenger (1916) publication, considered to be the oldest (both slope from Ariege and la Cerdanya: data from Ax-les-Thermes and Porté).

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In this paper we deal on the ultraviolet color (invisible to us): where we can find it, the capability of animals to see it and the advantages that this color perception offers to them. As the simplest way to detect it is the photography, we describe and review how to photograph the UV, as a result of 15 years of amateur experience, searching and testing nearly in complete blindness due to the lack of practical information about “how to do it”. We describe the different kinds of photography (chemical and digital); the cameras and objectives suitable (both astronomically expensive ones and cheap options); what are the best characteristics that the objectives should have for this purpose; the films suitable for their use in chemical photography; the different filters (current or discontinued) manufactured along the years; and the subtle combinations among the different materials to obtain pure UV photographs. This kind of scientific photography is mainly used in forensics, forgery detection, art dermatology and less in Natural History, despite the fact that a great part of animals see this color and use it in important questions of their biology as the social behavior, mate choice or the food search.

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Partial albinism and melanism cases in Iberolacerta Arribas, 1997 are reviewed, adding some new cases and photographs from other yet published.

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Some remarkable altitudes of Lacerta bilineata (at 1740 and 1745 m) and Hierophis viridiflavus (at 2265 m) in the Catalan Pyrenees, and Timon lepidus (up to 1901 m) in Teleno Massif (Montes de León) are here presented.

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It is described the finding of a death Lacerta bilineata and its circumstances, apparently by accidental cause when it was trapped in a small-mammal burrow.

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Im bayerischen Donauengtal zwischen Pssau und der Landesgrenze Österreich existiert ein seit langem bekannter Bestand der Smaragdeidechse (Lacerta viridis). Insbesondere für Smaragdeidechse und Äskulapnatter wurde 1986 ein Naturschutzgebiet ausgewiesen. Der Schwerpunkt der Smaragdeidechsenvorkommen des insgesamt bandartigen Areals liegt in einem Abschnitt, bei dem am Hangfuß ein Bahndamm verläuft. Auf der Basis einer Zustandserfassung und eines Pflege- und Entwicklungsplanes werden verschiedene Artenhilfsmaßnahmen im Projekt: „Organisation und Umsetzung von Pflege- und Entwicklungsmaßnahmen im ´Naturschutzgebiet Donauleiten von Passau bis Jochenstein´“ seit 1993 umgesetzt. Gleichzeitig gab es wesentliche Vermeidungs- und Ausgleichsmaßnahmen bei Eingriffen. Existenziell wichtig sind die Unterhaltungsmaßnahmen in den Optimalhabitaten entlang einer Bahnstrecke, von Straßenrändern und vom Donauufer. Die Beratung und Zusammenarbeit mit den zuständigen Stellen im Rahmen des Projektes und die ökologische Baubegleitung bei Maßnahmen haben daher derzeit höchste Priorität. Daneben wurden auch aktive Pflegemaßnahmen in Form von Mahd und Entbuschung durchgeführt. Die erfolgreiche Neuschaffung von Habitaten gelang auf einer Ausgeleichsfläche. Flächenankäufe umfassten zumindest teilweise auch Habitate der Smaragdeidechse und ermöglichen künftige Pflegemaßnahmen. Die Entstehung neuer Habitate durch natürliche Dynamik der Donau ist derzeit nicht möglich. Im Bereich zufließender Bäche bestehen hier durchaus Chancen in den Zukunft. Ein gezielter Ankauf geeigneter Flächen soll erfolgen. Es wird empfohlen, das NSG auch weiterhin kontinuierlich zu „betreuen“. Zusätzlich sollte jedoch ein Monitoringprogramm für die Smaragdeidechse und andere hochgradig gefährdete Arten des NSG erfolgen.

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In this paper we provide the first data on the distribution of amphibians and reptiles in the province of Guadalajara (Castilla – La Mancha, Spain). From a heropetological point of view Guadalajara is one of the most unknown provinces in Spain. At this time we have recorded 30 species, 15 of which were not previously cited in the area. Provisional maps of distribution are presented in 10 x 10 km U.T.M. squares. Acanthodactylus erythrurus, Lacerta lepida, Lacerta schreiberi, Podarcis hispanica, Podarcis muralis, Psammodromus algirus, Psammodromus hispanicus.

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The sclerotic ring consists of several bones that form in the sclera of many reptiles. This element has not been well studied in squamates, a diverse order of reptiles with a rich fossil record but debated phylogeny. Squamates inhabit many environments, display a range of behaviours, and have evolved several different body plans. Most importantly, many species have secondarily lost their sclerotic rings. This research investigates the presence of sclerotic rings in squamates and traces the lineage of these bones across evolutionary time. We compiled a database on the presence/absence of the sclerotic ring in extinct and extant squamates and investigated the evolutionary history of the sclerotic ring and how its presence/absence and morphology is correlated with environment and behaviour within this clade. Of the 400 extant species examined (59 families, 214 genera), 69% have a sclerotic ring. Those species that do not are within Serpentes, Amphisbaenia, and Dibamidae. We find that three independent losses of the sclerotic ring in squamates are supported when considering both evolutionary and developmental evidence. We also show that squamate species that lack, or have a reduced, sclerotic ring, are fossorial and headfirst burrowers. Our dataset is the largest squamate dataset with measurements of sclerotic rings, and supports previous findings that size of the ring is related to both environment occupied and behaviour. Specifically, scotopic species tend to have both larger inner and outer sclerotic ring apertures, resulting in a narrower ring of bone than those found in photopic species. Non-fossorial species also have a larger sclerotic ring than fossorial species. This research expands our knowledge of these fascinating bones; with further phylogenetic analyses scleral ossicles could become an extremely useful character trait for inferring the behaviour of fossil squamates.

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Un dentaire de lézard incomplet, provenant d’une carrière de falun d’Anjou, à Noyant-sous-Lude, Miocène, Orléanien, (MN3) ou MN5 est décrit. Un ensemble de caractères montre qu’il appartient aux Lacertidae ; on citera : la forme arquée de l’ensemble du dentaire, le sulcus Meckeli ouvert jusqu’à la symphyse mandibulaire, la présence de dents faiblement hétérodontes et bicuspides. Cette forme à la dentition banale chez les Lacertidae se distingue facilement des lacertidae à dentition élargie trouvés dans les mêmes niveaux miocènes des faluns. La signification paléoécologique de ces fossiles sera discutée.

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The propability that lizards would capture crickets declined with distance from the snout, at rates which were significantly more rapid in all directions in Lacerta vivipara than in Podarcis muralis or L. viridis, i.e. the former species responded to potential prey over a smaller area. Capture probabilities at any distance in front of or behind the snout were lower in P. muralis or L. viridis which were pausing during locomotion than in basking lizards, confirming previous results with L. vivipara. Using capture probabilities for pausing lizards to calculate the average time it would take to find a single item of prey (tf) in relation to the mean length of locomotor bursts, on the assumption that prey could only be detected while a lizard was pausing, showed that actual mean burst distance corresponded exactly with the burst distance which gave rise to minimum tf in L. vivipara. Mean locomotor burst distances in P. muralis and L. viridis were lower than the distances which gave minimum tf values. It is suggested that, in these species, the mean burst length has evolved as a compromise between minimising tf and avoiding the high overall energy expenditures which would result from long burst lengths.

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telomeres, the protective, terminal parts of the chromosomes erode during cell division and as a result of oxidative damage by reactive oxygen species (RoS). ectotherms rely on the ambient temperature for maintaining temperature-dependent metabolic rate, regulated through behavioural thermoregulation. their temperature-dependant metabolism, hence also the RoS production, is indirectly regulated through thermoregulation. Consequently, a potential causal chain affecting telomere length and attrition is: temperature (in particular, its deviation from a species-specific optimum) – metabolism - ROS production – anti-oxidation - telomere erosion. We measured telomere length in sand lizards (Lacerta agilis) using qPCR on blood samples from 1998–2006. Effects of climatological parameters (mean temperature and average sunshine hours) in the summer and winter preceding telomere sampling were used as predictors of telomere length in mixed model analysis. During the lizards’ active period (summer), there was a largely negative effect of mean temperature and sun on telomere length, whereas a combined measure of age and size (head length) was positively related to telomere length. During the inactive period of lizards (winter), the results were largely the opposite with a positive relationship between temperature and sunshine hours and telomere length. in all four cases, thermal and age effects on telomere length appeared to be non-linear in the two sexes and seasons, with complex response surface effects on telomere length from combined age and thermal effects.

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The preliminary distribution of amphibians and reptiles of the Ciudad Real province (Castilla-La Mancha, Spain) is presented. Thirty-four species, 13 amphibians and 21 reptiles, have been found. For each species, distribution maps in 10 x 10 Km U.T.M. quadrats and a discussion on the distribution, habitat and threats affecting its conservation are provided. We conclude that the Ciudad Real province presents one of the richest herpetofauna of the Iberian Peninsula, despite the scarcity of Eurosiberian species. Among all the species present in Ciudad Real, the relative abundance of Emys orbicularis populations is especially relevant compared to the rest of Spain. Similarly, it is remarkable the presence of a newly discovered population of Hemidactylus turcicus in Castilla-La Mancha, which represents one of the most inland populations of this species in the Iberian Peninsula.

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In 2011, the Amphibian and Reptile Conservation Group (ARCG) of BirdLife Hungary launched a conservation programme to survey the North Hungarian populations of Dolichophis caspius and its habitats in the vicinity of Budapest, and to build up a habitat management plan for the species. From March through the end of September we made a total of ten visits on four habitats. On two fragments of one habitat (Farkas-hegy), with an extension of 1–1.5 ha, we observed eleven (7 ad., 2 subad., 2 juv.) D. caspius. We captured and, after recording a few data, released five of them. Six specimens were positively identified as different. On both habitat fragments a large number of lizards (Lacerta viridis and Podarcis muralis) were observed, constituting a good supply of prey for the snakes. The habitats are burdened with an increasing number of shrubs and trees, invasive plant species and recreational activity. With help of volunteers we removed the black pines from one of the habitat fragments of Farkas-hegy. We intend to survey additional habitats and if necessary to build up management plants to improve them. Our Dolicophis programme together with other programmes of ARCG triggered an increased citizen involvement.

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Kroatien ist eines der herpetologisch artenreichsten Länder Europas und daher ein beliebtes Reiseziel mitteleuropäischer Herpetologen. Aufgrund des in den letzten Jahrzehnten stetig weiter ausgebauten Autobahnnetzes ist das Land gut und schnell zu bereisen, lediglich die Grenzwartezeiten an den Urlaubswochenenden sind noch einigermaßen mühsam, da Kroatien noch nicht im Schengen-Raum aufgenommen wurde. Viele im Rahmen der ÖGH oder Herpetofauna.at durchgeführten Exkursionen führten uns in den letzten Jahren nach Kroatien.

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In Armenien kommen drei Arten der Gattung Lacerta (L. agilis, L. media, L. strigata), drei Arten der Gattung Eremias (E. arguta, E. pleskei, E. strauchi) sowie jeweils eine Art der Gattung Parvilacerta (P. parva) und Ophisops (O. elegans) vor. Neben Kurzbeschreibungen der einzelnen Arten wird auf Beobachtungen der Eidechsen im Gelände während einer Reise im Jahr 2015 eingegangen.

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Based on several recent herpetological surveys, as well as data from the literature and the collection of the Natural History Museum in Vienna, the knowledge about the herpetofauna of Rhodes is summarized and a new species list is prepared. The following species have regularly been encountered: Bufo viridis, Hyla arborea, Pelophylax cerigensis, Mauremys rivulata, Hemidactylus turcicus, Laudakia stellio, Ophisops elegans, Lacerta trilineata, Anatolacerta oertzeni, Ablepharus kitaibelii, Chalcides ocellatus, Trachylepis aurata, Blanus strauchi, Typhlops vermicularis, Dolichophis sp., Platyceps najadum, Hemorrhois nummifer, Zamenis situla, Natrix natrix and Telescopus fallax. The taxonomic status of the occurring whip snakes is discussed. Mediodactylus kotschyi has been added to the island fauna because of some records in the South part of the island. The occurrence of Testudo graeca, Pseudopus apodus and Natrix tessellata was put into question because their mention in older literature remained unconfirmed. Recent single records of Chamaeleo chamaeleon, Malpolon monspessulanus, Testudo graeca and Testudo hermanni are listed and their status is discussed. Die Herpetofauna von Rhodos wird aufgrund von Literaturdaten, Sammlungsmaterial des Naturhistorischen Museums in Wien sowie Ergebnissen diverser herpetologischer Exkursionen aufgelistet. Verbreitungskarten aller nachgewiesenen Arten sowie eine aktuelle herpetologische Faunenliste werden erstellt. Folgende Arten wurden regelmäßig und wiederholt festgestellt: Bufo viridis, Hyla arborea, Pelophylax cerigensis, Mauremys rivulata, Hemidactylus turcicus, Laudakia stellio, Ophisops elegans, Lacerta trilineata, Anatolacerta oertzeni, Ablepharus kitaibelii, Chalcides ocellatus, Trachylepis aurata, Blanus strauchi, Typhlops vermicularis, Dolichophis sp., Platyceps najadum, Hemorrhois nummifer, Zamenis situla, Natrix natrix, Telescopus fallax. Der taxonomische Status der Springnatter wird diskutiert. Aufgrund mehrerer aktueller Funde wird Mediodactylus kotschyi ergänzend zur Herpetofauna von Rhodos hinzugefügt und das Auftreten folgender Arten, deren Vorkommen in der Literatur regelmäßig für Rhodos angegeben wurde, in Frage gestellt: Testudo graeca, Pseudopus apodus, Natrixm tessellata. Aktuelle Einzelfunde gelangen von Chamaeleo chamaeleon, Malpolon monspessulanus, Testudo graeca und Testudo hermanni, deren Status diskutiert wird.

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Animals communicate via a variety of sensory channels and signals. Studies on acoustic and visual communication systems suggest that differences in the physical environment contribute to the variety of signalling behaviour, with species investing in those signals that are transmitted best under the local conditions. Whether or not environmental tuning also occurs in chemical communication systems has received much less attention. In the present study, we examined the effect of several aspects of the physical environment on the chemical communication system of lacertid lizards (family Lacertidae). The numbers of femoral pores are used as a proxy reflecting how much a particular species invests in and relies upon chemical signalling. Femoral pores are specialized epidermal structures that function as a secretion channel for the waxy substance produced by glands. In some lacertid species, the secretion carries infochemicals that play an important role in social communication. The number of femoral pores varies considerably among species. We have compiled data on femoral pore numbers for 162 species and tested for the effects of climate and substrate use. After correcting for body size and taking the phylogenetic relationships among the species into account, we found no effect of climate conditions or latitude on species pore numbers. Substrate use did affect pore numbers: shrub-climbing species tended to have fewer femoral pores than species inhabiting other substrates.

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Lizards communicate with others via chemical signals, the composition of which may vary among species. Although the selective pressures and constraints affecting chemical signal diversity at the species level remain poorly understood, the possible role of diet has been largely neglected. The chemical signals of many lizards originate from the femoral glands that exude a mixture of semiochemicals, and may be used in a variety of contexts. We analyzed the lipophilic fraction of the glandular secretions of 45 species of lacertid lizard species by gas chromatography/mass spectrometry. The proportions of nine major chemical classes (alcohols, aldehydes, fatty acids, furanones, ketones, steroids, terpenoids, tocopherols and waxy esters), the relative contributions of these different classes (‘chemical diversity’), and the total number of different lipophilic compounds (‘chemical richness’) varied greatly among species.We examined whether interspecific differences in these chemical variables could be coupled to interspecific variation in diet using data from the literature. In addition, we compared chemical signal composition among species that almost never, occasionally, or often eat plant material. We found little support for the hypothesis that the chemical profile of a given species’ secretion depends on the type of food consumed. Diet breadth did not correlate with chemical diversity or richness. The amount of plants or ants consumed did not affect the relative contribution of any of the nine major chemical classes to the secretion. Chemical diversity did not differ among lizards with different levels of plant consumption; however, chemical richness was low in species with an exclusive arthropod diet, suggesting that incorporating plants in the diet enables lizards to increase the number of compounds allocated to secretions, likely because a (partly) herbivorous diet allows them to include compounds of plant origin that are unavailable in animal prey. Still, overall, diet appears a relatively poor predictor of interspecific differences in the broad chemical profiles of secretions of lacertid lizards.

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Animals communicate with conspecifics and other species through an astonishing variety of signals and displays. Which selection pressures and developmental constraints have guided the evolution of the diversity of sending and receiving system through time, has been a much-debated issue for many decades. Studying the evolution of signalling systems may contribute to our understanding of speciation, as the ‘Sensory Drive Hypothesis’ predicts that divergent adaptation in sensory and signalling systems to different environments can cause premating isolation between populations. The effects of the physical environment on the choice of the sensory channel and the characteristics of the signals within sensory channels have been studied extensively for visual and acoustic communication systems. Much less is known on how the signalling environment affects the evolution of chemical communication. In this PhD project, we aim to examine the evolution of the chemosensorial communication system in Lacertidae. In particular, we will investigate the role of the physical environment in shaping the diversity of signalling and receiving systems. A first study would investigate the signalling system by a family-wide comparison of the role of the physical environment in the evolution of femoral pore numbers. Additionally, we will compare femoral gland and pore morphology among lacertid species living in different signalling environments. In a second section, we will examine a number of characteristics of the femoral secretion itself, and compare this among species living in disparate signalling environments. We hypothesize that the amount and the physical properties of the secretion and the composition of the lipid cocktail will vary with aspects of the environment. At the other end of the channel, reptiles possess a vomeronasal system for processing chemical cues. We aim to explore the interspecific variation in this system for environmentally induced bias. On the basis of symmorphosis, we expect to see that species that invest strongly in the production of semiochemicals, will also be best equipped to receive them. We will compare the morphology of the tongue and the Jacobson’s organ among lacertid species. We will test our hypotheses in an explicit phylogenetic context, by drawing a tailored tree from available DNA sequences and considering different models of character evolution. By taking such a comparative approach and correlate interspecific variation in the semiochemicals, the sending system and the receiving system with environmental variables, we’ll try to investigate the role of natural selection in shaping chemical communication in lacertid lizards.

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Animal signals can differ considerably in complexity and composition, even among closely related species. Work on vocal and visual signals has revealed how sexual selection can elaborate signals relevant in mate choice or rival assessment, but few studies have investigated this process in chemical signals. In this study, we correlated chemical signalling diversity and richness with degree of sexual dimorphism in a data set of 60 species of the lizard family Lacertidae. The femoral glands of male lacertid lizards exude waxy secretions, of which the lipophilic fraction is known to function in chemical communication. We determined the composition of the gland secretions using gas chromatography–mass spectrometry and calculated the chemical richness (total number of compounds) and the chemical diversity (Shannon–Wiener H’) for each species. We used sexual dimorphism in size, in shape, and a combination of both, as proxies for the intensity of sexual selection acting on each species. Although our data revealed considerable interspecific variation in the composition and complexity of the chemical signals, as well as in sexual dimorphism, we found no evidence for the idea that more elaborate signals arise through intensified sexual selection. We offer a number of conceptual and methodological explanations for this unexpected finding.

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Animals rely on a variety of signalling systems to communicate with conspecifics. Because the efficacy of a signal (transmission, durability, detectability) may vary depending on the physical environment, Darwinian selection can be expected to cause signalling diversity along an environmental gradient. As opposed to the many studies on the effect of the natural environment on visual and acoustic communication systems, the role of the physical environment in the evolution of chemical signals is far less investigated. Chemical signals are essential for inter- and intrasexual communication in many animals, and lizards represent no exception. In lacertids, the femoral gland secretions are believed to be the main source of chemical signals involved in communication. The major factor determining chemosignal efficacy is thought to be the chemical composition of the femoral secretion, which directly affects the longevity, persistence and detectability of the secretion in the environment. Using phylogenetic comparative methods, we investigated whether and how the natural environment affects the chemical composition of the femoral gland secretions of lacertid lizards. First, we collected femoral gland secretions of 65 lacertid species and analysed their lipophilic chemical composition using gas chromatography-mass spectrometry. Second, we extracted climate data from the WorldClim and ECMWF database, based on the geographical coordinates of catch- localities of the examined species. A phylogenetic canonical correlations test showed — as hypothesized — a significant correlation between the environment that a species inhabits and the chemical composition of its femoral gland secretions. High proportions of heavy alcohols and fatty acid esters are characteristic for secretions of species from hot and arid environments. In comparison, species from humid, windy and high altitude localities have secretions with higher proportions of aldehydes.

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1. The signals that animals use to communicate often differ considerably among species. Part of this variation in signal design may derive from differential natural selection on signal efficacy: the ability of the signal to travel efficiently through the environment and attract the receiver`s attention. For the visual and acoustic modalities, the effect of the physical environment on signal efficacy is a well-studied selective force. Still, very little is known on its impact on chemical signals. 2. Here, we took a broad, phylogenetic comparative approach to test for a relationship between animals` signal chemistry and properties of their natural environment. Our study focused on lizards from the Lacertidae family. 3. We sampled 64 species across three continents and determined the lipophilic composition of their glandular signalling secretions using gas chromatography-mass spectrometry. For each species, an array of environmental variables of high temporal and spatial resolution was obtained from climate databases. 4. Species varied considerably in the overall richness (number of constituents) of their secretions, as well as in the relative contribution of the major chemical compound classes. Signal richness and the relative contribution of the respective compounds exhibited little evidence of phylogenetic relatedness, suggesting that chemical signals may change very rapidly. Neither insularity nor substrate use affected chemical signal composition, however, we found a strong statistical relationship between the chemistry of the lizards` secretions and aspects of the thermal and hydric environment they inhabit. 5. Species from `xeric` milieus contained high proportions of stable fatty acid esters and high molecular weight alcohols in their glandular secretions, which likely increase the persistence of secretion scent-marks. In contrast, species inhabiting `mesic` environments produced secretions of a high chemical richness comprising high levels of aldehydes and low molecular weight alcohols. This chemical mix probably creates a volatile-rich signal that can be used for long-distance airborne communication. 6. We argue that the observed variation in signal design results from differential natural selection, optimizing signal efficacy under contrasting environmental conditions.

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Die Autoren haben mittels der RAPD-Methode die genetische Variation in 5 Zauneidechsenpopulationen untersucht, wobei drei Populationen westlich der Saale bei Halle nur jeweils 700-1200 m voneiander entfernt lagen, eine weitere östlich des Flusses in 5 km Entfernung und die fünfte Population etwa 60 km entfernt bei Leipzig lebt. Mit verschiedenen multivariaten Verfahren wurde die Variation innerhalb und zwischen den Populationen analysiert. Es ergibt sich, daß die Isolationswirkung der Saale deutlicher ist als die durch eine Entfernung von 60 km und zwei Autobahnen erzeugte Einschränkung des Genflusses, so daß sich der nacheiszeitliche Einwanderungsweg anscheinend noch in der genetischen Ähnlichkeit nachweisen läßt. Auch zwischen den drei nahe benachbarten, aber durch lange bestehende Ackerflächen teilweise isolierten Populationen lassen sich kleine genetische Differenzen aufzeigen, die im Einklang mit mutmaßlichen Isolationsmustern interpretiert werden können. Leider sind die Ergebnisse nur sehr knapp und summarisch dargestellt, so daß eine eingehendere Diskussion auch der methodischen Ansätze nicht möglich ist. Die Autoren weisen insbesondere auf die Bedeutung junger Isolationsfaktoren in der intensivierten Agrarlandschaft hin, doch erscheinen mir aus Sicht des Artenschutzes die dargestellten historisch-geographischen Differenzen wesentlicher, weil sie eine Vorstellung davon vermitteln, welche Vielfalt an historisch entstanden Isolaten sich innerhalb der Arten verbergen lassen. Solche bislang kaum beachtete Vielfalt kann durch Ansiedelaktionismus zur Vermeidung genetischer Verarmung unwiederbringlich zerstört werden.

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1. Discharges from mechanoreceptors in lizard skin cover the complete range between brief, high frequency bursts and slowly adapting, low frequency discharges. 2. Unimodal “cold units” and bimodal units (responding also to pressure) are both present and respond to rapid cooling of more than 3–5°C. 3. Discharges occur only on warming above 72°C, except on the upper jaw where the threshold is lower. 4. Larger mechanical stimuli and greater cooling both increase initial frequency and slow down adaptation, but initial frequency and adaptation are faster at higher temperatures. 5. Responses to mechanical stimuli applied immediately after cooling do not show the lowered initial frequency shown by later responses but the adaptation slows at once to the rate characteristics of the new temperature. Conversely, responses after warming are inhibited.

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Consistent individual differences within (animal personality) and across (behavioural syndrome) behaviours became well recognized during the past decade. Nevertheless, our knowledge about the evolutionary and developmental mechanisms behind the phenomena is still incomplete. Here, we explored if risk-taking and exploration were consistent and linked to different ecologically relevant traits in wild-caught adult male European green lizards (Lacerta viridis) and in their 2–3 weeks old laboratory-reared offspring. Both adults and juveniles displayed animal personality, consistency being higher in juveniles. We found correlation between risk-taking and exploration (suggestive of a behavioural syndrome) only in adults. Juveniles were more explorative than adults. Large or ectoparasite-free adult males were more explorative than small or parasitized males. Juvenile females tended to be more risk-taking than males. Behaviour of fathers and their offspring did not correlate. We conclude that European green lizards show high behavioural consistency and age is an important determinant of its strength and links to traits likely affecting fitness.

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Morphological traits and elaborate colouration may play important roles in inter- and intrasexual communication, but sexual signalling has been little studied in reptiles. We conducted experiments of female choice and male competition in green lizards (Lacerta viridis), a species from which no information on sexual selection is available. We performed 24 mate choice trials using a total of 57 males, and allowed 12 males to compete in all potential pairwise combinations. Correlated aspects of morphology and colour were condensed into principal components. Only the body shape of males predicted the outcome of female choice trials. Females preferred males with longer body and narrower head. However, both morphology and colour seemed important in male competition. Our study species was the green lizard (Lacerta viridis), which has not been studied in this aspect. Our aim was to examine the associations between t.hese traits, the female mating preference, and the outcome of male-male contest. We captured 57 males in 2005, and we measured their morphological and spectral properties. The females chose between the possible mating partners exclusively by visual cues. In the contest trial, 12 males fought with each other in all potential combinations . However, the results revealed that the colouration did not associate with the female mate choice, but there was a strong association between the choice and some morphological characters of males: females preferred males with larger body length and smaller head width. According to thee analyses the height, width and length of the head, UV and blue chroma of the throat, and UV chroma of the abdomen were associated positively with the fighting ability; if the two rival males were more similarly for each other in the case of the above mentioned traits, they were much more aggressive during contest. Our results suggest that the expression of multiple ornamental colouration and morphological traits of green lizard males may serve as inter- and intrasexual signals advertising individual quality honestly.

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The role of ultraviolet (UV) signals in intraspecific communication has been identified in a number of vertebrate taxa. In lizards, the signalling role of UV has only been shown in male–male competition and male mate choice. Here, we investigated whether male UV colour can be a basis of female association preference in European green lizards (Lacerta viridis), a species where males develop blue nuptial throat colouration with high UV reflectance. We experimentally manipulated the UV colour of male pairs, where the members of the pair did not differ significantly in body length, body weight, head size, throat UV chroma and brightness or throat blue chroma and brightness measured prior to colour manipulation. By providing these pairs of males to females (only visual stimuli could be perceived by the females), we assessed the role of UV in female association preference irrespective of other potentially important visual traits. We found that unmated but receptive females preferred males of higher UV reflectance. Our results show for the first time that UV colour can be an important male signal in female preference in reptiles.

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Animal communication through colour signals is a central themein sexual selection. Structural colours can be just as costly and honest signals as pigmentbased colours. Ultraviolet (UV) is a structural colour that can be important both in intrasexual competition and mate choice. However, it is still unknownif aUVsignal alone can determine the outcome of male–male fights. European green lizard (Lacerta viridis) males develop a nuptial throat coloration with a strong UV component. Among males differing only in their manipulated UV colour, females prefer males with higher UV. Here, we experimentally decreased the UV coloration of randomly chosen males from otherwise similar male pairs to test the hypothesis that a difference in UV colour alone can affect fight success during male–male competition. Our results fully supported the hypotheses: in almost 90 per cent of the contests the male with reduced UV lost the fight. Our results show that UV can be an important signal, affecting both female mate choice and determining male fight success.

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Background Colour signals are widely used in intraspecific communication and often linked to individual fitness. The development of some pigment-based (e.g. carotenoids) colours is often environment-dependent and costly for the signaller, however, for structural colours (e.g. ultraviolet [UV]) this topic is poorly understood, especially in terrestrial ectothermic vertebrates. Methodology/Principal Findings In a factorial experiment, we studied how available energy and time at elevated body temperature affects the annual expression of the nuptial throat colour patch in male European green lizards (Lacerta viridis) after hibernation and before mating season. In this species, there is a female preference for males with high throat UV reflectance, and males with high UV reflectance are more likely to win fights. We found that (i) while food shortage decreased lizards` body condition, it did not affect colour development, and (ii) the available time for maintaining high body temperature affected the development of UV colour without affecting body condition or other colour traits. Conclusions/Significance Our results demonstrate that the expression of a sexually selected structural colour signal depends on the time at elevated body temperature affecting physiological performance but not on available energy gained from food per se in an ectothermic vertebrate. We suggest that the effect of high ambient temperature on UV colour in male L. viridis makes it an honest signal, because success in acquiring thermally favourable territories and/or effective behavioural thermoregulation can both be linked to individual quality.

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Background. The purpose of the work is to clarify the species of turtles, lizards and snakes that P. S. Pallas noted in the Volga river basin and the Volga-Ural inter fluve. Pallas’s data on the reptile fauna of the region are compared with current data Materials an methods. The basis of the study was the analysis of Pallas’s publications. The names of reptiles used by Pallas with their modern names are identified. Results. From the Volga region, Pallas described two species of reptiles that are new to science: “Coluber melanis” (black forest-steppe form of the Vipera berus) and “Lacerta pipiens” (Alsophylax pipiens). From the interfluve of the Volga and the Ural Pallas described two species yet: “Lacerta apoda” (Pseudopus apodus) and “Lacerta mystacea” (Phrynocephalus mystaceus). The great naturalist noted in the Volga region also reptiles, whose modern names are: Emys orbicularis, Phrynocephalus helioscopus, Phrynocephalus guttatus, Phrynocephalus mystaceus, Eremias velox, Lacerta agilis, Natrix natrix, Natrix tessellata, Hierophis caspius, Gloydius halys, Vipera berus, Vipera renardi. At the beginning of the XXI century, one species of turtles, 11 species of lizards and 10 species of snakes reliably inhabit the region. Conclusions. The species of reptiles noted by Pallas, except for the Pseudopus apodus and the Gloydius halys, reliably inhabit the region at present. The data of the Pallas serve as a basis for studying the dynamics of species composition, distribution, abundance and phenology of reptiles in the Volga basin.

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In different months during 2015-2017, the abundance and sex-age structure of the Sand lizard (Lacerta agilis) were studied on two transects. Parallel transects were established in the southeastern part of the cluster area «Burtinskaya steppe» of the Orenburg State Nature Reserve (Russia). The length of each transect was 3 km. The width of the mineralised plowed strip between the transects was 9-11 m. Transect 2 was located in the area burnt in August 2014, while transect 1 was situated in the area burnt in August 2016. In terms of size and external morphological traits, the captured Sand lizards were divided into three groups: juvenile individuals, adult males, and adult females. After measurements, the marked animals were put back to the places of capture. The number and sex-age structure were restored on transects in May June, after the first winter following the fire impact. We found that on transect 1, the species abundance at late April early May 2015 was almost three times higher (18.67 individuals / km) than on transect 2 (6.67 individuals / km). However, at late May 2015, the species abundance on both transects became almost the same (12.67 individuals / km in transect 1 against 11.33 individuals / km in transect 2). The juvenile individuals suffered from the fire influence more than adults. After the 2016 fire (i.e., in mid-May 2017), the proportion of one-year-old individuals was 21.2% of the total number of Sand lizards recorded in transect 1, while it counted 67.3% of the total number of Sand lizards recorded in transect 2, burnt in 2014. We believe that the rapid recovery of the abundance and sex-age structure in the Burtinskaya steppe was associated with the migration of Sand lizards through the mineralised strip separating the burnt and non-burnt transects.

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Nine reptile species inhabited on the five sites in the Orenburgsky State Nature Reserve, these are Emys orbicularis, Eremias arguta, Lacerta agilis, Zootoca vivipara, Natrix natrix, N. tessellata, Coronella austriaca, Elaphe dione, and Vipera renardi. Lacerta agilis is the only abundant species. Over the last 20-25 years, the abundance of at least three species (Emys orbicularis, Zootoca vivipara, Natrix natrix) has decreased in some clusters of the reserve.

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In June and July 1986 observations were made on the reptiles and amphibians in the surroundings of a camping in the Perigord (France). Eight species were observed: Rana dalmatina, Alytes obstetricans, Bufo bufo, Podarcis muralis, Lacerta viridis, Natrix maura, Elaphe longissima and Coluber viridiflavus.

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The authors give a description of the herpetofauna of some area´s in Yougoslavia they visited in june 1979. Some attention is given to the habitat of several species. The differences between certain island and mainland populations of some Lacerta- and Podarcis-species are discussed to some extend.

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During the month of June 1980 the authors observed several species of amphibians and reptiles in Portugal. Notes are given on their habitat. Problems concerning the determination of some species of the genus Podarcis are discussed.

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Es gibt sicherlich verschiedene Möglichkeiten, im Terrarium gehaltene Eidechsen zu überwintern. Der eine schwört auf seinen Keller, der andere auf eine laubgefüllte Grube in seinem Garten. Nun, wem beides nicht zur Verfügung steht, dem kann auch ein Kühlschrank ganz ausgezeichnete Dienste leisten. Freilich ist nicht gemeint, die Eidechsen frei zwischen Wurst und Käse zu betten, vielmehr bedarf es einiger Vorbereitungen. Im wesentlichen stellen sich zur Überwinterung von Eidechsen 4 Fragen: 1. wen? 2. wann? 3. wie? Und 4. wie lange? Auf diese 4 Fragen soll im in diesem Bericht eine Antwort gegeben werden.

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Es gibt sicherlich verschiedene Möglichkeiten, im Terrarium gehaltene Eidechsen zu überwintern. Der eine schwört auf seinen Keller, der andere auf eine laubgefüllte Grube in seinem Garten. Nun, wem beides nicht zur Verfügung steht, dem kann auch ein Kühlschrank ganz ausgezeichnete Dienste leisten. Freilich ist nicht gemeint, die Eidechsen frei zwischen Wurst und Käse zu betten, vielmehr bedarf es einiger Vorbereitungen. Im wesentlichen stellen sich zur Überwinterung von Eidechsen 4 Fragen: 1. wen? 2. wann? 3. wie? Und 4. wie lange? Auf diese 4 Fragen soll im in diesem Bericht eine Antwort gegeben werden.

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The longevity of several lacertid lizard species in captivity is reported. The conditions of keeping, which have been successful throughout many years, are briefly presented.

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In drei Ersatzhabitaten für Zauneidechsen (Lacerta agilis), die im Rahmen von Umsiedlungsmaßnahmen in Berlin angelegt wurden, wurden Strukturelemente eingebracht, die hinsichtlich der verwendeten Materialien, ihrer Größe und ihres Aufbaus große Unterschiede aufwiesen. Im Zuge von Monitoring-Untersuchungen konnte beobachtet werden, dass nicht alle Strukturelemente von den Eidechsen besiedelt wurden. Je nach Ausstattung wurden einige völlig gemieden, während andere deutlich bevorzugt wurden. Nach den bisherigen Beobachtungen wurden strukturreiche Altholzhaufen von den Zauneidechsen am häufigsten besiedelt, während an den steindominierten Strukturen gar nicht oder nur vereinzelt Eidechsen beobachtet werden konnten. Von entscheidender Bedeutung scheint zu sein, ob die angelegten Sonderstrukturen den Eidechsen genügend Deckung bieten. Somit zeigen sich Qualitätsunterschiede bei den Anlagen, die in der Praxis unbedingt mehr Beachtung finden sollten.

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Eremias guttulata, Eremias velox, Eremias strauchi, Eremias persica, Eremias regeli, Eremias multiocellata, Eremias nikolskii, Eremias pleskei, Eremias lineolata, Eremias scripta, Eremias intermedia, Eremias nigrocellata, Eremias arguta, Eremias argus, Eremias brenchleyi, Eremias przewalskii, Eremias grammica, Lacerta strigata, Lacerta viridis, Lacerta trilineata, Lacerta agilis, Lacerta parva, Lacerta vivipara, Lacerta taurica, Lacerta brandtii, Lacerta derjugini, Lacerta praticola, Lacerta chlorogaster, Lacerta saxicola, Lacerta caucasica, Lacerta rudis, Ophisops elegans, Takydromus amurensis, Takydromus wolteri.

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We carried out a morphometric study of the skull throughout postnatal ontogeny in 14 species of Iberian lacertid lizards belonging to the genera Acanthodactylus, Algyroides, Psammodromus, Podarcis, Zootoca, Timon and Lacerta s. latu with the aim of elaborating a key of identification for the studies species. A total of sixty one characters showing interspecific variation are identified. The characters are defined in articulated and disarticulated skulls.

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Following examination of the amphibia, reptila and mammalia species which are distributed in the Special Protected Area around Köycegiz-Dalyan, the area`s natural resources were investigated. Establishment of the distribution of these species and their population cases has also been attempted by systemical and periodic investigaitons As a result, 5 frogs. 5 turtles, 11 lizards, 13 snakes and 18 mammal species have been discovered for the first time in this region. Furthermore, measures which must be taken into consideration for protection of these species, especially turtles, are given.

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Die Autotren berichten über zwei Aufsammlungen von Amphibien und Reptilien aus dem Gebiet der ostanatolischen Städte Erzurum, Iğdir, Kars und Ardahan. Das Material umfaßt drei Anurentaxa, eine Schildkrötenform, 11 Eidechsen- und 11 Schlangenarten in 172 Exemplaren. Aufgelistete Arten: Bufo viridis, Rana ridibunda complex, Rana camerani, Testudo graeca armeniaca, Phrynocephalus persicus, Eremias pleskei, Eremias strauchi, Lacerta agilis brevicaudata, Parvilacerta parva, Darevskia parvula, Darevskia raddei, Darevskia valentini valentini, Darevskia uzzelli, Lacerta trilineata, Ophisops elegans, Typhlops vermicularis, Eryx jaculus turcicus, Haemorrhois ravergieri, Hierophis schmidti, Platyceps najadum, eirenis modestus, Eirenis punctatolineatus, Coronella austriaca, natrix natrix persa, Natrix tessellata, Vipera wagneri.

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Im vorliegenden Bericht werden die Verbreitung der Reptilienarten, ihre Gefährdung sowie ihre Lebensräume und Förderungsmöglichkeiten in den Kantonen St.Gallen, Appenzell Ausserrhoden und Appenzell Innerrhoden dargestellt. Die Arbeit basiert auf über 2500 weitgehend unsystematischen Beobachtungen von 1978 bis 2001. Die meisten Artnachweise stammen von rund 350 Personen als Ergebnis von Umfragen in den Jahren 1987 sowie 1998 bis 2000. In Gebieten, aus denen kaum Reptilienvorkommen gemeldet wurden, erfolgten stichprobenartige Geländebegehungen. Gegenwärtig kommen im Projektgebiet sechs einheimische Arten vor: Waldeidechse, Zauneidechse, Blindschleiche, Ringelnatter, Schlingnatter und Kreuzotter. Daneben sind sechs fremde, eingeschleppte Reptilienarten verbreitet: Mauereidechse, Ruineneidechse, Würfelnatter, Aeskulapnatter, Kaspische Wasserschildkröte und Rotwangen-Schmuckschildkröte. Die Blindschleiche ist weit verbreitet und häufig. Von der Waldeidechse konzentrieren sich Nachweise auf höhere Lagen. Tiefer gelegene Vorkommen sind oft isoliert und gefährdet. Die Kreuzotter kommt nur in wenigen alpinen Gebieten vor, ist dort aber selten gefährdet. Vorkommen von Zauneidechse und Ringelnatter sind vorwiegend isoliert und klein; die Arten sind daher überall gefährdet. Stark gefährdet ist die Schlingnatter, die nur im Rheintal noch grössere Bestandesreserven aufweist. Entsprechend der Bedeutung und dem Potenzial der Reptilien-Lebensräume wurden Kern-, Förderungs- und Vernetzungsgebiete ausgeschieden.

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We present the distribution of amphibians and reptiles in Burgos (Spain), expressed by UTM 10x10Km.The situation of the country lake an area with different herpetofauna populations is a very important success; there are european-atlantic herpetofauna and typical mediterranean also.

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The existence of both interspecific and intraspecific morphological and anatomical variation in vertebral intercentra is described for the first time in Lacertidae. A sample of 380 cleared-and-stained specimens of 12 species of lacertid lizards reveals also the presence of thoracolumbar intercentra in Lacertidae, a condition previously reported within Squamata only for the families Xantusiidae and Gekkonidae. The significance of these findings in the context of phylogenetic analyses within Squamata is discussed.

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An osteometric analysis of sacral and presacral regions in three species of iberian lizards (Lacerta lepida, L. schreiberi and L. viridis) has been carried out. For this purpose, 11 osteometric vertebral parameters were proposed, and some of the parameters used by other authors were revised. The topographical variation of the most significant parameters were described and several indices based on them were elaborated. Lacerta viridis differs considerably from L. schreiberi and L. lepida, both qualitatively and quantitatively, especially in the positions of the maximum and minimum for each parameter, and in the percentage of general elongation of the presacral vertebrae, more marked in L. viridis than in the other two species. The sexual and ontogenetic variations include qualitative and quantitative differences as well. A greater percentage of elongation of presacral vertebrae exists in the females. There is some sexual correlation of the existence oscillations in certain parameters (for example pre-postzygapophysis distance) along the vertebral axis (L. lepida and L. schreiberi). The relative height of the neurapophysis shows the most important ontogenetic variation. It is progressively enhanced with size. The vertebral widening that occurs in the last presacral zone is more marked in immature individuals. An interspecific vertebral diagnosis (of particular importance in the axis and sacrum) is proposed.

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Research of fauna and biology of particular species of reptiles in the area of Nature park Papuk were done in the period from February 2009 to September 2009, in 15 locations. The transect method was used in data gathering on reptiles. The sampled units were measured for length or photographed, and during sampling the environmental parametres were measured. The collected data were entered in the database and with the help of GIS technology distribution maps of particular species on the examined area were made. The species Natrix natrix and Lacerta viridis had the largest quantitative structure. The eudominant species were established to be Natrix natrix, Lacerta viridis, Natrix tessellata and Lacerta vivipara, while the recent species are Vipera berus and Ablepharus kitaibelii. The numerousness of species in the researched area as well as their distribution are the result of various conditions in microhabitats, where species find the optimal conditions for survival. Furthermore, seasonal and daily dynamics were analysed. Daily activities, of species and of individuals, show a decrease of value from morning to afternoon, and as far as seasonal dynamics is concerned, the most intensive period of appearance of reptile is in the period from July to September.

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Our present study is an inventory of Amphibians and Reptiles at region of Beni Aziz. The work involves the index of the presence / absence and distribution. The selected zones are: Mountainous site (Djebels) (Sd), cultivated Site (Sc) and humid Site (Oued El kebir ) (So), different methods are used: listens chants anuran, the dip netting for larvae and tadpoles, search streams, visual inventory of Amphibians and Reptiles, trapping (pot Berber) for lizards and amphibians, search under various objects for snakes. We recorded 7 Amphibians and 15 Reptiles. The results also include the biogeographic status, distribution and habitat. We have elaborated an illustrated catalog of existing species in conclusion.

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Assessments of radiation exposure of reptiles may be required in some countries as many species are protected. However, there are few data available for the transfer of radionuclides to them, especially in terrestrial ecosystems, and consequently, no specific peer reviewed reptile data have been used in the derivation of default transfer parameters in the ERICA Tool. Twenty samples of Lacerta agilis (sand lizard) and five of Natrix natrix (grass snake) were collected from two sites within the Chernobyl Exclusion Zone and analysed for Pu-isotopes, 137Cs and 90Sr. Corresponding activity concentrations for soil from the sampling sites were available. These data have been used to derive concentration ratios (CR) (i.e. reptile whole-body fresh weight activity concentration relative to the dry weight activity concentration in soil). CR values for N. natrix tended to be lower than those for L. agilis. The CR values derived in this paper will be used to improve the default values provided within the ERICA Tool. Whole-body activity concentrations determined in the reptile samples were broadly comparable with data available from the same sampling sites for small mammal species.

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Fire is amongst one of the main ecological drivers, particularly in the Mediterranean. Despite being a fire-adapted region, over the last few years we have seen an increase in the frequency of this type of disturbance. In 2017, a large fire in Mata da Margaraça, located in a protected area in central Portugal, created an adequate opportunity to assess its impacts. In this study, we evaluated the effect of fire severity on the abundance, richness, and diversity of reptiles. Richness and diversity were not affected by the cline of fire severity. However, at species-specific level, Psammodromus algirus, a common lizard and habitat generalist Mediterranean species, had its abundance positively affected with the increase of fire severity. The absence of a linear response from this taxonomic group reinforces the need for further studies on post-fire response, key information for the design and implementation of mitigation measures in the future.

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Reptiles are target species in Dutch nature conservation. Monitoring populations serves as a tool for the evaluation of nature conservation. The Dutch reptile monitoring program started in 1993 with 170 plots where reptiles are counted at least seven times a year by volunteers. The monitoring network has been steadily growing since then. During 1999 240 plots have been searched. Plots are located in all major reptile areas over the country. About 80 monitoring trajects are situated in the dunes. Most of these habitats are inhabited by Sand Lizards. In the following text one of the volunteers describes his observations from a dune patch during 1999. Apart from just counting the lizards, he makes photographs, which enables him a recognise the lizards individually.

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For many years lizard thermal ecology studies have relied on the use of contact thermometry to obtain internal body temperature (Tb) of the animals. However, with progressing technology, an interest grew in using new, less invasive methods, such as InfraRed (IR) pyrometry and thermography, to infer Tb of reptiles. Nonetheless few studies have tested the reliability of these new tools. The present study tested the use of IR cameras as a non-invasive tool to infer Tb of lizards, using three differently body-sized lacertid species (Podarcis virescens, Lacerta schreiberi and Timon lepidus). Given the occurrence of regional heterothermy, we pairwise compared thermography readings of six body parts (snout, eye, head, dorsal, hind limb, tail base) to cloacal temperature (measured by a thermometer-associated thermocouple probe) commonly employed to measure Tb in field and lab studies. The results showed moderate to strong correlations (R2 = 0.84 − 0.99) between all body parts and cloacal temperature. However, despite the readings on the tail base showed the strongest correlation in all three species, it was the eye where the absolute values and pattern of temperature change most consistently followed the cloacal measurements. Hence, we concluded that the eye would be the body location whose IR camera readings more closely approximate that of the animal`s internal environment. Alternatively, other body parts can be used, provided that a careful calibration is carried out. We provide guidelines for future research using thermography to infer Tb of lizards.

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Le ARE (Area di Rilevanza Erpetologica) sono aree di particolare pregio crpetologico, formalmente istituitc dalla Societas Herpetologica Itaiica a seguito della valurazione da parte della Commissione Conservazione. Nel `Parco Nazionale dell`Appennino Lucano, Val d`Agri e Lagonegrese` (Basilicata, Italia meridionale) e stato istituita un` ARE nel 2016, la prima per la regione Basilicata. Nel presente contributo si forniscono informazioni sui metodi di campo utilizzati per il censimento erpetologico nell`ARE e i risultati relativi alia ricchezza specifica e difTusone delle specie. Nell`ARE sono stati rilevate 9 specie di anfibi (75% di quelli potenziali) e 13 (65%) di rettili. Rana itaiica, Lissotriton itaiicus, Podarcis siculus e Lacerta bilineata sono specie diffuse e comuni; Triturus carnifex, Pelophylax sinkl. esculentus, Chalcides chalcides, Testudo hermanni, Anguis veronensis e Zamenis lineatus sono invece quelle piu rare. Inoltre, per una popolazione di Bombina pachypus e stato anche awiato un monitoraggio demografico tuttora in corso.

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We studied impacts of the introduced small Indian mongoose Herpestes auropunctatus on the herpetofauna on six islands in the Adriatic Sea, Croatia, comparing abundances of reptiles and amphibians on three islands with the mongoose to those on three islands without the mongoose. We used four types of sampling surveys: distance-constrained surveys, visual encounter surveys, special searches and accidental trapping. The horned viper Vipera ammodytes and Balkan green lizard Lacerta trilineata were absent from two mongoose-infested islands (Korčula and Mljet) and rare on the third (Hvar); they were common only on the mongoose-free island where they had historically been present (Brač). The European green toad was absent from one mongoose-infested island, where it had historically been present and rare on the other two. It was common on two of the three mongoose-free islands. Other herpetofaunal species were either very scarce or completely absent on the three mongoose-infested islands. Most of these species also occur on the mainland but are already scarce there; some are strictly protected under Appendix II of the Berne Convention. The recent spread of the mongoose to the European mainland suggests the need for urgent control to protect vulnerable herpetofauna.

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The present work studies the herpetological community of Caural (NW, of Spain): biogeography and ecology. Biogeography altitudinal distribution of species, altitudinal variation in abundance of species and stratification reflect a decrease with the altitude bound to climatic reasons and reproductivity in reptiles and to lesser heterogeneity of biotopes in amphibians. There is a greater altitudinal stratification of the subcommunity of amphibians than of reptiles. Ecology: the different physiological requirements of amphibians from land habitats and lizards are reflected in a temporal alternation (seasonal and daily) in the exploitation of the same trophical resource. The snakes occupy anoth trophical level (predators and superpredators) and the tritons live inanother habitat (subaquatic) with different resources and they have a different diet. The problem of interspecific competition is dealt with in two concrete cases: Lacertidae and Triturus. Great differences in size or corporal shape and behaviour permit coexistence but in the opposite case they separate themselves throughout the area, distributing the biotopes according to their physiological preferences. There are cases (Lacerta schreiberi and Triturus boscai) in which there appears to be a spatial displacement due to a diffuse competition with congenital species. One highlights the importance of the habitat in the food diet of some species, which becomes very clear comparing the tritons with the lizards and amphibians from land habitats. One questions the problem of stability and heterogeneity (climatic and spatial), competition and predation as factors which impel and influence the evolution of communities and species. In relation with studies realized in other areas we see that the herpetological community of Caurel represents the transition from the Mediterranean region to the European shore region, very much in accordance with the climatic and botanical characteristics of the zone, where the seasonality plays an important role just as the glaciarism appears to have determined a reptile community evolutionally young.

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In this work the actual state of knowledge on biogeography of amphibians and reptiles from Galicia is exposed in a synthetical way based upon distributional data gathered during the last 10 years. The geographic distribution of species and communities on latitudinal and altitudinal gradients indicates that climate and biotope are more important factors than latitude or altitude over sea. The presence of relict populations of eurosibirian taxa and the geographic distribution of endemism poit to the importance of climatic alterations during the Quaternary Age (Glaciarism). Thus, the eurosibirian taxa were driven towards Galicia following both the Cornice and the Cantabrian Chain as a mountains, giving rise to sub-especiation or speciation in allopatry of some endemisms. As the present data are poor we must consider our conclusions as a first hypothesis.

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The sand lizard, Lacerta agilis Linnaeus, 1758, is a small lacertid lizard distributed across Europe and western Asia. The sand lizard also inhabits most of Croatia where two subspecies appear: Lacerta agilis argus Laurenti, 1768 (disputable by some authors) in the northern lowlands and L. a. bosnica Schreiber, 1912 in the Dinaric mountain system. In August 2012, we conducted a population study of L. a. bosnica on Dinara Mountain in Croatia. Dinara is the highest Croatian mountain stretching from Dalmatia (region in Croatia) into Southern Bosnia and Herzegovina. Sexual dimorphism was established in this population but focus of this study was to analyze ecological and microhabitat parameters on locations where individuals were sampled. Collected data were further analyzed to check whether males and females prefer different environmental conditions. During this research we visited high mountain grasslands between 1000 and 1400 m a.s.l. with mean habitat temperature of 25.6 °C and measured 100 individuals of sand lizard. These individuals were divided into three groups: 56 females, 40 males and 4 juveniles. For each individual a set of ecological and microhabitat preferences parameters was taken within minutes from capture: altitude, wind intensity, cloudiness, substrate temperature, air temperature measured at 5 centimeter above ground, air temperature measured at 60 centimeters above ground and cloaca temperature. Five microhabitats were recognized and all individuals were also analyzed according to differences among them. Mean body temperature of adult individuals was 27.7 °C with no significant difference between sexes. Almost 60% of captured individuals had regenerated tails, indicating high predation pressure.

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In connectivity conservation and ecological network planning, the selection of focal fragmentationsensitive species represents a priority step. Nevertheless, despite their strategic role, selection of focal species has traditionally been carried out using charismatic and/or non objective approaches. In this way, actions of planning and conservation could be ineffective. Using as a case study Italian reptiles, we apply an expert-based approach for the selection of focal species on the basis of sensitivity to components of habitat fragmentation (habitat area reduction, increase of habitat isolation, increase of edge effect and landscape matrix disturbance) and of intrinsic ecological traits of the species (trophic level, dispersal ability, body size, niche breadth, rarity). The threshold values for each component of fragmentation defined a set of 21 focal species that can be divided into the three macro-components of human-induced habitat fragmentation (HIHF) towards which they show a sensitivity, the suitable spatial scale of populations and relative suitable habitat categories. Among these species, seven can be sampled easily with standard, low-cost field protocols. The selected species largely coincide with the species known in literature as fragmentation-sensitive.

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A complete catalogue is provided for the type specimens of lacertid lizards in the herpetological collection of the Zoological Museum, Berlin, as of December, 1993. The collection contains a total of 514 type specimens, representing 63 taxa, of which 42 are currently regarded as valid at the specific or subspecific level. Types representing an additional four taxa appear to have been lost from the collection. The collections are especially rich in African lacertid types and in historically significant specimens collected early in the Nineteenth Century by Pallas, Eversmann, and Hemprich & Ehrenberg. Also present are the type series of many subspecies of Podarcis lilfordi and P. pityusensis described by Eisentraut.

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First week of October 2004 a group of nature lovers visited the southern continental part of Hellas (Greece): the Peloponnesos. Nesos means island. According to mythology Pelops, son of Tantalos, was awarded with an island, in his case a pseudo-island. The Island of Pelops or Pelopo-nesos is almost an island: it is THE original peninsula connected to the Balkans via the original Isthmos! From a biogeographical point of view this peninsula is interesting, with plants and animals found elsewhere in Europe, but also with island characteristics and with some endemical forms. Cyclamens, Peloponnesos Colchicum and several other plants were encountered. The author gives a short travelogue. He describes batrachological and herpetological results of the excur- sions made. The situation of chameleons and slowworms on the peninsula receives some extra concern. Also a list of herpspecies found and photographed is added.

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The distribution of catecholamines in the central nervous system of Lacerta viridis and muralis was investigated by means of the method for fluorescence-microscopical detection of catechol- and tryptamines. Most nuclear areas of the mes-, di- and telencephalon receive terminal ramifications of catecholamine-containing neurones, the distribution pattern of which is typical for each nucleus; these neurones originate in the tegmentum (nucleus reticularis mesencephali) and in the hypothalamus (nucleus diffusus tuberis). Apart from these nuclei another paraventricular nucleus (nucleus ependymalis hypothalami) was found to contain catecholamines. The short neurones of this nucleus mainly innervate the nucleus ventromedialis tuberis and the area praeoptica. It is assumed that these neurones also supply the nuclei commissurales of the telencephalon. According to the results of spectrographical and histochemical tests it is assumed that the fluorescent substance in the palaeostriatum of Lacerta is mainly noradrenaline and that the neurones of the nucleus ependymalis hypothalami besides little adrenaline contain huge amounts of primary catecholamines. The possibility of the fluorescent substances acting as transmitters is discussed.

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Difficulties to demonstrate the storage sites of noradrenaline by means of electronmicroscopy in neurones from the nucleus ependymalis hypothalami of Lacerta have been overcome by pretreatment of animals with 5-hydroxydopamine and 5-hydroxydopa. 5-hydroxydopamine which has been shown to act as a false sympathetic transmitter in the peripheral nervous system is specifically taken up and stored by dense core vesicles from the noradrenaline neurones while the storage sites of serotonin containing neurones do not concentrate this pyrogallol analogue. A reduction in the number of dense core vesicles from the serotonin storing neurones might indicate that both substances are capable of releasing tryptamine-like substances besides replacing catecholamines. This observation was confirmed by measurements of the noradrenaline- and serotonin-depletion from the brain following pretreatment of animals with both pyrogallol analogues. Moderate doses of 5-hydroxydopamine and 5-hydroxydopa (100 mg/kg) caused a considerable decrease in the concentration of serotonin whereas the loss of noradrenaline was lower. The effect of the amino acid on the content of brain-monoamines was more pronounced than the effect of the amine itself. It is suggested that a pretreatment of animals with 5-hydroxydopa and/or 5-hydroxydopamine will provide a safe identification of catecholamine storing neurones in the central nervous system — a prerequisite for studies of the organization of synaptic connections from noradernergic and dopaminergic neurones to their effectors.

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The life history of an organism is the combination of age-specific survival probabilities and fecundities it displays in its natural environment. Hence, an organism`s life history is characterised by its age and size at maturity, frequency of reproduction, clutch or litter size, size of eggs and hatchlings, and survivorship at different life stages (as embryos, neonates, immatures, adults). Variation in these traits can be studied at different levels: within a population, among populations of a single species, and among different species. I here give an overview of studies that explored life history variation in European lacertid lizards.

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Oganismal performance abilities occupy a central position in phenotypic evolution; they are determined by suites of interacting lower-level traits (e.g., morphology and physiology) and they are a primary focus of natural selection. The mechanisms by which higher levels of organismal performance are achieved during evolution are therefore fundamentally important for understanding correlated evolution in general and coadaptation in particular. Here we address correlated evolution of morphological, physiological, and behavioral characteristics that influence interspecific variation in sprint speed in a clade of lacertid lizards. Phylogenetic analyses using independent contrasts indicate that the evolution of high maximum sprinting abilities (measured on a photocell-timed racetrack) has occurred via the evolution of (1) longer hind limbs relative to body size, and (2) a higher physiologically optimum temperature for sprinting. For ectotherms, which experience variable body temperatures while active, sprinting abilities in nature depend on both maximum capacities and relative performance levels (i.e., percent of maximum) that can be attained. With respect to temperature effects, relative performance levels are determined by the interaction between thermal physiology and thermoregulatory behavior. Among the 13 species or subspecies of lizards in the present study, differences in the optimal temperature for sprinting (body temperature at which lizards run fastest) closely matched interspecific variation in median preferred body temperature (measured in a laboratory photothermal gradient), in- dicating correlated evolution of thermal physiology and thermal preferences. variability of the preferred body tem- peratures maintained by each species is, across species, negatively correlated with the thermal-performance breadth (range of body temperatures over which lizards can run relatively fast). This pattern leads to interspecific differences in the levels of relative sprint speed that lizards are predicted to attain while active at their preferred temperatures. The highest levels of predicted relative performance are achieved by species that combine a narrow, precise distribution of preferred temperatures with the ability to sprint at near-maximum speeds over a wide range of body temperatures. The observed among-species differences in predicted relative speed were positively correlated with the interspecific variation in maximum sprinting capacities. Thus, species that attain the highest maximum speeds are (1) also able to run at near-maximum levels over a wide range of temperatures and (2) also maintain body temperatures within a narrow zone near the optimal temperature for sprinting. The observed pattern of correlated evolution therefore has involved traits at distinct levels of biological organization, that is, morphology, physiology, and behavior; and trade- offs are not evident. We hypothesize that this particular trait combination has evolved in response to coadaptational selection pressures. We also discuss our results in the context of possible evolutionary responses to global climatic change.

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In this paper we provide quantitative information on the occurrence of larvae and nymphs of the tick Ixodes ricinus in populations of the lizards Lacerta agilis and L. vivipara. Levels of infestation were rather low, at least when compared with those of small mammals and sheep. Hence we suppose that lizards feed only a minor fraction of the total tick population. Differences in tick loads among lizard subpopulations are probably attributable to difference in body size and mobility among the host groups. Ticks exhibit a markedly clumped distribution on the lizards. This distribution pattern fits with the negative binomial distribution. The overdispersed distribution of tick larvae in the field and aspects of the lizards` behaviour are considered as factors which contribute to the observed infestation patterns. Tick larvae were active throughout summer, with peak levels occurring during June-July. Nymphs were most numerous during May-June but almost absent during the summer months. Almost always ticks were attached near the lizards` forelimbs. Possible mortality resulting from tick infestation does not contribute significantly to the overall lizard mortality. Hence, these ectoparasites seem to have but a minor impact on the lizard populations. Differences in tick loads among lizard subpopulations are probably attributable to difference in body size and mobility among the host groups. Ticks exhibit a markedly clumped distribution on the lizards. This distribution pattern fits with the negative binomial distribution. The overdispersed distribution of tick larvae in the field and aspects of the lizards` behaviour are considered as factors which contribute to the observed infestation patterns. Tick larvae were active throughout summer, with peak levels occurring during June-July. Nymphs were most numerous during May-June but almost absent during the summer months. Almost always ticks were attached near the lizards` forelimbs. Possible mortality resulting from tick infestation does not contribute significantly to the overall lizard mortality. Hence, these ectoparasites seem to have but a minor impact on the lizard populations.

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Cryosurgery has been used for the treatment of skin disorders in two lizards and a chelonian. The results of this and a previous application (Green et al., 1977) indicate that cryotherapy may be a valuable surgical tool for use in reptilian veterinary science.

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Im voranstehenden Aufsatz wird eine neue Form der gewöhnlichen Eidechse Lacerta agilis L . als var. Dzieduszyckii m. beschrieben. Dieselbe unterscheidet sich sehr scharf von anderen bekannten Formen dieser Art durch eine besonders charakteristische Zeichnung und Färbung der Rückenzone. Es ist nämlich das Rückenband in zwei Reihen tiefschwarzer, länglicher, hellgrün umsäumter Flecken zerlegt. Das Exemplar, ein Männchen, stammt aus der nächsten Umgebung von Lemberg (Hołosko). Auf der beigesetzten Tafel sind ausser der beschriebenen Varietät noch die ebenfalls aus der Umgebung der Stadt Lemberg bekannten Formen: v. annulata Wern, und lineata Dürigen (albo v. spinalis Wern.) dargestellt.

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This study used skeletochronology to assess the relationships of age and body length of the individuals in a population of the Levant green lizard (Lacerta media), located in the Harmancik Village, Torul District, Gümüshane Province. The mean age and SVL in the adult individuals of the Harmancik population were 101.57 ± 4.04 mm and 5.31 ± 1.34 years for all individuals (101.10 ± 3.61 mm and 5.31 ± 1.03 years in adult females and 102.09 ± 4.57 mm and 5.33 ± 1.67 years in adult males). The age range varied was 4-8 years in adult males and 4-7 years in adult females. The age of the subadult males and subadult females was at 3 years, while the age of the two juveniles was 2 years. A positive correlation was found between body size (SVL) and age in adult female and male individuals of the species. A male-biased sexual size dimorphism (SSD = -0.097) was observed.

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Two new quotations of Lacerta schreiberi are presented. Both of them are from Gui- puzcoa and that permits to extend the oriental limit of the area of distribution of the spe- cies and also to check definitively its presence in the Basque Country.

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A description of the geographical area, soil. vegetation, clima and herpetofauna from the province of Guipuzcoa (Spain) has been made. From a climatical point of view, it has been set that average rain-full was 1727.9 l/year, with 170.5 rain days. Temperatures are mild. During the year the average temperature is 12.6ºC. Along 1978-1979, 796 observations of amphibians and reptiles species have been made. Quotations are distributed by months and by species. For taxonomicals groups correlations have been calculated in order to see the relationship with climatology. At the same time multiple regresion methods have been also used in both the cases results have been positive. Reptiles and lizards species presents a negative correlation with precipitation. Lizards species also with the days of rain-full. All the species, reptiles, lizards and snakes presents a positive correlation with the maximum, mean and minimum temperatures. Reptiles, lizards and snakes presents a positive correlation with the maximum-minimum difference temperature. By the other hand, we comment the relationship between environmental factors and the sun`s time, and the catchings of amphibians and reptiles. Among considered environmental variables, the slope orientation, insolation, cloudness and wind have been choosen. Lastly, spatial distribution of every species has been presented. The 89.6% of the grid squares presents at least one observation. So, for each species found in Guipuzcoa, temporal and spatial distribution and habitat are comented. Up to present, in Guipuzcoa the following species of amphibians and reptiles have been found: Salamandra salamandra, Triturus helveticus, T. marmoratus, Bufo bufo, Alytes obstetricans, Hyla arborea, Rana ridibunda, Rana temporaria, Anguis fragilis, Lacerta schreiberi, L. viridis. L. vivipara, Podarcis muralis, Coronella austriaca, C. girondica, Elaphe longissima, Natrix maura, N. natrix y Vipera seoanei.

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Se publica nuevas citas de anfibios y repti- les para el País Vasco. Triturus alpestris, Disco- glossus pictus, Hyla arborea, H. meridionalis, Bufo calamita, Podarcis hispanica y Lacerta schreiberi son especies que amplían el área de distribución conocido o confirman antiguas re- ferencias bibliográficas, mientras que Rana ibe- rica es una nueva especie para la región.

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The author describes the variety of social behavioural patterns between both sexes of the Green Lizard (Lacerta viridis) in captivity, observed during a complete mating season. The single elements of these behavioural sequences - often developed from ritualization - `display`, `running on the spot`, `turning round and handling of the female` and `tail-biting and march of mating` are discussed. In addition an account of behavioural patterns which prevent or terminate a copulation are provided as well as those of the actual copulation. In this connection it is shown how each partner comprehends a variety of different behaviour patterns and responds to them specifically (= intraspecific communicative elements). The daily development of the mating biology of the Green Lizard is depicted by some extracts of protocol, the seasonal development by a chronological table.

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Urbanisation can be dangerous to biological diversity, but on the other hand cities can enhance local and regional biodiversity by providing habitat analogues for many – sometimes endangered – species that are elsewhere excluded from natural habitats. Sand lizards (Lacerta agilis) are endangered in Germany and populations are declining. This species may colonise urban habitats to a certain degree, but the effects of urban development or urbanisation on their distribution and population densities remain unexplained. The aim of this study was to ascertain if the metropolitan area of Berlin offers secondary habitats for sand lizard populations, which environmental factors affect colonisation success and to what degree they tolerate human impacts. In 2012, sand lizard populations in 30 plots (ten urban, ten suburban, ten rural) were assessed regarding their conservation status and environmental variables. We found 15 sand lizard populations; statistical analyses showed no significant differences in individual numbers among the three urbanisation categories. Regression models revealed that the percentage of suitable nesting sites, basking places and suitable microhabitats had a positive effect on density while individual numbers responded negatively to pets and isolation. Urbanisation neither affected sand lizard population densities nor their conservation status, and optimal habitats appeared independent of urbanisation. Urban as well as metropolitan habitats can therefore serve as refuges for this endangered species and negative impacts can be mitigated by forward-looking management, which is characterised by only minimal interventions.

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Functional aspects of biotopes in the distribution of Amphibians and Reptiles in suburban territory of Padua -- Within a two-years field campaign has been possible to assess the distribution of amphibians and reptiles in the territories surrounding the city of Padua, an area subjected in the last decades to deep transformations related to the strong urban and industrial development. 27 sites have been considered, characterized by riparian zones, abandoned clay/sand pits, woodlands and hedgerows, included in the Padova municipality and the surronding ones. In order to obtain a complete report of the ecology and real distribution of the species, agricultural and urban surroundings of the study area have also been considered. Overall, 8 Amphibian species and 9 Reptile ones have been recorded. The study results an important tool for territorial planning in a municipal, provincial and regional level.

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Buccal swabbing was compared with other tissues as a source of DNA for microsatellite genotyping from two squamate reptiles. For both species, the lizard Lacerta agilis and the snake Coronella austriaca, buccal swabbing proved more reliable than tissues including tail tips, toe clips and ventral scale clips.

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We investigated sand lizard (Lacerta agilis) populations in Britain by genetic analysis across eight polymorphic microsatellite loci. Genetic diversity as determined by mean expected heterozygosity was high in all three distinct regions where the species occurs (Dorset, Surrey and Merseyside), though allelic diversity was lower on Merseyside than in Surrey or Dorset. There was significant genetic differentiation between populations in all three of these widely separated zones, as judged both by Fst and Rst estimators. A genetic test for population bottlenecks confirmed that in at least two of the areas currently inhabited, Surrey and Merseyside, L. agilis has undergone substantial recent declines. The significance of these findings for sand lizard conservation is discussed.

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The incidence of tick-borne diseases has increased in recent years. Studies on sand lizards have demon-strated that they carry a number of acarid species. The purpose of this study was to identify the transmissible pathogenic organisms in Ixodes ricinus removed from Lacerta agilis in the Wielkopolska National Park in 2015. The ticks were identified using a stereomicroscope and by comparing with taxonomical descriptions. Isolation of DNA was performed using a Modified Genomic Maxi AX Direct. The primers used were those used for the detection of haemoparasites transmitted by ticks. In total, 56 nymphs and 34 larvae were re-moved from 15 of 47 examined lizards (overall tick prevalence 31.9%). Larvae and nymphs of Ixodes ricinuswere found on 12 lizards. The highest tick burden was 14 (nymphs). Successful PCR amplicons were fromRickettsia spp. These mono-specific infections did not allow analysis of interactions between co-occurring pathogens. It is clearly necessary to extend this work targeting a much larger sample size of sand lizards and to combine this with concurrent sampling of blood from lizards.

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The kinematic profiles of jaw movements are described for Anolis carolinensis and Lacerta viridis feeding on the same prey item (maggot). A. carolinensis is an iguanian (typified by lingual prey capture) and L. viridis is a scleroglossan (typified by prey capture using jaws alone). A. carolinensis, however, catches maggots by using only the jaws. In so doing, it exhibits the four stages of gape profile considered typical for lizards (slow open, fast open, fast close, slow close). Gape cycle in L. viridis shows a hyperbolic curve (no slow open). Two hypotheses concerning the relationship between the two gape cycles are discussed.

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The kinematics of drinking of Lacerta viridis were analysed. A drinking bout is composed of four phases: approach, immersion, emersion and withdrawal. The tongue and gravity are central to moving water through successive compartments of the buccal cavity and into the oesophagus. Upon the basis of formifunction analysis of water intake and transport, a kinematic modcl of drinking in lizards is proposed.

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The list of amphibians and reptiles living in the Provence-Alpes-Côte d’Azur constitutes an inventory of up-to-date knowledge on herpetofauna. It contains 22 amphibian taxons and 41 reptile taxons. It also contains their regional distribution, a list of the relevant national, European, and international protection laws, as well as the conservation status of each species.

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The list of amphibians and reptiles living in the Provence-Alpes-Côte d’Azur constitutes an inventory of up-to-date knowledge on herpetofauna.

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The author describes the results of many years of research on the erpetological fauna of Mount Adamello.

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The harmful effects of close inbreeding have been recognized for centuries and, with the rise of Mendelian genetics, was realized to be an effect of homozygosis. This historical background led to great interest in ways to quantify inbreeding, its depression effects on the phenotype and flow-on effects on mate choice and other aspects of behavioral ecology. The mechanisms and cues used to avoid inbreeding are varied and include major histocompatibility complex (MHC) molecules and the peptides they transport as predictors of the degree of genetic relatedness. Here, we revisit and complement data from a Swedish population of sand lizards (Lacerta agilis) showing signs of inbreeding depression to assess the effects of genetic relatedness on pair formation in the wild. Parental pairs were less similar at the MHC than expected under random mating but mated at random with respect to microsatellite relatedness. MHC clustered in groups of RFLP bands but no partner preference was observed with respect to partner MHC cluster genotype. Male MHC band patterns were unrelated to their fertilization success in clutches selected for analysis on the basis of showing mixed paternity. Thus, our data suggest that MHC plays a role in pre-copulatory, but not post-copulatory partner association, suggesting that MHC is not the driver of fertilization bias and gamete recognition in sand lizards.

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Reported effects of inbreeding vary among taxa and may depend on a number of factors, including what trait is measured, temporal variability, parental effects, or life history stage. To understand the effects of inbreeding during early life history stages, we estimated the effects of individual-level heterozygosity on hatching success and first year survival in a Swedish population of sand lizards (Lacerta agilis) over a period of almost a decade, using over 4000 eggs, 400 clutches, and over 3000 juveniles. Heterozygosity had a positive effect on hatching success, in standardized laboratory conditions, but no effect on first year survival. Also, both of these measures of viability varied across the years of the study, demonstrating the importance of temporal heterogeneity in pre and post-hatching conditions. Finally, we identified both paternal and maternal identity effects on hatching success. Thus, we show that selection on heterozygosity was not consistent across developmental life stages, emphasizing the need of considering a number of ontogenic stages, as well as potential parental and environmental effects, when studying the effects of heterozygosity on viability in natural populations.

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Reptile habitats are described using various indices. The definitions of such indices are crucial, as they are applied to habitat modelling for numerous species on local to continental scales. We examined the Leaf Area Index (LAI) for its value as a tool for determining reptile habitat. During measurements carried out in spring and summer months between 2011 and 2013, LAI values were assessed and surveys were conducted on reptile fauna at 11 survey sites in the Solska Forest and Roztocze National Parks areas in Eastern Poland. In total, six Squamata reptiles occurring in Poland were found. We determined that LAI can be utilized as a reptile habitat index, with reptile species associated with LAI seasonal variability as well as LAI range. Moreover, we found that the higher the LAI median value, the greater the variety of reptile species. These findings are useful for development of spatial models of habitats based on LAI as they point to the importance of its seasonal variation.

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Four subpopulations of the Sandlizard are known. All are restricted to areas of undulating topography. Their habitat is characterized by patches of bare sand, sun-exposed during a major part of the day, and relatively open areas dominated by heather, grasses (one locality) and shrubs. This habitat occurs at a very small scale; in the form of: 1) south-facing banks of two forest tarns; 2) two small, sandy remnants of a forest fire; 3) some forest ride verges; 4) a powerline corridor; and 5) a grass-grown sandpit. The area of suitable habitat varies between the four localities from 0.1 to 1 ha. They are mainly surrounded by plantations of 20-40 year old pines, within which almost no lizards have been observed.

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The sand lizard Lacerta agilis has declined in most of north-western Europe during the last decades, mainly due to loss and fragmentation of its habitat. The species reaches the northern periphery of its range in central Sweden, with a few, isolated relict populations restricted to large, sandy areas dominated by pine forest. Six local populations within one of these areas were censused during 1984-1998. Two populations went extinct and the remaining four declined, each with less than ten adult females left in 1998. Efficient afforestation and fire suppression seem to be the most important factors behind the recent decline of the species, having reduced the amount of open, suitable habitat. Life table analysis of two populations implied an average 6% decline and 3% increase in population size per year, respectively (λ = 0.94 and 1.03). Simulations of stochastic future population growth for 20 yr with no management predicted a 39% and 8% risk of extinction, respectively. Projected risks of population extinction and decline were highly dependent on the population growth rate, which in turn was greatly affected by the estimates of juvenile survival. Elasticity analysis demonstrated that this latter demographic parameter contributed most to population growth rate under asymptotic conditions. Simulations of five different conservation management options ranked a programme of captive raising (increased juvenile survival in captivity during the first hibernation) or captive breeding (using a breeding stock from the two populations, respectively), in parallel with habitat management, potentially to be the most effective options to drastically reduce the risk of extinction and decline.

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Pine heath forests on sandy sediments occur as `biotope islands` all over Fennoscandia. An important component of the biodiversity within such pine heaths is early successional species restricted to open patches with sparsely vegetated sand. Surveys of the endangered sand lizard Lacerta agilis on a regional scale in south-central Sweden showed that populated pine heaths were significantly larger (median area 65 km²) than those where the species was absent (median area 5 km²). No effect of pine heath isolation was found. Moreover, on a landscape scale, occupied habitat patches within individual pine heaths were significantly larger than patches where the sand lizard had recently gone extinct. Patch isolation had no significant effect. Furthermore, an analysis of presence/absence of ground-nesting spider wasps (Hymenoptera: Pompilidae) on sandy pine heaths of different size showed that species composition was significantly nested. The highest diversity, of all species and red-listed ones, was found on the largest pine heaths, in sympatry with the sand lizard. It is argued that only the largest sandy pine heaths have provided historical continuity of suitable early successional habitat patches with exposed sand for the most dispersal-limited species. Because of forest fire suppression and afforestation since the beginning of the 20th century, many early successional species in sandy pine heath forests are now threatened due to loss of such patches. To provide habitat for these species, measures to re-create early successional patches must be taken. The sand lizard can be used as a cross-taxonomic umbrella species for red-listed spider wasps and other early successional species. However, to preserve the existing threatened biodiversity within a given pine heath (including the many pine heaths where the sand lizard is absent), a strategy of multiple umbrella species and demarcation of patches with key habitat components is needed.

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When habitat loss and fragmentation have caused local populations to become so isolated that among-population dispersal no longer occurs, habitat restoration and reintroduction at the scale of metapopulations should be considered. The potential for metapopulation establishment of the endangered sand lizard (Lacerta agilis) in a sandy pine heath reserve in central Sweden was explored by modelling the effect of differences in: 1) patch size, 2) number of patches, 3) number of introduced juveniles, and 4) among-patch dispersal. My basic model is presented as a spatially explicit, age-structured, stochastic metapopulation model, and it is parameterized with long-term demographic data from two local populations inhabiting the area subject for this study. Simulations of population growth for 50 years showed that the quasi-extinction risk (threshold < 10 females) was > 56% for patches < 1 ha; which is the average size of suitable habitat for inhabited patches during the past 10 years. The quasi-extinction risk decreased to < 6% for patches > 5 ha. Extinction risks decreased with larger propagule size of introduced juveniles and with increasing number of annual introductions. The same total number of introduced juveniles gave roughly the same extinction risk irrespective of if these individuals were placed in 1 patch or divided into several patches in highly correlated, managed metapopulation networks. Dispersal was not important to reduce extinction risks over a 50-year horizon for these types of metapopulation networks. Given that the supply of juveniles for release is limited, it seems that a wise strategy may be to introduce juveniles for three successive years into one patch in each of several metapopulation networks to minimize correlation among the initial populations. Dispersal was probably much more important in the past landscape, with a natural forest fire regime and extensive human activities like forest grazing by cattle, that created spatiotemporal variation in growth rates within sand lizard metapopulation networks. Yet, the potential for substantial dispersal also within future restored networks is important for colonization of empty patches (assuming that juveniles are not introduced into all patches in each network), and for metapopulation persistence on longer, evolutionary time-scales.

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Während eines dreitägigen Aufenthaltes wurde die Herpetofauna von Skiathos (Nördliche Sporaden, Griechenland) untersucht. Insgesamt konnten drei Schlangen- und drei bzw. vier Echsenarten (Coluber najadum, Elaphe situla, Malpolon monspessulanus, Ophisaurus apodus, Podarcis erhardii, Lacerta triliniata und vermutlich Lacerta viridis) beobachtet werden. Eine Schlangenart (Elaphe situla) und zwei Echsenarten (Ophisaurus apodus und Podaras erhardii) sind Erstnachweise für Skiathos.

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The distribution of the Western Green Lizard in Baden-Württemberg ist restricted to the Kaiserstuhl-area and the Tuniberg, a hillside few kilometres south of the Kaiserstuhl-area. In this article we describe new records of the species at the western slopes of the Tuniberg, suggesting that Western Green Lizards are more widespread at the hillside as formerly supposed. However, population density at the western slopes seems to be rather small as suggested by the low numbers of individuals found. Habitats inhabitated by the species do not differ from those of the Kaiserstuhl-area. Since the area between Kaiserstuhl and Tuniberg hill contains no suitable habitats for Western Green Lizards, contacts between both populations are rather unlikely.

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Cyrtodactylus kotschyi tinensig n. subsp. is olescribed as ä hew subspecies from Tinos. This subspecies is distinguished from C. k. saronicus by the larger number of tubercles on the thigh. lt` is distributed on Andros too, while Ce k. kotschyi occurs on the Syros-Archipelago, and intermediate popülations between C. k, tinensis n. subsp. and C. k. saronicus ranging over Seriphos, Jyaros, Myconos, Naxe, Ikaria and the adjacent Islands. From-Ikaria, Agama stellio daani n. subsp. is described. It differs from A. s. stellio in its blackish grey instead of yellow or red head, the dark spotted throat and in serological characters. All ^^ A» s`^1^0 whi0^ h-as tieen added to the nominate sub- sp ecTe^~Toj^iirly belong to this subspecies, beside those of the Mycpnos-Archipelago which have to remain to A.s, stellio. The Podarcis erhardi from Syros and Stapod`ia do not belong to P. e. `mykoriensis; they intermediate between this subspecies and` P.e. naxensis. Also Matrix natriy from the Northern Cyclades`does not belong to` N. n^persa but intermediate between this rac?e and H. n> schw`eizerT7 The green`lizards of Tinos are Lacgrta triliheata; this race, now named L. t. citrovittata occurs also on Andros and probably on Mycöno s toQ,`while the L. trilineata of Syros belong to the same race as those from Naxe.` The records of ERHARD, V. HELPREICH and ERBER (partly) were omitted out of the qhecklist as very doubtful. Tab. 2 Shows which kinds of amphibians and reptiles occur on the Northern Cyclades`. The following species were first recorded fropi several Islands in th^s paper: Cyrtodactylus kotschyi (Tragonisi), Hemidae-frylus turcicus (Aridros, Tinos, Hyconos, Jyaros), Agamä^atglljo (Riniaj, PocLarcIs erhardi (Tragonisi, Stapodia, Cherrönisi, Strongylo~7 Schinonisi, Aspronisi, Hegalo and Hikro Gaidaronisi), Ablepharus kitaibelii (Jyaros, Rinia), Elaphe situla (Tinos), Elaphe quatuor—^ `Ij.nea.tj9. (Tipps), Natrlx`.hätriy (Tinos), Confirination is givep` `to many recörds, especially from the last Century (s, £ig. 1, tab. 2). The herpetofaunas of Andros, Tinos and the Myconos- Archipelago are y^ry similar, while that of Syros resembles more those of the Centra,! Cyclades. In summing up the differences between the Northern Cyclades and the •Western or Central Cyclades are rather small. The herpetofauna of Ikaria is rather similar to that of the Northern Cyclades too. But there are large differences between the herpeto- fauna of the Cyclades and that of the mainland and Euboee. In the case of the amphibians and reptiles, the wetland and the terrassed fields, many of them are abandoned now and give rise to phryganas, ma,cchias and secondary `woodlands with all stages of succession, are the most important habitats. But phryganas and intensively cultivated areas were settled by few species only, and in the towns only Hemidactylus turcicus occurs. More extended rocky areas ^ithbüf äny` Vegetation do not bear any amphibians or reptiles. Those species which are restricted merely to wetlands like Bufo bufo, Bufo viridis, Rana ridibunda, M caspica, L`acer.ta trilineata ahd Nafrlx natrix are rather `endangered `on the` Northern Cyclades by habitat destruction, and some populations of these species may have disappeared in the meantime.

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Reptile assemblages across agricultural landscapes: where does biodiversity hide?— The transition from traditional to intensive farming, aimed at large–scale production, has rapidly altered agricultural landscapes, leading to the reduction and fragmentation of natural habitats and to the consequent loss of biodiversity. Herpetofauna is seriously threatened by agriculture intensification worldwide, but less is known about its distribution in agro–ecosystems, especially at field scale. We analysed reptile abundance and diversity in eight agricultural and semi–natural land uses, and inside vegetated buffer strips interspersed among fields. Interestingly, most reptiles were recorded in the buffer strips while intensive crops and pastures hosted just one lizard species. Richness of individuals and species increased when strips were connected to semi–natural areas, independently of their width and vegetation structure. In view of our results, that highlight the role of minor landscape features for the presence of vertebrates in intensive agro–ecosystems, we recommend the implementation of buffer strips among the measures for vertebrate conservation in agricultural landscapes.

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Lacerta schreiberi is a close relative of L. viridis. Differences between the species are: L. schreiberi has a wider occipital scale than the interparietal and eight rows of ventral scales. L. viridis has a less wide occipital than the interparietal and six rowsofventrals. Sexualdifferencesare: malesare mostlygreen,heavilyspottedwithblack,andha- ve c l e a r f e m o r a l p o r e s . F e m a l es a r e e i t h e r g r e e n o r brown, with rather big black dots, more or less ar- ranged in rows. L. schreiberi lives in Northern, Western and Middle Iberia. They are found most commonly near flowing water, however someti- mes these lizards are found in dry oakforest. The lizards are kept in a glasshouse. In winter they hi- bernate in the glasshouse. Hibernation places are insulated by a layer of dry leaves.

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This article is a continuation of a former article (BIARD, 1989), of which a short summary is gi- ven. A female L. schreiberi was bought pregnant. It laid 17 eggs, which, at temperatures between 28 and 30 oc hatched 42 days later. The next year the same female, and another one, living in an outdoor vivarium, each laid 19 eggs. Incubated the same way as the first clutch, these eggs were fully developed after six weeks, but most juveniles died in the eggshell and just a few hatched. In the dead juveniles malformations we- re observed. The following year, a couple of L. schreiberi was kept indoor and given artificial light, vitamine AD3 and calcium. Twelve eggs were produced in January. They all hatched without problems after six weeks. Juveniles were raised in an indoor vivarium. It is heated by a 25 W lightbulb and accomodation consists of humid peat soil, dry sand and a piece of cork. Crickets, and to a lesser extent buffalo- worms, both enriched with Gistocal to complete the diet. Within half a year the juveniles became sexual active and the females produced their first eggs.

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Lacerta schreiberi is a lizard that is especially suited to an outdoor terrarium. Provided that the necessary precautions are taken, this species is relatively easy to breed. Females and males of this species can be distinguished easily by the pattern of spots on their back. The scalation of the head does not give conclusive information on the animal’s sex. In nature these lizards are often found near water, but definitely not always. Under Dutch climatic conditions, these animals can be kept outside perfectly well. During the summer months my terraria are mostly open on the top, but in the winter they are covered again. The bottom substrate consists mainly of rocks, with only one suitable place where the animals can lay their eggs. There is a hiding place where the animals can retreat in winter, or during the summer when the conditions are unfavourable. The remainder of the decoration consists of some plants and logs. The lizards are mostly fed mealworms and their drinking water is enriched with vitamins A and D3.

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Das Vermögen, sich kompaBgerecht nach dem Stand der Sonne zu orientieren und ihre tageszeitliche Wanderung einzurechnen, ist seit den grundlegenden Entdeckungen von K. v. Frisch (1950, 1951) an der Biene auch bei zahlreichen anderen Vertretern der Arthropoden und Wirbeltiere nachgewiesen worden. Soweit wir heute wissen, setzt das Richtungsfinden mittels eines Himmelsgestirnes mindestens zwei Grundleistungen des tierischen Organismus voraus: erstens die Fähigkeit, „Zeit zu messen“ (physiologische oder innere Uhr; vgl. Bünning, 1958; Aschoff, 1960); zweitens den zeitgerechten Gebrauch eines Orientierungsmechanismus, der die tageszeitlichen Azimutänderungen des Gestirnes „rechnerisch“ mit Hilfe der inneren Uhr kompensiert. Während das erste Grundvermögen wohl eine sehr allgemeine Eigenschaft von Lebewesen ist, wie es der tagesrhythmische, annähernd mit der Erdumdrehung synchronisierte Ablauf zahlreicher Lebensprozesse bei Tieren und Pflanzen zeigt, sichert das zweite Vermögen speziellere Lebensbedürfnisse des tierischen Organismus; die Fähigkeit, Zeit zu messen, wird dabei in den Dienst der Orientierungsfunktion gestellt.

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The final part of a series of papers on the lizards of the Caucasus, that have been published in previous years. The paper reports on the life habits, capture and keeping in terraria of several lizards of Soviet Transcaucasia. In these respects the agamid Phrynocephalus helioscopus persi- cus and three species of the lacertid genus Eremias occuring in that area (i. e. strauchi, velox, pleskei) are discussed. Finally a !ist of all lizard species and subspecies actually known to occur in this region is given.

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Remarks on distribution and mode of life of Lacerta agilis. Short review of its subspecies . Critical remarks on their status.