Zoology in the Middle East

Volume 59, Issue 1, 2013

0939-7140 (Print), 2326-2680 (Online)

Taylor & Francis
All articles, both print and online versions, are fully copyright-protected.

Covered in the Science Citation Index Expanded (SCIE). Admitted to ISI Master Journal list and covered by the BioSciences Information Service (Biosis Previews) and Biological Preview (abstract/cover page), the Zoological Record and many other review organs.

Access Options: http://www.tandfonline.com/toc/tzme20/current#.UZ8U1Z3wCig

 

 

Mozafar Sharifi and Somaye Vaissi

Postnatal growth in the Long-fingered Bat, Miniopterus schreibersii pallidus, in Iran (Chiroptera: Miniopteridae)

Abstract. This study describes the postnatal development of body mass, forearm length and ep-iphyseal phalangeal gap in a free ranging population of the Long-fingered Bat, Miniopterus schreibersii pallidus Thomas, 1907, in a maternity roost in the Mahidasht cave in western Iran. The pups at birth had a mean body mass of 3.74±0.09 g and forearm length of 24.3±0.31mm. The length of forearm and body mass increased linearly during first two weeks, and thereafter maintained an apparent stability. The epiphyseal gap of the fourth metacarpal phalangeal joint increased until the thirteenth day, then decreased linearly until the 70th day and thereafter fused. The rate of body mass gain and forearm growth during the first 13 days was 0.54 g/day and 1.39 mm/day, respectively. Initiation of flight occurred three weeks after birth. A method of estimating age was derived from the values of the forearm length and the total gap of the fourth metacarpal-phalangeal joint during the pre-flight and post-flight periods.

Keywords: Miniopterus schreibersii pallidus, postnatal growth, body mass, forearm length, epiphyseal gap.

Zoology in the Middle East 59(1), 2013: 1-5.     |   Access Options: http://www.tandfonline.com/toc/tzme20/current#.UZ8U1Z3wCig

Hakan Karaardıç and Leyla Özkan

Breeding ecology of the Greater Short-toed Lark (Calandrella brachydactyla) in southern Turkey (Aves: Passeriformes)

Abstract. The breeding season of the Greater Short-toed Lark (Calandrella brachydactyla) be-gins in southern Turkey in late-March (first clutch on 31 March) and extends over three months (latest start of breeding in mid-June). 78.4% pairs produced a second and 13.5% pairs a third brood. The incubation period lasted 12 to 14 days. The average clutch size was 3.97 eggs/nest (3–5 eggs), with a mean number of hatched eggs of 2.86 in first and 2.93 in second broods. The mean number of fledglings was 2.39 in the first and 1.52 in the second broods. The predation level was very high (25.4% nests and 45.3% hatchlings were predated) and the main predators were Hooded Crow (Corvus corone) and Least Weasel (Mustela nivalis).

Keywords: Breeding success, fledgling, first brood, second brood, predation, southern Turkey.

Zoology in the Middle East 59(1), 2013: 6-9.     |   Access Options: http://www.tandfonline.com/toc/tzme20/current#.UZ8U1Z3wCig

Ahmad Gharzi and Afsaneh Yari

Age determination in the Snake-eyed Lizard, Ophisops elegans, by means of skeletochronology (Reptilia: Lacertidae)

Abstract. Age estimation and growth were studied in a population of Ophisops elegans in the Kermanshah region, Iran, by skeletochronology. Age was determined for individual lizards by counting the number of lines of arrested growth (LAG) in cross-sections taken from femoral bones. According to data provided here, the maximum life span of females and males was 5 and 4 years, respectively. The average longevity of males was 2.15 years and 2.20 years for females. The mean snout-vent length (SVL) of specimens collected from this region was 48.75 mm with no significant difference between males and females. Based on the information provided here and by other workers, we concluded that the LAG observed in this specific taxon is the result of hibernation. Other environmental factors such as feeding and prey availability do not have any effect on the production of the LAG.

Keywords: Ophisops elegans, skeletochoronology, lines of arrested growth (LAG), hibernation.

Zoology in the Middle East 59(1), 2013: 10-15.     |   Access Options: http://www.tandfonline.com/toc/tzme20/current#.UZ8U1Z3wCig

Stephen R. Goldberg

Reproduction in Bosk’s Fringe-fingered Lizard, Acanthodactylus boskianus from Israel (Squamata: Lacertidae)

Abstract. Acanthodactylus boskianus are reproductively active in Israel from March to June. Mean clutch size was 3.2±0.20, range 3–4. Males reach maturity at 50 mm snout-vent length, and females at 48 mm SVL respectively. The mean SVL of males was significantly larger than that of females. There was no evidence that females produce multiple clutches.

Keywords: Spermiogenesis, spermatogenesis, oviductal eggs, maturity size, clutches, reproduction.

Zoology in the Middle East 59(1), 2013: 16-19.     |   Access Options: http://www.tandfonline.com/toc/tzme20/current#.UZ8U1Z3wCig

Vida Hojati, Kazem Parivar, Eskandar Rastegar-Pouyani, and Abdolhossein Shiravi

Observations on the spermatogenic cycle of the Caspian Bent-toed Gecko, Cyrtopodion caspium, in Iran (Sauria: Gekkonidae)

Abstract. Spermatogenesis in the Caspian Bent-toed Gecko, Cyrtopodion caspium, was studied in Mazandaran Province, northern Iran. Sampling took place periodically every 15 days during the activity period of this species at night, from 5 April to 20 October 2011. In total, 70 adult males were captured by hand. Testes were removed and processed for histological and morphometric studies. The results show that spermatogenesis begins in early April, reaches its peak in late May and early June, and ends in early to mid August. The maximum level of sperm production occurred in early June. The minimum diameter, weight and volume of testes were observed in early August. Three phases were observed during the activity period for spermatogenesis in C. caspium: active, transitional and inactive phases. Spermatogenesis of C. caspium in Iran is seasonal and alternate.

Keywords:. Reproductive system, lizard, gecko, testes, Cyrtopodion caspium, Iran.

Zoology in the Middle East 59(1), 2013: 20-29.     |   Access Options: http://www.tandfonline.com/toc/tzme20/current#.UZ8U1Z3wCig

Bektaş Sönmez, Cemal Turan, and Şükran Yalçın Özdilek

Comparison of the physical properties of two Green Turtle (Chelonia mydas) nesting beaches (Akyatan and Samandağ) in the eastern Mediterranean (Reptilia: Cheloniidae)

Abstract. The physical properities of sea turtle nesting beaches may strongly influence embryo development and hence conservation planning. In this study, we compared the characteristics of two nesting beaches of Green Turtles, Chelonia mydas, at Akyatan and Samandağ in southern Turkey. A total of 48 sand samples from 48 nests was examined and compared in respect to moisture content (M), temperature (TT), electrical conductivity (EC), salinity (S), total dissolved solution (TDS), pH, air ratio (AR), sand grain size together with distance from sea (DFS), depth (ND), incubation period (ID) and hatching success. Significant differences between the two areas were found in nest chamber moisture, conductivity, salinity, total dissolved solution and sand grain size. In a principal component analysis (PCA), the first component explained 45.1% of the variability and was dominated by the effects of the TDS, EC, S, pH and M. The second component explained 24.2 % of the variation and was dominated by the contributions of the TT, ID and ND. This is evidence that moisture plays a more important role than thermal properties in differentiating between the two beaches.

Keywords: Nesting beaches, marine turtle, incubation biology, Chelonia mydas, Akyatan, Samandağ, Mediterranean Sea,

Zoology in the Middle East 59(1), 2013: 30-38.     |   Access Options: http://www.tandfonline.com/toc/tzme20/current#.UZ8U1Z3wCig

Yusuf Bektaş, Ali Osman Beldüz, and Davut Turan

The phylogenetic position of Turkish populations within the European Bitterling, Rhodeus amarus (Osteichthyes: Cyprinidae)

Abstract. The partial sequence of the mitochondrial cytochrome b gene (1047 bp) was analysed in order to clarify the phylogenetic position of Turkish populations within the European Bitterling, Rhodeus amarus. 17 haplotypes were identified from the 57 individuals representing 4 different localities in Thrace Region, the south Marmara basin and the north-central Black Sea coast of Anatolia. Median-joining network and phylogenetic trees (MP, ML, and BI) revealed that Turkish haplotypes constitute a monophyletic unit containing three main haplogroups and accumulated with eastern lineages of the European Bitterling. The results presented in this study suggest that Anatolian haplotypes should be exhaustively evaluated at the lineage level and related to the three separate Anatolian groups identified within the European Bitterling, which probably originated in the Middle Pleistocene.

Keywords: European Bitterling, Turkey, mtDNA lineage, phylogeny, cytochrome b.

Zoology in the Middle East 59(1), 2013: 39-50.     |   Access Options: http://www.tandfonline.com/toc/tzme20/current#.UZ8U1Z3wCig

Hasan Fazli, Mohammad Ali Afraei Bandpei, Reza Pourgholam, and Aboulghasem Roohi

Long-term changes in fecundity of the Kutum, Rutilus frisii kutum Kamensky, 1901, in the Caspian Sea (Osteichthyes: Cyprinidae)

Abstract. Changes in length, weight and fecundity of mature females of the Kutum (Rutilus frisii kutum) were compared for the periods 1948–1950, 1974 and 2007 in Iranian waters of the Caspian Sea. The average fork length decreased from 54.1 over 44.7 to 43.9 cm and the average weight from 2181 over 1295 to 1210 g. However, the average condition factor has remained fairly constant and varied between 1.35 and 1.38. The potential fecundity of the Kutum for the three periods also decreased from 106,800 over 74,600 to 64,400 eggs. Size and fecundity of the Caspian Kutum has therefore sharply declined during the last six decades. The reduction of fecundity is apparently the consequence of the shift towards smaller fish size.

Keywords: Long-term changes in fecundity, size truncation, Rutilus frisii kutum, Caspian Sea.

Zoology in the Middle East 59(1), 2013: 51-58.     |   Access Options: http://www.tandfonline.com/toc/tzme20/current#.UZ8U1Z3wCig

Jafar Seyfabadi, Milad Motazedi, Saber Khodabandeh, Nabiallah Kheirabadi, and Mohsen Safaei

Shell selection in the Land Hermit Crab, Coenobita scaevola (Forskål, 1775), from Larak Island, Persian Gulf (Decapoda: Coenobitidae)

Abstract. Identification and some shell selection indices of Land Hermit Crabs, Coenobita scaevola (Forskål, 1775), were studied in the Larak Island from July 2009 to March 2010. This is the only hermit crab found on the island. Among 326 specimens studied, 15 different gastropod shell types were used by the crabs as shelters, the selection of which was found to be mainly related to the availability of the shells in the environment. More than 280 laboratory tests indicated that if there was no limitation in finding different species of gastropod shells, then the preferred species were different from those that were selected in the natural ecosystem. It was also found that the bigger the crab, the larger the shells that they preferred, rather than those that fitted them, so that the shell could be used for longer periods of time.

Keywords: Crustacea, shell selection behaviour, Coenobita scaevola.

Zoology in the Middle East 59(1), 2013: 59-65.     |   Access Options: http://www.tandfonline.com/toc/tzme20/current#.UZ8U1Z3wCig

Mykola M. Kovblyuk, Zoya A. Kastrygina, Yuri M. Marusik, and Mikhail M. Omelko

Redescription of the spider Haplodrassus caspius Ponomarev & Belosludtsev, 2008, with the first description of the male (Araneae: Gnaphosidae)

Abstract. Haplodrassus caspius Ponomarev & Belosludtsev, 2008, previously known only from females from northern Ciscaspian, is redescribed on the basis of the types and newly collected material. The male of Haplodrassus caspius is described for the first time. New findings extend the known range of the species southwestward to Azerbaijan.

Keywords: Russia, Azerbaijan, new record, redescriptions, ground spider.

Zoology in the Middle East 59(1), 2013: 66-69.     |   Access Options: http://www.tandfonline.com/toc/tzme20/current#.UZ8U1Z3wCig

Mazin B. Qumsiyeh, Ibrahim N. A. Salman, Michael Salsaa’, Zuhair S. Amr

Records of scorpions from the Palestinian Territories, with the first chromosomal data (Arachnida: Scorpiones)

Abstract. Seven species were collected from several habitats in the West Bank, namely Leiurus quinquestriatus, Androctonus crassicauda, Compsobuthus werneri, Orthochirus scrobiculosus, Hottentotta judaicus, Nebo hierichonticus, and Scorpio maurus. Karyotypic data on Leiurus quinquestriatus (2n=22), Hottentotta judaicus (2n=16), and Scorpio maurus fuscus (2n=52) are reported here for the first time.

Keywords: Scorpions, Arachnida, Palestinian Territories, karyotype.

Zoology in the Middle East 59(1), 2013: 70-76.     |   Access Options: http://www.tandfonline.com/toc/tzme20/current#.UZ8U1Z3wCig

Ayşe Toluk and Nusret Ayyıldız

New and unrecorded oribatid mites from Kahramanmaraş province in Turkey (Acari: Orbatida)

Abstract. Two species of brachypyline oribatid mites are reported from soil and litter in Kahramanmaraş province, Turkey. These are Epimerella marasensis sp. nov., new to science, and Zetorchestes grandjeani Krisper, 1987, the first Turkish record. An identification key for the known species of Epimerella is provided.

Keywords: Acari, Oribatida, new species, new record, Kahramanmaraş, Turkey.

Zoology in the Middle East 59(1), 2013: 77-83.     |   Access Options: http://www.tandfonline.com/toc/tzme20/current#.UZ8U1Z3wCig

Raşit Urhan and Murat Öztaş

A new species of mite from Turkey: Zercon mirabilis sp. n. (Acari: Zerconidae)

Abstract. Zercon mirabilis sp.n., collected from Giresun province in Turkey, is described and illustrated on the basis of adult females. The species is closely related to Z. septemporus Urhan, 2001, Z. kackaricus Urhan & Ekiz, 2002 and Z. similifoveolatus Ivan & Călugăr, 2004. The distinguishing characters of these four related species are discussed.

Keywords: Acari, Zerconidae, Zercon, taxonomy, Turkey, Middle East.

Zoology in the Middle East 59(1), 2013: 84-88.     |   Access Options: http://www.tandfonline.com/toc/tzme20/current#.UZ8U1Z3wCig

Short Communications

Hamid Reza Esmaeili, Hashem Malekzehi, Abdolrahim Pazira, Jörg Freyhof

First record of the Kalabans, Bangana dero (Hamilton, 1822), from Iran (Teleostei: Cyprinidae)

Zoology in the Middle East 59(1), 2013: 89-90.     |   Access Options: http://www.tandfonline.com/toc/tzme20/current#.UZ8U1Z3wCig

Aydın Topçu, Osman Seyyar, Nurcan Demircan

A contribution to the cave spider fauna of Turkey (Araneae)

Zoology in the Middle East 59(1), 2013: 90-92.     |   Access Options: http://www.tandfonline.com/toc/tzme20/current#.UZ8U1Z3wCig

Nurçin Gülşahin*, Ahmet Nuri Tarkan, and Gökçen Bilge

The hydrozoan Geryonia proboscidalis (Forskål, 1775), new for Turkey (Hydrozoa)

Zoology in the Middle East 59(1), 2013: 93-94.     |   Access Options: http://www.tandfonline.com/toc/tzme20/current#.UZ8U1Z3wCig

 

 

 

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Zoology in the Middle East