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The basic anatomy of the lacertid hemipenis (intromittent organ) and methods for its investigation are described. In many members of the Lacertidae, the hemipenis has a structure quite unlike that of other squamate reptiles: the distal lobes of the retracted organ are complexly folded and there is a well-defined supporting structure of dense connective tissue, the armature. This incorporates blood sinuses and has an intramuscular portion embedded in the m. retractor penis magnus and two club-shaped bodies, the clavulae, that support the lobes in the erect organ. Unarmatured hemipenes occur in some lacertids and, like those of other squamates, possess sac-like lobes in the retracted state, but they are singular in having the lobes invested by the m. retractor penis magnus. It is argued that many of these apparently primitive hemipenes are in fact secondary derivatives of the armatured type. There is considerable inter-specific variation in hemipenial structure which is described systematically. In some cases this involves differences in size, asymmetry and simplification, which may arise as physical isolating mechanisms and is useful in distinguishing otherwise very similar species, particularly in the genus Mesalina (p. 1253). Other shared derived hemipenial features provide useful information about relationships between species and higher taxa and a summary of the hypotheses that they support is given (p. 1254).

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This study aims at providing the first faunistic and ecological data on the herpetofauna of the Oum El Bouaghi region. The observation period was spread over two seasons (2018-2019), from mid-March to the end of October. A total of 18 species of reptiles and 4 species of amphibians have been recorded. The data collected were analyzed in terms of the biogeographical and trophic aspects of the herpetofauna of the study area. The region of Oum El Bouaghi has a great herpetofaunistic diversity, which shows how important it is to ensure its protection.

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Cette note est destinée à faire le point sur le peuplement herpétologique du Maroc. Elle comprend: — Une liste des formes effectivement présentes au Maroc, avec les affinités biogéographiques des espèces, et éventuellement les travaux récents où ces formes sont étudiées. — Des commentaires sur les espèces africaines douteuses en Europe et européennes douteuses en Afrique. — Une liste des espèces à rechercher au Maroc. — Une discussion sommaire sur la systématique de certaines espèces marocaines.

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An analysis of geographic distribution areas of the 41 taxa of Reptiles sampled or observed in the Aures massif is provided at two levels. At the overall level, eight groups of biogeographic affinities have been set apart; the number of mediterranean species (49 %) about equals that of saharian ones (46 %). 95 % of the total number of Reptiles species are of palearctic origin. At the regional level, we have distinguished three distribution types: (1) insular areas, isolated from populations of the neighbouring regions, with a continuous or a fragmented pattern in the Aurcs massif ; (2) parapatric areas with juxtaposed or overlapped ecological habitat ranges; (3) sympatric areas of allotopic or syntopic species. Hypothesis about origin and settlement of the Aures herpetofauna are infered.

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Two species of Ophisops, O. occidentalis and O. elegans (Lacertidae), occur in the Aures massif, Algeria, with a parapatric distribution. In relation to current ecological and bioclimatical factors, this situation is explained by an interspecific exclusion favouring O. occidentalis. Quaternary climatic modifications may have been responsible for wide variations in the distribution areas of Ophisops in Northern Africa, and account for their current geographical separation.

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La présente étude vient apporter les premières données faunistiques et écologiques sur les amphibiens et reptiles en Kabylie de la Soummam, région dont, à notre connaissance, aucune étude n’a été consacrée à ce sujet auparavant. Le travail de terrain s’est étalé du début avril à fin juin 2006, en suivant un protocole d’échantillonnage par stations au niveau des principales zones humides de la région (cours d’eau permanents et mares temporaires) ainsi que de quelques milieux terrestres. Un total de 6 espèces d’amphibiens et 17 espèces de reptiles a été identifié dans la région. Les données recueillies sur le peuplement herpétologique et le milieu ont fait l’objet d’une discussion autour des aspects faunistiques, biogéographiques et écologiques de l’herpétofaune de la zone étudiée et dégager quelques pistes de recherche à développer dans l’avenir.

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Reptiles are a successful group in subtropical arid regions. However, little is known about the drivers that influence the diversity of arid reptile communities. One approach is to investigate the variation in phylogenetic structure of the communities along a broad environmental gradient. In this study, I investigated these patterns in the communities of lacertids at the periphery of the Sahara Desert in Tunisia. The effect of the environment was assessed based on a set of variables describing the climate, topography, substrate and cover of perennial vegetation. The phylogenetic alpha diversity was described using the mean pairwise distance (MPD) and the mean nearest taxon distance (NTD) metrics. The analyses showed that the lacertid species could be clustered into three main ecological groups: mesic (Podarcis vaucheri, Psammodromus algirus, Psammodromus blanci, Timon pater), xeric (Acanthodactylus blanci, Acanthodactylus boskianus, Acanthodactylus maculatus, Mesalina olivieri, Ophisops occidentalis), and hyperxeric (Acanthodactylus dumerilii, Acanthodactylus longipes, Acanthodactylus scutellatus, Mesalina guttulata). The analyses also indicated that environment had a weak influence on species richness (15.7% of explained variance), but a strong effect on the phylogenetic (76.5% NTD, 89.5% MPD) structure. The lacertid communities tended to be phylogenetically clustered on sandy substrates under arid climate conditions, and overdispersed under more humid climatic conditions.

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Une comparaison de l`herpétofaune du Maroc et de la Jordanie est esquissée. Ces deux pays ont été choisis parce qu`ils se situent aux extrémités ouest et est de la Méditerranée, et que j`ai eu l`opportunité d`y séjourner plusieurs fois. Bien que distants de 3 700 km l`un de l`autre, ces deux pays présentent de nombreuses affinités dans la composition de leurs herpétofaunes respectives. Ceci est dû entre autres à des configurations géographiques en partie comparables. En revanche, l`isolation des plaines de l`ouest Marocain par les chaînes de l`Atlas et l`influence océanique très marquée ont favorisé la persistance d`espèces relictuelles endémiques et la différentiation d`espèces distinctes de part et d`autre de l`axe atlasique, alors que la Jordanie ne comporte aucune espèce endémique à ce seul pays. Enfin, le Maroc est presque huit fois plus étendu que la Jordanie, ce qui n`est pas négligeable quand on s`intéresse à la richesse spécifique d`un pays. En effet, le Maroc compte au moins 119 espèces d`amphibiens et de reptiles et la Jordanie, 100 espèces. Dans l`état actuel des connaissances taxonomiques, 13 espèces sont encore considérées comme les mêmes au Maroc et en Jordanie, presque toutes cependant représentées par des sous-espèces bien différenciées et/ou par des lignées très divergentes. Trente-deux genres sont communs aux deux pays, dont beaucoup sont des taxons des régions arides et désertiques, zones toutes plus ou moins reliées entre elles et non séparées par des barrières géographiques très anciennes. Vingt-sept genres présents au Maroc sont inconnus en Jordanie et 24 genres présents en Jordanie sont inconnus au Maroc. Contrairement aux similitudes des deux herpétofaunes, les différences sont surtout marquées chez les espèces méditerranéennes, auxquelles se joignent quelques éléments afro-tropicaux absents de Jordanie. Plusieurs exemples de couples d`espèces Maroc / Jordanie ont été commentés sur la base de photos originales prises dans les deux pays. Le genre Mesalina a fait l`objet d`une attention particulière, avec la mise en évidence de deux espèces supplémentaires pour la Jordanie: Mesalina bahaeldini et M. microlepis.

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Several recent papers have reviewed the life and work of French herpetologist Louis Amédée Lantz. They have detailed the composition of his collections deposited in several museums. However, since then, several other important specimens from his collections deposited at the Natural History Museum (NHM, UK) have come to light and we here present all of them in detail. We discovered paralectotypes of Lacerta saxicola obscura Lantz & Cyrén (BMNH 1918.11.21.5–7), syntypes of Lacerta boemica Sukhov (BMNH 1960.1.4.26–30, BMNH 1965.337–342) and Lacerta viridis media Lantz & Cyrén (BMNH 1960.1.4.25, 1966.512). We also identified numerous specimens from the French Mediterranean islands in Lantz’s collection deposited at the NHM, some of which represent the first reported specimens of their species from certain islands. We here provide data on all these specimens. We also place the Mediterranean island specimens from the Lantz collection in their historical context and emphasize the historical and taxonomic value of these collections.

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The snake-eyed lizards of the genus Ophisops (Lacertidae) have been through a series of taxonomical revisions, but still their phylogenetic relationships remain uncertain. In the present study we estimate the phylogeographic structure of O. elegans across its distributional range and we evaluate the relationships between O. elegans and the sympatric, in North Africa, species O. occidentalis, using partial mtDNA sequences (16S rRNA, COI, and cyt b). All phylogenetic analyses produced topologically identical trees where extant populations of O. elegans and O. occidentalis were found polyphyletic. Taking into account all the potential causes of polyphyly (introgressive hybridization, incomplete lineage sorting, and imperfect taxonomy) we suggest the inaccurate taxonomy as the most likely explanation for the observed pattern. Our results stress the need for re-evaluation of the current taxonomical status of these species and their subspecies. Furthermore, our biogeographic analyses and the estimated time of divergences suggest a late Miocene diversification within these species, where the present distribution of O. elegans and O. occidentalis was the result of several dispersal and vicariant events, which are associated with climatic oscillations (the late Miocene aridification of Asia and northern Africa) and paleogeographic barriers of late Miocene and Pliocene period.

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Aim To map and assess the richness patterns of reptiles (and included groups: amphisbaenians, crocodiles, lizards, snakes and turtles) in Africa, quantify the overlap in species richness of reptiles (and included groups) with the other terrestrial vertebrate classes, investigate the environmental correlates underlying these patterns, and evaluate the role of range size on richness patterns. Location Africa. Methods We assembled a data set of distributions of all African reptile species. We tested the spatial congruence of reptile richness with that of amphibians, birds and mammals. We further tested the relative importance of temperature, precipitation, elevation range and net primary productivity for species richness over two spatial scales (ecoregions and 1° grids). We arranged reptile and vertebrate groups into range-size quartiles in order to evaluate the role of range size in producing richness patterns. Results Reptile, amphibian, bird and mammal richness are largely congruent (r = 0.79–0.86) and respond similarly to environmental variables (mainly productivity and precipitation). Ecoregion size accounts for more variation in the richness of reptiles than in that of other groups. Lizard distributions are distinct with several areas of high species richness where other vertebrate groups (including snakes) are species-poor, especially in arid ecoregions. Habitat heterogeneity is the best predictor of narrow-ranging species, but remains relatively important in explaining lizard richness even for species with large range sizes. Main conclusions Reptile richness varies with similar environmental variables as the other vertebrates in Africa, reflecting the disproportionate influence of snakes on reptile richness, a result of their large ranges. Richness gradients of narrow-ranged vertebrates differ from those of widespread taxa, which may demonstrate different centres of endemism for reptile subclades in Africa. Lizard richness varies mostly with habitat heterogeneity independent of range size, which suggests that the difference in response of lizards is due to their ecological characteristics. These results, over two spatial scales and multiple range-size quartiles, allow us to reliably interpret the influence of environmental variables on patterns of reptile richness and congruency.

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In order to study the composition of the south Kabylie’s herpétofauna (Bouira’s and Bordj Bou Arreridj’s wilaya), we have chosen six different ecological areas. 19 species (1 Amphibian and 18 Reptiles) have been inventoried. They are mainly of mediterranean origin (12 species of 19) with 3 species typically North Africans (Timon pater, Chalcides chalcides and Mesalina olivieri). But in this herpétofauna we have found two saharian species (Psammophis schokari and Mesalina olivieri). The field analysis of the species distribution showed that the landscape composition played an important role. Some species such as P. algirus frequented various areas, others such as Natrix natrix and Natrix maura preferred humid areas, Acanthodactylus erythrurus localized in biotopes with sandy substratum, also Timon. pater who frequents forests, on the six community studied none presents q high diversity. The main important specific riches were observed in the low scrub (10 species). The intermediate situation that corresponds to the average of the diversity and the regularity was observed in the rocky open ground and the low scrub.

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Observational data collected from bibliography and during herpetological surveys in northern Morocco between 1989 and 2014 were plotted to generate updated distribution maps of amphibians and reptiles using a UTM 5 x 5 km grid system. Eleven amphibians and 53 reptiles were observed, including three amphibians and nine reptiles endemic to Morocco. In both taxonomic groups, three distinct species categories were identified in the area: widely distributed species, species restricted to particular environmental characteristics, and species with small and / or fragmented distributions. For total species richness, 10 areas of high diversity were identified. These areas were common to all taxonomic groups and correspond roughly to Mediterranean-type habitats. Amphibians constitute a relatively homogeneous group according to their habitat selection patterns while reptiles can be grouped in three assemblages: 1) generalist species with broad distributions in northern Morocco; 2) species occupying Mediterranean environments, generally abundant in the north-western region; and 3) species that occupy arid habitats, frequently found in the eastern region. The topographic complexity of northern Morocco apparently creates micro-environmental conditions for each group and is related to high levels of species diversity observed: 78% and 52% of the total number of amphibians and reptiles of Morocco, respectively. These findings strengthen the status of northern Morocco as a priority area for herpetofauna conservation at the national level

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Der Verfasser besuchte Tunesien Anfang April 1978 und berichtet von den Arten, die er da vorfand. Chalcides ocellatus und Tarentola mauritanica wurden häufig beobachtet, besonders in Sousse. Ertaunliche Mengen von mMauremys caspica leprosa wurden in dem kleinen Fluss ´Oued Hamdoun`bei Sousse gesehen, sie wurden aber auch in Kairouan und Gabès anagetroffen. Natrix maura wurde in Sousse und Kairouan immer im oder beim Wasser gesehen, oft ist dieses Wasser hier brackig. Zum Schluss gibt der Verfasser einen Determinationsschlüssel zu den tunesischen Amphibien-, Eidechsen- und Schildkrötenarten mit wissenscjaftlichen, französischen, niederländischen und manchmal auch arabischen Namen.

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Aim Body size is instrumental in influencing animal physiology, morphology, ecology and evolution, as well as extinction risk. I examine several hypotheses regarding the influence of body size on lizard evolution and extinction risk, assessing whether body size influences, or is influenced by, species richness, herbivory, island dwelling and extinction risk. Location World-wide. Methods I used literature data and measurements of museum and live specimens to estimate lizard body size distributions. Results I obtained body size data for 99% of the world`s lizard species. The body size–frequency distribution is highly modal and right skewed and similar distributions characterize most lizard families and lizard assemblages across biogeographical realms. There is a strong negative correlation between mean body size within families and species richness. Herbivorous lizards are larger than omnivorous and carnivorous ones, and aquatic lizards are larger than non-aquatic species. Diurnal activity is associated with small body size. Insular lizards tend towards both extremes of the size spectrum. Extinction risk increases with body size of species for which risk has been assessed. Main conclusions Small size seems to promote fast diversification of disparate body plans. The absence of mammalian predators allows insular lizards to attain larger body sizes by means of release from predation and allows them to evolve into the top predator niche. Island living also promotes a high frequency of herbivory, which is also associated with large size. Aquatic and nocturnal lizards probably evolve large size because of thermal constraints. The association between large size and high extinction risk, however, probably reflects a bias in the species in which risk has been studied.

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The authors present an actualized and commented list of the amphibia and reptilia species noted in Morocco. The changes witch happened during the 16years after the last checklist established by BoNS(1972) are discussed. These are new additions (species recently discovered in Morocco and new taxa for Science, sorne of witch resulting from systematic modifications of other species or subspecies) and changes of names (new combinations) or status. Problems concerning the exact delimitation of several species are discussed, insisting particularly on the most conflictual groups (e.g. Chalcides, Aoenthodactylus). Thus we think that the number of species in the present checklist is probably surestimated. Taking in account these problems, we must consider this inventory as provisional, till clearing up the several questions still in suspense.

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Un découpage hiérarchisé du territoire tunisien en quatre domaines zoogéographiques a été réalisé à partir de la composition spécifique en Lacertidés de 25 secteurs correspondant aux différentes régions naturelles du pays. La délimitation, les caractéristiques faunistiques, les affinités et l`origine biogéographique du peuplement en Lacertidés de ces quatre entités, sont analysées et discutées.

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The distribution areas of the 14 species of Lacertids in Tunisia are mapped, using our 265 field survey stations scattered all over the country and surveyed from 1974 to 1995. Biotops characteristics are reported. The respective contributions of ecological factors, such as climate, substrate, vegetation overlapping level, interactions between species (competitive exclusion or, on the reverse, syntopic coexistence) are analyzed and graded.

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Each of die 25 natural regions in Tunisia harbour from I to 9 Lacerlids among the 14 species surveyed in this country. The richest regions are the South-western pari of the Tunisian Central Range and the Dhahars mountains in Southern Tunisia. They are ranging between lower semi-arid and upper saharian. In the sandy, lower saharian Far-south, only one species occurs. Geographie variation of the specific diversity and structure of Lacertid communities arc related to bioelimatical affinities and zoogeographical native areas of the species. Main steps in the immigration or local differentiation of Lacertids are reported. Impacts of climatical and biological factors on Lacertid communities arc discussed.

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Ultraviolet (UV) vision and UV colour patches have been reported in a wide range of taxa and are increasingly appreciated as an integral part of vertebrate visual perception and communication systems. Previous studies with Lacertidae, a lizard family with diverse and complex coloration, have revealed the existence of UV-reflecting patches that may function as social signals. However, confirmation of the signalling role of UV coloration requires demonstrating that the lizards are capable of vision in the UV waveband. Here we use a multidisciplinary approach to characterize the visual sensitivity of a diverse sample of lacertid species. Spectral transmission measurements of the ocular media show that wavelengths down to 300 nm are transmitted in all the species sampled. Four retinal oil droplet types can be identified in the lacertid retina. Two types are pigmented and two are colourless. Fluorescence microscopy reveals that a type of colourless droplet is UV-transmitting and may thus be associated with UV-sensitive cones. DNA sequencing shows that lacertids have a functional SWS1 opsin, very similar at 13 critical sites to that in the presumed ancestral vertebrate (which was UV-sensitive) and other UV-sensitive lizards. Finally, males of Podarcis muralis are capable of discriminating between two views of the same stimulus that differ only in the presence/absence of UV radiance. Taken together, these results provide convergent evidence of UV vision in lacertids, very likely by means of an independent photopigment. Moreover, the presence of four oil droplet types suggests that lacertids have a four-cone colour vision system.

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Many animals display complex colour patterns that comprise several adjacent, often contrasting colour patches. Combining patches of complementary colours increases the overall conspicuousness of the complex pattern, enhancing signal detection. Therefore, selection for conspicuousness may act not only on the design of single colour patches, but also on their combination. Contrasting long- and short-wavelength colour patches are located on the ventral and lateral surfaces of many lacertid lizards. As the combination of long- and short-wavelength-based colours generates local chromatic contrast, we hypothesized that selection may favour the co-occurrence of lateral and ventral contrasting patches, resulting in complex colour patterns that maximize the overall conspicuousness of the signal. To test this hypothesis we performed a comparative phylogenetic study using a categorical colour classification based on spectral data and descriptive information on lacertid coloration collected from the literature. Our results demonstrate that conspicuous ventral (long wavelength-based) and lateral (short wavelength-based) colour patches co-occur throughout the lacertid phylogeny more often than expected by chance, especially in the subfamily Lacertini. These results suggest that selection promotes the evolution of the complex pattern rather than the acquisition of a single conspicuous colour patch, possibly due to the increased conspicuousness caused by the combination of colours with contrasting spectral properties.

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The integration of spatial area prioritization algorithms and species distribution modelling has shown great promise in conservation planning in recent years. However, despite the fact that reptiles and amphibians have the highest threat status of all terrestrial vertebrates, these species are often under-represented in conservation planning. The Kingdom of Morocco possesses the richest and most varied herpetofauna in the Maghreb and the western Mediterranean, and is characterized by high species richness, endemism and number of European relict species. Despite the fact that Moroccan reptiles and amphibians have been the subject of numerous studies by a large number of international herpetologists since the beginning of the 20th century, few or none of these concerned their conservation. This study had three main objectives: (1) to identify those areas that harbour the highest species richness; (2) to evaluate the existing and proposed future ‘important biological and ecological sites’ (SIBES) conservation area network (CAN) with respect to their ability to protect the herpetofauna adequately; and (3) to identify priority areas into which the existing protected areas can be augmented. We used maximum-entropy species distribution modelling to run distribution models for 11 amphibian and 86 reptile species (27.6% endemics and 12.4% threatened) for which we had 2,170 single geographic records. A total of 97 models were used to create a richness map of the Moroccan her- petofauna and thereby detect both areas of high species richness and the distribution patterns of individual species. This map was subsequently used as a basis for performance evaluation of the CAN and area prioritization using the ConsNet conservation planning software initialized by ‘‘Rarity’’ first, while using representation targets of 5% and 10%. Additionally, the proposed future Moroccan CAN (SIBES) was evaluated in terms of its overlay and proximity with ConsNet solutions using visual interpretation and distance measurements in a GIS. Our results show that Moroccan herpetofauna is poorly protected under the existing and future CAN. Prioritization of areas shows that a major increase in conservation area is required to guarantee the persistence of individual herpetofauna species even with a global minimum representation target of only 10%. An increase of the existing CAN is especially needed along parts of the Atlantic coast, in the north-western Mediterranean region, on the north-eastern Moroccan coast, as well as in several areas in the Sahara, notably vast proportions of the Valle ́e du Haut and Bas Draˆa.

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In addition to the known species (Agama stellio, Ophisops elegans ), one amphibian (Bufo viridis ) and eight reptilian species (Cyrtodactylus kotschyi, Hemidactylus turcicus, Eryx turcicus, Coluber najadum, Coluber ravergieri , Eirenis modestus, Telescopus fallax, Vipera xanthina ) are recorded on the island of Kalymnos for the first time. The composition of the species and the slow degree of differentiation are interpreted zoogeographically. Agama stellio and Ophisops elegans are recorded on the island of Telenots for the first time.

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This book shows a comprehensive picture of the reptiles, excluding snakes, living in Europe, North Africa, Middle and Near East and Central Asia. The bulk of the book is an annotated checklist and a distributional atlas of approx 500 species of lizards, crocodiles, turtles and terrapins, and amphisbaenians, living in the Western Palearctic. Information on distribution, subspecies, chorotype and main references are provided for each species, as well as 226 colour maps showing the global distribution of the species on a grid of one degree. For each species map the bibliographic and original sources (more than 850 sources are listed) are indicated. A further 83 maps show the distribution of all genera and main species groups of Palearctic reptiles. Beside the checklist and the atlas, in some additional chapters the following arguments are treated: Materials and methods; status of knowledge on the Palearctic fauna; composition of the Western Palearctic reptile fauna (including a statement on biodiversity and species richness); descriptive biogeography (including a discussion on the Palearctic region boundaries based on reptile distribution and the herpeto-geographic sectors of the Western Palearctic); conservation status. A list of more than 730 references quoted in the text and high quality colour plates including photos of the most of the supraspecific taxa living in the study area completes the book.