Articles

Comparative leukocyte blood profile of Emys orbicularis (Reptilia: Emydidae) from two populations

Authors: Romanova E. B., Stolyarova I. A., Bakiev A. G., Gorelov R. A.

 A comparative estimation of the leukocyte profile of the marsh turtle Emys orbicularis (Linnaeus, 1758) living in the Ural river basin (Orenburg region, Belyaevsky district, 11 females and 5 males) and in the Volga river basin (Astrakhan region, Krasnoyarsk district, 28 females and 20 males) was made.

Leukocyte blood composition of Naturix natrix (Serpentes: Colubridae) in the Mordovian State Nature Reserve (Russia)

Authors: Romanova E. B., Solomaykin E. I., Bakiev A. G., Gorelov R. A.

The state of the grass snake (Natrix natrix) population in the Mordovian State Nature Reserve was assessed using the hematological approach. The leukocyte blood count was estimated together with calculation of the associated leukocyte indices (neutrophil:lymphocyte (N:L), eosinophil:lymphocyte (E:L), heterophil:eosinophil (H/E) and heterophil:lymphocyte (H:L) ratios). The surface area of leukocytes (heterophils, basophils, eosinophils, azurophils, monocytes, and lymphocytes) was measured.

Morphological characteristics of the populations of Coronella austriaca Laurenti, 1768 (Colubridae, Reptilia) on the northern border of its habitat in Russia

Authors: Antipov S. A., Klenina A. A., Doronin I. V.

Detailed morphological characteristics of the populations of Coronella austriaca on the northern border of its range, in the Vladimir and Nizhny Novgorod regions, are presented. L.corp. of males and females reaches 543 mm and 601 mm, respectively. Ventr. is 166–175 and 175–189, respectively, Scd. Is 50–59 and 32–56, Lab. left/right is usually 7/7 (89.7%), Sublab. is 9/9 (72.4%), respectively.

Bioacoustic Characteristics of the Crimean Gecko Mediodactylus danilewskii (Strauch, 1887) (Reptilia: Sauria: Gekkonidae)

Authors: Kukushkin O. V., Silkin M. Y.

For the first time, the amplitude-frequency and temporal characteristics of the acoustic signals (the distress one and two types of advertisement calls) of the Crimean gecko (Mediodactylus danilewskii) were analyzed. The distress call is a rather long one (usually around 150–350 ms, but sometimes up to nearly 1 s), with a peak frequency of 6.86 kHz in both males and females. The upper harmonics of this type of signal lie in the ultrasonic region of the frequency spectrum.

Differences in Features of External Morphology Traits of Young and Adult Snakes of the Family Colubridae (Reptilia)

Authors: Klenina A. A.

Characteristics of the meristic features of the external morphology of young and adult snakes (the Colubridae family) of three species, namely, the grass snake Natrix natrix, the dice snake N. tessellata and the Pallas’ coluber Elaphe dione, living in the Samara region, are described. For the first time, a comparative analysis was carried out of a number of morphological characters of unevenaged snakes, namely: newborns obtained in laboratory conditions, juvenile specimens, and adult snakes captured in nature.

Distribution and Conservation of the Nikolsky’s Pitviper, Gloydius caucasicus (Reptilia, Viperidae) in Azerbaijan

Authors: Kidov A. A., Bunyatova S. N., Iskanderov T. M.

The paper discusses the distribution of Nikolsky’s pitviper, Gloydius caucasicus, in Azerbaijan. According to the authors’ own research results, literature data and museum collections, 32 findings of this species in the Jalilabad (1 locality), Yardymly (11 localities), Lerik (10 localities), Lenkoran (10 localities) and Astara (5 localities) administrative districts are presented.

Sexual Variability of Histological Skin Parameters of Salamandrella keyserlingii (Amphibia, Caudata) in the Aquatic and Terrestrial Phases of its Seasonal Cycle

Authors: Evseeva S. S., Yartsev V. V.

Histological features of the dorsal (DS), throat (TS) and tail skins (caudal skin, CS) were exa-mined in Salamandrella keyserlingii females of the aquatic and terrestrial morphotypes. Using histological and statistical methods, sexual differences in the relative areas of epidermis, strata compactum and spongiosum, connective tissue in the whole, granular and mucous glands were measured.

Ontogenetic Changes in the Properties of the Poisonous Secretion of Vipera renardi (Reptilia: Viperidae)

Authors: Atyasheva T. N.

The paper presents the results of our long-term (August 2014–October 2016) observations of changes in some properties of the poisonous secretion of eastern steppe vipers of the nominative subspecies Vipera renardi renardi (Christoph, 1861) during their postembryonic ontogenesis. The poisonous secretion of newborn vipers differed from the venom of adult snakes by an increased protease activity and the absence of any L-amino acid oxidase activity; all newborns had colorless venom.

Comparative Characteristics of Morphometric and Reproductive Parameters of the Common Brown Frog, Rana temporaria (Amphipia, Ranidae) from the Populations of Old and New Moscow

Authors: Stepankova I. V., Afrin K. A., Ivolga R. A., Kidov A. A.

The paper discusses the results of our study of the variability of some morphometric and reproductive characteristics in the common brown frog, Rana temporaria, from two populations of the Moscow city. The first population exists in isolation in the Timiryazev Forest Park, for a long time surrounded by districts with multi-storey buildings. The second population is located on the territory with mainly rural buildings (the settlement Kokoshkino), recently annexed to Moscow. The size and reproductive parameters in frogs from these two localities were compared.

On the Ecology of the Desert Sand Boa Eryx milliaris (Reptilia, Boidae) in Kalmykia

Authors: Neymark L. A.

The paper contains data on the inhabitation, abundance and temperature selectiveness of the desert sand boa in Kalmykia. Bioclimatic variables influencing its range are also analyzed by modeling with the Maxent software. Two models were used in our analysis, built on 19 standard bioclimatic variables and on a shortlist after the removal of correlated variables. The body temperature of the desert sand boa varied from 12 to 33°С. Its population level stays rather high in Kalmykia, up to two specimen per ha on sand hills of the Chernozemelskiy district.

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