Articles

AGE AND GROWTH OF THE EICHWALD’S TOAD (BUFO EICHWALDI LITVINCHUK, BORKIN, SKORINOV ET ROSANOV, 2008) IN THE LENKORAN LOWLAND (SOUTHEASTERN AZERBAIJAN)

Authors: Matushkina K. A., Yanchurevich O. V., Kidov A. A.

Data on the age and growth of the Talysh toad in the Lenkoran Lowland are provided from sceletochronological analysis. Females are larger than males by body size. The reproductive part of the population is mainly composed by animals aged 3 - 6 years. The maximum age of females and males in the studied group was 9 and 8 years, respectively. Males and females reach their sexual maturity after 1 - 2 and 3 winters, respectively.

LEUKOCYTE BLOOD COMPOSITION FEATURES OF GRASS SNAKE (NATRIX NATRIX) AND DICE SNAKE (N. TESSELLATA) (REPTILIA: COLUBRIDAE) FEMALES IN THE SAMARA REGION

Authors: Romanova E. B., Nikolaev V. Y., Bakiev A. G., Klenina A. A.

Our study of the peripheral blood leukogram of grass snake and dice snake females (Samara region) has revealed changes in the blood of these snakes before and after their laying eggs, associated with the natural immunity activation in these animals. Natural, innate immunity reactions were mediated by mononuclear cells (monocytes and lymphocytes). An increase in the lymphocyte fraction in the dice snake female blood is shown to reduce the leukogram shift index.

MORPHOLOGY OF CASPIAN WHIPSNAKE HIEROPHIS CASPIUS (GMELIN, 1789) (REPTILIA: COLUBRIDAE) IN THE LOWER VOLGA REGION

Authors: Klenina A. A.

Data about some external morphological characteristics of Caspian whipsnake in the Astrakhan region are presented. Males, in comparison with females, have larger maximum body (L. corp.) and tail (L. cd) sizes. The males from the Astrakhan region differ from their females by a smaller L. corp. / L. cd. index (ratio), by the number of Ventr, and by a higher number of Scd.

REPRODUCTIVE STRUCTURE OF A HEMIPOPULATION OF COSMOCERCA ORNATA (NEMATODA: COSMOCERCIDAE) IN MARSH FROGS PELOPHYLAX RIDIBUNDUS (PALLAS, 1771) (ANURA: RANIDAE) OF SEVERAL PHENOTYPES

Authors: Kirillova N. Y., Kirillov A. A.

The reproductive structure of Cosmocerca ornata (Dujardin, 1845) in marsh frogs (Pelophylax ridibundus (Pallas, 1771)) of both the striata and non-striata phenotypes was studied. Distinctions in the physiology, ecology and behavior of striped and unstriped amphibians have certain influence on the intensity of processes of the host infestation and maturing of C. ornata in frogs of different phenotypes. Analysis of the age structure of the C.

BODY CONDITION DYNAMICS OF PELOBATES FUSCUS (PELOBATIDAE, ANURA) TOADLETS DURING THEIR MIGRATION FROM SPAWNING WATERBODIES

Authors: Yermokhin M. V., Tabachishin V. G., Ivanov G. A.

The body condition dynamics of Pelobates fuscus toadlets from three local populations (namely, Lakes Sadok, Kruglen’koe and Lebyazhye: the Medveditsa river valley, Saratov region) in the period of their migration from spawning lakes in 2013 is characterized by the bimodality of most parameters. In the population from the waterbody with a constant hydrological regime (Lake Lebyazhye), two peaks of the size and weight traits and body condition of toadlets are formed in this period.

DISTRIBUTION DATA OF ROCK LIZARDS FROM THE DAREVSKIA (PRATICOLA) COMPLEX (SAURIA: LACERTIDAE)

Authors: Doronin I. V.

The paper presents analysis of the distribution of Darevskia praticola praticola, D. praticola loriensis, D. p. hyrcanica, and D. pontica in the Caucasus. GIS modeling (Maxent 3.3.3k) was used. Analysis of the obtained GIS maps of distribution has allowed us to locate territories with maximum occurrence probabilities of these taxa.

FEMALE’S SOCIAL ATTRACTIVENESS AS THE BASIS OF ARISING HER LONG-TERM SEXUAL CONNECTION WITH A MALE IN THE ROCK LIZARD DAREVSKIA BRAUNERI (REPTILIA, SAURIA)

Authors: Tsellarius A. Y., Tsellarius E. Y., Galoyan E. A.

When a female goes over to the settled way of life, the territory of a male with a high frequency of affiliative behavior (A-behavior) with respect to this female always becomes the formation centre of the female’s permanent home range. As the frequency of the male’s A-behavior becomes stably high (or low) in the first days of existence of a dyad and does not depend on the female’s behavior, it can be concluded that the choice of the male, rather than that of the female, underlies any long-term male - female connection, and it is just social choice rather than sexual one.

DISTRIBUTION AND STATUS OF ADDER (VIPERA (PELIAS) BERUS) POPULATIONS IN THE VLADIMIR REGION

Authors: Solovyov V. A., Scopin A. E., Solovyov A. N.

The adder is a usual, locally-numerous species, occurring sporadically in most parts of the Vladimir Region: everywhere in the Meshchersky Lowland and Prinerlinski District, sporadically on the Kovrovsko-Kasimovskoe Plateau, Klin-Dmitrov Ridge, in the Opole. The largest adder populations are in Yuryev-Polsky District. The adder occurrence in different habitats varies from 0.01 to 1.33 individuals per 1 km route. The maximum adder occurrence is in Kovrov (1.33 ind. / km) Vyaznikovsky (0.83 ind. / km) and Kameshkovski (0.44 ind. / km) Districts.

CURRENT PROBLEMS OF STUDYING THE LATE CENOZOIC HISTORY OF AMPHIBIANS AND REPTILES FROM THE PALEONTOLOGICAL VIEWPOINT

Authors: Ratnikov V. Y.

When studying the late Cenozoic history of amphibians and reptiles, a number of problems arise, associated with obtaining and interpretation of factual material. First of all, the author considers peculiarities of obtaining and identifying fossil material, which strongly affects the amount and quality of paleontological data. Most biologists are not familiar with them. These are problems of taphonomy, demand, economy, personnel, collection and systematic problems.

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