Variation of amphibian and reptile composition in forest fragments of Veracruz highlands, Mexico

The central mountain region of Veracruz is one of the richest areas of herpetofauna in Mexico. The steep topographic gradient of this region is associated with climatic gradients that enable the occurrence of highly diverse herpetofauna communities. We tested differences among habitats to herpetofauna in an urban area, pine forest, oak forest, and riparian forest of municipality Camerino Z. Mendoza, Veracruz, Mexico. We conducted two-day monthly surveys between 2015 and 2017 in 69 sites from fragments of an urban area, riparian forest, Quercus forest, and Quercus-Pinus forest and tested for differences in herpetofauna species among these fragments. We found a total of 11 amphibian and 33 reptile species, and a high composition dissimilarity and species replacement among the sites. Our results amplified significantly the species-records within Camerino Z. Mendoza, and showed a great variation of amphibian and reptile composition among sites, highlighting the current role of these forests as a reservoir for herpetofauna and their importance for future conservation strategies in the region.

The Effect of Visitors on Zoo Reptile Behaviour during the COVID-19 Pandemic

Visitors to zoos can have positive, neutral, or negative relationships with zoo animals. This makes human–animal interactions (HAIs) an essential component of welfare and an important consideration in species selection for zoo exhibits and in enclosure designs. We measured the effect of visitors on reptiles by comparing open and closed periods during the lockdowns in response to the COVID-19 pandemic in the UK in a low-resolution dataset for thirteen species of reptiles and a high-resolution dataset focussing on just one of these. Scan sampling on thirteen reptile species (two chelonians and eleven squamates) showed species-specific differences in response to the presence/absence of visitors, with most taxa being only weakly affected. High-resolution scan sampling via video footage of an off-show and on-show enclosure was carried out for tokay geckos (Gekko gecko) over the open and closed periods. In this part of the study, tokay geckos were significantly more visible during zoo closure than when visitors were present on-exhibit, but there was no change in off-show animals, indicating the effect of visitors as opposed to other factors, such as seasonality, which applied equally to both on- and off-show animals. The high-resolution study showed that a significant effect was present for tokay geckos, even though the low-resolution suggested that they were more weakly affected than other taxa. Our results indicate that, for cryptic species such as this, more intensive sampling may be required to properly understand visitor effects. Our data do not allow the interpretation of effects on welfare but show that such assessments require a species-specific approach.

The glycoproteomics of hawk and caiman tears

Background Glycoproteins are important tear components that participate in the stability of the ocular surface. However, the glycopeptides that are present in the tears of wild animals have not yet been described. This work aimed to describe the glycoproteomic profile of roadside hawk (Rupornis magnirostris) and caiman (Caiman latirostris) tears. Methods Tears collected from 10 hawks and 70 caimans using Schirmer tear test strips were used in this study. The samples were submitted to trypsin digestion and separated using a reverse-phase column coupled to a mass spectrometer associated to a nanospray ionization source. The glycoproteins were categorized as: cellular components, biological processes and molecular function, according to the UniProt Knowledgebase. Results As shown by the liquid chromatography–mass spectrometry, all glycopeptides found were classified as N-type. Of the 51 glycoproteins that were identified in the hawk tear film, the most abundant were ovotransferrin, globulins and complement system proteins. In the caiman tear film, 29 glycoproteins were identified. The most abundant caiman glycoproteins were uncharacterized proteins, ATPases, globulins and proteasome components. Ontological characterization revealed that the glycoproteins were extracellular, and the most identified molecular function was endopeptidase activity for both species. Conclusion Glycoproteins are abundant in the tear film of the bird and reptile species studied herein, and all these molecules were shown to have N-type modifications. Location at the extracellular space and an endopeptidase inhibitor activity were the main cell component and molecular function for both species, respectively. These profiles showed differences when compared to human tears, are possibly linked to adaptive processes and can be the basis for further studies on the search of disease biomarkers.

Distribution extension and first verified records for Narrow-bridged Musk Turtle, Claudius angustatus Cope, 1865 (Testudines, Kinosternidae) in the Selva Lacandona, Mexico

We document the first verifiable records of Claudius angustatus Cope, 1865 in the Selva Lacandona, Chiapas, Mexico. Three individuals were observed in different types of anthropic land covers. These records are the most recent observations of C. angustatus in the southeastern zone of its range in more than 20 years, thus representing the southernmost known occurrences of this species. With these records we confirm the long-suspected presence of C. angustatus in the region, increasing the number of reptile species in the Selva Lacandona to 91.

Dynamics of epigenetic modifiers and environmentally sensitive proteins in a reptile with temperature induced sex reversal

The mechanisms by which sex is determined, and how a sexual phenotype is stably maintained during adulthood, has been the focus of vigorous scientific inquiry. Resources common to the biomedical field (automated staining and imaging platforms) were leveraged to provide the first immunofluorescent data for a reptile species with temperature induced sex reversal. Two four-plex immunofluorescent panels were explored across three sex classes (sex reversed ZZf females, normal ZWf females, and normal ZZm males). One panel was stained for chromatin remodelling genes JARID2 and KDM6B, and methylation marks H3K27me3, and H3K4me3 (Jumonji Panel). The other CaRe panel stained for environmental response genes CIRBP and RelA, and H3K27me3 and H3K4me3. Our study characterised tissue specific expression and cellular localisation patterns of these proteins and histone marks, providing new insights to the molecular characteristics of adult gonads in a dragon lizard Pogona vitticeps. The confirmation that mammalian antibodies cross react in P. vitticeps paves the way for experiments that can take advantage of this new immunohistochemical resource to gain a new understanding of the role of these proteins during embryonic development, and most importantly for P. vitticeps, the molecular underpinnings of sex reversal.

Comparison of biochemistry values from plasma and lymph in Krefft’s river turtles (Emydura macquarii krefftii)

Lymph contamination of peripheral blood samples is common in reptile species due to a close association of the lymphatic and vascular systems. Grossly lymph-diluted samples are generally discarded due to potential effects on hematologic and biochemical parameters. Differences in biochemistry values from different sample sites in chelonians are often attributed to lymph contamination. Previous studies have evaluated blood-lymph mixtures but provide limited information since the proportion of lymph is unknown. Differences in biochemistry values of pure lymph compared to plasma are unknown in chelonian species. Paired plasma samples collected from the jugular vein and lymph samples collected from the dorsal lymphatic ring adjacent to the subcarapacial plexus were collected from 11 (6 females, 5 males) Krefft’s river turtles ( Emydura macquarii krefftii ) for comparison of biochemical analytes. No statistically significant differences were found between lymph and plasma samples for chloride, glucose, alanine aminotransferase, aspartate aminotransferase, creatinine kinase, urea nitrogen, and total bilirubin. Statistically significant (P ≤ 0.05) differences were found between lymph and plasma samples for gamma-glutamyltransferase (GGT), total protein, globulin, and uric acid. Sex and sample differences were statistically significant for sodium, potassium, calcium, phosphorous, magnesium, lactate dehydrogenase (LDH), albumin, and triglycerides, while significant sex differences only were found for alkaline phosphatase, cholesterol, and iron. Severe lymph dilution (1:1 with plasma) may cause clinically significant decreases of potassium, total protein, globulin, and LDH, and increases of GGT and uric acid in both sexes, as well as clinically significant decreases of calcium and triglycerides in female Krefft’s river turtles.

Potential range shifts and climatic refugia of rupicolous reptiles in a biodiversity hotspot of South Africa

SummaryClimate change is causing the geographical ranges of some species to track suitable conditions. Habitat specialists, range-restricted species and species with limited dispersal abilities may be unable to track changing conditions, increasing their extinction risk. In response to changing conditions and species movement patterns, there is a need to account for the effects of climate change when designing protected areas and identifying potential climate refugia. We used ecological niche models projected into future climates to identify potential impacts of climate change on the distribution of 11 rupicolous reptile species in the Soutpansberg Mountains, South Africa. Lygodactylus incognitus, Lygodactylus soutpansbergensis, Platysaurus relictus and Vhembelacerta rupicola were identified as being vulnerable to climate change due to substantial reductions in suitable habitat and low spatial overlap between current and future niche envelopes. We identified areas of high conservation importance for the persistence of these species under present-day and projected future conditions. The western Soutpansberg was identified as an area of high conservation priority as it is a potential refuge under future projections. Projecting distributions of vulnerable species into future climate predictions can guide future research and identify potential refugia that will best conserve species with restricted ranges in a world with climate change.

Amphibians (Amphibia, Anura and Caudata) and reptiles (Reptilia, Squamata) from the headwaters of Río Guázaro on the Caribbean versant of Veraguas province, western Panama

We present a list of amphibian and reptile species encountered from 16–20 July 2016 in the upper drainage of Río Guázaro, Parque Nacional Santa Fé, Veraguas, Panama. We collected 10 amphibian and 10 reptile species and observed three additional amphibian and one additional reptile species. Our collected material provides the first records from Veraguas province for the amphibians Bolitoglossa schizodactyla Wake & Brame, 1966 and Diasporus aff. quidditus (Lynch, 2001), as well as for the reptiles Basiliscus plumifrons Cope, 1876, Micrurus stewarti Barbour & Amaral, 1928, and Sibon argus (Cope, 1876). Although relatively small in species and specimen numbers, our collection represents the first documented herpetological inventory on the largely unexplored Caribbean versant of Veraguas in 50 years.

Analysing How Pre-Fire Habitat Legacy and Post-Fire Management Influence the Resilience of Reptiles to Fire

At the landscape scale, the Mediterranean region is a mosaic of habitats occupied by plants and animals with different resilience to fire. One of these habitats, the pine plantation, is characterized by its structural simplification and susceptibility to fire. Despite its high flammability, few studies have compared the response of animal communities between pine plantations and other autochthonous woodlands. For five years after a large fire in southwestern Europe, we surveyed reptiles in two natural habitats (oak forest, scrubland) and a pine plantation managed with salvage logging, a post-fire practice which consists of the complete harvesting and removal of death burnt trees. Reptile abundance and species composition were examined to assess differences in the reptile community between these habitats. Differences between burnt and unburnt transects were limited to the first year after the fire, while, over the entire five-year period, differences in species composition and abundance were due to vegetation type instead of fire. The pine logged area showed a delay in the recovery of vegetation and also in the appearance of many reptile species after the fire. At the reptile species level, we found evidence of both positive responses to fire (for lizards with high heliothermic activity) and negative ones (for specialist snake species). Overall, our results confirm the resilience of the reptile community to fire. The mosaic of habitats in the Mediterranean region and the openness caused by fire can increase the reptile biodiversity (landscape- plus pyro-diversity effects), but some practices such as salvage logging coupled with fire regime shifts (larger and more frequent fires) can compromise the conservation of the biodiversity in fire-prone regions.