Herpetology Notes

Observation of limb abnormalities in Indirana chiravasi Padhye et al., 2014 from the Western Ghats region of Goa, India

2025-08-03T06:17:45+00:00

First report of flavinistic albinism in Calamaria schmidti Marx & Inger, 1955

2025-12-09T03:39:09+00:00

One species or two? How many Trapelus species occur in Morocco?

2025-10-06T20:45:17+00:00

Postprandial refuge selection strategy in the Montpellier Snake, Malpolon monspessulanus (Hermann, 1804), in a human-altered landscape

2025-11-24T10:48:42+00:00

Polymelia in a Ladakh Toad, Bufotes latastii (Boulenger, 1882): a case of complex skeletal anomaly

2025-04-14T11:33:40+00:00

A brief overview of the natural history of the recently described, miniaturised leaf chameleon, Brookesia nana Glaw et al., 2021, from Sorata Forest, northeastern Madagascar

2025-10-07T12:49:18+00:00

First live photographic records of Sumatran Mud Snake, Sumatranus albomaculata (Duméril et al., 1854) and Simeulue Pitviper, Trimeresurus kirscheyi (Vogel et al., 2022)

2026-01-08T15:13:20+00:00

Arboreal behaviour in Ocellated Lizards, Timon lepidus (Daudin, 1802): can trees play a role in species conservation?

2025-12-05T08:14:00+00:00

Consumption of a Rough Earthsnake, Virginia striatula (Linnaeus, 1766), by a Green Sunfish, Lepomis cyanellus, in Brazos County, Texas, USA

2025-07-25T13:57:47+00:00

First record of the non-native Chinese Stripe-necked Turtle Mauremys sinensis (Gray, 1834) on Rhodes Island, Greece

2025-10-01T11:25:34+00:00

Adult aggression toward hatchlings in Yellow Land Iguanas, Conolophus subcristatus (Gray, 1831), on Wolf Volcano, Isabela Island, Galápagos

2025-12-20T00:25:29+00:00

First sightings of axanthism in the Lacertidae, observed in the Greek endemic Erhard’s Wall Lizard, Podarcis erhardii (Bedriaga, 1882)

2025-06-19T12:13:41+00:00

Yellow is the new green: abnormal colouration of Pelophylax sp. in Latvia and Lithuania

2025-11-05T12:25:53+00:00

First case of erythristic Common Frog, Rana temporaria Linnaeus, 1758, in Latvia

2025-09-18T08:36:46+00:00

First record of the Southern White-lipped Mud Turtle, Kinosternon (Cryptochelys) leucostomum postinguinale (Cope, 1887), in Manabí Province, Ecuador

2025-12-17T15:20:43+00:00

Predation of the threadsnake Epictia borapeliotes (Vanzolini, 1996) by Guira Cuckoo (Guira guira) in Rio Grande do Norte, northeastern Brazil

2025-07-01T06:22:19+00:00

Caudal regeneration in introduced and native populations of the Italian Wall Lizard, Podarcis siculus (Rafinesque-Schmaltz, 1810), in California, USA, and Taormina, Italy, with reports of tail bifurcation

2025-10-24T17:51:12+00:00

Predation of Ameivula nigrigula (Arias et al., 2011) and Iguana iguana (Linnaeus, 1758) by Jaguarundi cats, Herpailurus yagouaroundi (Saint-Hilaire, 1803), in the Caatinga morphoclimatic domain, Brazil

2025-11-26T14:55:48+00:00

First report of direct development in Raorchestes malipoensis Huang et al., 2023 from southeast Yunnan under laboratory conditions

2025-06-26T11:11:16+00:00

Extending the known range of the Crowned Leafnosed Snake, Lytorhynchus diadema (Duméril et al., 1854), in Jordan’s Eastern Desert

2026-01-16T10:49:34+00:00

Carnivory by a Gecarcinus ruricola (Linnaeus, 1758) on a hatchling Iguana iguana (Linnaeus, 1758) on Saba, Dutch Caribbean

2026-01-26T10:45:09+00:00

A frog-eat-frog novelty: first record of “reverse age-class cannibalism” in the Arabian Toad, Sclerophrys arabica (Heyden, 1827), from King Salman Bin Abdulaziz Royal Natural Reserve, Saudi Arabia

2025-09-22T06:03:12+00:00

First record of symmetrical red stripes on a Common European Toad, Bufo bufo (Linnaeus, 1758), from Germany

2025-11-11T12:07:28+00:00

First record of the Burmese Whipping Frog, Polypedates mutus (Smith, 1940), from Manipur State, India, with the description of its tadpole

2025-08-03T12:18:43+00:00

A rare record of a midge biting Nidirana shyhhuangi Lin et al., 2025 in Taiwan

2025-09-30T14:44:18+00:00

Courtship and mating behaviour of the Kenyan Rock Agama, Agama lionotus elgonis Lönnberg, 1922, and a new locality record in Lake Manyara National Park, Tanzania

2025-12-22T11:29:13+00:00

New and recurrent morphological abnormalities in amphibians from northwest Mexico

2025-07-01T06:11:13+00:00

Where giants meet: the first photographic record of the Asian Water Monitor, Varanus salvator (Laurenti, 1768), on Komodo Island, Indonesia, with notes on natural history

2025-12-10T09:05:55+00:00

Predation on the Indian House Gecko, Hemidactylus flaviviridis Rüppell, 1835, by the huntsman spider Heteropoda venatoria in Kolkata, India

2025-02-26T07:44:05+00:00

First records of axanthism in African Reed Frogs (genus Hyperolius) and an updated checklist of axanthic amphibians

2025-09-22T20:31:53+00:00

Post-hatching parental care by a wild male Crocodylus porosus Schneider, 1801 in Australia

2026-01-17T03:20:21+00:00

A new dietary item during the juvenile stage of the Black Spiny-Tail Iguana, Ctenosaura similis (Gray, 1831)

2025-06-18T17:26:12+00:00

The largest Eastern Newts, Notophthalmus viridescens (Rafinesque, 1820), are found at high elevation in North Carolina

2025-12-19T20:00:46+00:00

First record of fossorial foam nesting in the Forest Green Treefrog, Zhangixalus arboreus (Okada and Kawano, 1924) in Japan

2025-11-28T01:32:58+00:00

Behaviour to avoid saltwater sites during spawning in Buergeria japonica (Hallowell, 1861)

2025-08-29T09:28:02+00:00

The use of spawning sites by female amphibians can strongly influence the rate of egg survival. Coastal areas are risky environments for amphibian breeding because the rate of egg survival falls drastically with increased water salinity. Buergeria japonica is an anuran species that breeds in coastal environments but avoids spawning in sites with increased salinity. The aim of this study is to understand the behavioural sequence of how this frog avoids saltwater sites. To address this question, I recorded spawning behaviour in a laboratory experiment. Although amplectant pairs randomly visited and entered fresh and saltwater sites, they rapidly left saltwater sites after entering the water. The amount of time spent in saltwater sites prior to exiting the water declined with increasing water salinity. The selection of a spawning site was determined by gravid females only because each male was clasping onto the back of the female and did not contribute to the locomotion of amplectant pairs. This result suggests that female B. japonica are able to quickly determine the salinity level of potential breeding sites. Together, all adaptive responses allow this species to persist in a coastal environment, in which salinity of breeding sites varies greatly.

Age structure and body size of Southern Banded Newts, Ommatotriton vittatus (Gray, 1835), in a pristine pond in the coastal mountains of Lattakia, Syria

2025-10-16T04:51:21+00:00

The Southern Banded Newt (Ommatotriton vittatus) is widely distributed across Syria, yet its demographic and life-history traits remain largely unexplored. This study provides the first skeletochronological assessment of Ommatotriton vittatus in Syria, focusing on age structure, growth, and sexual maturity, using a dataset of thirty-six individuals (15 males, 21 females). Maximum ages reached seven years in males and eight years in females, although the age distribution did not differ significantly between sexes. Mean snout–vent lengths were 62.2 mm and 58.0 mm, for males and females respectively, with males being significantly larger. Both sexes attained sexual maturity at two years, a markedly earlier age than reported for other Ommatotriton populations. This accelerated development likely reflects favourable environmental conditions and high habitat quality at the study site. The findings establish the first demographic baseline for O. vittatus in Syria and contribute to understanding how local ecological factors shape amphibian life-history strategies in the eastern Mediterranean region.

Population size and nocturnal activity of Cyprus Grass Snakes, Natrix natrix moreotica (Bedriaga, 1882), in an arid island environment

2025-12-22T14:12:12+00:00

Grass Snakes (Natrix spp.) constitute the most widespread snake taxon in the Eurasian continent. While research on Grass Snakes is historically robust, there is a lack of data for the distribution, population trends and estimates, and ecology of Natrix natrix inhabiting the island of Cyprus, often accredited on its elusive nature. The Grass Snake population in the Troodos Mountains has garnered the most attention in the past, while the vulnerable lowland population in the southeast of the island remains relatively understudied. It is assumed that this latter population is small, highly fragmented and inhabits habitats that face severe anthropogenic pressures. These threats are exacerbated by prolonged drought and heat waves. Population monitoring and estimates of the number of individuals per life stage are needed to inform and support the long-term conservation of lowland N. natrix populations in Cyprus. We estimated the number of individuals in two lowland areas and highlight the usefulness of nocturnal instead of diurnal transect surveys. Lastly, we recommend ways to move forward with monitoring the lowland population of the species in order to aid its long-term survival.