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Nesfatin-1 is a crucial regulator of energy homeostasis in mammals and fishes, however, its metabolic role remains completely unexplored in amphibians, reptiles, and birds. Therefore, present study elucidates role of nesfatin-1 in glucose homeostasis in wall lizard wherein fasting stimulated hepatic nucb2/nesfatin-1, glycogen phosphorylase (glyp), phosphoenolpyruvate carboxykinase (pepck), and fructose 1,6-bisphosphatase (fbp), while feeding upregulated pancreatic nucb2/nesfatin-1 and insulin, suggesting towards tissue-specific dual role of nesfatin-1 in glucoregulation. The glycogenolytic/gluconeogenic role of nesfatin-1 was further confirmed by an increase in media glucose levels along with heightened hepatic pepck and fbp expression and concomitant decline in liver glycogen content in nesfatin-1-treated liver of wall lizard. Moreover, treatment with nesfatin-1 stimulated insulin expression in pancreas while insulin downregulated pancreatic nucb2/nesfatin-1. Further, prolonged fasting induced elevated nucb2/nesfatin-1, and lipolytic markers, adipose triglyceride lipase (atgl) and monoglyceride lipase (mgl) in adipose tissue implicate nesfatin-1 in lipolysis which is substantiated by nesfatin-1-mediated direct upregulation of atgl and mgl. Our study provides the first comprehensive overview of tissue-dependent role of nesfatin-1 in regulating energy homeostasis in a reptile. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The results of estimating the number and distribution of reptiles (which are poorly studied in this regard as compared with birds and mammals in general and, in particular, with hunting and commercial species) are presented. Consequently, data on the spatial and temporal heterogeneity of the reptile assemblage are unique and are of a particular value. This study was conducted on the West Siberian Plain and on the territory of the Altai–Sayan mountain country. The number of reptiles was calculated, and the dynamics on the territory of Western Siberia is given. At the same time, the method of bootstrap analysis was used, which allows us to obtain more reliable conclusions on the dynamics of animal numbers in the absence of sufficient data. However, the main aim of this study was to detect the main trends in the variability of the reptile assemblage in general. Information about the numbers of these animals is used only as a basis for solving this main problem. In addition, the collected data allow us to judge the dynamics of the number of reptiles for certain periods. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Self- and individual discrimination are needed to maintain social relationships. However the extent of precision of these abilities may depend on the social strategy of each individual, which may vary with ontogeny. Many animals use chemical cues to discriminate conspecifics. For example, many lizards use femoral gland secretions, which are composed of lipids and proteins, but it is not well known the role of each of these chemical classes in conspecific discrimination. We examined whether and how differences in age-dependent social strategies of male lizards Psammodromus algirus affect self- and individual chemosensory discrimination, and whether these are mediated by the lipid and/or protein fraction of femoral secretions. In this lizard species, there are two age categories of males that adopt alternative reproductive strategies; dominant and territorial "old" males and "young", but reproductively mature, satellite-sneaker males. We examined chemosensory responses to separated lipid and protein fractions of femoral secretions. Both young and old males discriminated both their own lipids and proteins from those of conspecific males of their same age category. With respect to individual discrimination, only old males distinguished different unfamiliar old males based on their lipids alone, but not on proteins, while they do not discriminate between different individual young males. In contrast, young males do not show individual discrimination in any case. Therefore, our results show age-related differences in chemical social discrimination abilities in male P. algirus lizards that could be explained by their different age-dependent social strategies. Significance statement: Self and individual discrimination is crucial in modulating animal social interactions, but the level of discriminatory ability may depend on the individual advantage associated with this ability. Male Psammodromus lizards adopt age-related reproductive strategies: older males actively defend their territories (and females therein), while younger ones stealthily try to enter these territories to mate with females. Both types of males use chemical secretions (protein-lipid mixtures) for intraspecific communication. We show that lizards of all ages can discriminate their own scent, independently from the available fraction (both lipids and proteins); only old males are able to discriminate lipids from other old individuals, but only if they are old, too. Therefore, the level of discrimination ability changes across life and is associated with the chemical nature of the stimulus, supporting the hypothesis that such skills are developed when they become advantageous, i.e., provide valuable information about potentially rivals (other old males) which may help in decision-making. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Metals and metalloids are persistent environmental pollutants with the potential for bioaccumulation, posing significant health risks, including genotoxicity. These contaminants are prevalent in industrial and agricultural runoff. This study utilizes Trachemys dorbigni, an aquatic reptile, as a bioindicator to assess environmental contamination by metals and metalloids in both rural and urban settings in Pelotas, Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil. We captured specimens using pit-type traps with barriers (fyke nets), dividing them into two groups: 15 from a rural area and 15 from an urban area. Each animal underwent physical evaluations, and biometric data (weight, total carapace length and width) were recorded to calculate body condition indices. Biological samples were collected via manual restraint, with blood samples drawn from the supraoccipital venous sinus and linear carapace fragments obtained through manual scraping. Water samples from each location were also analyzed. Using atomic absorption spectrophotometry, concentrations of Al, As, Cd, Cr, Cu, Fe, Hg, Mn, Ni, Pb and Zn were measured in the water, carapace fragments, and blood samples. Cellular damage was assessed through flow cytometry and microscopy, examining erythrocyte disruption, reactive oxygen species, membrane fluidity, DNA fragmentation and micronucleus formation. Urban area samples showed concentrations of As, Cd, Cu, Fe, Hg and Ni exceeding national standards set by the Conselho Nacional do Meio Ambiente (CONAMA), with rural areas also showing elevated levels of As, Cd, Hg and Ni. Biometric analysis revealed that rural reptiles had significantly higher weight and carapace dimensions, whereas urban tortoises displayed a higher body condition index and significantly elevated blood levels of Al, Cr, Ni, Pb and Zn. The urban tortoises also exhibited higher concentrations of all tested metal(loid) in carapace samples (p < 0.05) and more pronounced cellular damage (p < 0.05), highlighting severe bioaccumulation and associated deleterious effects. Elevated reactive oxygen species levels were noted in rural specimens. This study underscores the impact of water degradation and metal(loid) pollution in urban environments on T. dorbigni, suggesting that carapace tissue analysis can serve as a chronic exposure indicator to these harmful contaminants. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Anthropogenic-driven environmental changes are pushing species to the limits of their habitats. More often species are restricted to relic or suboptimal habitats that present the minimum requirements to sustain species populations. In this scenario of accelerated environmental change and biodiversity loss, is fundamental to understand why species can survive in such suboptimal conditions. In this study, we show how the Tenerife speckled lizard (Gallotia intermedia), a critically endangered endemic reptile from the Canary Islands, can maintain stable populations in relic habitats thanks to its interactions with the yellow-legged gull (Larus michahellis) colony. A stable isotope analysis revealed that G. intermedia relies on marine subsidies for its diet and that the foraging area of this reptile is likely to be restricted to the limits of L. michahellis breeding colony. Furthermore, an antipredator behaviour analysis showed that L. michahellis displayed a strong anti-predator or mobbing response against cats, one of the main threats for G. intermedia, thus potentially providing some protection to the reptiles inhabiting the seabird colony. Our results show how unusual and poorly studied biotic interactions can provide valuable resources and conditions for the conservation of a critically endangered species inhabiting a suboptimal or relict habitat. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The ability to detect threats quickly is crucial for survival. Primates, including humans, have been shown to identify snakes quickly and accurately due to their evolutionary history. However, it is unclear which visual features humans and primates detect as threat targets. Several studies have suggested that snake scales possess potent visual features. My previous study demonstrated that removing snake scales through digital image processing reduces attention directed toward snakes. Here, I conducted a visual search task using luminance- and contrast-adjusted photographs of snakes and salamanders in monkeys that had never seen these real reptiles and amphibians. This study demonstrates that the presence or absence of snake scales is responsible for the rapid detection of target animals. The monkeys quickly detected one snake photograph from the eight salamander photographs than vice versa. However, when the same salamanders were clothed with snake scales using image processing, the difference in detection speed between snakes and salamanders disappeared. These results are consistent with the snake-detection theory that snakes were a strong selective pressure favoring modifications in the primate visual system that allow them to detect snakes more quickly or reliably. This strongly suggests that primates' snake detection depends on the snake-scale shapes, which are both snake-specific and common to all snakes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We explore the relationship between global zoonotic disease incidents and international wildlife trade in Ghana and provide an in-depth analysis of taxon trade trends from 1975 to 2018 by combining zoonotic disease data (published sources) with the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES) database. Trends over this period show that reptiles (Pythonidae) were the most frequently traded, followed by birds (Psittacidae), mammals (Cercopithecidae) (classified under CITES Appendix 1), and amphibians (Dendrobatidae). Overall trade (export/import) did not differ significantly among the four periods: 1975–1985, 1986–1996, 1997–2007, and 2008–2018 (H = 4.99, p = 0.166). Most countries that export wildlife to Ghana are in Africa, and those countries that import wildlife from Ghana are in Europe and the USA. Trade of reptiles and birds, especially endangered pythons and Psittacus species, could lead to their extinction in the wild. Our study model reveals that the higher the incidence of zoonotic diseases, the higher the incidence of exports of reptiles (coeff. = 0.30, p < 0.001) and birds (coeff. = 0.49, p < 0.001) but the lower incidence of mammalian exports (coeff. = -0.45, p < 0.001), suggesting a relationship between the incidence of zoonotic diseases and a decrease in mammal specimen trade. Early detection of zoonotic diseases and the adoption of an expanded education module to avoid risks in bushmeat utilization will also help reduce wildlife trade. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Upper Carboniferous protorothyridid amniote Brouffia orientalis from Czech Republic is redescribed. Photogrammetric scanning of the holotype and only known specimen yields considerable new information on the skull and postcranium of this tetrapod and allows us to amend previous morphological descriptions to a substantial degree. A virtual 3D model built from photogrammetry scan data is used as the basis for a new reconstruction of the skull in dorsal, lateral, and ventral aspects and the lower jaw in lateral aspect. We expand and refine the diagnosis of Brouffia and compare it with other protorothyridids. We discuss the affinities of this taxon by coding it in a recently published data matrix of early amniotes, which we subject to maximum parsimony and Bayesian fossilized birth–death analyses. Brouffia emerges as the sister taxon to Coelostegus in all analyses, but the position of these two taxa within amniotes varies. In a parsimony analysis with unweighted characters, the (Brouffia + Coelostegus) clade forms the sister group to Synapsida. In various experiments of character reweighting, that clade is placed crownward of Captorhinidae on the stem-group of Reptilia, but anticrownward of remaining protorothyridids. The latter constitute either a paraphyletic array relative to Diapsida or their monophyletic sister group. The Bayesian analysis retrieves (Brouffia + Coelostegus) as the most basal plesion on the stem-group of Reptilia. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Corn snakes are emerging models for animal colouration studies. Here, we focus on the Terrazzo morph, whose skin pattern is characterized by stripes rather than blotches. Using genome mapping, we discover a disruptive mutation in the coding region of the Premelanosome protein (PMEL) gene. Our transcriptomic analyses reveal that PMEL expression is significantly downregulated in Terrazzo embryonic tissues. We produce corn snake PMEL knockouts, which present a comparable colouration phenotype to Terrazzo and the subcellular structure of their melanosomes and xanthosomes is also similarly impacted. Our single-cell expression analyses of wild-type embryonic dorsal skin demonstrate that all chromatophore progenitors express PMEL at varying levels. Finally, we show that in wild-type embryos PMEL-expressing cells are initially uniformly spread before forming aggregates and eventually blotches, as seen in the adults. In Terrazzo embryos, the aggregates fail to form. Our results provide insights into the mechanisms governing colouration patterning in reptiles. Corn snakes are a useful model organism for studying skin pigmentation. Here they characterize the Terrazzo morph and identify the role of PMEL in the patterning of pigmented cells in the skin, explaining how the wild-type blotches change to stripes in Terrazzo. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Among reptiles, turtles are the most frequently traded species and often released in the wild once they become unwanted as pets. The common snapping turtle Chelydra serpentina and the alligator snapping turtle Macrochelys temminckii are freshwater turtles native to North America. Although their trade is regulated in some countries, they have been introduced worldwide as pets. While C. serpentina has established some self-sustaining populations outside its native range, there are no such reports for M. temminckii. However, there are increasing records from the wild for both species, yet a thorough assessment of the potential climatic suitability, observed impacts, and potential invasiveness of these two species has never been performed. To fill this critical gap, we combined species distribution models under current and future climatic scenarios, standardized scoring impact systems (EICAT(+) and SEICAT), and invasiveness risk-screening (AS-ISK). Our results show current and future climatic suitability for both species outside their native range, especially for C. serpentina. In their native ranges, our models predicted a future increase in climatic suitability for C. serpentina, but a decrease for M. temminckii, raising potential concerns for the conservation of this latter species. Only C. serpentina could be assessed for its impacts, being attributed a minor impact score. The invasiveness risk screening attributed a medium risk to C. serpentina and a low risk to M. temminckii. In any case, our results suggest that data collection outside both species' native ranges is necessary to monitor the status of these as non-native species, identifying eventual reproductions in the wild and early detecting incipient invasions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: Nothing is known about coccidians (Apicomplexa: Eimeriidae) from the Pacific blue-tailed skink, Emoia caeruleocauda. Here, we report mensural and morphometric data on a new species of Isospora from E. caeruleocauda from Guam, US Territory. Methods: Feces from four E. caeruleocauda collected by hand in November 2023 were placed in individual vials containing 2.5% potassium dichromate. They were examined for sporulated oocysts after flotation in Sheather's sugar solution, measured, and photographed. Results: A single (25%) E. caeruleocauda was found to be passing oocysts representing a new species of Isospora. Oocysts of Isospora guamensis n. sp. are ellipsoidal to ovoidal with a bi-layered wall, measure (L × W) 16.5 × 11.8 μm, and have a length/width (L/W) ratio of 1.4; a micropyle and an oocyst residuum were absent but a polar granule was present. Sporocysts are ovoidal and measure 9.4 × 6.5 μm, L/W 1.4; Stieda and sub-Stieda bodies were present but a para-Stieda body was absent. The sporocyst residuum is composed various-sized granules in a compact rounded or irregular mass, sometimes dispersed between the sporozoites. The new species can be differentiated from all other isosporans from skinks by possessing the smallest oocysts known from this host family. Conclusion: This is the first time an isosporan coccidian has been reported from E. caeruleocauda as well as the first report of a coccidian from a Guam-inhabiting skink. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: To investigate whether Buthus martensii karsch (Scorpiones), Scolopendra subspinipes mutilans L. Koch (Scolopendra) and Gekko gecko Linnaeus (Gekko) could ameliorate the hypoxic tumor microenvironment and inhibit lung cancer growth and metastasis by regulating phosphoinositide 3-kinase/protein kinase B/mammalian target of rapamycin/hypoxia-inducible factor-1α (PI3K/AKT/mTOR/HIF-1α) signaling pathway. Methods: Male C57BL/6J mice were inoculated with luciferase labeled LL/2-luc-M38 cell suspension to develop lung cancer models, with rapamycin and cyclophosphamide as positive controls. Carboxy methyl cellulose solutions of Scorpiones, Scolopendra and Gekko were administered intragastrically as 0.33, 0.33, and 0.83 g/kg, respectively once daily for 21 days. Fluorescent expression were detected every 7 days after inoculation, and tumor growth curves were plotted. Immunohistochemistry was performed to determine CD31 and HIF-1α expressions in tumor tissue and microvessel density (MVD) was analyzed. Western blot was performed to detect the expression of PI3K/AKT/mTOR/HIF-1α signaling pathway-related proteins. Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay was performed to detect serum basic fibroblast growth factor (bFGF), transforming growth factor-β1 (TGF-β1) and vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) in mice. Results: Scorpiones, Scolopendra and Gekko prolonged the survival time and inhibited lung cancer metastasis and expression of HIF-1α (all P<0.01). Moreover, Scorpiones, Scolopendra and Gekko inhibited the phosphorylation of AKT and ribosomal protein S6 kinase (p70S6K) (P<0.05 or P<0.01). In addition, they also decreased the expression of CD31, MVD, bFGF, TGF-β1 and VEGF compared with the model group (P<0.05 or P<0.01). Conclusion: Scorpiones, Scolopendra and Gekko all showed beneficial effects on lung cancer by ameliorating the hypoxic tumor microenvironment via PI3K/AKT/mTOR/HIF-1α signaling pathway. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Concentrations of one metalloid (As) and eight metals (Cd, Cr, Cu, Hg, Mn, Ni, Pb, and Zn) were determined in tissues (muscle, liver, and kidney) of eight snake species (Bothrops neuwiedi, Crotalus durissus, Dipsas mikanii, Epicrates crassus, Helicops modestus, Micrurus carvalhoi, Oxyrhopus guibei, and Oxyrhopus trigeminus) from Lagoa Santa Karst. Except for Cu and Zn, all other analyzed elements were detected in concentrations within the ranges previously reported for snakes inhabiting polluted areas, emphasizing Hg (specific Hg mean concentrations varied from 0.87 to 9.76 μg g−1 d.w). The highest mean concentrations of all elements except Zn were found in muscle samples of the false corals O. guibei (means ranged from 2.01 [Pb] to 9.76 [Hg]). The highest Zn mean concentration (13.77 μg g−1 d.w) was detected in the kidney of the water snake H. modestus. No significant correlation was found between element concentrations and body size for all species. Significant interorgan differences were observed for As, Cr, Cu, Hg, Mn, Pb, and Zn concentrations in the three tissues in H. modestus. Significant interspecific differences were found in at least one organ for all elements. Significant pairwise differences were found between diet specialist species and between these species and broader diet species, while no significant difference was found between the broader diet species. The bioaccumulation of As and metals in snakes from Lagoa Santa Karst could be associated with natural rock dissolution and erosion processes but also with the wide-scale mining in the region and the increased agriculture and urbanization. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cyber defense solutions that can adapt to new threats and learn to act independently of human guidance are necessary in light of the proliferation of so-called 'next-generation' cyberattacks. Multi-granularity feature aggregation is a method for detecting network intrusions, but its accuracy is often low due to class imbalance and various classifications of intrusions. To address this issue, this model employs a hybrid sampling algorithm composed of ADASYN and repeated edited nearest neighbors (RENN) for sample processing. The feature-discriminative ability of various assaults is improved by employing channel self-attention at the block level during classification. Finally, an enhanced reptile search algorithm (IRSA) is proposed, which uses a sine cosine algorithm and Levy flight to optimally select the weight of the proposed model. The Levy factor boosts the exploitation capabilities of the search agents, and an algorithm with improved global search capabilities prevents local minimal entrapment by undertaking a full-scale search space. To learn binary and multiclass classification, the model was trained on the CIC-IDS 2017, UNSW-NB15, and WSN-DS datasets. Accuracy and falsehood are just some of the evaluation criteria used in the confusion matrix to determine the system's efficacy. Experimental consequences demonstrate a high detection rate, good accuracy, and a relatively low false alarm rate (FAR), validating the efficacy of the suggested approach. Following that, K4 achieved an accuracy score of 81.99, the precision-recall (PR) was 82.69, the detection rate (D.R.) was 82.12, the F1-score was 80.33, and the FAR was 2.3, all in that order. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A study is undertaken using anatomical measurements of specimens attributed to six species of Geospiza, the ground finches from the Galápagos archipelago. In a demonstration of method, a probabilistic approach associated with "sigma taxonomy" is adopted to assess the probability that pairs of specimens are or are not conspecific. We use a definition of a species based on morphometric analyses of the kind previously undertaken on extant vertebrate taxa (including mammals, birds and reptiles), using pairwise comparisons of anatomical measurements in regression analyses of the form y = mx + c from which the log-transformed standard error of the m-coefficient is calculated ("log sem"). The latter statistic is a reflection of variability in morphology. There is a high probability that at a species level, specimens attributed to G. magnirostris are different from those attributed to G. fulginosa, G. difficilis or G. scandens. Results of this study, using probabilistic sigma taxonomy, confirm the refutation of a single species hypothesis. In addition, we apply the log sem method to demonstrate that in case of comparisons between G. fortis and G. scandens (which are known to hybridise), there is a high probability that they are not different at a species level. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The reproductive strategies of reptiles vary according to many factors. In lizards, intraspecific and interspecific competition, and environmental and seasonal factors affect their reproductive biology. This study aimed to conduct a comparative analysis of testis sizes in the sympatrically coexisting species, Podarcis muralis and Podarcis tauricus, located in Kofçaz, Kırklareli, Turkey, considering both intra-species and inter-species variations. Changes in body sizes and testis sizes according to months were monitored. As a result, it was determined that in both species, there was a positive correlation between body size and testis size, and that in P. tauricus, both body and testis sizes were higher compared to P. muralis, showing a significant difference. It was also observed that in the P. muralis species, the testis size reached its peak value in April (mean daily temperature 9.9°C), while in the P. tauricus species, it reached the highest value in May (mean daily temperature 15.5°C). It was found that the testis size in P. muralis reached its lowest value in August (mean daily temperature 23.8°C), while in P. tauricus, it was lowest in September (mean daily temperature 20.2°C). The fact that testis size is high in different months in these two sympatric species suggests that their active breeding periods differ. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Microflora of reptiles and amphibians pose a serious threat to the environment and humans, as these bacteria are more resistant to antimicrobials or have more virulence factors. In this study, we focused on the characterization of Gram-negative bacterial isolates obtained from Mauremys rivulata (Western Caspian turtle), Natrix natrix (Grass snake), Natrix tessellata (Dice snake) and Pelophylax bedriagae (Levantine frog) using cultural methods and determine some virulence factors (antibiotic resistance, VanA and TetM resistant genes, biofilm, siderophore and some enzymatic activities etc.). Multiple antibiotic resistance (MAR) and virulence index (VI) of each strain were also calculated. A total of 85 Gram-negative isolates exhibited varying levels of antibiotic resistance and the ability to produce one or more extracellular enzymes such as amylase, lecithinase, protease, lipase, hemolysis, siderophore, amino acid decarboxylase and DNase. Although the TetM has been identified in all 7 isolates, none of the isolates have shown the presence of the VanA gene. According to MAR and VI results, most of the isolates were found to be in the high threat group and these indexes were correlated with antibiotic resistance. The study data revealed that chemicals used in industry and agriculture both trigger environmental pollution and pose risk factors for wildlife. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Despite the pernicious impacts that invasive black rats Rattus rattus have on island ecosystems, little is known about their effect upon insular reptiles, which are a highly vulnerable but pivotal element of island biota. To bring to light these effects, we evaluated the threat posed by R. rattus on the critically endangered Canarian spotted lizard Gallotia intermedia by analyzing its frequency of occurrence on rat feces, estimating rat abundance and density, and correlating these parameters with previous lizard censuses. We genetically detected that 14.96% of all rat feces contained G. intermedia, with 27.27% of individual R. rattus consuming this lizard. Rat density varied from 0.740 ± 0.474 to 2.183 ± 1.137 rats/ha and was correlated with larger declines of G. intermedia between past censuses and those of 2019. These results confirm for the first time that R. rattus consumes and impacts this endemic and endangered lizard species. From a broader perspective, this is one of the first studies detecting rat impact on a large-sized reptile, which calls for further attention to the interaction between invasive rats and a highly vulnerable but essential component of island ecosystems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The study of the brain by magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) allows to obtain detailed anatomical images, useful to describe specific encephalic structures and to analyze possible variabilities. It is widely used in clinical practice and is becoming increasingly used in veterinary medicine, even in exotic animals; however, despite its potential, its use in comparative neuroanatomy studies is still incipient. It is a technology that in recent years has significantly improved anatomical resolution, together with the fact that it is non-invasive and allows for systematic comparative analysis. All this makes it particularly interesting and useful in evolutionary neuroscience studies, since it allows for the analysis and comparison of brains of rare or otherwise inaccessible species. In the present study, we have analyzed the prosencephalon of three representative sauropsid species, the turtle Trachemys scripta (order Testudine), the lizard Pogona vitticeps (order Squamata) and the snake Python regius (order Squamata) by MRI. In addition, we used MRI sections to analyze the total brain volume and ventricular system of these species, employing volumetric and chemometric analyses together. The raw MRI data of the sauropsida models analyzed in the present study are available for viewing and downloading and have allowed us to produce an atlas of the forebrain of each of the species analyzed, with the main brain regions. In addition, our volumetric data showed that the three groups presented clear differences in terms of total and ventricular brain volumes, particularly the turtles, which in all cases presented distinctive characteristics compared to the lizards and snakes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The efficacy of sexual signals in communication is often maximized under specific environmental conditions. Anthropic alterations of these conditions might, thus, negatively affect communication during reproductive behavior. In fossorial animals, inhabiting visually restricted environments, chemical senses are very important. We examined whether climatic episodes of heat-waves with unusual high temperatures may affect the information provided to females by the sexual chemical signals of males of a fossorial reptile, the amphisbaenian Blanus cinereus. The results showed that experimentally heat-altered substrate scent marks of males can still provide information to females about the presence of a male. Females spent more time on males' scent marks, irrespective of the temperature treatment, than on control clean ones. However, heat-altered scent marks did not seem to convey information about the health state (immune response) of the producer. Females spent more time on unaltered scent marks of healthier males (probably indicating mating preferences for these males), while female preferences for some heat-altered scent marks were not related to size or immune response of the same individual males. Chemical analyses indicated that the overall chemical profile of precloacal secretions (used for scent marking) did not change with increased temperatures. However, the relationship between proportions of some compounds in secretions and males' immune response found in unaltered secretions was lost in heat-altered ones. We conclude that unusual increased environmental temperatures may decrease the efficacy of underground sexual chemical signals in this amphisbaenian (i.e., a loss of information on male quality), and consequently, may negatively affect sexual selection and reproduction. Significance statement: It's crucial to be as successful as possible when you show off to attract a mate. This may depend on how the surroundings affect the effectiveness of your exhibition. So, animals have evolved sexual signals tuned up to their local environmental conditions. A blind fossorial reptile uses substrate scent marks to transmit information to conspecifics. The projected rise in soil temperatures due to climate change could alter this communication. Although brief exposures to high temperatures still allows scent marks to inform females that a male is around, the information related to that male quality is disrupted. This could have detrimental effects on female reproductive success by drastically decreasing their capacity to select a suitable partner. It is unknown if animals could change their sexual signals in order to re-adjust to the rapidly shifting new climatic conditions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Deep learning has proven to be highly effective for human activity recognition (HAR) when large amount of labelled data is available for the target task. However, training a deep learning model to generalize well on a new task with just-few observations of labelled data is an active area of research. In this paper, a novel few-shot transfer learning (FSTL) approach is proposed for classification of human activities using just few instances (shots) of the data obtained from a wearable system assembled to collect inertial sensor data for different human activities, performed by two users. First, a deep learning model is trained on a large publicly available HAR dataset. The model parameters of such a model are then fine-tuned using the Reptile algorithm to determine the optimal initial parameter set using which, the model will classify activities with just few-shots of data from the target task. The proposed FSTL approach yields an average classification accuracy of 74.86 ± 0.71% and 79.20 ± 1.05% for 3-way, 5-shot classification of new activities performed by a single user and same set of activities performed by a new user, respectively. When the pre-trained weights are used as the initial weights in the Reptile algorithm, the generalization ability of the model improves by about 10% for 3-way, 5-shot classification as compared to using few-shot learning without parameter transfer. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents a description of the Olenekian–Anisian sections in South Primorye, Far East Russia, containing reptile remains. The paper describes important ammonoid Flexoptychites cf. rifunus (Yabe et Shimizu), as well as Flexoptychites cf. compressus (Yabe et Shimizu), which are stratigraphically significant. New Anisian reptile remains were discovered from four stratigraphic levels in South Primorye: (1) the upper part of the middle Anisian Acrochordiceraskiparisovae Zone (Ichthyopterigia indet. A), (2) the middle part of the upper Anisian Flexoptychites cf. rifunus Beds (Reptilia indet. cf. Ichthyopterygia A), (3) the upper part of the upper Anisian Flexoptychites cf. rifunus Beds (Ichthyoterygia indet. B), and (4) the uppermost part of the upper Anisian Flexoptychites cf. rifunus Beds (Reptilia indet. cf. Ichthyopterygia B). The Anisian stage is marked by an abundance of medium- to large-sized ichthyopterygians and a comparatively limited number of gigantic forms, particularly in the eastern Panthalassic and western Tethyan provinces. Our recent discovery has unveiled the presence of medium- to large-sized reptiles, seemingly ichthyopterygians, in the western Panthalassic province during the late Anisian (Flexoptychites cf. rifunus Chrone). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper is an inventory of amphibians and reptiles occurring in Kakoi Reserve Forest of Lakhimpur District of Assam, North-east India and is based on the survey done in 2017–2018 (from the month of January 2017–January 2018). A total of 34 species of herpetofauna comprising of 12 species of amphibians and 22 species of reptiles have been recorded from the study area. All the recorded species of amphibians are of the order Anura and are composed of 4 families and 7 genera. Among reptiles, we recorded 4 families, 5 genera, and 9 species of lizards; 4 families, 10 genera, and 12 species of snakes, and a single species of turtle. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Knowledge of the composition and properties of skin microbiota in healthy reptiles is essential for preservation strategies and thus the prevention of skin dysbiosis leading to dermatological diseases. Despite the greatly increasing popularity of reptiles as pets, only a few studies have dealt with this topic. Therefore, the aim of this work was to analyse species composition of bacteria isolated from skin swabs of 40 reptiles (17 species) using MALDI-TOF spectrometry and to characterise the virulence properties of identified staphylococci (n = 51). The most common species were Staphylococcus xylosus and S. sciuri. Bacilli, enterococci, Escherichia coli, Salmonella sp. and Acinetobacter sp. were also common. The most frequent antimicrobial resistance in staphylococcal isolates was observed for ampicillin (100.0%) and cefoxitin (98.0%) with the blaZ gene being most prevalent (58.8%). In contrast, all staphylococci were susceptible to gentamicin, kanamycin and imipenem. Slime and biofilm production was observed in 86.3% and 76.5% of isolates, respectively. Gelatinase, DNase, protease and lipase activity was found more rarely (41.2%; 25.5%; 27.5% and 21.6%). Since reptiles are a reservoir of bacteria for their owners, common multi-drug resistance (84.3%, MAR index average 0.29 ± 0.09) and biofilm formation must be kept in mind, especially in the case of injury when handling reptiles. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To investigate the exposure of wild reptiles to anticoagulant rodenticides (ARs), liver ARs concentrations were analyzed using LCMS in individuals captured within ARs application areas. A total of 185 pit vipers (Protobothrops flavoviridis) from Amami Oshima Island and 89 green anoles (Anolis carolinensis) from Ogasawara Island were captured. Among the pit vipers, approximately 9% of the samples showed detection of three ARs (warfarin (WF), diphacinone (DP), and coumatetralyl (CT), with a maximum concentration of 436.5 ng/g. Additionally, the WF metabolite 10-OH WF was detected in 4 out of 10 individuals where WF was detected. No correlation was found between ARs detection rates and sex or sampling seasons, and no hemorrhaging signs were observed in pit vipers with ARs detection. In green anoles, DP was detected in only one individual at a concentration of 51.9 ng/g. Although high ARs accumulation was not observed, careful monitoring is needed as lizards may serve as exposure resources for higher−tier consumers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Fossil feathers have transformed our understanding of integumentary evolution in vertebrates. The evolution of feathers is associated with novel skin ultrastructures, but the fossil record of these changes is poor and thus the critical transition from scaled to feathered skin is poorly understood. Here we shed light on this issue using preserved skin in the non-avian feathered dinosaur Psittacosaurus. Skin in the non-feathered, scaled torso is three-dimensionally replicated in silica and preserves epidermal layers, corneocytes and melanosomes. The morphology of the preserved stratum corneum is consistent with an original composition rich in corneous beta proteins, rather than (alpha-) keratins as in the feathered skin of birds. The stratum corneum is relatively thin in the ventral torso compared to extant quadrupedal reptiles, reflecting a reduced demand for mechanical protection in an elevated bipedal stance. The distribution of the melanosomes in the fossil skin is consistent with melanin-based colouration in extant crocodilians. Collectively, the fossil evidence supports partitioning of skin development in Psittacosaurus: a reptile-type condition in non-feathered regions and an avian-like condition in feathered regions. Retention of reptile-type skin in non-feathered regions would have ensured essential skin functions during the early, experimental stages of feather evolution. The evolution of feathers is associated with the evolution of related skin microstructures. Here, the authors demonstrate that Psittacosaurus, a non-avian feathered dinosaur, retained scaled skin like its ancestors in body regions lacking feathers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The cornea of various vertebrate is considered a major part in the glop, which acts as a powerful lens, providing a sharp retinal image, and meantime acts as an excellent defensor for other corneal layers. Results: The four reptilian families [Scincidae (Chalcides ocellatus); Chamaeleontidae (Chameleon chameleon); Cheloniidae (Chelonia mydas) and Testudiniae (Testudo kleinmanni)] investigated in the current study were gathered across Egypt. After being taken out of the orbit, the cornea under inquiry was ready for light, specific stain and scanning electron microscopy. The epithelium, stroma, and endothelium are the three corneal layers that are common to all four species of reptiles. All other species lack Bowmen's and Descemet's membranes, with the exception of C. ocellatus and T. kleinmanni. The latter layers of Chalcides ocellatus display a strong affinity for Periodic Acid Schiff stain. Epithelial cells with a variety of forms, from hexagonal to atypical polygonal cells, cover the outer corneal surface. These epithelial cells are coated in short microplicae, microvilli, and microholes of varied diameters. There are a few blebs scattered around their surface. Conclusion: The current study concluded that various habitats have various significant effects on the cornea's microstructure characteristics and its physiological trends to accommodate different environmental surroundings. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The genus Hepatozoon Miller (1908) contains a wide range of obligate parasitic organisms with complex life cycles involving vertebrates and hematophagous invertebrates. Despite over 300 species being described, only a small percentage has been characterized in snakes using morphological and molecular techniques. The prevalence of these parasites in snakes is significant, highlighting the need for molecular descriptions in such elusive hosts. Thus, the objective of this study was to determine molecularly the presence of Hepatozoon species in snakes from the Northeastern region of Argentina. Thirty-two specimens of eight snake species (Bothrops alternatus, Dryophylax hypoconia, Erythrolamprus jaegeri coralliventris, Erythrolamprus poecilogyrus, Erythrolamprus semiaureus, Philodryas olfersii latirostris, Pseudablabes (ex Philodryas) patagoniensis and Palusophis (ex Mastigodryas) bifossatus were collected and examined. PCR analysis of the 18S rRNA locus detected four samples (12% prevalence) positive for the presence of Hepatozoon DNA. Phylogenetic analysis positioned the 18S rRNA Hepatozoon sequences obtained in three different clades, one with Hepatozoon musa, another with sequences of Hepatozoon cuestensis, while the third was placed as a sister taxon to a clade including Hepatozoon cevapii and Hepatozoon massardi. This study presents the first documentation of Hepatozoon infecting snakes in Argentina, thereby expanding their distribution within southern South America. Additionally, B. alternatus and Pa. bifossatus are reported as new hosts of Hepatozoon. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Around the middle of the nineteenth century, Italian palaeontologists began to investigate fossils of fishes and reptiles from the Middle Triassic outcrops in the vicinity of Monte San Giorgio (Canton Ticino, Switzerland). In 1924, researchers from the University of Zurich started their scientific excavations on the Swiss side. The many fish fossils found since then have often stood in the shadow of the more spectacular and mostly larger fossils of various aquatic reptiles. Beginning around 1980 the fish fossils in the collection of the Palaeontological Institute and Museum of Zurich University have subsequently been brought out of this shadow. The picture presently emerging is that of a species rich fish fauna located in six different fossiliferous beds of Anisian and Ladinian age with a few chondrichthyan, some coelacanth and a wealth of different actinopterygian taxa, many of them well preserved. The ongoing work not only results in taxonomic and systematic novelties, but gives also new insights into their palaeobiology, palaeoecology and palaeobiogeography. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Among the least studied portion of the pterosaur skeleton is the palate, which tends to be poorly preserved and commonly only visible from one side (the ventral portion). Even in well-preserved specimens, the bones tend to be fused, with the limits of individual palatal elements obscured. To shed new light on this region, we employed advanced X-ray imaging techniques on the non-pterodactyloid Kunpengopterus (Wukongopteridae), and the pterodactyloids Dsungaripterus (Dsungaripteridae), Hongshanopterus (Istiodactylidae), and Hamipterus (Hamipteridae). Our analyses revealed the presence of sutures between palatal bones in Dsungaripterus and Kunpengopterus, which resulted in different interpretations of the relation between palatine, ectopterygoid, and pterygoid, leading to a new identification of the palatal openings. Furthermore, our study shows six main observations such as the variation of the angle between the palatine rami and the variation in the relative sizes of the palatal openings. We also point out that the presence of a maxillopalatine fenestra (previously identified as postpalatine fenestra), is unique within Diapsida. Although much more work needs to be done, we showed that advanced X-ray imaging techniques open a window for understanding pterosaur cranial anatomy and provide a new perspective for investigating the evolutionary history of these flying reptiles. A study on the palatal region of pterosaurs suggests different bone interpretations and new identification of the palatal openings, pointing out that the maxillopalatine fenestra in pterosaurs is unique within Diapsida. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Natural G-protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs) rarely have an additional transmembrane (TM) helix, such as an artificial TM-linker that can unite two class A GPCRs in tandem as a single-polypeptide chain (sc). Here, we report that three groups of TM-linkers exist in the intervening regions of natural GPCR fusions from vertebrates: (1) the original consensus (i.e., consensus 1) and consensus 2~4 (related to GPCR itself or its receptor-interacting proteins); (2) the consensus but GPCR-unrelated ones, 1~7; and (3) the inability to apply 1/2 that show no similarity to any other proteins. In silico analyses indicated that all natural GPCR fusions from Amphibia lack a TM-linker, and reptiles have no GPCR fusions; moreover, in either the GPCR-GPCR fusion or fusion protein of (GPCR monomer) and non-GPCR proteins from vertebrates, excluding tetrapods, i.e., so-called fishes, TM-linkers differ from previously reported mammalian and are avian sequences and are classified as Groups 2 and 3. Thus, previously reported TM-linkers were arranged: Consensus 1 is [T(I/A/P)(A/S)–(L/N)(I/W/L)(I/A/V)GL(L/G)(A/T)(S/L/G)(I/L)] first identified in invertebrate sea anemone Exaiptasia diaphana (LOC110241027) and (330-SPSFLCI–L–SLL-340) identified in a tropical bird Opisthocomus hoazin protein LOC104327099 (XP_009930279.1); GPCR-related consensus 2~4 are, respectively, (371-prlilyavfc fgtatg-386) in the desert woodrat Neotoma lepida A6R68_19462 (OBS78147.1), (363-lsipfcll yiaallgnfi llfvi-385) in Gavia stellate (red-throated loon) LOC104264164 (XP_009819412.1), and (479-ti vvvymivcvi glvgnflvmy viir-504) in a snailfish GPCR (TNN80062.1); In Mammals Neotoma lepida, Aves Erythrura gouldiae, and fishes protein (respectively, OBS83645.1, RLW13346.1 and KPP79779.1), the TM-linkers are Group 2. Here, we categorized, for the first time, natural TM-linkers as rare evolutionary events among all vertebrates. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Developmental anomalies affect all species. However, the amount of data varies greatly among taxa and focuses mainly on domestic or model species, leaving some groups, like "reptiles", lacking information. To access the accumulated data regarding developmental anomalies in non-avian reptiles, we conducted a systematic bibliographic review of the available data for the past 60 years (from 1960 to 2019) and classified them accordingly to their research type (Systematic Bibliographic Review, Case Study, Environmental Study, Staging Table/Ontogenetic Study, Molecular Study, Evolutionary Study, Experimental Study), and listed the anomalies there described. We obtained 90 hits, over 50% published in the last decade. The most common study type found was "Case Studies", followed by "Environmental Studies" and "Systematic Bibliographic Reviews", and in smaller numbers, "Staging Tables and Ontogenetic Studies", "Molecular Studies", "Experimental Studies" and "Evolutionary Studies". As a result, we found 289 individual records of anomalies across all non-avian reptile groups. From this total, we registered 121 different appropriately named documented anomalies and provided names for 21 anomalies based on their description, thus naming and describing a total of 134 different unique anomalies for reptiles. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Reptiles are the least studied vertebrates regarding the impact of pesticides on their health, despite being good models for ecotoxicological studies given their abundance and easy handling. Salvator merianae is widely distributed in South America and often found in agricultural cultivation areas. Here, we compared the morphological, biochemical, and physiological parameters of S. merianae from an exposed area (EA) to pesticides and a reference area (RA) or control. These parameters were measured in plasma (albumin, alanine transaminase, alkaline phosphatase, gamma-glutamyl transpeptidase, glucose, total proteins, uric acid, triglycerides, VLDL, and corticosterone) and in erythrocytes (TBARS, glutathione S-transferase, superoxide dismutase, and catalase activity). Blood samples were collected from 28 lizards (EA: three juveniles, three adult females, and three adult males; RA: nine juveniles, four females, and five males) in southern Brazil during the reproductive period. We observed a decrease in body mass, the ratio between body mass and total length and snout-vent length in juvenile lizards collected at EA. The levels of TBARS, glutathione S-transferase, triglycerides, VLDL, and uric acid were altered for juveniles in EA. When comparing the two areas, females differed in superoxide dismutase activity and total proteins, while males differed in superoxide dismutase, catalase, and glutathione S-transferase activity. This set of results shows that S. merianae, especially juveniles, suffers a negative impact when inserted in an agricultural area. The analyzed biomarkers proved suitable for monitoring these lizards and the quality of this environment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Urbanisation creates novel environments, not only through (abiotic) microhabitat alterations, but also due to changes in (biotic) inter- and intraspecific interactions. Where sheltering sites in urban habitats are limited, intra or interspecific interactions may increase, resulting in increased competition and changes in predation risk in urban areas compared to natural habitats. The Knysna Dwarf Chameleon (Bradypodion damaranum) occurs in both urban and natural settings, is extremely ornamented, and individuals have been observed with multiple wounds and scars. We therefore hypothesised that urban populations may have adapted to the physical features of urban habitats, and that this would be detectable through ornament size and bite force, as well as the presence of scarring. We quantified these traits from urban and natural populations from two separate localities (the towns of George and Knysna, South Africa). Our results showed that female and male B. damaranum from urban populations had a higher number of injuries and that urban males were more likely to be injured than males from natural habitats. Bite force was only recorded at one locality (Knysna), but both sexes in urban habitats had higher bite force when accounting for casque height as compared to those from the natural habitats. Urban chameleons also had less developed ornamentation but wider and/or higher heads compared to populations in natural habitats. Urban habitats had significantly lower tree density than natural habitats, and this may be a factor in driving the morphological differences between populations, whereby reduced ornamentation confers an advantage for remaining cryptic to predators in the open habitat but compromises the ability for signalling conspecifics with encounters escalating to physical contests. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The world is urbanizing rapidly, resulting in increasing rates of habitat loss and fragmentation. Protected areas are commonly established to restrict development and conserve native ecological communities. Yet urban protected areas often receive high levels of recreational activity, which can reduce their conservation effectiveness because of disturbance to animals. Recreation has negative consequences for many animal species, but its effects on reptiles are largely unknown. We evaluated the effects of non-consumptive recreation on reptiles within urban protected areas in a fragmented landscape in coastal southern California, USA. We surveyed lizards and snakes along a gradient of recreation intensity and modeled species richness, community composition, and occupancy in relation to human activity along with other variables known to affect reptile distributions. We observed a decline in lizard species richness in association with human activity. Richness of habitat specialists was not related to recreation, but smaller-bodied lizards and lizards with narrower active temperature ranges were less common at sites with high human activity. Human activity was associated with a decline in occupancy of the common side-blotched lizard (Uta stansburiana), no meaningful relationship with occupancy of the orange-throated whiptail (Aspidoscelis hyperythra) and a positive relationship with western fence lizard (Sceloporus occidentalis) occupancy and/or detection probability. Our study demonstrates that increasing rates of recreation activity can reduce the ability of urban protected areas to conserve diverse reptile assemblages. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Hybridization can influence the evolutionary potential of wild species and can be especially detrimental where one species is abundant, and the other much rarer. In Belize, the Morelet's crocodile (Crocodylus moreletii) primarily inhabits inland freshwater lagoons, lakes and rivers, whereas the less abundant American crocodile (Crocodylus acutus) is more prevalent among the offshore cayes and atolls. Both species are historically sympatric along the brackish coastline, but it is unclear if admixture between the two is affecting genetic integrity of the species. We investigated the extent of interspecific hybridization across Belize using genomic variants identified using double digest restriction-site associated DNA sequencing (ddRADseq). Five groups of genetically pure C. moreletii were identified, two of which were inland, including the protected Chiquibul National Park. Two groups of genetically pure C. acutus were identified, one on northern offshore islands, and a second along the southern coastline. Hybrids were only identified along the central-southern coastline and were in close geographic proximity to coastal purebreds. Based on these results, we suggest that the central-southern coastline represents a hybrid zone, while the inland areas and offshore islands that harbour only genetically pure populations may benefit from conservation prioritisation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Artificial cover objects, made of various materials, have been used for decades for reptile and amphibian surveys, as well as in habitat restoration programs. Their low cost and maintenance demands make them a cost effective and efficient survey method. Since flipping covers does not require special skills, and covers can be uniform in size and material, they can be used as a standardized survey method to negate observer biases. We surveyed the literature in search of studies describing the use of artificial cover objects in situ as part of surveys or habitat restoration efforts of reptiles and amphibians in the twenty-first century. We found 490 studies conducted in 31 countries. Our results show that artificial cover objects are an effective method to sample reptiles and amphibians in terms of both labor and cost. Overall, artificial cover objects used in the studies we surveyed enabled the detection of 357 species belonging to 47 families. Only one study reported animal mortality caused by artificial covers and it also suggested a way to prevent it. No other studies reported direct or indirect injuries or deaths caused by artificial covers. We discuss the efficacy of artificial cover objects in surveying for reptiles and amphibians, and examine their effectiveness when used as part of habitat restoration programs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Wetlands are one of the world's most threatened ecosystems, yet they provide outsized ecosystem services compared to their global surface area. Africa is experiencing a burgeoning human population, and though border areas receive short-term pulses in transient population growth, borders often create legal and logistical barriers to long-term settlement. This lack of long-term settlement may leave border ecosystems more intact than those in more interior areas. Reptiles and amphibians are considered indicator species and thus can be used to assess the health and resilience of their habitats. We sampled the herpetofauna of three transborder wetland systems in Uganda using time-constrained visual encounter surveys during diurnal and nocturnal activity hours. We then compared the communities of these wetlands using alpha and beta diversity indices and provide baseline population data on these communities. These data will allow for future investigations of the ability of transborder wetlands to act as long-term refugia for herpetofauna, even as human populations continue to increase. Border wetlands may be vital in conserving Africa's herpetofauna. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Understanding how natural populations will respond to contemporary changes in climate is becoming increasingly urgent and of fundamental importance for the preservation of future biodiversity. Among vertebrates, amphibians and reptiles are more sensitive to environmental perturbations than endotherms and ectotherm diversity will likely be disproportionally impacted by climate change. Notwithstanding concerns surrounding the climate change resilience of ectotherm populations, accurately predicting future population trajectories based on contemporary ecological and physiological data alone remains challenging and much can be learnt by studying how populations have responded to climate change in the past. Genomic approaches can now assay the genetic diversity of contemporary population at an unprecedented scale but to date have been relatively underutilised when studying the demographic history of amphibians and reptiles. In this review, we first summarise how changing climatic conditions may influence the ectotherm phenotype and how this can translate to changes in fitness and population dynamics. We then discuss how the relative role of past climate in shaping ectotherm diversity has traditionally been approached in a phylogeographic context and how expanding genomic resources for ectotherm species can be leveraged to improve the study of past demography for many amphibian and reptilian groups. An integrative approach that links known proximate effects on phenotype due to climate change, with past changes in demographic trajectories will ultimately enable us to generate more accurate models of future population change and improve our ability to assess climate change resilience for many ectotherm groups. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Trait datasets are increasingly being used in studies investigating eco-evolutionary theory and global conservation initiatives. Reptiles are emerging as a key group for studying these questions because their traits are crucial for understanding the ability of animals to cope with environmental changes and their contributions to ecosystem processes. We collected data from earlier databases, and the primary literature to create an up-to-date dataset of reptilian traits, encompassing 40 traits from 12060 species of reptiles (Archelosauria: Crocodylia and Testudines, Rhynchocephalia, and Squamata: Amphisbaenia, Sauria, and Serpentes). The data were gathered from 1288 sources published between 1820 and 2023. The dataset includes morphological, physiological, behavioral, and life history traits, as well as information on the availability of genetic data, IUCN Red List assessments, and population trends. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Persistent organic pollutants (POPs) are chemical substances widely distributed in the environment by the runoff from anthropic activities and can be distributed and bioaccumulated or biomagnified in the environment, affecting the health of organisms. The sea turtle, Lepidochelys olivacea, is a long-lived organism, with migratory habits and feeding behaviors that allow exposure to various pollutants. This work aimed to determine long-term exposure to POPs in adult olive ridley turtles (L. olivacea), sampled during the nesting season, in "La Escobilla" Sanctuary. Blood samples were collected and processed to obtain plasma. The quantification of POPs in blood was carried out with an extraction technique with a focused ultrasound probe. Twenty-seven POP analytes were determined. The concentrations of hexachlorocyclohexane, endosulfan isomers, dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane, total polychlorinated biphenyls, and the total sum of POPs found in plasma are higher than those reported in other studies, which reported effects such as hematological and biochemical changes in blood, changes in immune system cells and enzymatic activity related to oxidative stress. These results are important to demonstrate the chronic exposure to POPs in olive ridley turtles in marine ecosystems and to highlight the importance of assessing the associated health risks, considering that these contaminants could be transferred to the offspring and affect future generations of this reptile. It is important to carry out studies that develop conservation strategies for the olive ridley turtle. Also, it is necessary to control the emissions of pollutants into the atmosphere, as well as reduce urban, agricultural, and industrial waste in the environment and marine ecosystems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In reptile medicine, the enzymes aspartate aminotransferase (AST) and creatine kinase (CK) have been used in clinical diagnostics, where CK is considered an enzyme specific to muscle cell damage, while AST is a nonspecific enzyme that is mainly produced in the liver and muscle. When many native reptiles are sampled, it is evident that there are important differences between species and individuals belonging to the same species, making the AST and CK ranges very wide. The minimum and maximum values, variations and standard deviations were extracted for each enzyme from 17 wild reptile studies, revealing high variation and a wide range of variation for each species. AST and CK must be interpreted with caution in wild reptiles since there appears to be an important amount of individual and specific variation due to the muscular origin of these enzymes, and such variations tell us that there are considerable differences between individuals, physiological characteristics or sampling methods; thus, there is no apparent value derived from these kinds of studies on the utility of AST for evaluating liver damage, but the measurement of AST and CK can be useful for reptile health assessments or any manipulative study since they can eventually be used as indicators or potential biomarkers for restraint techniques or holding time. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Various environmental morphological and behavioral factors can determine the longevity of representatives of various taxa. Long-lived species develop systems aimed at increasing organism stability, defense, and, ultimately, lifespan. Long-lived species to a different extent manifest the factors favoring longevity (gerontological success), such as body size, slow metabolism, activity of body's repair and antioxidant defense systems, resistance to toxic substances and tumorigenesis, and presence of neotenic features. In continuation of our studies of mammals, we investigated the characteristics that distinguish long-lived ectotherms (crocodiles and turtles) and compared them with those of other ectotherms (squamates and amphibians) and endotherms (birds and mammals). We also discussed mathematical indicators used to assess the predisposition to longevity in different species, including standard indicators (mortality rate, maximum lifespan, coefficient of variation of lifespan) and their derivatives. Evolutionary patterns of aging are further explained by the protective phenotypes and life history strategies. We assessed the relationship between the lifespan and various studied factors, such as body size and temperature, encephalization, protection of occupied ecological niches, presence of protective structures (for example, shells and osteoderms), and environmental temperature, and the influence of these factors on the variation of the lifespan as a statistical parameter. Our studies did not confirm the hypothesis on the metabolism level and temperature as the most decisive factors of longevity. It was found that animals protected by shells (e.g., turtles with their exceptional longevity) live longer than species that have poison or lack such protective adaptations. The improvement of defense against external threats in long-lived ectotherms is consistent with the characteristics of long-lived endotherms (for example, naked mole-rats that live in underground tunnels, or bats and birds, whose ability to fly is one of the best defense mechanisms). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Urban parks and greenspaces protect biodiversity in cities and provide important opportunities for city residents to interact with wildlife. We used a large community-science database to examine the predictors of amphibian and reptile species richness across urban areas in the eastern United States. Overall, we found that park area, wetland habitat diversity, and park connectivity were related to amphibian and reptile species richness, reducing prediction error by around 50% compared to a null model. Additionally, forest cover within parks was a predictor of amphibian richness, but not a predictor for reptiles. The richness of uncommon species (fewer than 50 observations in our sample) was related only to park area and connectivity. Our model was effective at predicting herp species richness at parks in "new" urban areas (i.e. those not included in the original model fitting) for some locations (e.g., Philadelphia, Indianapolis, Manhattan) but also tended to under-estimate the most species-rich parks in some places (e.g., Washington DC and Pittsburgh) and over-estimate richness in others (e.g., Staten Island). For individual species, presence in parks tended to follow expected habitat associations, with salamanders mostly responding to forest cover, and frogs and turtles primarily responding to park area and wetland diversity. Our results demonstrate that large urban parks with can harbor high species richness, particularly those with a high diversity of aquatic and terrestrial habitats. However, these patterns are only moderately predictable, and individual parks may have higher or lower conservation value value than might be expected from simple models. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Most assessments of the conservation status of Brazilian turtles use the IUCN geographic range criteria performed by the Minimum Convex Polygon (MCP). This technique often leads to over- or under-estimating the geographic distribution of rare, vulnerable, or endangered species. We aimed to demonstrate that using Species Distribution Models (SDM) on the geographic range assessment of turtles could be more accurate than using the minimum polygon convex. We reduced overestimation of species' extent of occurrence by adding dispersal constraints, which avoids under- or over-estimating the impact of threatening events. The extent of occurrence derived from MCP was 31% higher than SDM on average, ranging from 4 to 311% higher. Using remaining habitat variables, we found that habitat loss within the predicted extent of occurrence increased by 79% from 1985 to 2019, and inferred population fragmentation increased by 161%. The distribution of turtles Acanthochelys radiolata, Acanthochelys spixii, Hydromedusa maximiliani, Hydromedusa tectifera, Mesoclemmys vanderhaegei, Phrynops williamsi, and Ranacephala hogei is severely fragmented, with most of their extent of occurrence being split into patches that are unavailable to the species persistence. Our findings highlight the importance of using SDM combined with dispersal constraints, which may further benefit from future information about the dispersal capacity of turtles. Furthermore, adding environmental layers to this combination makes it possible to discuss processes affected by habitat fragmentation, such as the fragmentation of species populations, an aspect essential to evaluate population viability and local extinctions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This work proposes a novel reptile search algorithm (RSA) to solve optimization problems called reinforcement reptile search algorithm (RLRSA). The basic RSA performs exploitation through highly walking in the first half of searching process while the exploration phase is executed through the hunting phase in the second half. Therefore, the algorithm is not able to balance exploration and exploitation and this behavior results in trapping in local optima. A novel learning method based on reinforcement learning and Q-learning model is proposed to balance the exploitation and exploration phases when the solution starts deteriorating. Furthermore, the random opposite-based learning (ROBL) is introduced to increase the diversity of the population and so enhance the obtained solutions. Twenty-three typical benchmark functions, including unimodal, multimodal and fixed-dimension multimodal functions, were employed to assess the performance of RLRSA. According to the findings, the RLRSA method surpasses the standard RSA approach in the majority of benchmark functions evaluated, specifically in 12 out of 13 unimodal functions, 9 out of 13 multimodal functions, and 8 out of 10 fixed multimodal functions. Furthermore, the RLRSA is applied to vessel solve pressure and tension/compression spring design problems. The results show that RLRSA significantly found the solution with minimum cost. The experimental results reveal the superiority of the RLRSA compared to RSA and other optimization methods in the literature. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

There are few reports of Trypanosoma in snakes, as well as little information about its pathogenicity in these animals. Thus, the present study aimed to characterize Trypanosoma found in Boa constrictor snakes, to verify the influence of the parasitism on hematological and clinical biochemistry parameters, and to perform a phylogenetic study of the isolates. Blood samples from sixty-one boas were analyzed for the presence of trypanosomatids and by hematological and clinical biochemistry assays. The flagellates that were found in this analysis were used for cell culture, morphometry, and molecular analysis. Later, molecular typing phylogenetic studies were performed. Nine positive animals (14.75%) were identified by microscopy analysis. The hematological results showed that parasitized animals presented significantly lower levels of packed cell volume, hemoglobin, mean corpuscular volume, and mean corpuscular hemoglobin. In the leukogram, eosinophils and heterophils counts were higher in parasitized animals. Considering the molecular analyses, the isolates presented a higher identity of the glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase (GAPDH) and the 18S small subunit ribosomal RNA (SSU rRNA) gene fragments with Trypanosoma serpentis. The phylogenetic tree, using the GAPDH, clustered all isolates with T. serpentis and Trypanosoma cascavelli. This is the first description of T. serpentis parasitizing boas and of the clinical changes caused by trypanosomatid infection in snakes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Many Australian animal species are threatened by introduced species, and some by problematic native species. Conservation programs resulting in a network of havens (islands and fenced mainland areas free of introduced predators) have successfully reduced extinction risks for many threatened mammal taxa susceptible to introduced predators. However, less strategic assessment and conservation investment has occurred for other groups of Australian threatened animal species susceptible to introduced and problematic native species. Here, we report that 122 threatened Australian animal taxa, additional to the previously recognised 63 predator-susceptible threatened mammals, are extremely or highly susceptible to introduced species or problematic native species. Most of these threatening interactions involve predation, but there are also cases of competition, disease, habitat degradation, hybridisation, parasitism and poisoning. The introduced species affecting the largest number of these threatened taxa are two trout species Oncorhynchus mykiss and Salmo trutta (affecting 25 threatened taxa), chytrid fungus (23 taxa, all frogs), black rat Rattus rattus (23 taxa), cat (13 taxa additional to the 61 previously recognised threatened mammal taxa) and red fox (eight taxa, additional to the 43 previously recognised threatened mammal taxa). Havens provide a potential foundation for the conservation of these susceptible species. However, 55 of these 122 threatened taxa lack havens that exclude the relevant introduced or problematic native species. Thirty-one of the 122 threatened taxa are present in some island havens; however, the total area of these is only 3,910 km2. Currently, only five of the threatened taxa on the Australian mainland occur in havens that fence out the introduced or problematic native species that threaten them, mostly in very small exclosures. Other susceptible taxa, notably several freshwater fish, persist only in small, precarious natural havens. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents the results of studying the age and growth of the eastern slow worm (Anguis colchica orientalis Anderson, 1872) in the upper reaches of the Tangeru River (Astara district, Republic of Azerbaijan). Lizards (eight males and six females) were caught from March to August in 2011–2019. Their age was determined by the number of lines of arrested growth (LAG) on the cross sections of the tail vertebrae. Sections of the mandibular bone were also examined in three dead individuals. The number of lines of arrested growth on the mandibular bone sections and the caudal vertebra coincided. The studied animals ranged from one to ten years of age. The average age of males and females was 4.86 and 5.33 years, respectively. More than half of the males (62.5% five individuals) were 4–5 years old, and a third of the females (two individuals) were six years old. The life expectancy after the first wintering in females and males was 6.70 (S = 0.84) and 5.93 years (S = 0.82), respectively. It is noted that age determination by cross sections of the tail vertebrae in slow worms is possible and allows conducting studies on live lizards. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract—A comparative interspecific assessment of the leukocyte profile of young Elaphe dione, Natrix natrix, and N. tessellata is given. Juvenile snakes were obtained in captivity from females captured, while pregnant, from Volga populations. Eosinophils and basophils predominated in the blood of young E. dione, and the total content of mononuclear cells (agranulocytes) was lower compared to the young of N. tessellata and N. natrix. At the same time, the species of the genus Natrix differed in the content of all three types of mononuclear cells; namely, the proportion of azurophils and monocytes was higher in N. tessellata and that of lymphocytes was higher in N. natrix. The main contribution to the balance of mononuclear cells was made by lymphocytes. The leukocyte composition of young snakes had no pronounced lymphocytic profile, the contribution of the specific reactivity of the organism to the overall adaptive response of the body of young snakes to environmental conditions was small. According to the content of lymphocytes, the studied species were arranged in descending order in the following series: N. natrix (Me 60.00, IQR 2.50) → N. tessellata (52.00, 6.00) → E. dione (40.00, 5.00). The increased value of the leukocyte shift index in E. dione young testified to the predominant role of granulocytes in the immune response with some lag of lymphocyte–monocyte cells and later activation of the effector link of the immune response (lymphocytes) compared with young of N. natrix and N. tessellate. While the specific reaction of the immune system decreased, a compensator activation of the nonspecific protective blood system was observed in the organism of E. dione. The increase in the content of granulocytes in the blood of young snakes was a characteristic indicator of an increase in environmental stress, assessed by the integral leukocyte index (the ratio of heterophiles and lymphocytes). The integral leukocyte indices reflected an imbalance of the adaptive response of the blood system in young snakes kept in captivity in relation to adult males and females from natural populations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]