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Suitable habitats for anurans can be found in the ever‐growing tropical urban environments but anurans' adaptations to urban conditions, including their trophic ecology remain largely unknown. We studied the food habits of two generalist, widespread West African Sclerophrys adult toads: African common (Sclerophrys regularis) and Hallowell's toad (Sclerophrys maculata). The first was studied in Lomé (Togo), Cotonou (Benin) and Ikeja (Nigeria), and the second in Port Harcourt and Ikeja (both Nigeria); the latter city represents the only studied sympatric occurrence. Mean dietary overlap between population pairs was relatively high, and diet composition of the two species when sympatric did not differ significantly. Food niche width was significantly positively correlated with local rainfall in both species, and diet composition changed significantly between the dry and wet seasons. Diversity metrics revealed that females had a more diversified diet, with higher evenness and lower dominance index values than males. The diet of both species was not correlated to prey type availability, in both the wet and dry season. Both toad species targeted specific food items rather than opportunistically consume prey as observed in most anurans which may be a response to high anuran diversity typically found in the tropics or an adjustment to urban habitats. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Illegal trade in wildlife has been identified as one of the main challenges to wildlife conservation. In 2010, an illegal trade‐ring trafficking in birds of prey was uncovered in Sicily (southern Italy). This illegal trade targeted the three most endangered species in Italy: Bonelli's eagle Aquila fasciata, Lanner falcon Falco biarmicus and Egyptian vulture Neophron percnopterus, all of them long‐lived territorial raptors threatened with extinction across their European distribution. Illegal harvest primarily involved young birds and eggs taken from nests. After the discovery of these activities, surveillance camps and camera traps connected to the mobile Global System for Mobile communications network were established in nine Bonelli's eagle breeding sites in which illegal harvest was reported. Surveillance activities resulted in a sharp reduction in illegal harvest that has contributed to the recent increase in population size and number of breeding pairs of Bonelli's eagle in the island. This population represents 95% of the entire Italian population and is catalogued as Critically Endangered in this country. Importantly, our results highlight the impact of illegal harvest on the population dynamics of endangered species as demonstrated by a population viability analysis. This is particularly important in the case of insular species for which demographic recovery due to immigration from other geographic areas is unlikely. Systematic patrols by forestry police authorities, a resolute application of Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species legislation via legal punishment, and the requirement of including all live captive specimens used for falconry in an obligatory DNA data bank would contribute to reducing the risk of extinction for small populations of endangered species of birds of prey. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Urban areas are primary causes of species' range fragmentation and reduction. However, relatively few studies have attempted to describe the habitat variables influencing the diversity and conservation of amphibians and reptiles, particularly in Mediterranean Europe and in large metropolitan areas. We explored this broad conservation ecology problem by studying the richness and diversity patterns in relation to a suite of six independent habitat variables in Rome, one of the most ancient cities of the world. We considered all the green remnant areas ( n=62) of Rome, ranging 1 to >1000 ha in size, which are interspersed within a sea of urbanized matrix. A total of 10 amphibian and 15 reptile species were studied. Their presence/absence patterns were assessed and the effects of the various habitat variables on each species were predicted by a logistic regression model. A total of 1261 presence records (404 amphibians and 857 reptiles) were analysed. Fragment size and wood size within each fragment did correlate significantly with the species richness of both amphibians and reptiles, and there was a clear threshold effect after 50 ha of wooded surface. The presence of water bodies positively affected the species distribution. One amphibian and three reptiles inhabited exclusively fragments >50 ha. The distance from the centre did not affect fragment species richness. The presence of most species of both amphibians and reptiles was positively influenced by the irregular versus circular shape of the wooded area. The legal protection of a given area did not influence the observed patterns but the total number of sheltered species. Overall, our study suggests that, in order to maintain the current diversity and population viability, it is necessary, in addition to water bodies' maintenance, to (1) preserve the wooded landscapes over 50 ha; (2) promote irregularly shaped increases in the wood surface; (3) maintain ecotonal boundaries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Dog attacks on adders; a comment on Worthington-Hill & Gill (2019) When one of us (TM) used plasticine models to investigate predation on juvenile grass snakes, the models were frequently nibbled by small rodents (Madsen, [2]). Using plasticine models, in our view, constitutes an adequate way to investigate predation caused by visually hunting snake predators, but not of predation caused by predators primarily relying on olfactory cues. [Extracted from the article]