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Es warden zwei morphologisch und ökologisch unterschiedliche Populationen von Eidechsen aus der Acanthodactylus scutellatus-Artengruppe dokumentiert, die bisher als konspezifisch unter dem Namen A. longipes behandelt wurden. Es wird gezeigt, dass beide Populationen in einem großen Arealbereich sympatrisch vorkommen. Die Zugehörigkeit von Tieren aus der Westliche Wüste Ägyptens zu A. longipes wird bestätigt, während Populationen aus östlichen Landesteilen, die bisher ebenfalls als zu A. longipes gehörend angesehen wurden, als neue Art beschrieben wird.

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Herpetological trip to Israel in 2016 A combination of a long lasting wish to visit the Middle East and motivated by a book of Bar & Haimovitch (2012) we undertook a trip to Israel in the period April 11- 21 2016. The field guide mentions 92 reptile and amphibian species occurring in Israel. Besides that you can find a lot of other animals in Israel, amongst which specific birds, mammals and eighteen species of scorpions (Stockmann & Ythier, 2010). We had five accommodations (two days each) from the most northern part (the Golan Heights to the most southern part of Israel (Eilat). In the table you can see what kind of reptiles and scorpions we discovered in specific regions of Israel. We thank Aviad, Aviv and Ilian for their enthusiastic support and hospitality and Gert-Jan for his support to organize this trip.

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Aim To map and assess the richness patterns of reptiles (and included groups: amphisbaenians, crocodiles, lizards, snakes and turtles) in Africa, quantify the overlap in species richness of reptiles (and included groups) with the other terrestrial vertebrate classes, investigate the environmental correlates underlying these patterns, and evaluate the role of range size on richness patterns. Location Africa. Methods We assembled a data set of distributions of all African reptile species. We tested the spatial congruence of reptile richness with that of amphibians, birds and mammals. We further tested the relative importance of temperature, precipitation, elevation range and net primary productivity for species richness over two spatial scales (ecoregions and 1° grids). We arranged reptile and vertebrate groups into range-size quartiles in order to evaluate the role of range size in producing richness patterns. Results Reptile, amphibian, bird and mammal richness are largely congruent (r = 0.79–0.86) and respond similarly to environmental variables (mainly productivity and precipitation). Ecoregion size accounts for more variation in the richness of reptiles than in that of other groups. Lizard distributions are distinct with several areas of high species richness where other vertebrate groups (including snakes) are species-poor, especially in arid ecoregions. Habitat heterogeneity is the best predictor of narrow-ranging species, but remains relatively important in explaining lizard richness even for species with large range sizes. Main conclusions Reptile richness varies with similar environmental variables as the other vertebrates in Africa, reflecting the disproportionate influence of snakes on reptile richness, a result of their large ranges. Richness gradients of narrow-ranged vertebrates differ from those of widespread taxa, which may demonstrate different centres of endemism for reptile subclades in Africa. Lizard richness varies mostly with habitat heterogeneity independent of range size, which suggests that the difference in response of lizards is due to their ecological characteristics. These results, over two spatial scales and multiple range-size quartiles, allow us to reliably interpret the influence of environmental variables on patterns of reptile richness and congruency.

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Aim Temperature influences most components of animal ecology and life history – but what kind of temperature? Physiologists usually examine the influence of body temperatures, while biogeographers and macroecologists tend to focus on environmental temperatures. We aim to examine the relationship between these two measures, to determine the factors that affect lizard body temperatures and to test the effect of both temperature measures on lizard life history. Location World-wide. Methods We used a large (861 species) global dataset of lizard body temperatures, and the mean annual temperatures across their geographic ranges to examine the relationships between body and mean annual temperatures.We then examined factors influencing body temperatures, and tested for the influence of both on ecological and life-history traits while accounting for the influence of shared ancestry. Results Body temperatures and mean annual temperatures are uncorrelated. However, accounting for activity time (nocturnal species have low body temperatures), use of space (fossorial and semi-aquatic species are ‘colder’), insularity (mainland species are ‘hotter’) and phylogeny, the two temperatures are positively correlated. High body temperatures are only associated with larger hatchlings and increased rates of biomass production. Annual temperatures are positively correlated with clutch frequency and annual longevity, and negatively correlated with clutch size, age at first reproduction and longevity. Main conclusions Lizards with low body temperatures do not seem to have ‘slower’ life-history attributes than species with high body temperatures. The longer seasons prevalent in warm regions, and physiological processes that operate while lizards are inactive (but warm enough), make environmental temperatures better predictors of lizard life-history variation than body temperatures. This surprisingly greater effect of environmental temperatures on lizard life histories hints that global warming may have a profound influence on lizard ecology and evolution.

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Evaluating flagship species and their potential for biological preservation and ecotourism development is a key issue for many audiences within the conservation and social fields. Despite several methods available to identify flagships, their application is often constrained in remote, poorly studied regions. Developments are needed in statistical and spatially-explicit approaches to assess species` traits influencing flagship appealing, to identify flagship fleets, and to map the location of flagship hotspots. Here, we developed a new method to identify flagship species in regions with knowledge gaps, using a two-stage statistical approach (ordination and clus- tering algorithms) to assess variable`s contribution to appealing and to group species sharing similar char- acteristics into flagship fleets. We then mapped areas concentrating the highest richness of flagships. Unique morphologies and behaviours, conservation status, endemicity, body size and weight, and feeding habits were the traits contributing the most to the flagship appealing. Nine flagship fleets were identified, from which two were the most suitable for conservation marketing and ecotourism promotion campaigns in Sahara-Sahel: Fleet A comprising 36 large-bodied species (18 mammals, 18 reptiles) and Fleet B including 70 small-bodied species (10 birds, six mammals, 54 reptiles). A total of 19 and 16 hotspots were identified for large-bodied and small-bodied flagships, respectively. The methodology was suitable to identify flagship species for conservation marketing and for developing ecotourism operations in the Sahara-Sahel, to independently assess which species` traits are re- levant for flagship appealing, and to organise fleets for multispecies-based marketing campaigns. The framework is scalable and replicable worldwide.

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Acanthodactylus lizards are among the most diverse and widespread diurnal reptiles in the arid regions spanning from North Africa across to western India. Acanthodactylus constitutes the most species-rich genus in the family Lacertidae, with over 40 recognized species inhabiting a wide variety of dry habitats. The genus has seldom undergone taxonomic revisions, and although there are a number of described species and species-groups, their boundaries as well as their interspecific relationships are largely unresolved. We constructed a multilocus phylogeny, combining data from two mitochondrial (12S, cytb) and three nuclear (MC1R, ACM4, c-mos) markers for 302 individuals belonging to 36 known species, providing the first large-scale time-calibrated molecular phylogeny of the genus. We evaluated phylogenetic relationships between and within species-groups, and assessed Acanthodactylus biogeography across its known range. Acanthodactylus cladogenesis is estimated to have originated in Africa due to vicariance and dispersal events from the Oligocene onwards. Radiation started with the separation into three clades: the Western and scutellatus clades largely distributed in North Africa, and the Eastern clade occurring mostly from Arabia to south-west Asia. Most Acanthodactylus species diverged during the Miocene, possibly as a result of regional geological instability and climatic changes. We support most of the current taxonomic classifications and phylogenetic relationships, and provide genetic validity for most species. We reveal a new distinct blanfordii species-group, suggest new phylogenetic positions (A. hardyi, A. masirae), and synonymize several species and subspecies (A. lineomaculatus, A. boskianus khattensis and A. b. nigeriensis) with their phylogenetically closely-related species. We recommend a thorough systematic revision of taxa exhibiting high levels of intraspecific variability as well as clear evidence of phylogenetic complexity such as A. guineensis, A. grandis, A. dumerilii, and A. senegalensis and the pardalis and erythrurus species-groups.

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Aim: Hyper-arid sandy and rocky fields rank among the least biologically diverse habitats of the desert biome, yet knowledge of local biodiversity patterns is also ex tremely poor. In the Sahara Desert, palaeoclimate oscillations affected the extent of hyper-arid habitats, but it is unclear how these dynamics determined the evolution and distribution of local specialists. Herein, we assessed cryptic diversity, diversification patterns and spatial connectivity within a Sahara-widespread group of dryland adapted lizards. Location: Sahara-Sahel ecoregions. Taxon: Acanthodactylus scutellatus species group. Methods: Inter- and intraspecific phylogenetic structure, divergence times, spatial genetic patterns and cryptic diversity were assessed using nuclear and mitochondrial loci. The effects of topography and land cover on phylogeographic structure and diversity were tested with generalized linear models. Interspecific hybridization was evaluated using 11 microsatellites across the group`s major sympatry zone, predicted based on ecological niche models. Results: Species of Acanthodactylus scutellatus group exhibit Late Miocene origins, followed by extensive intraspecific divergence throughout the Pliocene. The northern Sahara worked as a major diversification hotspot, harbouring a patchwork of small ranged, divergent lineages. These lineages are parapatric or sympatric and present concordant nuclear and mitochondrial differentiation, suggesting species status. Genetic connectivity increases in southern latitudes, with wide-ranging lineages spanning from the Red Sea to the Atlantic coast. Within these potential corridors, mountain outskirts and sand fields in the Sahara interior seemingly acted as origins for recent population expansions. Genetic diversity and connectivity are favoured by terrain roughness and soft-sand cover respectively. Three species inhabit the Atlantic Sahara sympatry zone without evidence of gene flow. Main conclusions: Overlooked species-level diversity within a major specialist group of Sahara drylands exposes the recurrent knowledge shortfalls present in hyper-arid desert environments. Humidity and sandy habitat shifts triggered potential successions of population isolation and re-connectivity, which favoured cladogenesis in northern desert regions and population expansions across southern east–west corridors.

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hese notes on some Egyptian lacertid lizards contribute to faunal data for the planning of biodiversity conservation. Mesalina bahaeldini curatorumn. subsp. is described from Suez, characterized by coloration and larger (fewer) body scales. Range extensions are documented for Acanthodactylus aegyptius, Mesalina olivieri, and M. rubropunctata. The previously reported occurrence of A. opheodurusin Sinai is doubted. The fact that the M. b. curatorum types were collected in the 1820s demonstrates the importance of museum collections.