The iguanid lizard genus Oplurus contains six species of which five are endemic to Madagascar and the sixth occurs also on Grande Comoro Glaw.

 

Introduction Terrapene carolina carolina L. eastern box turtles are small, terrestrial turtles. They typically inhabit forested areas and rely on their.

 

Male anurans exhibit four alternative behavioral strategies to form an amplexi Pombal-Júnior and Haddad, 2007 : 1 active search for females, 2 displacing.

 

Dendropsophus giesleri Mertens, 1950 is a small tree frog that belongs to the Dendropsophus parviceps group Faivovich et al. , 2005. Formerly known.

 

Introduction Many recent amphibian declines are associated with the emergence of a pathogenic fungus, dendrobatidis Bd , that causes the disease in amphibians Berger.

 

The small boa Tropidophis spiritus Hedges and Garrido, 1999 was described on the basis of a single male specimen from Canal Zaza, cacerío Chorrera.

 

Introduction Wildlife road mortality is an area of increasing interest within the conservation community Lode, 2000, Ray, Preston and McCallum, 2006,.

 

Introduction Many examples of larval competition among amphibians have been demonstrated in artificial systems Wilbur, 1972; Wilbur, 1982;.

 

Introduction Madagascar is well known for its endemic fauna and has outstanding herpetological diversity in comparison to other African countries Glaw and Vences, 2000.

 

Hemidactylus agrius Vanzolini, 1978 Fig. 1 is a little- studied lizard from northeastern Brazil, restricted to the Caatinga Vanzolini, 1978; Vanzolini, Ramos-Costa.

 

The Unkenreflex Hinsche, 1926 is a defensive posture adopted by several amphibians when threatened by predators. Menaced individuals twist their bodies.

 

The vine snake Oxybelis fulgidus Daudin, 1803 is a widely distributed arboreal member of the Colubridae which occurs from Mexico southwards.

 

Over the course of their evolution, anurans have colonized a great diversity of microhabit types Pertel et al. , 2006. Most species of amphibians.

 

and 120 adults respectively Gerlach, 2008a,b. The subspecies are representatives of southeastern African and Madagascan species Bour, 1983 and may be of relatively recent origin, possibly.

 

Introduction Pits or pit-like depressions have been documented in the scales of a variety of snake lineages. Apical pits on scales of the body dorsum.

 

potential breeding opportunities Maynard Smith and Price, 1973. Aggressive behaviour, however, whether limited to single or multi-modal displays or involving.

 

Non-native, invasive species are considered to be the second greatest driver of human-caused species extinctions worldwide Grosholz, 2005; Sax and Gaines, 2008. On islands,.

 

Frogs in the family Mantellidae form a species- rich radiation, endemic to Madagascar and Mayotte. Despite intensive field work and numerous taxonomic.

 

Of the 49 species of Lithobates currently recognized today, two occur in Brazil SBH, 2010 ; one being native, Lithobates palmipes Spix, 1824 and the other.

 

Introduction Understanding the details of an organism’s life history is important for understanding its role in the ecosystem Bury, 2006; McCallum and McCallum, 2006. Despite.

 

In anuran amphibians, access to calling sites may be one of the determinants of male mating success Kadadevaru and Kanamadi, 2001. Male anurans typically establish.

 

Over the course of their evolution, anurans have colonized a great diversity of microhabit types Pertel et al. , 2006. Most species of amphibians.

 

potential breeding opportunities Maynard Smith and Price, 1973. Aggressive behaviour, however, whether limited to single or multi-modal displays or involving.

 

Introduction Pattern mapping, the photographic recording of colour patterns, is the preferred method for individual registration of amphibians Donnelly et al. , 1994. This approach.

 

Introduction The Green Frog, Lithobates clamitans melanota Rafinesque 1820 is one of two recognized subspecies of the eastern North American Bronze Frog, L. clamitans.

 

Introduction Sumatra’s herpetological fauna is poorly known Inger Iskander, 2005; Teynié et al. 2010 and recent herpetological collections have been.

 

Introduction Continental biotas that had been isolated for millions of years were drastically opened to outside influence at the beginning of the Exploration Age Mooney.

 

into commercial, industrial, and residential areas e. g. Shochat et al. , 2006. Habitat loss e. g. Shochat et al. , 2006 is the primary threat to amphibian populations in the Neotropics.

 

Pitvipers of the genus Bothrops prey mainly on small vertebrates, particularly small mammals, lizards and frogs Martins, Marques and Sazima, 2002.

 

Herpetofaunal surveys carried out in the recent past have resulted in the detection of species hitherto unknown from the state of Andhra Pradesh, India.

 

Introduction The banded newt, Triturus vittatus Gray, 1835 complex, is a poorly studied member of the western Palearctic genus Triturus Litvinchuk.

 

There are several cases of abnormally or uncommonly coloured individuals of amphibians reported in the literature. Amphibian coloration is defined by the disposition of specific epidermal.

 

1 Département de Biologie Animale, Université d’Antananarivo, BP 906. Antananarivo, 101 Madagascar 2 Division of Evolutionary Biology, Zoological Institute, Tech- nical University of Braunschweig,.

 

The endemic Pyrenean frog Rana pyrenaica was originally described from the area of Bujaruelo in the Ordesa and Monte Perdido National Park Serra-Cobo,.

 

Introduction The taxonomy and phylogeny of anurans of the Western Ghats have gained interest among biologists in recent times, but aspects of their breeding.

 

Introduction The Swinhoe’s tree lizard Japalura swinhonis Günther, 1864 is an endemic species in Taiwan, and occurs throughout the island, as well as on the offshore.

 

The genus Paroedura embraces a diverse radiation of species endemic to Madagascar and the Comoro islands. This group of nocturnal large-eyed geckoes are widely.

 

Introduction Many examples of larval competition among amphibians have been demonstrated in artificial systems Wilbur, 1972; Wilbur, 1982;.

 

The species Stenocercus trachycephalus , family Tropiduridae Duméril, 1851 , is endemic to Colombia and is distributed throughout the Oriental Chain of the Andes 4oN–6 o 2007.

 

The small boa Tropidophis spiritus Hedges and Garrido, 1999 was described on the basis of a single male specimen from Canal Zaza, cacerío Chorrera.

 

Introduction The genus Aspidoscelis ranges from Costa Rica northward through most of the United States Wright, 1993; Reeder, Cole.

 

Olive Ridley sea turtles Lepidochelys olivacea are globally distributed and are well known for their synchronised nesting behaviour, also known as arribada.

 

Few surveys focusing on chelonians have been conducted in Peru Fachín-Teran, 1993 , and therefore little information regarding geographic records is available.

 

The endemic Pyrenean frog Rana pyrenaica was originally described from the area of Bujaruelo in the Ordesa and Monte Perdido National Park Serra-Cobo,.

 

Introduction Madagascar harbours a rich snake fauna including about 96 species corresponding to the three families of Typhloidae, Boidae, and Lamprophiidae. While.

 

The genus Echinanthera Cope, 1894 occurs in South America Di-Bernardo, 1992 and comprises six Brazilian species Bérnils, 2010. According to Rocha.